Six months full-timing in the Winnebago Travato

[bspurling]

We bought our Winnebago Travato right at the start of 2014 when it was fresh off the production line... and we've been full-timing in it ever since.

At the six month mark we'd clocked up over 20,000 miles, covering most of the Deep South, South West, and the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re looking for a great combination of small and self-sufficient, the Travato is brilliant. But it’s aimed at a specific type of RVer - one who prefers mobility over space! It has its fair share of design flaws and issues too, as a number of other topics on this forum have discussed.

We have loads more details - the good and the bad - on our website: travato2014.wordpress.com

With the Travato’s floor plan Winnebago have done something wonderful. They’ve taken a floor plan only found in the class C View 24J (aka Navion, if it’s an Itasca) or the class B+ Via 25P (Itasca: Reyo), and ingeniously crammed it into a Ram ProMaster chassis. This floor plan has four great features:

1. Self-sufficient — We wanted to be able to go at least a few days without hooking up, and not by relying on campsite showers either.
2. Mobile and discreet (relatively!) — We didn’t want to look too much like an RV. Big white curvy lines scream “RV”; the extra width of a class C’s coach makes tight parking impossible.
3. Permanent bed — We’re full-timing, so we couldn’t be doing with turning our table into a bed every time we wanted to sleep.
4. Booth-style dinette — We’re not just travelling, we have things we want to do. Things that require laptops, or pen and paper. Tiny little removable tables perched uncomfortably far from leather sofas… Not going to cut it. We wanted a permanent table, with the extra space afforded by the booth-style.
5. Corner shower and corner bed — We prioritise mobility and style over queen-size beds with a foot of space around it. Anything other than a corner bed with a corner shower room squeezed in beside it is a colossal waste of space by our reckoning.

There's loads of other great features, and HUGE design flaws too! As mentioned, it's all on our website. Would be happy to answer any questions from anybody considering the Travato, or pick up any feedback from others already using the van.

Brian

[Davydd]

cjscotty wrote:

wincrasher65 wrote:
There is plenty of space on the roof. The wiring would be a snap as you could go down the back of the closet cabinet. Problem is you have to drill a hole in the roof of your van.

Right now I've got a portable 120 watt panel that works pretty well.

Considering this van is pointed towards the sports-active types, and not necessarily full-timers or long term campers, solar may be seen as unnecessary. If you are just over-nighting in non-cold weather, the single battery will easily last 24 hours until you start up and drive the van. Also, since it has a generator, you have that charging option too.

Is the 120 able to run your air conditioning? We would probably get the portable then, they look to fold up fairly small. We are not full timers, always out for 2-4 day weekends, day trips and a couple week long, but really would like to have this, as I believe the Travato only has one battery?Also looking to go out now for cross country skiing. We have 2 on our current, and even short timing if the battery dies or we use it up for some reason not going to be too good. We have 2 small dogs also we take everywhere. May open up more options for us also. I know we dry camp in state parks a lot and they have limited generator times, and we have gotten banged on our door by angry campers. 😮

A 120 W solar panel is not going to run much of anything. A rule of thumb I've read says, a 100 watt solar panel produces an average of about 6 amps per peak sun hour, or about 30 amp-hours per day. So a 120 watt panel might be good for maybe 36 amp-hours per day. When I quoted that on another board some experienced rooftop solar panel Class B owners suggested the rule of thumb might have been generous. Air conditioners are going to use anywhere from 85 to 125 amps per HOUR of use. An aimed portable solar panel might exceed that rule but still would not be remotely close enough to run an air conditioner. Then a portable solar panel is one more thing you have to carry, pack away and take up valuable space.

[cjscotty]

Desert Captain wrote:
The biggest problem I have with the Travato is the price, they have got to be kidding! This brings up the easiest way to discern whether you are dealing with a Class C, B+ or B:

If it is ridiculously expensive it is probably a B. :E

If it is insanely ridiculously expensive it is a B+. :S

If it sleeps 6 and cost half of what the B's and B+'s go for it is a C.

:B :B :B

Hehe, I have to admit that was a good one. I've seen the Travato as low as $69,000. Really to me should be similar to small C's, at least low 60s. May still splurge but trying hard for a deal. Travato is only just slightly lower than some small diesel sprinter B+/C's I've seen, that is to us too ridiculously high. They expect u to compare them to diesel B's which are insanely priced, I agree. And to prove this, the larger B+'s I've seen lower. No logical reason for that.

[Desert_Captain]

The biggest problem I have with the Travato is the price, they have got to be kidding! This brings up the easiest way to discern whether you are dealing with a Class C, B+ or B:

If it is ridiculously expensive it is probably a B. :E

If it is insanely ridiculously expensive it is a B+. :S

If it sleeps 6 and cost half of what the B's and B+'s go for it is a C.

:B :B :B

[cjscotty]

wincrasher65 wrote:
There is plenty of space on the roof. The wiring would be a snap as you could go down the back of the closet cabinet. Problem is you have to drill a hole in the roof of your van.

Right now I've got a portable 120 watt panel that works pretty well.

Considering this van is pointed towards the sports-active types, and not necessarily full-timers or long term campers, solar may be seen as unnecessary. If you are just over-nighting in non-cold weather, the single battery will easily last 24 hours until you start up and drive the van. Also, since it has a generator, you have that charging option too.

Is the 120 able to run your air conditioning? We would probably get the portable then, they look to fold up fairly small. We are not full timers, always out for 2-4 day weekends, day trips and a couple week long, but really would like to have this, as I believe the Travato only has one battery?Also looking to go out now for cross country skiing. We have 2 on our current, and even short timing if the battery dies or we use it up for some reason not going to be too good. We have 2 small dogs also we take everywhere. May open up more options for us also. I know we dry camp in state parks a lot and they have limited generator times, and we have gotten banged on our door by angry campers. 😮

[wincrasher65]

There is plenty of space on the roof. The wiring would be a snap as you could go down the back of the closet cabinet. Problem is you have to drill a hole in the roof of your van.

Right now I've got a portable 120 watt panel that works pretty well.

Considering this van is pointed towards the sports-active types, and not necessarily full-timers or long term campers, solar may be seen as unnecessary. If you are just over-nighting in non-cold weather, the single battery will easily last 24 hours until you start up and drive the van. Also, since it has a generator, you have that charging option too.

[cjscotty]

stan909 wrote:
My point was that it would cost Winnebago very little to build solar into their units because they would buy in bulk. I added a 155 panel and charge controller for about $225. It works splendidly.They should be able to do 100 watts for less than what I spent and gain more customers.

Is this 155 panel done on a Travato? Would luv to see pic. Really would want to put solar if possible for all reasons above. Our current 25 ft B+ has dual batteries. You guys know waaay more about this than I do, but at the Hershey show, the smaller Coachmen there had a portable panel that was on the ground. They explained it was good for camping in trees also bc it was moveable. I would prefer small one mounted on roof if room but maybe would get that as we do have the large under bed area in Travato. Going to see one this weekend, woohoo :B

[stan909]

My point was that it would cost Winnebago very little to build solar into their units because they would buy in bulk. I added a 155 panel and charge controller for about $225. It works splendidly.They should be able to do 100 watts for less than what I spent and gain more customers.

[mlts22]

I'm pragmatic. As someone who boondocks and who watches every watt-hour spent by every device (I even have 340 lumen LED lights that hang off of USB ports so I can use an external battery for lighting as opposed to having that go off my house jars), I don't really care how hip/green/"eco" it is... however, I do appreciate a battery at full SoC when boondocking in an extremely quiet forest, and running a generator (even a quiet one) would be like a 21 gun salute.

Plus, solar is great for battery life, assuming a good charge controller which can taper off or go into float mode.

I don't know how much this would cost, and the Travato is a good balance between a very usable vehicle and one not priced in the stratosphere... but it would be a very nice option to have available, since it would be constantly used.

[stan909]

Solar is so cheap and the younger folk are so enchanted by it that I'm not sure why they don't just slap some kind of panel of say 100 watts up on the roof and pronounce it "Green" just to sell more vans. I on the other hand don't use solar to save the planet but rather to save the batteries.

[mlts22]

When I looked at the Travato, the biggest issue for me was the bench seat, where the space between the chair and table was too tight in the 2014 model to be usable. I'm glad they fixed that in the 2015, because it limited the use of the table to just the driver's seat pretty much.

Only thing not mentioned which would be nice to have added would be prewiring for solar, or perhaps the option of a panel and a MPPT charge controller.

[cjscotty]

The more I hear about it, the more I really like it. May wait to hear of any new changes for 2016. Perfect for us would be a skylight if possible over front, a TV in the back, AND MOSTLY, option for the "Murphy" flip up bed/sofa/table combo, similar to the one they have in the new Winnebago 26A Brave. The new Brave has ingenious designs to manage a smaller A. The flip up bed/sofa/table combo would have to be slightly larger, Brave's is 40 x 74, I believe the bed in Travato is 46 x 77. Would LOVE to have sofa to lounge in back, or lay down for bed, or flip out of the way for storage. Even having the table would be great for tailgating. Would put down the table and cook and put all the food on it and be able to take from the back outside. It's right near the fridge so would be perfect, or for extra work table space. 😄

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL0dFCdsSlQ

Not sure why this link won't open here but if you copy and paste it in your internet search it will open up. And I agree, solar would be awesome.

[SkiMore]

Were you totally blacked out with closed windows?

[erip]

i was on the west side, actually very close to where the andiamo takes new york people parked.. It was a saturday nite into sunday and you watch the signs. With alternate street parking, one side of the street is not free till after 7 pm, so if you get someplace at 6:30 you can get a great spot. I try to find a space where i am the first spot near a corner or fire hydrant so i only have to worry about close cars in either the front or back, not both. It did make me nervous since i didn't want any dings on my new toy, but other than that it was great. A nice little hotel room in manhattan at no charge!!!

[wincrasher65]

how did you manage parking?

[erip]

scotty
I drove a 22 foot b plus down from the GW bridge to the 59th st bridge down 5th ave.. nailbiting.. drove the travato all over nyc and slept on the street.. minimally nailbiting and quite fun