2014/2015 Winnebago Travato Motor Home

[doit2010]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any experance with the new Winnebago TRAVATO camper conversion model built on the Fiat Frame with the Dodge Logo. How does it compair to say the pleasuer-way or other camper conversions?

[bspurling]

We bought our Travato right at the start of 2014 when it was fresh off the production line, and we've been living in it full time ever since. At the six month mark we'd clocked up over 20,000 miles.

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.

We have loads more details, of the good points and the bad points, on our website: Travato. Please get in touch if you have any questions.


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. Yes, partly this was a strong desire not to feel too middle-aged! But it’s also practical. 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’re young. 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.

For full deatils, check out the website: Travato

[cjscotty]

How the heck are you guys making out with your tank sizes full timing? The black, gray, fresh, etc.? We are interested in this and have a smaller B+ we're looking to trade, but it has much bigger tanks. We do dry camp altho most places do have water and a dump. We won't need the water to drink as I bring drinking water. Will just be 2 of us and 2 small dogs. Worried about the tank sizes. How many showers do you get on the fresh water for example.

[JBP]

We just picked up our new Trend and are looking forward to our first trip. But have no idea how we could be full time in it. It is a little bigger than the Travato. I also would be interested in your story. Must be very interesting. I will look at your website. Safe travailing.

[bspurling]

Hi,

CJScotty: I think the tanks are small, but we don't have anything to compare it too. When we first started out we went to an RV park every third night. Then we discovered dump stations and we stopped going to RV parks at all! Overtime we've got better at preserving water and lowered our expectations on how often one needs to shower. We now visit a dump station every 4 to 7 days. Like you, we keep drinking water in bottles, we try to visit quiet dump stations and shower "during" the pump out so we drive away clean and full. Then we usually do two showers each on a tank, perhaps 3 at a stretch, over 4 to 7 days.

But our showers are cold, and extraordinarily quick!

Hope that helps .

JBP: I guess it's a bit of a lifestyle choice, but if you're game, there's no reason you can't full-time in the Travato. I would suggest you make absolutely sure you're happy with the bed size!

[cjscotty]

Thanks for the reply. We have a 25 ft B+ so we're used to small by most RV standards and have slightly larger corner bed now but still concerned. Two showers each on a tank doesn't seem too bad. Question, very confused as to how the shower works, this seems to be my husband's hangup on getting the Travato. Is there a pump you have to use after you shower to get the water out of the shower?? Are there 2 pumps, one done from the shower and then another when you actually dump? We did see a switch in the back of the vehicle. We saw different info and this is confusing and is unusual, never saw this before. Thanks for the info! Also, seems to be some confusion as to the tank sizes on the 2015. Winnebago is showing black/grey - 15/11. I'm wondering if they really mean the other way around.

[bspurling]

You're right that there are a selection of pumps - I'll try to resolve any confusions here:

1. There's a standard water pump to put pressure at all the faucets. One pump for all five points (kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower, toilet flush, rear hose).

2. There's a pump to drain the water out of the shower. It essentially sucks the water down into the drain. I assume this is because the size of the van and the position of the tanks means gravity can't do it alone. The switch is in easy reach above the mirror in the bathroom.

3. There's a pump to pump out the grey water. Again, I assume this is because gravity can't be relied on. This is the switch at the back. Note that the black tank doesn't use a pump, just gravity.

All these pumps work fine and are not an issue for us. However, there is one thing regarding point 2 (the shower drain pump) you should be aware of if you haven't spotted it already on our site:

To drain the shower water away there’s an electric pump. The pump sits under the cupboard under the kitchen sink and contains a very fine wire mesh filter. The shower itself has a single drain point with no corresponding filter over the drain. Result… you have to take everything out of the kitchen cupboard and clean the filter every four showers or so. Winnebago have commented on this: “Based on your feedback we are planning to add an additional inline filter that can be more readily maintained and reduce the frequency of cleaning the pump filter. This may take us a bit of time as we have to get new plumbing listings, but here is a solution you could easily add to your coach: (thank you Rialta owners!) Purchase a hose filter available at any hardware store for around $2, unscrew the white drain cap in the shower, add the filter and screw the cap back on“. [We've not yet tried this out - will update when we have]

Our solution is to cut out circles of cheesecloth and hold them over the drain with a hair band, which is not ideal. This is by far the biggest design flaw of the Travato. We're currently on the hunt for this hose filter so I hope to be able to update you soon on whether it solves the problem.

RE black/grey on the 2015: can't help you there, except to say it's definitely the other way round on the 2014!