2014 Winnebago Travato

[mlts22]

Unfortunately, from pictures of the PM interior, I am pretty certain that is where a support brace is located. I didn't realize that the 120VAC model has no access hatch, an oversight on my part. I thought it would have a hatch for draining and flushing, but I'm guessing that is probably under the dinette and used from the inside, since there is no need for outside access as there is no combustion going on.

[ontheroad]

I finally checked out the Travato up and personal. A friend is interested in purchasing a Travato and I told her I will look it over and tell her what I think.

The hit's: I like the shower
The bed is more comfortable than I expected.
I liked the cockpit privacy window blinds. The driver and passenger window blinds attach by magnets and were easy to install. The windshield blind was held in place by the visors. We didn't install it but it seemed easy to do.
The backup camera is nice.

The misses (from forward to aft): The drivers seat is uncomfortable and difficult to adjust.
The dumb pedal for your left foot is in an awkward location.
The passenger seat does not swivel well because it comes in contact with the side seat covering the water tank.
You have to squeeze between the table and side seat plus watch for a step down to move from the cockpit to the back section. Awkward.
It is VERY difficult to get in and out of the dinette seat. I had to lift the table to get out.
That seat is VERY uncomfortable. I had to place one of the throw pillows behind me to support my lumbar to make it tolerable.
The seat belts on the dinette seat are set too low and were digging into my shoulder.
I bumped my head on the overhead and TV above this seat while going down the road sitting in the left position. I had to move to the right (outside) position before I got knocked out.
I had to fully extend the seat belt to engage it and it was too tight the whole ride. I am 5'10", 195lbs, standard build and it was just too small.
No head back rest while riding in the dinette seat. Isn't there a law for this now?
The two burner stove are both small burners. It's not made for larger skillets.
No backsplash
No counter space at all nor did I see a way to retrofit any. The water tank seat takes the lions share of usable space in that area and, as someone else mentioned, the switches are in the way for a flip up. Installing a flip up would block the entrance because the seat takes up too much room.
The shower curtain is held by button snaps. We know how long they last.
The large panel between the shower and bed was loose. They could have used an adhesive or something to help the staples attach this better. This may have been a big contributor to the rattling.
I'm riding in the back going down a relatively smooth highway and it rattled from all directions and noticeable wind and tire noise. Is that normal for a B?
The generator is 6" off the ground.
The underside generator power connections (Relays, transfer switch?) were unprotected from the elements. I thought this should have been in an enclosure.
There is a nice stinky slinky holder on the side of the van but it does not accommodate having the bayonet lock ends on both ends of the hose. Is this common for a B? Does your dump hose have a connector on just one end?
Running a pump is required to dump the gray tank. The switch for that is a momentary rocker switch located inside the back door. I would have to connect my hose to dump, dump the black tank, then open the rear door and hold down a button the whole time I'm dumping the gray tank. This switch should be somewhere on the outside.

Counting up my hit's and misses indicates how impressed I was with the Travato. This thing is made for a midget.
I can see where Winnebago may have been trying to go with this. Wanting to get the price point down for the common user as well as offering enough features to attract a variety of potential buyers. But in the end my opinion is it's a miss. There are too many little irritations to make it acceptable. A few minor dislikes are acceptable if there are big plusses to balance it out but I personally found more dislikes than plusses.
I don't see this as a fancy 'soccer mom' van either. Two small kids will fit at the dinette seat but once they start growing it will be time to trade it in. All of this is just my opinion.

I pointed out all my opinions to the perspective buyer and she agreed. I have been suggesting her buying a used PW, RT or LTV for the same price and tow a 10' trailer to carry her portabote rather than trying to make the Travato into a toy hauler. This may be the direction she will head.

Sorry for the long post.

[markopolo]

Great post - thanks for the info. It's not too long at all.

ontheroad - have you been in many Class B's? I ask because head bumping and awkward spaces are not that unusual in B van. We learn quickly how to stop banging our heads on things. I'd more expect that type of thing in a Chevy or Ford conversion not Sprinters or the Promaster because they have more vertical sides.

If you haven't been in many other B vans then it would be good for you get inside a used PW, RT or LTV to do a comparison for your friend.

[mlts22]

Your post is excellent. I was thinking a Travato was going to be a bit small for someone around six feet, but you are exactly my height, and if your head gets blendered on the port side bench seat, then I'll end up getting my bell rung.

The Travato is a balancing act... the price is excellent, but it has a lot of compromises, and I keep wondering about them. After thinking about where I camp, firing up the generator for 20 minutes for hot water is doable. Since the space for a sewage hose is so limited, I'd probably have to stash it inside the van in a plastic container (fittings on both hose ends is a must, especially a corner fitting to ensure a good fit in the dump hole.) I'm spoiled by the Valterra hose I have which goes on and off without any ado. However, how many minor annoyances can one deal with before it doesn't really become fun to camp is what I am trying to learn. Something that is too quirky may end up just being more hassle than its worth.

Since it will only be me in the rig for sleeping, there are five places to sit around the table (the two seats, on top the FW tank, and the back bench seat), so one place that is cramped isn't that big a deal. However, this changes entirely if I bring another person along.

I guess it might be time to pay the Winnebago "B" dealer a visit to see how this fits me. However, since I'm probably moving this summer, I might be able to store a larger vehicle than I had planned... so for a little bit more, a Winnebago Trend (23L floorplan) is very similar, except sheds a lot of the disadvantages. The back bench seat looks to be a tight squeeze, but it has a second side bench seat and the two front seats turn around a full 180 degrees. The bed in the back is wider and has a lot of storage underneath, with an externally accessible hatch, so storing a large diameter sewer hose wouldn't be that big a deal. Of course, counter space is a lot more.

Running a pump to empty the gray water tank is another quirk. It sort of is the worst of both worlds between the downside of having a macerator pump and a gravity dump. However, there is little room to stick much under the van, so this might be a necessary evil.

The Trend isn't a "B" by any means, with its 90.5 inches of width compared to the Travato's 83 inches. But it seems that even though the Trend isn't as big as most 24 footers, it doesn't compromise as much as the Travato. However, one can easily (relatively) park a Travato in a crowded shopping center to run in for groceries.

I'm willing to guess Winnebago might have a new floorplan for the Travato for 2015, hopefully that will fix the annoyances of this floorplan. I can see using a sliding pedestal table, similar to what LTV models use, which would make getting in and sitting easier, and with the ability to lift the table, it would make the rear bench seat more usable. European rigs have drop-down beds as well, which might be a height issue for people six feet or more, but it would allow for more workable room, similar to the Trend's 23B floorplan.

[ontheroad]

I have traveled a short distance in a RT 210 Popular and have been in many at the shows and dealers. I take a trip ~1/month to PPL in Houston just for my RV fix. I like looking at the A's, B's and C's at PPL. The only one I have been in with the engine running was the RT. With that said, I do not recall the RT making this much noise but maybe it was and I didn't notice.

After we turned this Travato inside out and took it for a test drive I took her to the PW's, View's, and other B+'s on the lot to show her quality.

As far as bumping my head, this was travelling down the road while strapped into my seat. I can see bumping while trying to maneuver around inside but while I'm sitting in a seat designed for travel with a seat belt?

Side Note: The sales person stated that RT went out of business. Is this true?

[stanw909]

" RT went out of business " . Not hardly. Salesman is either dumb or rotten.

[bobojay]

RT didn't go out of business, but just missed it by a hair back in 2010. Different ownership now

[mlts22]

RT is booming right now. The near-great-depression in '08 nearly knocked them off, but they definitely have a niche with the market they have now.

As for the Travato, how slow/fast was it? I'm not expecting a race car, but I wonder how well it can deal with merging onto highways and other misc. stuff.

[ontheroad]

I didn't drive and the person driving didn't specifically comment on power but my observation's were:
She was driving it harder than I would. I commented to her that this is a vehicle you would want to drive like a limo.
The tach was about 4500 in 5th gear during her first entrance onto the highway.
I never once looked at the speedometer but cruising flat at highway speeds with three people in it the tach was about 2200 rpm. An incline would cause it to drop into 5th gear to about 4000 rpm.

[Fastpaddler1]

Ontheroad
Thanks for your comprehensive review. I havent seen one and am spoiled by the quality of the PW(GWV & RT too) and when I replace mine soon the Travato price is appealing but the configuration isnt from the little I know from pics. You should send your comments to WINNEBAGO and maybe they can learn something from an honest evaluation by a potential customer! I have ruled out LTV SS w/so.
AL

[mlts22]

One thing about a Travato. It doesn't have any outside compartments for stuff like a macerator pump, sewage hose, or other stuff you want to not have to haul into the rig. As a hack, I can see one way to help alleviate that: Keep the rear bed folded up when on the road, stash stuff that should be outside in wheeled plastic tool chests (Stanley has some, and there are Contico's Pro Tuff Bins that don't have wheels, but are draggable.) When it is time to make camp, pull the containers out, chain them down via a security cable to a nearby tree (I prefer to avoid tethering to the vehicle if at all possible, but if desert camping, you have to do what you have to do), and flip the bed down. Takes a bit of effort, but this is only really needed if packing heavily for a long trip or boondocking it.

Of course, a swing-away hitch mounted storage rack is almost a must for anything but a day or weekend trip.

[stanw909]

When I looked at the Travato they had a Rubbermaid bin with accessories that easily fit under the bed just as several more could as well. If I were camping in the Trravato I'm sure I would have several bins under the bed as well as camp chairs rug etc.. I would probably keep them there until I needed to haul something big then pull them out and put the bed in the up position. The bed would probably be down most the time. One nice feature of the short length is the ability to add an extra storage pod on the back and still be a manageable length. I look forward to new floorplans from Winnebago and others. I especially am wondering what Sportsmobile will come up with. Right now they are just using their Sprinter floor plans but that doesn't take advantage of the Dodges unique dimensions.

[bspurling]

I'm late to the conversation, but wanted to share our website for anybody else reading this thread and considering the Travato.

http:\\travato2014.wordpress.com

The website is a full account of all the good points, bad points, and everything in between, for the Winnebago Travato. It's based on six months full-timing experience and over 20,000 miles.

We'd be happy to answer any questions from anybody considering the Travato, or pick up any feedback from others already using the van.

[wincrasher]

Brian, what a great read! You've put more info on the Travato in one place than I've seen anywhere on the web.

Interesting ideas you put in there for storage, hanging things, etc. Warning about the pump filter and the gray overflow drain flaps is invaluable - if it's in the manual, I sure didn't notice it, but will keep an eye out now for sure!

Interesting that you can safely use the chassis battery for some 12v and inverter usage - I may do that by hard wiring in a small inverter to use in the cab area - great for the computer and cell/ipad charger. I've been poking around trying to figure out how to easily add a second house battery, but maybe that is unnecessary.

[bspurling]

Thanks!

Definitely not in the manual... Phone calls to Winnie about the pump filter have got us nowhere. They don't even try to understand what inn saying - It's like they don't care unless something's broken.

Have had a thought about the overflow drain flaps: since they remove the need for u-bends (which is the point, I assume) it should be fairly easy to push something firm-but-flexible down the shower room sink to straighten out the "sock". If so, then I'm not sure why the dealer back in San Diego didn't do that, rather than cutting away the sink cupboard!

I'll give it a try - our sink hasn't been draining well for months.

[cjscott]

I really like it BUT I wish somehow the bed in the back could be made into some sort of a sitting sofa type area for the day. That would be the thing that would have me already in it. I know they did really ingenious things in the new Winnebago Brave, seems they could make some kind of flip bed that could be turned into a sofa sitting area for the day. Maybe if the mattress split in half. It's like the new 24R or G Sprinter models that have the back bed that splits in half when the slide comes in, but is really useless as a sitting area, even tho to me it could easily be designed better to use as a sofa when slide is in, we contemplated that model but not being able to use the back when slide in was a waste. With the Travato without a slide, it would just be lifted up to have half used as the back part of the sofa and pushed up and over and folded over against wall when wanting storage space, or however they decided to design it. Or, a split bed that could have half hang downward and take that part of the cushion and put it a the back section. There are really a lot of ideas that would work to make a sofa area. Have it jackknife and then flip up like the Brave does with a sofa sleeper, theirs is also a table in the 26A. If I were looking for an A that's the one I would get.

[Davydd]

What the Travato needs is something like this:

http://www.furniturefashion.com/a_sofa_ ... heights_1/

[wincrasher]

LOL. Something like that could work in any B-van.

[cjscott]

YES, that is exactly what it needs. I wonder if you could take out the bed and put something like this in there. I know people that have taken out dinettes and put in reclining chairs, etc. in their larger Cs and As. This is really such a perfect idea. If it had this I would already be in the Travato.

[Davydd]

The other bed that would work would be similar to the German CS Reisemobile DUO. This is a short wheelbase Sprinter so the Travato bed like this would have a center aisle which would be even better.