Picked up my new Travato, first trip

[wincrasher]

Picked up my new Winnebago Travato on Friday (23rd). The delivery experience was less than I expected, as they weren't really ready to do it even thought they had a week's notice. Oh well. Other than the coach being filthy and the gas tank empty, everything worked. The only hiccup was a sensor on the passenger seat needed to be re-set so the alarm would shut off. Lucky I caught it still at the dealership and not down the road! If both seats aren't facing forward and clicked in position, a very loud alarm will sound and not shut off.

I spent that afternoon trying to shoe-horn all the equipment & supplies from my tag-along into the new van. I had to pare it down a lot and still have some more to go after this first trip.

On Saturday, I headed out to Mile High Campground, which is off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley, NC. The grade to get up there is 9% and rises to 5400 feet elevation, so that is about as tough as it gets east of the Mississippi. I thought the Promaster handled it very well. This drivetrain is very well matched to this vehicle and RV service. I got 16 mpg on this trip.

Once you get to the camp, you get views like this as well as temps in the 60's:


Here was my setup at the camp:


I had put the extender in my bike rack so I could open the doors. It also made a nice place to hook the hose to so I had water at my camp kitchen. You can also see the screen package you can get for the rear doorway:


I also got the screen door option for the main sliding door. One of my favorite features is that the TV, power antenna and the audio system are all 12 volt. The TV is in a good position for viewing outside, which is what I did to watch the Indy 500. I don't know how many B vans have outside speakers, but this one does, which was a plus watching the race:


All my gear fit easily in the back, but I need to go thru and reduce some. I think I get get the essentials down to one bin:


Organizing the cabinets is a challenge. Here is what you get for dishes (over the sink). Luckily I found some nesting cookware that saved me a lot of room:


This is the cabinet over the bed - I store some linen items, window coverings and the screens, and some dry goods:


The clothes locker seems big enough. It's tall enough to hang shirts, jackets, etc. I also stand some trays and cutting board behind the clothes. My dirty clothes bag is also in there:


The fridge is certainly big enough for weekend trips. This new model is narrow, tall and deep compared to the regular cube fridge's you see in other B's. It's a 3-way. I ran it on LP. The mid point setting froze most of my sodas, so I reduced it further.

[wincrasher]

This coach definitely has some quirks. The Tom-Tom navigation is not quite as intuitive as a Garmin or the other makes.
The tankage seems to be adequate for my usage. I had about 1/3 fresh water left on my return home today.

The kitchen will take a bit to get used to. It's quite small, so you are juggling things on what little counter top there is. It really could use a counter extender, but that would block the door way and the switches where they mounted them. Thankfully, I do most of my cooking outside. Might pre-prepare some items before the next trip to make cooking easier if I'm forced to do it inside.

The 2.8kw Onan is appallingly loud. Other folks in the camp had your cheap contractor grade genets that were a lot quieter than mine. I suppose in a parking lot or at a rest stop it doesn't matter, but for dry camping it really is unacceptable. I may carry my small yamaha if I go dry camping in a campground again.

The water heater seems to heat up rather quick- 20 mins with the generator running. It does stay hot a long time. I ended up doing dishes with water I heated in a kettle. I didn't want to make all that racket during the dinner hour.

So overall, I'm very happy with this coach. The navigator sure likes it:

[SmokyRV]

Looks real nice, hope you enjoy many good days of camping.

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

[scubastevee]

Hi Wincrasher,

thanks for posting the photos. I've been interested in the Travato since they announced it would be in North America. Enjoy it and safe travels.

Cheers,

Steve

[palehorse89]

Wow, looks great!!!!! nice location! Congrat's
Safe travels to ya......

[wanderso]

Great real world review. Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences. You might get another 1 mpg or so after it is further broken in I suppose.

Too bad than Onan can't learn from Honda and Yamaha on generator noise suppression.

[wincrasher]

This trip was in the mountains including a stretch at 9% grade. Later in June, I'm planning a trip to Florida, which should be mostly flat. I'm expecting 18-20 on that run.

[SarahW]

Great looking rig, and your navigator is adorable.

[gonational]

Congratulations Wincrasher on your new Motorhome.
We picked up our new Travato on May 20th and had a wonderful trip back home to Colorado. We are overwhelmed with this rig and everything it has to offer.
We are looking forward to many journeys in the B. Here's a few photos.

[wincrasher]

Looks good! You definately chose the right color.

I've been going wild today ordering pieces and parts I might need. Lots of collapsible stuff and a sewer hose that will fit in the tube, a propane hose for my grill, etc.

These vans don't have alot of storage space, so you have to find a way to make it work.

[Grandpere]

Congratulations on the new outfit! Really liked the pictures. We are headed to Montana on June 4th and hope to get to such great scenery as you did.

[gonational]

wincrasher, my alarm is going off..the sound is coming out of a tiny speaker next to the batt boost switch..do you know what the dealer did to reset it?

[wincrasher]

That little speaker, if you turn the plastic cover, will lower the sound a bit, but not completely.

My dealer had to adjust the sensor on the seat. Here is a picture of it - it's on the lower frame on the front of the seat (between your legs).

It's either a proximity or a magnetic sensor.

If you press them closer together with your fingers, the sound should go out. My dealer drilled out the rivets, moved the sensor about 1/8" and re-riveted it.

You could get this done at a Dodge (RAM) dealer if your RV dealer can't get you in quickly - it's on the automotive side of the warranty.

[shcpostal]

I just purchased a 2014 Travato and took delivery yesterday. What differences are on the 2015? This is our very first coach. I used to go camping with my parents as a teenager. I am like a little kid at Christmas with this new toy! I'm just wondering where to put everything. We head out for De. From Fl. Tomorrow. We loved the floor plan on this coach compared to the road trec n others we looked at and the gas mIleage is terrific.