Made a spur of the moment decision to swing by Camping World in Marysville to check out some of the Class Bs they had on the lot and get a sense of what the various models had to offer:
- 2024 Solis Pocket 36A
- 2024 Solis 59PX
- 2023 Travato 59G (used)
- 2023 Revel 44E
- 2022 Thor Tranquility 19P (used)
For those following along in chronological order, yes, we did already eliminate the Solis and the Promaster chassis. However, we thought it was not a bad idea to actually see/touch/feel them rather than rely solely on what we had read and seen through the online research.
Winnebago Solis impressions
The Solis Pocket impressed in all the ways that we had anticipated. Despite its short length, the cabin felt open and generous. We didn’t have much difficulty moving around and were generally pleased with the spacious feeling. The lack of hot water and a shower didn’t bother us, but the lack of an inverter is its death-knell for our purposes.
Our salesperson suggested we look at the 59PX that he had on the showroom floor. No skin off our backs as we were already there. Although it has both an inverter and on-board generator, all that open space is gone because of the wet bath. Just made us appreciate the Pocket that much more. Curious as to why Winnebago didn’t put an inverter or generator on the Pocket? Not enough space?
Thor Tranquility impressions
We really wanted to check out a Sprinter chassis, and Camping World had two on the lot, a new 2023 Revel and a used 2022 Thor Tranquility 19P. We started with the Thor – and quickly moved on from the Thor. The rear bed is actually a convertible sleeper sofa, which comes with two significant drawbacks:
- The sofa faces forward, meaning its back is to the rear of the van, eliminating rear access to the van.
- There is no garage space. Perhaps there is a bit of storage behind the sofa but no real garage.
The things that Thor seemed to do well in the Tranquility were things that we do not need, including a large refrigerator and a large wet bath. It also has a television, which is something we do not foresee ourselves using.
Winnebago Travato impressions
We’ve read some good things about the Travato, but we really hadn’t explored it much as an option. The dealership had a used one with low mileage, and we agreed to take a look at it. First thing we noticed? The kitchen does not block the sliding door at all! The next thing? That is a huge refrigerator . . . and a proper freezer? The bathroom is also quite large – but the bed? It’s small. 49 x 77 (inches) – and it’s not square. It’s .. well, weird. Also, just trade offs that aren’t what we need.
In positive news, while the bathroom does block a portion of the rear door, it is not the rear bath that essentially negates the advantages of those rear doors. In addition, the bed is a murphy style – allowing for gear storage when the bed is upright and still some garage when the bed is down.
Winnebago Revel impressions
We were mostly curious to see how much space the wet bath took and how closed off it made the van feel. We were pleasantly surprised that it didn’t. I will give it to Winnebago – they did a nice job with the multi-purpose wet bath/storage/drying area.
The real issue was similarly surprising – the bed. Stored in the ceiling rather than the murphy style or convertible sofa we had already seen, it is a power lift (with a key required to utilize for safety). What was surprising? The fact that the storage solution means you cannot stand in the “bedroom.” There simply isn’t enough clearance. At 5’8″ and 6’1″, if it’s a problem for us, it’s going to be a problem for many.
Overall, we haven’t eliminated the possibly of a Revel, but the walls closing off the bedroom area, and the lack of ability to stand in the rear of the vehicle are going to be hard issues to overcome.
Overall takeaways
We’re glad we made the decision to spend some time truly exploring the different options – even those that were not necessarily on the list or otherwise under consideration. Having the various comparison points will be useful as we continue through this journey.
We were both surprisingly impressed with the Solis Pocket and really do wish it had the inverter and off-grid capabilities. It generally met our needs otherwise (subject to more research on whether a FWD vehicle meets our needs). As it does not currently offer that, we seemingly have settled on a van that uses the Sprinter chassis. Now we just need to find one that offers the same openness Winnebago delivered in the Solis Pocket. Will that be the Storyteller Overland?
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