As some of you may know we were lucky enough to participate in a leg of the Dometic Winnebago Follow the Sun Relay. Our travelling home for our three week stint was a Winnebago motor home supplied by Apollo Motor Home Holidays.
FIRST TIME IN A MOTOR HOME
Now we have been camping and travelling together for well over 20 years. First off in a tent, then we upgraded to a camper trailer and more recently we have started caravanning. But we had had no experience in a motor home or camper van type set up so we really didn’t know what to expect.
The first thing that struck us was that the motor home was a lot bigger than we expected, both inside and outside. Stepping inside it really felt quite roomy. It was a fairly standard layout with a double bed over the cabin. Then it had a large rear dinette area which also converted to a generous sized double bed. This is where we slept as it was just a little roomier than the overhead bed. There was also no climbing required to get into bed! In the middle was another smaller dinette. This could also be converted to a bed which would be suitable for a couple of smaller kids to sleep on.
STORAGE GALORE
There was a generous amount of cupboard space both underneath and over the sink. A bank of cupboards ran above both the dinettes. There was also a small corner cupboard with some hanging space in it. A small 90 litre Dometic 3-way fridge, a microwave oven, and an oven and cooktop completed the kitchen setup.
One thing we did notice was how much noise came from things in the kitchen like the oven racks rattling. We would recommend taking these out when travelling.
There was also plenty of storage outside, with this model having a full tunnel boot at the rear. It also had a smaller storage area towards the middle of the vehicle.
ON BOARD BATHROOM
In the centre there was an ensuite bathroom, with a shower, small handbasin and toilet. Now I have to say that there wasn’t a lot of room in this. To be able to sit on the toilet and close the door, the toilet had to be turned sideways. There was minimal room to get to the hand basin so I found it easier to use the kitchen sink to clean my teeth!
EQUIPMENT
Fortunately the Winnebago also had a ripper air conditioner which came in very handy as we encountered a couple of days where the temperature exceeded 45`.
We used the oven and hot plates a few times as well and they worked well.
PACKING UP AND MOVING ON
We did think that it might have been a chore packing everything up so as we could go exploring but it really wasn’t. Whilst I tidied everything up inside, Brenden unhooked the power and hoses and we were generally ready to travel in about 15 minutes.
THE VEHICLE
Our motor home was powered by a Mercedes Benz Sprinter, with a 2.2 litre, 4 cylinder diesel motor. For a relatively large vehicle it was pretty economical on fuel. Although we did notice an increase in consumption on a couple of really windy days we had. It also got a bit of a ‘rock’ up on those windy days as well, especially when it was gusty.
The cab itself was very roomy, with extremely comfortable seats. The air conditioning worked really too. You were able to walk from the cabin into the motor home itself
There were definitely a couple of places that we couldn’t access because of very rough corrugated roads and also low over hanging trees, but all in all we were able to get to the places that we wanted to.
IN SUMMARY
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Winnebago motor home. For us it was a great way to travel and explore, but our personal thoughts are that it would not suit a long term traveller. It would certainly be very ‘cosy’ on board if you were travelling with another two adults.
We would however recommend it, as a great way to holiday or determine which vehicle might best suit your needs. As always, what suits one person as their travelling home, may not necessarily suit someone else.
I’ve always been interested to see what you thought of the motorhome as opposed to a caravan. I guess there are pros and cons for both. I think I would like to holiday in a motorhome for a change, rather than having to hitch and unhitch a caravan all the time. Great review!
It was certainly a different experience for us, but an enjoyable one!