Automotive

Winnebago's entry camper van gains 3-day off-grid power & multi lounge

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Winnebago previews the newest member of the Solis Pocket family, its most affordable camper van offering
Winnebago
The new Winnebago Solis Pocket 36B floor plan, shown here with the dinette in two-person dining mode
Winnebago
The dinette offers two different dining configurations, multiple sofa options, two bed sizes and a travel seat layout
Winnebago
Ram doesn't offer a 4x4 option for the Promaster, but Winnebago adds a little bit of an adventure-ready look with the lower black-out package
Winnebago
The Solis Pocket 36B sleeps two people on the 53 x 75-in converted bed
Winnebago
Winnebago Solis Pocket 36B two-person dinette mode
Winnebago
The kitchen includes a long counter, dual-burner stove, sink and fridge
Winnebago
The 36B stretches the same 214 inches as the Solis Pocket 36A, but gets some serious floor plan reshuffling
Winnebago
Winnebago previews the newest member of the Solis Pocket family, its most affordable camper van offering
Winnebago
The Solis Pocket 36B includes a roll-down zipper side door screen for more fresh air
Winnebago
Dinette in four-person dining mode
Winnebago
The Solis Pocket 36B offers two rear travel seats for a total of four seats
Winnebago
Solo bed mode
Winnebago
L-shaped sofa layout
Winnebago
The biggest addition to the 36B, over the 36A, is the rear wet bath - the 36A is limited to a concealed portable toilet
Winnebago
The wet bath has a removable toilet, an indoor/outdoor showering setup and a sink
Winnebago
The drop-down table on the back of the kitchen block provides an outdoor worktop and side table
Winnebago
While it's not quite as storage-ready as an empty cargo area, the 36B rear bath is designed to serve as a mudroom and gear storage area
Winnebago
The removable toilet clears out more room for storage and showering
Winnebago
Winnebago 36B floor plan
Winnebago
View gallery - 19 images

Two years ago, Winnebago elated aspiring camper van adventurers by sliding downmarket with the Solis Pocket, an 18-foot (5.5-m) camper van that ducked under the $100,000 rope to become the company's most affordable Class B offering. While it's since risen steadily in price, the Solis Pocket continues to be the simplest, most affordable camper van in the Winnebago lineup. Looking to reach new Solis Pocket buyers, Winnebago introduces the 36B floor plan, which brings to the family a versatile wet bathroom, an available EcoFlow off-grid lithium power system and an ultra-flexible 8-in-1 sofa-bed lounge.

The 36B floor plan eliminates some of the open, multifunctional space that has defined the original 36A layout, in favor of more creature comforts. It's still a versatile camping machine meant to adapt to the ebb and flow of life on the road, however.

The biggest of the new 36B changes comes at the rear of the van, where the 36A's multipurpose gear garage/bedroom is replaced by a wet bathroom located just inside the rear double doors. The wet bath has an indoor/outdoor shower hooked up to the hot water heater, a removable portable toilet and a sink. Campers can easily pull the toilet out off its mount for more room on the indoor shower floor or if they'll be camping where external bathroom facilities are available.

The removable toilet clears out more room for storage and showering
Winnebago

A sliding interior door and shower curtain provide bathroom privacy from within, and fold-down shower rods on each rear door connect together to hold an outdoor privacy curtain for outside showering or changing. The interior wet bath space is also designed to act as a mudroom for storing wet gear and clothing.

With no rear load space left for a proper bed, Winnebago pushes sleeping amenities to the center of the van. The multipurpose sofa lounge sets up in no less than eight different ways, serving as either a 30 x 75-in (76 x 191-cm) solo or 53 x 75-in (135 x 191-cm) double bed at night. It also sets up as both two- and four-seat dining areas, a side-facing sofa and an L-shaped sofa lounge with chaise lounge-style seat. The two forward-facing rear seats can double as the third and fourth van seats, complete with three-point seat belts.

Dinette in four-person dining mode
Winnebago

The kitchen area across from the sofa-bed comes stocked with a dual-burner gas stove, stainless steel sink, long countertop and indoor/outdoor-access refrigerator at the front. A drop-down table on the back of the kitchen block folds out the open sliding door for outdoor use.

Another key feature of the Solis Pocket 36B is the available EcoFlow Power Kit Pro package. Based around a 5-kWh lithium leisure battery, the system offers an estimate three days' worth of off-grid electrical power when weather conditions are favorable to charging via the 190-W rooftop solar array. It includes a management touchscreen with remote app monitoring, along with an inverter and charging hardware. Buyers can even add one or two extra plug-and-play batteries for added capacity. Winnebago installs 110-V, 12-V and USB outlets all around the van in key places such as inside the sliding door over top the refrigerator, at the kitchen and around the rear bathroom sink.

The drop-down table on the back of the kitchen block provides an outdoor worktop and side table
Winnebago

Winnebago provided a first look at the Solis Pocket 36B this week. It did not release pricing information, but Winnebago dealer Lichtsinn RVs lists the MSRP at $149,005, which sounds about right since the original Solis Pocket 36A (no complete bathroom) now prices in at a Winnebago-listed MSRP of $140,375. Both prices are a sizable leap over the ~$96,000 base price at which the Solis Pocket launched in 2021.

Winnebago provides a full 10-minute walkthrough of the 36B in the video below.

Source: Winnebago

View gallery - 19 images
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4 comments
Jimmy the Geek
These silly articles about unaffordable matchbox size campers gets old.
Jimmy the Geek
Relevance matters.
guzmanchinky
I'm just now realizing how lucky I got with my 2019 Sprinter 4x4 and the interior I had custom built by El Kapitan vans. Loaded Mercedes (70k) and buildout including everything, full shower, etc, (60k) and I got a bargain...
Aross
My 1982 pop-up camper bought new for just under $4K is still going strong. Came with a built in propane heater, fridge, electric water pump, 3 burner propane stove, portable toilet and sleeps 6. I added a battery and small solar panel to charge it. Had to replace all the canvas a few years ago for $1600. I wonder how long this thing will go for before it is ready for the scrap heap. Not worth the money in my eyes.