We’re living in a Golden Age of travel technology for car campers and road-trippers. Trailers and RVs have never been more capable than they are today. But, if you want to get seriously off-road without the inconvenience of towing a separate trailer, you needn’t look further than Winnebago’s latest creation.
The Winnebago Revel is, in a word, a beast. By the numbers, it’s designed to be seriously off-road capable. Built on Mercedes-Benz’s legendary Sprinter chassis, the Revel puts out 325 pound-feet of torque via a 3-liter turbo diesel engine. The on-demand 4WD technology offers a hill descent mode and high/low range to ensure you’re able to get wherever you need to go, no matter the terrain. The standard trailer hitch allows you to haul plenty of additional gear as well.
It’s not just about getting you where you need to go — the Revel ensures you’re plenty comfortable once you arrive too. On the outside, LED lighting keeps your campsite well-lit, an outdoor shower lets you hose off before settling in for the night, and a retractable awning uses a built-in sensor to close automatically in high wind.
Inside, the full galley kitchen includes an electric cook top and a compressor fridge, and the all-in-one bath/gear closet combo features a cassette-style toilet that doesn’t need a separate holding tank for black water waste. The floorplan also provides for a 140-cubic-foot gear garage with a power lift bed — a truly awesome feature for adventurous road-trippers. Additional standard features included a solar power bank, diesel heating, and a modular dinette table that transforms to accommodate sleep space for two.
The adventure travel trailer market has exploded in recent years. We’ve previously covered The High Camp Teardrop Trailer, The Cricket, and several other ultra-light models. All are capable both on the pavement and off-road, but they also require sacrificing a host of creature comforts in exchange for versatile, hardcore adventure capability. The Revel joins a growing catalog of all-in-one outdoor-centric camp vehicles that provide everything a hardcore adventurist might need to spend a week — even months — off-grid in as remote a destination as they can imagine.
The Revel starts at $134,799. It’s clear this RV is targeting serious enthusiasts who’d rather forgo pesky responsibilities, like a mortgage, in favor of exploring the world on their own terms. But, frankly, who among us isn’t daydreaming of shedding our worldly possessions and embracing the van life?
