Winnebago Minnie Travel Trailer Grants Freedom to Live Off-Grid Life for Pennies

Winnebago is the sort of team that doesn’t really require much of an introduction. Why? Well, because this RV manufacturer has been around since 1958, time in which they’ve produced all sorts of RVs and travel trailers designed to do one thing and one thing only, get people to experience the great outdoors.

One way to see exactly the sort of values this company has in store for its customers is to look at one of their products as closely as possible. This time around, it’s the Minnie travel trailer, a towable RV with slide-outs, and the ability to sleep up to eight guests. You read that right, eight guests! All the while is starting off with a price tag of just $37,188 (€31,740 at current exchange rates). Now that you have some idea of the sort of ideals that Winnebago invests in their products, it’s time to see what sort of lifestyle you can achieve with the Minnie.

First off, the manufacturer offers five different floorplans to choose from, each aimed at different sized families, budgets, and featuring various amenities, some of which are rarely featured in a trailer with this sort of price.

To get an idea of the size that a Minnie can offer, the largest available is the 2801BHS floorplan with its 32.4 ft (9.9 m) of length and GVWR of 8,800 lbs (3,991 kg) spread out on two axles able to bear 4,400 lbs (1,995 kg) each. With a dry weight of 6,720 lbs (3,048 kg), there is still enough room to bring along gear and food stuffs.

One thing to note is that all Minnie floorplans include a GVWR of 8,800 lbs (3,991 kg), so find one that best suits your needs as the smaller models do come with a smaller dry weight, allowing for more gear to be brought along on your adventures.

Each trailer is completed in the same fashion, with an NXG frame that cradles exterior fiberglass walls with Azdel and a one-piece TPO roof membrane to keep things nicely sealed and light. The Minnie yields its living habitat with a gel-coat fiberglass front cap, stabilizing jacks, and several other features.

Inside the Minnie, depending on the layout you choose, amenities and features will differ, but all include slide-outs and multiple bedding options. In the case of the 2801BHS layout, a queen bed, modular dinette, tri-fold sofa, and a set of bunk beds can all be taken over for sleeping.

In order to cook meals for such a large family, the kitchen is stocked with all the appliances you need, including a three-burner stovetop, large fridge and freezer, walk-in pantry with shelves, and sink with faucet. Large countertops and overhead storage are more than suitable for unleashing your master chef qualities. Not enough? Get a load of the exterior pull-out cooktop found at the rear of the Minnie, a feature available in three of the five floorplans.

Bathrooms are quite well designed as well, with some layouts showing spaces with features separate from one another and offering a feeling of a home, but one that’s on wheels.

One thing you can be sure to find built into the Minnie are lots of storage options; as those who travel on the road know, you can never have too much available storage space. Heck, maybe you need to bring along some climbing gear. There’s room for that. Fishing equipment? Yup. The list goes on.
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Electrical, plumbing and temperature systems include gas/electric/DSI water heater, roof mount solar prep with 190-watt solar panel and charge monitor, 13,500 BTU roof AC, enclosed holding tanks with pad heaters, and radiant foil insulation to bring it all together. Options include a second AC and management system, larger LP tank, and possibly anything else you can think of.

Like most other travel trailers out there, it won’t be long until a bigger, better model comes along, but until then, for the price the Winnebago Minnie is going for, you can add it to your list of RVs to consider for your next or even first purchase.