RVing with a wheelchair in a Class B

RVing with a wheelchair got attention at the 2022 Florida RV Supershow when Winnebago's Specialty Vehicle Division announced it is starting production of a Class B RV based on the RAM Promaster chassis that is specifically designed for RVers who use a wheelchair or have other mobility issues.
Trekers got a personal tour of the Winnebago Roam from Robert Kim, Director of Specialty Vehicles at Winnebago, who showed us all the unique features Winnebago built into this van-sized RV to help folks with mobility challenges.
#hikecampgo #winnebago #accessibility #classbrv
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[@Kim-cq2om]

Very nice, Thank you! ❤❤❤😊

[@Trekers]

Thanks for watching and commenting. We saw these types of rigs continuing to get updated and tweaked by Winnebago at each of the RV shows we have attended. They seem committed to making it the best layout that they can.

[@traveldreamer4616]

Thorough tour. Thank you for explaining the various features. Thank you.

[@Trekers]

We're glad you found the tour helpful. Thanks for watching and commenting to let us know!

[@zanthornton]

Thanks for caption

[@Trekers]

Thank you for watching!

[@David-jo4gt]

Thank you for covering this.

[@Trekers]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SadlyKaren]

This is awesome! Last year while camping at Pinckney Recreation Area I was more aware of handicap campers than every before and was so happy to see how the campground was doing more and more to accommodate all campers. This RV would seem like a game changer for many people. Great video!!!

[@Trekers]

Thanks, Karen! We discovered during our Michigan State Parks project that some parks have gone above and beyond for accessibility while others have done very little. This really became apparent when Jessi injured her ankle during a trip and was on crutches while we were trying to document some of the parks. When I spoke to Rob Kim for this interview, including off-camera time, it was clear that this mission means a lot to him and his team and it was great to hear that. -Ari

[@sallydansereau1270]

Wow, so nice to see an RV company making accessible options more mainstream. Thank you for the tour, and good job Winnebago.

[@Trekers]

Yes, it's inspiring to see a big brand tackle an important thing that affects so many people. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SteveMikre44]

Great episode on a very important topic. Accessibility is a right not a privilege. Hopefully as vehicle production increases the cost will be become more manageable. Thanks Trekers...

[@Trekers]

Thank you, Steve. The price point isn't unreasonable when compared with the current Class B rigs on the market without wheelchair lifts. That's not to say the Class B market isn't running high though.

[@deanwebster]

That's great to see more accessible options. Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@Trekers]

Thanks, Dean!

[@ANDHereWeGo]

Your intro really set up the video perfectly. Nicely done!

[@Trekers]

Thank you for watching and for the kind note. We appreciate it!

[@georginamuns44]

Thank you for this great video! Do you have any dealers in south miami,fl ?

[@Trekers]

We're glad you liked this video. Thanks for watching and letting us know! As far as dealers in your area, here is a link to the Winnebago dealer locator. Hopefully that will help you find what you need. Good luck and safe travels! www.winnebago.com/shopping-tools/locate-a-dealer

[@davidjohnston3044]

Had ours for two weeks. things we would like to see different. 1. The sensors on the lift are too sensitive. You have to be way clear of the door and lift to make it work. 2. They need a power sliding door. It is hard for a person in a wheelchair to open and close it. (Perhaps the motor of the lift could run an oil piston to operate the door?). 3. Ours has a wall mounted handhold in front of the toilet so you have to use the toilet facing the front of the coach, lose the handhold. 4. How about a warning how much the coach will tilt when you load a power wheelchair and person on the lift from the ground and then activate the lift? First time we used it the tilt really startled us. 5. Make sure your Passenger and Cargo Weight sticker is right. It should say FIVE passengers and somewhere between 1400 and 1700 pounds. Some of the early coaches had it wrong and both were too low. 6. The seat mounted shoulder harness cuts into the neck because it is not high enough. Buy pads for the shoulder strap. 7.. For 1400 miles from New Mexico to South Dakota going 65 to 70 mph I got 18 miles per gallon. Around town I got am getting 15-`16 mpg. 8. Tire pressure matters. If it is hard to handle in the wind and feels like you are hitting the bumps hard, check the pressure. It should be 65 in the front cold pressure, 80 in the rear. 9. There is enough room between the cassette toilet and the outside of the vehicle that you can stick in some thick insulation for the winter. We plan on using bottled water for the toilet in the winter so we will not have to worry about burst pipes on the water supply. 10, There is no way to have a hose hooked up to your water supply AND have the back doors shut. (Unless you drill a hole yourself.) 11. There are roof AC units that have a lower profile, they should use one. Also an owner might want to go out and actually measure how tall the unit is, I have found two different heights listed. 12. Do not put the fridge on the coldest setting, it will freeze sodas solid and burst the can. 13. Stick a towel under the plate in the microwave, it really rattles. 14. An excellent coach and if you go to La Mesa RV in Mesa, AZ Jason has done the work to get a grant up to $21,000 plus from the VA for qualified disabled veterans. That covers the cost of the lift and tie downs.

[@Trekers]

Great information to have - thanks for watching and for sharing your insights. Have you reached out to Winnebago directly with these thoughts? They always seem open to hearing from their owners.

[@DanMatelske]

Being a wheelchair user myself I really like this particular video, very informative and interesting. My family and I love to travel and conquer destinations. Love your channel and videos.

[@Trekers]

We're glad you liked the video. We were excited to help Winnebago get this story out there because it could be so important to so many people. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@hywaywolf]

My Brother in law had just retired and started visiting all the national parks and was looking into a small RV when he had a significant accident that has permanently paralyzed him. He is nowhere near ready for something like this, but I sent this video to his wife to give him hope for the future.

[@Trekers]

Such a sad story, but thank you for sharing. It's important for people to realize how something like what Winnebago is doing could help a lot of people.

[@cc103itsme5]

I'm a wheelchair user and I don't believe that there was anything said about the user regarding driving, how easy or difficult is it to transfer to the drivers seat?

[@Trekers]

That's a great question, and I'm sorry we didn't cover it in the video. Both front seats on the Roam swivel, so once you are inside the van, I believe accessing the driver seat and then moving it into the driving position would be doable from a wheelchair because of the swivel function. Please correct me if you think I'm wrong about that! -Ari

[@melodypaz7247]

​@Trekers Are the swivel seats the six- way transfer seats or the four- way swivel seats?

[@Trekers]

That's a good question but we don't have the answer. Plus, this video was on a prototype model so things may have changed. Here is the latest info from Winnebago: www.winnebago.com/models/product/motorhomes/accessibility-enhanced/roam

[@chijchen]

does pop top model have AC on the back? If not, how do you cool off?

[@Trekers]

Yes, if I recall correctly, these rigs have a built-in A/C unit for the back. -Ari

[@davidjohnston3044]

The unit is based on the 159 inch wheelbase Promaster. You can have either the AC on top or the popup top but not both. They just came out with one based on the 159 inch Promaster Extended which is 15 inches longer. This one might give sufficient room space to have the poptop AND the AC but I can not tell if that is correct on their website.

[@danmc2678]

The dumbest thing you could do is demo a vehicle for a wheelchair bound person by a standing person.

[@pmcallister]

Nice try but there are much better designs out there that were actually **created** by wheelchair users. Lots of problems with this one for anybody with paraplegia or more. You need to hire wheelchair users as designers, not just consult them.

[@Trekers]

Hi, Pam, if I remember correctly, Winnebago worked closely with wheelchair users on the design. Also, we saw at the 2023 Florida RV Supershow that they had already made some changes to the rig from the prototype shown in this video. Winnebago has a reputation of working with RVers and listening to their feedback for model changes. Hopefully, they'll always have that attitude. If you have ideas, I'd encourage you to reach out to them. Thanks for watching and offering your viewpoint! -Ari

[@davidjohnston3044]

My wife is in a power wheelchair. Our biggest negative is that the side door should be a power door. The lift works great, the tie downs are easy, the front two seats swivel so getting into either of them is not a problem. There is enough room to get around the parked chair to get to the bathroom, fridge or sofa. I think they did an excellent job considering the size. (Which is small enough to use around town like a Pacfica or Odyssey handicap van.)