Winnebago’s new travel trailer features plentiful storage and thoughtful layouts for extended time aboard, including this floor plan.
By Lazelle Jones
April 2020
Winnebago Industries, a familiar name in the RV world, boasts six decades of success designing and building recreation vehicles. Drawing upon this experience, the company debuted the Voyage line of upscale travel trailers and fifth-wheels in September 2019.
This past October, I journeyed to the California RV Show in Fontana for a firsthand look at the Voyage 2427RB travel trailer.
The Voyage is a large, “3½-season” RV. Five travel trailer and five fifth-wheel floor plans are offered; all feature one, two, or three slideout rooms. The 2427RB has one.
Each floor plan name contains information that is immediately helpful to the potential owner, as it suggests what the model holds inside and out. Take the 2427RB, for example, the smallest travel trailer in the Voyage line. The 24 stands for the length of the box, or house; the 27 indicates that the overall length of the unit falls in the 27-foot range; and the RB indicates it is a rear-bath model.
The 2427RB includes several particularly noteworthy features that underscore Winnebago’s vision. First is its 7-foot interior height. Should the occasion ever arise, you could host some of the tallest basketball players inside. For the rest of us, this dimension helps the unit feel very residential — open, spacious, and less confining than many other travel trailers.
The street-side slideout includes one of three seating choices, such as the theater seats shown here, along with a pantry and a refrigerator.
The electric-powered living area slideout room in Voyage floor plans benefits from this increased height. Voyage designers have space in the slideout to locate a selection of refrigerators and seating.
Standard equipment includes an 8-cubic-foot, two-door, over-and-under Dometic refrigerator. A Dometic 12-cubic-foot four-door refrigerator is offered as an option. In the latter, two freezer doors are positioned above two larger refrigerator doors. This unit features adjustable glass shelves and two crisper drawers. It is powered by either 120-volt AC or propane. Regardless of model, the 2427RB’s refrigerator is housed in the forward end of the slideout, adjacent to a pantry and sofa and out of the way.
Three seating arrangements are available in the slideout room. The standard tri-fold sofa quickly converts to a generously sized single sleeping quarter. A second style of sofa with a chaise also converts into a bed. The third is theater seating, featuring two leatherette-upholstered manual-operated recliners. A center armrest with cup holders separates the recliners and offers a level place to set items.
Another notable feature in the Voyage 2427RB is a walk-in closet/pantry with shelving, which sits immediately to the right of the rear entry door. It is large enough for an individual to go inside and close the door.
That brings us to another feature Winnebago designers believe will be well received: Most Voyage floor plans are equipped with two entry doors, one up front and one in the rear.
In the 2427RB, a 30-inch-by-72-radiused entry door opens into the rear living area; a 22-inch-by-72-inch door leads into the front bedroom. Each door is serviced by a set of manually folding steps. Having two entry doors adds ease of use, functionality, and safety, of course. RVers may feel extra comfort, knowing they can exit quickly from the living area or the bedroom if needed.
The 2427RB’s nicely equipped galley is next to the entertainment center, which includes a 43-inch LED TV and an electric fireplace.
In gathering consumer feedback, Winnebago officials uncovered the importance of standard galley equipment, such as the 30-inch microwave-convection oven and recessed three-burner cooktop, with glass top, that are incorporated in the Voyage 2427RB. The microwave operates when connected to shore power. In addition, a standard Suburban RV propane oven sits below the cooktop. A large, rectangular, recessed stainless-steel country sink is another standard feature.
In the 2427RB, adjacent to the galley counter and in front of the pantry, is a floor-to-ceiling entertainment center. Appointments include a 43-inch LED flat-screen television, which sits at eye level, directly across from seating in the street-side slideout.
Often, RV televisions are positioned high on a wall. This requires viewers to tip their head upward to watch programming, which can lead to fatigue. The placement of the TV in the 2427RB makes watching a favorite show more pleasant.
Directly below the TV, a 5,000-Btu electric fireplace puts out a modest amount of gentle heat while creating an electrically simulated fire. The fireplace face measures 26 inches, which helps to create a realistic look.
On the ledge above the television is something many RVers may agree is long overdue: a wireless cell phone charger. Merely set your phone on top of it, and charging begins. The wireless charger accommodates iPhone and Android smartphones.
In the Winnebago Voyage 2427RB, the front master bedroom is encircled by storage cabinets, wardrobes, and nightstands.
The bedroom occupies roughly the front third of the 2427RB. The standard queen-size bed comes with a 60-inch-by-80-inch mattress; an optional 72-inch-by-80-inch king-size bed also is available. Both beds lift at the base, providing access to storage below. Nightstands with large roll-out drawers flank the head of the bed; shirt-length wardrobes hang above them. The nightstands feature a creative and functional design: The tops slide forward, revealing storage beneath.
A 32-inch bedroom TV can be added as an option.
Near the back of the 2427RB, immediately left of the rear entry door, is the full-width bathroom. It is as residential and well-appointed as any bathroom one might find in a new stationary home. A stainless-steel lavatory basin is surrounded by the same pressed-type countertop material found in the galley. A porcelain toilet is standard. The full-size shower comes with a sliding glass door that can be locked for travel. A gliding pocket door closes off the area for privacy; it also can be locked in the open position.
This vanity and linen closet are in the full-width rear bathroom; one of the 2427RB’s two entry doors is nearby.
Winnebago currently offers the Voyage with one interior décor package, Slate. This includes chevron pattern flooring, light-colored walls, warm Sienna Walnut cabinetry, and pull-down blackout shades. Framed tinted-glass windows provide solar protection.
The exterior comes in a color called Platinum and is accented with gray, black, and white graphics. A standard electric power awning projects from the patio side. It is equipped with a water sensor; when a set amount of rain accumulates, the awning tilts to empty it.
The gel-coat fiberglass front cap includes LED-strip-light turn signals, while the rear exterior includes LED backup lights. In fact, all exterior lighting is LED. The Voyage comes with backup camera prep; if a camera is installed, it activates when the seven-pin coupler is connected, as do all the other electrics that are shared between the towing vehicle and the Voyage.
A spare tire is conveniently located and attached beneath the A-frame on the trailer tongue. The tongue features a power jack, breakaway chains, and a brake control. The unit has tandem axles with 15-inch wheels and a leaf-spring suspension. Off the rear of the travel trailer, a 2-inch receiver accommodates bike racks or external cargo storage containers. The trailer is equipped with independently operated four-point power/electric stabilizers.
The Voyage’s chassis, or platform, is fabricated with heavy-duty structural steel members that are huck bolted together. This method joins the steel members by stretching each bolt and attaching it before relaxing the stretching process. Huck bolting has been used for years in the construction of railroad cars.
The Voyage incorporates Winnebago’s “drop frame ” design. In the front of the chassis, the frame drops down several inches; when the walls and flooring are added, a cargo area is created. Large doors on both sides enable RVers to take full advantage of the pass-through storage area created by the drop frame.
Sixteen-inch on-center aluminum stud framing is used to build the walls. Wood trusses in the roof create a slight curve, which facilitates water runoff. The exterior roof surface is composed of a single piece of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) material, which comes with a 12-year supplier warranty.
Winnebago offers a three-year limited structural warranty, which covers the workmanship attributable to Winnebago’s manufacturing and assembly of the structural portions of the RV.
Residential fiberglass insulation is used in the roof, floor, and front and rear end walls. Block-foam insulation is added to the sidewalls. The enclosed underbelly is dressed with one continuous sheet of corrugated plastic that protects the undercarriage from road debris. The holding tank compartments include thermo-foil insulation and are heated.
A 35,000-Btu forced-air furnace delivers heat via low-visibility registers in the bottom panels of the cabinets or disguised under toe kicks.
The 15,000-Btu roof-mounted air conditioner delivers cold air fore and aft in a racetrack-type delivery system — part of Winnebago’s own True Trax A/C System. This delivery system maintains a consistent air temperature. An optional 13,500-Btu air conditioner can be added to the bedroom area if desired.
Two 30-gallon propane tanks with automatic crossover sit behind a housing on the trailer tongue. This is also where house batteries could be added.
The dry weight of the Voyage 2427RB is 6,460 pounds. The total gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), with full cargo and filled holding tanks, is 10,400 pounds. That leaves about 4,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity — an essential element, especially for those interested in full-time RV living.
The base manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the 2427RB Voyage is $36,813.
SPECS | WINNEBAGO VOYAGE 2427RB TRAVEL TRAILER
MANUFACTURER
Winnebago Towables, 201 14th St., Middlebury, IN 46540; (574) 825-5250; www.winnebago.com
MODEL
Voyage
FLOOR PLAN
2427RB
TIRES AND WHEELS
15-inch tires with aluminum rims
BRAKES
electric drum
SUSPENSION
leaf spring
ELECTRICAL SERVICE
50 amps
EXTERIOR LENGTH
27 feet 9 inches
EXTERIOR WIDTH
96 inches
EXTERIOR HEIGHT
11 feet 6 inches (including A/C)
INTERIOR HEIGHT
7 feet
GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR)
10,400 pounds
CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY
3,760 pounds
INSULATION
residential fiberglass — roof, floor, front and rear caps;
block foam — sidewalls
FRESH WATER CAPACITY
50 gallons
HOLDING TANK CAPACITIES
gray water — 100 gallons;
black water — 50 gallons with tank flush
PROPANE CAPACITY
(2) 30-pound cylinders
WATER HEATER
10-gallon gas/electric
HEATING SYSTEM
30,000-Btu furnace
AIR CONDITIONING
(1) 15,000-Btu, standard; additional 13,500-Btu bedroom unit, optional
REFRIGERATOR
8 cubic feet, standard; 12 cubic feet, optional
TOILET
porcelain
BASE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE
$36,813