Winnebago Access 30BH

A 33-foot travel trailer with a bunkhouse at the rear and a bedroom with a queen-size bed up front offers ample room for family adventures.

By Bruce W. Smith
June 2024

For many years, Winnebago has focused on offering quality products and embracing innovations that leave customers who buy their towable and motorized RVs feeling happy about their decision years down the road. The 2024 Access 30BH appears to reinforce those values.

The 33-foot-long Access 30BH is the larger of two bunkhouse travel trailers in the Winnebago Access model line, which debuted in late 2023. It was also the very first Access floor plan built, according to Grant Smith, Winnebago towables product manager.

Bunkhouse travel trailers are a segment of the RV market that continues to grow in popularity among younger parents and grandparents. That’s because they are much more family-friendly in providing multiple sleeping accommodations as compared to a traditional travel trailer.

The Access 30BH and 26BH bunkhouse units accomplish this by eliminating the traditional rear living room/lounge and replacing that quarter of the trailer with bunk beds and the bathroom.

 

THE BUNK ROOM

Winnebago designers stacked two 44-inch-by-74-inch bunk beds on the curb side of the 30BH and closed off the space with a regular RV door. The room also has two side windows — one for each bed — so it’s not a dark, dreary sleeping cave, but rather a comfortable space where youngsters can enjoy their own private space.

At the foot of the beds is a little cubby where kids can store clothes or other small items. Backpacks and other gear can be stowed under the bottom bunk. Even more storage is available in an external cubby at the rear of the trailer, which Winnebago calls the Pack-N-Play compartment.

“To use it, the bottom bunk flips up 90 degrees and locks against the bathroom wall, opening up the Pack-N-Play storage area to store children’s bikes, cases of water, storage totes, even a smaller kayak,” Smith said. “That way you can just access those things from the back of the trailer and easily load the unit.”

 

ADULT SLEEPING COMFORT

At the front of the 2024 Winnebago Access 30BH is the adults’ bedroom. It has a north-south queen-size bed flanked by wardrobes mounted in the upper front corners of the room. Below each wardrobe is a nicely designed nightstand with a slide-out “sock drawer.”

The bed lifts to provide access to more storage space; in addition, a middle section under the bed can be used to stash a laundry basket, a pet bed, or other bulky items that need to be readily accessible without lifting the mattress. Winnebago incorporates a pocket-slide door into the bedroom to maximize walk-around space.

If more sleeping room is necessary, the 72-inch-by-41-inch dinette and the optional 6-foot-long tri-fold sofa (which can be selected in place of the standard recliners), both in the street-side slideout, can accommodate three additional guests.

 

FEEDING THE HUNGRY HORDE

Of course, sleeping is just part of the overall scheme of things when it comes to choosing the right travel trailer for one’s RVing needs. Feeding and entertaining everyone also comes into play.

By their design, bunkhouse trailers are somewhat lacking in those categories as compared to standard floor plans. However, the 30BH’s galley contradicts that statement. Its layout, which is the same across all Access floor plans, features a deep stainless-steel sink set in an angled cabinet that sports three full-slide drawers and cubbies under the countertop. The power outlets are close to the countertop, placed where they make sense.

Above the sink are two spacious overhead cabinets adjacent to the convection-microwave oven; the latter sits above the three-burner propane cooktop (no conventional oven is included). A good-size pantry stands to the right of the refrigerator. The fridge/freezer is a 10-cubic-foot 12-volt model that can be upgraded to an optional 8-cubic-foot propane/electric unit. Note: A second refrigerator — a 1.6-cubic-foot model for beverages and snacks — is located outside above the pull-out griddle.

Between the interior galley and the exterior kitchen, it should be easy to fill the needs of hungry family members and guests at the campsite during a multiday outing.

 

BUILT FOR THE LONG HAUL

While all the other Winnebago towables are built using aluminum framing, fiberglass walls, and composite materials, travel trailers in the Access series are constructed in the more conventional style: wood framing, aluminum siding (thicker than most manufacturers use), and residential-style batten insulation. This means Access towables are offered at a lower price point but still provide a good buy for extended-season use.

“An advantage RVers don’t usually consider when buying a travel trailer is the repairability of metal versus fiberglass,” Smith said. “If someone would ever bump into a sidewall, make a turn wrong, bump into a tree, it’s very easy to repair a trailer with aluminum sides, because you can just replace the sheets of metal with a new sheet of metal versus having to patch full-body-paint fiberglass.”

 

A MULTIUSE TRAVEL TRAILER

Access models, including the 30BH, share the same seasonal design elements as other Winnies, including a heated and enclosed underbelly, warmed by ducted heat from the furnace, along with 12-volt tank-pad heaters controlled by a switch inside the RV.

Another cool factor with the Access is that the 30BH can be optioned out with a second air-conditioning unit and a higher-capacity main air conditioner for a total of 28,500 Btus of cooling power, which should be especially appealing to RVers who spend time in more southern, warmer climates. Snowbirds will appreciate the pass-through basement storage compartment, which is heated, and each floor plan in the line has a dedicated heat duct that comes up through the floor to help eliminate the buildup of any potential condensation.

Those who love mountain biking, canoeing, or kayaking will want to note that the 30BH has a 2-inch receiver off the bumper that’s rated at 350 pounds. It’s not intended for towing but rather to carry cargo or attachments, such as e-bikes, maybe a generator rack, a storage tote, kayak racks, or anything under the 350-pound limit.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

The 30BH is built well, has good aerodynamic lines, and boasts a thoughtfully designed interior to accommodate RVing families. From what I can see (and have been told), the 2024 Winnebago Access 30BH should be a strong contender for anyone on a limited budget who is looking to invest in a travel trailer that they intend to have around for a long time.

 

SPECIFICATIONS | WINNEBAGO ACCESS

MANUFACTURER
Winnebago of Indiana, 201 14th St., Middlebury, IN 46540; winnebago.com; (574) 825-5250

MODEL
2024 Winnebago Access

FLOOR PLAN
30BH

EXTERIOR LENGTH
33 feet 2 inches

EXTERIOR WIDTH
96 inches

EXTERIOR HEIGHT
11 feet 5 inches

INTERIOR HEIGHT
6 feet 8 inches

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR)
8,800 pounds

GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING (GAWR)
(2) 4,400 pounds each

UNLOADED VEHICLE WEIGHT (UVW)
7,146 pounds

HITCH WEIGHT
910 pounds

CARGO CARRYING CAPACITY
1,652 pounds

TIRES
225/75R15E

BRAKES
electric drum

HOLDING TANKS
fresh water — 60 gallons;
gray water — 96 gallons (2 tanks – 47, 49 gallons);
black water — 49 gallons

PROPANE CAPACITY
(2) 20-pound tanks

WATER HEATER
6-gallon propane/electric with direct-spark ignition

ELECTRICAL SERVICE
50 amps

HEATING SYSTEM
30,000-Btu furnace

AIR CONDITIONING
(1) 13,500-Btu ducted roof unit, standard; (1) 15,000-Btu ducted roof unit, optional; (1) 13,500-Btu nonducted bedroom unit, optional

REFRIGERATOR
10-cubic-foot 12-volt, standard; 8-cubic-foot propane/electric, optional

WARRANTY
3 years structural;
1 year workmanship

MANUFACTURER’S SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE
$33,460