Today's recreational vehicles, such as those made by Evergreen RV (seen above), are smaller, smarter, and more energy efficient. (Photograph courtesy Evergreen Recreational Vehicles LLC)

The New Winnebago: Downsizing the Double-Wide

ByJeannette Kimmel
February 25, 2015
2 min read

Campers have come a long way since the Pierce-Arrow Touring Landau debuted in 1910, complete with a chamber pot.

Like other devices that drive our life, today’s models are smaller, more eco-friendly, and can be controlled by a tablet.

“The RV has become a kind of app for modern peripatetic life,” says James Twitchell, author of Winnebago Nation: The RV in American Culture (2014). “A whole new demographic is driving the market.”

The Roadtrek E-Trek boasts solar panels, EverGreen RV’s trailers are made from recycled materials, and So-Cal’s retro-inspired Teardrop Buzz is light enough for fuel-efficient vehicles to tow without hogging the highway.

Want to try before you buy? Bunk in a late-model solar-powered Airstream Bambi at Mariposa Creamery in Altadena, California, or in a 1969 Barth Caravan at the Tierra Soul Urban Farm and Guesthouse in Portland, Oregon. No driver’s license required.

This piece, written by Jeannette Kimmel, first appeared in the February 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. Follow Jeannette on Twitter @JeannetteKimmel.

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Get a FREE tote featuring 1 of 7 ICONIC PLACES OF THE WORLD

Related Topics

Go Further