Winnebago Solis Class B Pop-top

[rockymtnb]

Winnebago has introduced the Promaster based Solis as part of their 2020 Class B lineup. Based on the 20ft Promaster chassis the Solis features a pop-top roof sleeping loft with Froli bed system.

For all-season use the Solis features fully insulated walls and floor, Truma Combi Eco heating, and full recirculating hot water system. Main level bedding is a choice of either a 56x76" Murphy bed or expanding sofa bed. The heated bathroom is a small wet bath with swiveling cassette toilet.

MSRP list price is $100,667.

Specs:
https://winnebagoind.com/products/class-b/2020/solis/overview

Video overview:

 

[JakeyLee]

Sounds like a fun option.. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm close to accepting my future purchase of a Tofino. New housing development will not allow me to park /store a classic class B at my residence. this type of rig i could park with zero issues. More competitors entering this space is definitely a good thing. I miss the days of 70's era custom vans and Westphalias. Yeah.. Bout time we started seeing more of this class. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[gerrym51]

Sounds like a fun option.. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm close to accepting my future purchase of a Tofino. New housing development will not allow me to park /store a classic class B at my residence. this type of rig i could park with zero issues. More competitors entering this space is definitely a good thing. I miss the days of 70's era custom vans and Westphalias. Yeah.. Bout time we started seeing more of this class. Thanks for the heads-up.

i would look at this instead of Tofino. seems to have more stand up space when top down. And the bed is 76 inches across. by putting bed up higher it utilizes window indentations. watch the video. it also has toilet

 

[GeorgeRad]

Very nice design, I added the rear curtain to my to do list but most likely will use shock cord tent pole.

 

[Davydd]

I like the purge for cold water from the hot water tap that recirculates to the fresh water tank.

The magnets for the upper cabinets to hold up is a nice feature.

Utilization of the bathroom for storage is interesting with the built in shelf moldings.

They take winterizing with insulation and inside water plumbing seriously but what happens to that winterization if you pop the roof and have all that uninsulated canvas surround.

The shower and awning curtain is not very worked out, IMO. Too complicated. Taking a shower just outside the rear doors and creating a puddle is not too bright.

 

[@Michael]

Seems like the pop top is really only set up for sleeping, not as a way to get more headroom, light and air as in the latest Sportsmobile E-series pop top. Unless your either have 4 persons or you always sleep on top, it's not all that useful.

If I had a pop top, I think I'd want it on a low roof van so that I gain the advantage of the low roof in exchange for the inconvenience of having to lift the top and having the canvass sides.

I know people who use outdoor showers often, so they might appreciate that feature.

At least we are seeing creativity and innovation in new B's.

 

[Smith101]

Who would have thought the defunct Hymer Aktiv would inspire such imitation as here and in Thor's new Tellaro? The Solis video makes no mention of AC or option lithium or even a generator. Anybody know about these?

The Tellaro on the other hand uses the 21' chassis and puts the AC in back of the pop top. It also can be had with a full blown lithium system.

For anyone not allowed to park an RV with HOA restrictions consider omitting the awning--its a dead giveaway.

 

[Anachr0n]

This rig deals with a lot of the shortcomings of the Tofino. It has a bathroom, it has 3 point belts in the back, and it has standing room throughout. Yes, I realize it's on a 2500 vs a 1500. In the Tofino I don't like that the only place you can stand in a Tofino is in the hatch area when the top is up. With some pop tops you can also lift or fold back the bunk to get more standing area.

I wonder about the fit and finish of WB vs PW though.

I especially like that it has the revel's multi use bathroom. 1) toilet. 2) shower. 3) wet locker. 4) storage shelving.

I worry about the accessibility of the raised floor storage in back. You'd have to completely empty the garage in order to lift those doors. I would have put long sliding drawers instead.

I wonder if they put brackets on the side of the van so you can take that under-bed table outside? Kind of how the Recon camper does it.

 

[Agentwomack]

Sounds like a fun option.. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm close to accepting my future purchase of a Tofino. New housing development will not allow me to park /store a classic class B at my residence. this type of rig i could park with zero issues. More competitors entering this space is definitely a good thing. I miss the days of 70's era custom vans and Westphalias. Yeah.. Bout time we started seeing more of this class. Thanks for the heads-up.

Hey Jake- curious how long you have been waiting? We ordered in July and PW is saying delivery in December.

 

[GallenH]

Davydd: Distantly related. I never take a "shower" in my 97 PW because it would fill the grey tank too fast. But I've always wondered: If you can shower "outside" why couldn't there be some diverter in the system so that when you do shower inside, the drain water could be diverted to, say, a hose connection to put it somewhere in the campsite instead. It seems if you can shower outside, you could do this. I suspect it's because the shower drain goes directly down into the grey water tank?

 

[Anachr0n]

Davydd: Distantly related. I never take a "shower" in my 97 PW because it would fill the grey tank too fast. But I've always wondered: If you can shower "outside" why couldn't there be some diverter in the system so that when you do shower inside, the drain water could be diverted to, say, a hose connection to put it somewhere in the campsite instead. It seems if you can shower outside, you could do this. I suspect it's because the shower drain goes directly down into the grey water tank?

I think showering outside is more of a dispersed camping thing than a campsite thing where the accumulation of soapy water in a precise spot on the parking pad becomes an issue. The type of soap used also needs to be considered.

It got me wondering about a cassette style grey tank for the shower though. Even if it’s just a diverter and a 5 gallon bucket, you could take your shower inside, then go dump the water down a toilet. You would need to use biodegradable soap if you Wanted to ‘disperse’ this water. Hmmmmm...

 

[JakeyLee]

Hey Jake- curious how long you have been waiting? We ordered in July and PW is saying delivery in December.

I have not placed an order as of yet. My move to Scottsdale won't happen for at least 6 months. I was really hoping a few more low roof options would be cropping up. We shall see. My concern is a "classic" B type van would just be too obvious in the driveway of an HOA that does not allow "recreation vehicles"... what ever that means. It's a fantastic neighborhood otherwise.. and while I don't love HOA's, it's less than $50 a month. I was thinking that the Tofino is something I could just stuff in the three car garage should someone want to complain.

 

[BillsPaseo]

I think showering outside is more of a dispersed camping thing than a campsite thing where the accumulation of soapy water in a precise spot on the parking pad becomes an issue. The type of soap used also needs to be considered.

It got me wondering about a cassette style grey tank for the shower though. Even if it’s just a diverter and a 5 gallon bucket, you could take your shower inside, then go dump the water down a toilet. You would need to use biodegradable soap if you Wanted to ‘disperse’ this water. Hmmmmm...

What we do when boondocking and needing to conserve space in the gray tank is to stand in a plastic tub while showering. The plastic tub catches about 75% of the shower water. After showering, take the tub out into the woods and dump it. This disperses where the water is dumped and greatly reduces the quantity of water going into the gray tank.

Biggest problem though is that you use up a lot of fresh water taking a shower. With only 28 gallons, if you are out in the middle of nowhere for a week, you sure can't afford to use 3 gallons a day taking a shower... so wet wipes and limiting the showers to one every 3 days seems to work out pretty well.

 

[avanti]

What we do when boondocking and needing to conserve space in the gray tank is to stand in a plastic tub while showering. The plastic tub catches about 75% of the shower water. After showering, take the tub out into the woods and dump it. This disperses where the water is dumped and greatly reduces the quantity of water going into the gray tank.

Yep. I think that this is the only responsible way to dispose of gray water in the forest. :thumbup: The people who equate dumping their gray tank with what you do are just kidding themselves.

 

[mumkin]

...I was thinking that the Tofino is something I could just stuff in the three car garage should someone want to complain.

Do they have garage doors that tall? Even without the added pop-top, a low profile Promaster wouldn't fit through a 7 ft door.

As to the HOA definition of a "Recreational Vehicle," it is whatever the current Board of Directors want it to be.

 

[GallenH]

Yep. I think that this is the only responsible way to dispose of gray water in the forest. :thumbup: The people who equate dumping their gray tank with what you do are just kidding themselves.

I agree and I would never consider that. What I was originally pondering was a diverter valve between the shower and the grey tank which would only allow the shower water to exit when in the "shower" position. There would be no difference between that and bucketing the water out.

I don't even think that it's possible though. On my unit the grey water tank sits below the shower and there's probably not the room to install one.

 

[Anachr0n]

...Biggest problem though is that you use up a lot of fresh water taking a shower. With only 28 gallons, if you are out in the middle of nowhere for a week, you sure can't afford to use 3 gallons a day taking a shower... so wet wipes and limiting the showers to one every 3 days seems to work out pretty well.

Agreed. But if you manage to crack the grey water problem, you can work around the fresh water problem by bringing extra containers.

And there is a limited value in extending your grey water capacity until you run into your black water limit.

And there is limited value in extending your black water capacity until you run into [some other limit] that forces you to return to civilization.

 

[AdamG-ClassB]

This model lost us at "cassette toilet".

 

[rowiebowie]

This model lost us at "cassette toilet".

Welcome to the forum AdamG!

I'm with you, but some like cassettes. For me, it is simply a matter that a flushing toilet and black tank is the most like a home set up (minus the dumping, of course).

 

[AdamG-ClassB]

Welcome to the forum AdamG!

I'm with you, but some like cassettes. For me, it is simply a matter that a flushing toilet and black tank is the most like a home set up (minus the dumping, of course).

My wife has Crohn's disease which is a big reason we are buying an RV...so a 4.6-gallon "cassette" tank isn't going to cut it for our needs. Both the bathroom size and the tank size are high on our priority list. We know all class b bathrooms are tiny...but some are still way bigger than others. The Solis's is super tiny and has the smallest capacity. Too bad, because otherwise we rather liked it.