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Well gang, it happened.
James and I just picked up our brand new EKKO. YEAHHHH!
The Alleged EKKO no longer.
It’s crazy. For the past however many years, we’ve been whining about wanting a ‘C Minus’ with a bike garage… why wasn’t there anything like that over here, yada yada, broken record… and now FINALLY here we are: WE HAVE A C MINUS!
Whine and you shall receive.
Ours is the very first EKKO delivered to a customer, how cool is that?! We’re pretty sure that’s because Winnebago has us creating videos for their “How To EKKO” website, so they’re motivated for us to hurry up and get started on that. Creating those instructional vids is going to keep us busy on top of our already busy default mode. But it’ll be a fun project and an interesting challenge! It’s really good James is so smart. Can you imagine if it was me scripting the How To vids? “To work the Truma, just turn the doohickey and push the thingy till you get it; I’ll be rooting for you cuz you rock!!! Don’t forget to exercise!” Lucky for new EKKO owners I’ll be leaving the scripts to James.
We still are shaking the new EKKO down and testing everything out— still getting to know it. Once we do, we’ll be sure to share our impressions. So far, all is well and as expected and we LOVE IT! Since we had so much time with the test EKKO “Testy”, we’re already familiar with everything and there have been no surprises.
Testy’s twin!
If you’re excited to see where we’ll take it first, don’t be. We’ll be heading back home to the Fit RV HQ. Besides the How To EKKO project, James cannot wait to begin tearing it apart and modding away. And since I’m looking forward to some of his first mods, I’m happy to indulge him getting his way on this one. Luckily the female memory is long, so I can file this away and use it in the future sometime when I want to get MY way…
While James continues to obsess over mods, here’s what I’m obsessing over:
- What in the world should we name it?
- Is it a him or a her?
- Where will I put my travel stickers?
- I want all new throw pillows for the beds. What should I get?
- When James drives, Mel is determined to be co-pilot. How do I keep Mel from stealing my seat every time I get up?
First world problems indeed and we are truly grateful and blessed. More to come. In the meantime, be well, all! Don’t forget to exercise, because YOU ROCK!
❤️Stef
In the words of The Count, “One! Ah Ah Ahhh…”
Please share your thoughts on having an actual entry door instead of always having to slide the regular van style door for entry and exit.
Thank you,
Robin
Not much to say besides that we love having a regular door, and have no desire to go back to a “whoosh-bang” sliding door.
James and Steph, was wondering why you mounted the paper towel holder on the wall to the side above the range? Is there a possibility that it could be mounted vertically on the wall to the left of the sink on the back wall by the door?
The wall to the left of the sink that you’re considering for your paper towel mount is only probably around 1/8” thick luan and we worried that spot wouldn’t hold up well to the tugging of a paper towel holder. The side wall is solid 5/8” thick plywood, so it seemed a better choice. 🙂
Have so enjoyed reading your posts. I first started in 2012 with a 23 ft. Winnebago, then moved up to a 32 ft. to include the grandkids, then…the Revel for my river fishing trips. Oh, oh, I wasn’t meant for that, way tooooo small. Was excited to find and now have an EKKO on order, hopefully Jan. 2022. Your posts have been so valuable for me and will be looking forward to learning a lot more before delivery. Stephi, a big thank you as you have encouraged me to be more diligent in my exercise routine at my age, 80, to keep on traveling. No moss growing under these feet.
Congrats on your new EKKO, Sandy! I think you’re going to LOVE it! And I’m so glad to hear you’re keeping up with exercise; keep doing that, and stay strong!
I was told that you mention at some point … perhaps in one of your videos … the make and model of the wheels that Winnebago equipped the EKKO with. Please share this detail with me.
The wheels are from Hi-Spec. I don’t know the model.
Thank you!
I was able to get some info about the wheels but I haven’t been able to confirm if the front and rear are the same wheel mounted in the opposite orientation like the OEM Ford front and rear wheels on the DRW chassis. Is that the case with the EKKO wheels?
They do NOT appear to be the same ones.
Hi,
We ordered our Americanizer last week and got it in 2 days!
We were scheduled to pick up our Ecco on August 20th, but now it won’t be until some time in October. We were told that they are still working out some bugs in the system. I assume your are getting them your feed back which will help us all. We are disappointed but I am glad they are being conscience.
We are looking forward to more updates on #1!
We are scheduled to pick up our Ekko from the factory on August 20th & we are very excited. We are particularly excited about being able to do weekend trips to the Unitas and winter trips exploring southern Utah.
What is the status of your “Americanizer”?
Does the Ekko come with a real manual to help understand the workings of the motor home? The manual on our previous trailers have been useless.
Looking forward to your comments.
The Americanizer will be available very soon on Amazon.
The EKKO does come with a manual. I haven’t spent much time with it, because I don’t really need to. I wouldn’t expect it to be on a conversational level like a “… for dummies” kind of book though. They’ve typically been like manuals.
Stefany I knew you would be the first off the line as you did not think that when I asked you before. Congrats as it makes so much sense that your boyz at Winnebago would want that first one sent to you for immediate feedback on …you know those little things that need to be addressed. Anyway our WRTB is in production so hope to see u on the road. Stay safe and as bikers like to say keep the rubberside down.
James after listening to your (and ours) groan about the new EKKO having a cassette toilet there must be a work around to a toilet with a tank option. Who wouldn’t want to extend their boondocking trip from a 2 day cassette system to a full week holding tank system? James it would appear there is nothing you cannot do for RV upgrades.The cassette toilet in your new EKKO RV could be replaced with a macerator/ pumping toilet and the waist be pumped into the existing 50 gallon gray holding tank. There are safety concerns to consider 1) The gray water drains may need a proper one way check valve installed to prevent backups. 2) A near full gray tank electric warning/ shutdown/ override controls. Some 12V RV toilets with macerator/ pumping systems come with the safety controls. 3) A tank flush system..BTW nearly all homes have common drain lines with “P” traps keeping the odors away from the living area. https://mortonsonthemove.com/macerating-toilets-make-rvs-better/
Interested in any positive replies.
If I wanted a black tank system, I’m sure I could figure something out, and you’re correct in assuming that it would involve a macerator toilet. And it would need to be a model with a pivoting bowl.
But this is not something I’m currently considering.
Names? If racer based names:
Spartacus or the Badger.
It looks like a badger, what with the black and white,
but it is super like Cancellara.
These are actually both great suggestions!!! Love that they have that cycling thing in there again, like Lance. We ended up going with “Number One” lol. Where were you when we were thinking up names, Don?????
Technically, it’s “Number Two”.
You need to give Lance some respect.
Just saying.
Very Glad to hear the first Ekko has been delivered, and to, I feel, the best customers to get it. Now I wait for the mods that surely will follow. One thing that is missing from all the info that has come out for the Ekko, is the measurements for the cabinets. One of our first mods will be shelves, to optimize those spaces. I would have them all cut, finished, and ready for the day ours comes home. Any chance that info could be acquired? Although ours is not scheduled till the end of August.
There are a bunch of cabinet measurements on the Ekko Owners and Wannabes group on FB, check the files section! I’m having James make shelves too eventually. But I wanted time to live with the space first and decide what’s going to go where, so then I have a better feel of exactly how I want the shelves built to maximize the space. Here’s hoping you get yours soon… and no more delays!
Thank you Stef, Guess I have missed that info. So off I go to peruse.
Hi Guys, really enjoy all you vids! I’m going to be ordering my EKKO soon. Quick question… is it worth getting the roof rack? It seems it might be a good thing to keep things being bolted into the roof, what’s your thoughts?
Lee
That, and the ability to bolt things like antennae and more solar panels to it are the primary reasons we wanted the roof rack.
I see Mel has claimed his “rightful” spot in the EKKO
https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/weird-animal-pics-cant-be-explained-19-60ba0dc000fb5-png__700.jpg
James,
I’m curious to know the Lithionics/Winnebago recommendations for managing the state-of-charge (SOC) of the lithium batteries when the Ekko is being “stored” (not occupied) for a while.
If the recommendation is to leave the batteries in some moderate SOC (e.g. 50%), can the power system achieve that “storage” SOC on its own somehow, or does the owner have to manage the SOC by hand (e.g. by disabling charging on the last leg of the camping trip, or e.g. by defrosting a turkey in the microwave after the Ekko is parked at home)?
Once the Ekko is put to bed with the recommended SOC, how long can it safely sleep before the owner must check/adjust the SOC?
Thanks
Try this: Lithionics Battery Storage Procedure
As far as Winnebago adding a “Drain My Battery” button to the EKKO… that won’t likely be happening. (Can you imagine!)
You’ll need to manage that manually.
Yeah, a “Drain My Battery” capability would be expensive. But it might be easy to implement (in software) a “charge to 50%” mode, to be used on the last day of a trip.
However, to my surprise, that Lithionics document you mentioned says that for short storage periods (e.g. between camping trips during a summer season) they do not actually want a 50% SOC. They seem to specifically want 100% SOC, which is what you’ll get (from the alternator) simply by driving the Ekko home. So, I guess the “charge to 50%” button would not be very useful.
The best plan is to use the rig year round, like you two have nicely demonstrated. No “storage” needed. 🙂
Hi James
Congratulations, we have a long wait for ours.
Are you planning on any tire changes for better off-road capability?
Maybe a 1 inch taller ? for a little increase in ground clearance.
much appreciated ed
Not currently planning anything like that.
Too many issues with changing tire sizes on the dual rear wheels and maintaining the proper gap.
Not to mention the speedometer, etc all being permanently wrong.
Besides… we’re primarily *road* cyclists. We need roads. 🙂
Congratulations on receiving your Ekko. I see that you are still thinking about a name. Have you thought about “Fits”; could be short for “Fitzgerald” with different spelling that aligns with a variation of The Fit RV? Anyway we are happy for you. I did try to ask a question on an old blog. I was wondering if your new rig will have the weBoost X RV cell signal booster?
Hey I like that name! Cool idea, thanks… will noodle on it! We’ll definitely be doing another weBoost yep! I know other RVers have other solutions they prefer, but for us all’s we need is a cell booster for weak signal areas and we’re happy.
Congrats on getting the EKKO! It is a relief to see one finally out there, ours is expected in October. Did you guys do I-70 across Colorado to get home? Wondering how the Ford Transit pulls that route. Having done it in the Promaster a few times and it wasnt happy about it. Very excited to see your mods too. Trying to plan a shakedown trip for the fall, fun fun!
We didn’t do I-70, went through Salt Lake! And we know what you mean about I-70 in a Promaster; climbing isn’t the Promaster’s strong suit. The Transit climbs great and it’s one of the things we love about driving the Ekko. Fingers crossed you get yours as planned in October, or sooner!!!
Congrats you two! It is wonderful to finally have the EKKO in the wild process started! We are starting to make that “what do we need to buy” list for our vehicle, with some of your recommendations in mind. It brings new meaning on being a “GonnaBe”, and planning for our delivery and fall adventures after we get done with our seasonal business here at Funlandrehoboth.
Thanks, Randy! We know the pre-RV shopping phase very well lol. Hopefully we’ll have some good suggestions once we’ve had some time and experience with ours. Can’t wait for everyone else to get their Ekkos too!
So excited for you all. Can’t wait for full production of these. We are waiting for ours. We ordered ours without outside decals too. Agree, it is a cool, blank canvas. Congrats.
More Ekkoers, that’s fantastic! We really hope you get yours soon… our Ekko is lonely out there and needs some siblings! xo
Congratulations. My hope is that the insulation improvements in this new design will greatly enhance your camping experience. And of course the extra space will too. 🙂
Going forward, I sincerely hope that technical discussions of your Ekko will take place in this forum, not in the Facebook group. I joined that group briefly, but found it very poorly suited for discussion of technical topics.
Hi Patrick – you’ve got James here.
I will be posting any mods to our EKKO here, and monitoring the discussion here myself. I’m sure the posts will get shared on Facebook as well, but I’ll be watching here.
Stef and I divide and conquer, and Facebook is really her domain. Webmaster is mine.
Cheers!
Congratulations! The new rig looks great, I think the graphics delete makes the rig much more cool. Looking forward to hearing what James thinks about the Lithionics system in actual use.
Happy travels in the new Ekko, as all of us follow your journeys.
Cheers
Well, we had a Lithionics system in Lance, so I’m feeling pretty confident about it.
Will we be seeing the bell again?
LOL! Lordy I hope not. James… don’t get any ideas.
Yay! That’s so awesome! Very excited for you both and Mel! Love seeing all the photos of your new rig and of Mel, of course (big cat lover here). BTW, I love your green doormat and all the green decor! Where did you find the doormat? We look forward to seeing your new adventures in the Ekko!
Thanks, Teresa! So, the green doormat is something James has had in his shop for years, we just grabbed it last minute and were thrilled it fit! I’ll try to find where he got it and share when I do.
Ode to those roomy and reachable beds, in addition to the bike storage and Mel space! Looking forward to the next chapter in James’ newest creations!
Thanks, Alexa! I hope you two & Lance are all well and are off having wonderful adventures of your own! Tell Lance hi! xo
Congratulations Mel for your new kitty condo on wheels.
And thanks for allowing James and Stef to come along for the ride!!!!
Andy & Kim
Mimi & Jojo – the feline owners of our RV
Funny how true that is! If it weren’t for us needing more space for Mel, we’d still happily be rolling along in our van Lance. Crazy the lengths we go to for our fur babies. I hope Mimi & Jojo are enjoying their RV adventures too!
Now paint it, wrap it, do something because it’s not very sexy on the outside!!
We kinda like it! It’s grown on us; it’s so different than typical RVs, so we like that. But yep even so, we plan to eventually wrap it… but have no clue what kind of wrap to do! If anyone has ideas please share!
SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS, LET MEL BE THE CO-PILOT [I HAVE TWO OF THEM]. WHEN HE GETS UP STEAL HIS SEAT.
In Mel’s world the family hierarchy goes: James, THEN Mel, THEN Stef. So Mel’s always competing with me for the seat closest to James wherever we are!
Congrats on getting your awesome new Ekko!!! Ours is in the queue and should be ready in a few months.so excited!
Definitely be watching for your “How To Ekko Project Videos”.
BTW: Any news on when the Americanizer will be available for purchase? We will absolutely be one of your customers as soon as they can be ordered.
Once again, congratulations!
Right now your Ekko is a “Unicorn”!
Thanks, Scott! REALLY hope you get yours very soon; we very much dislike being the only ones out there with an Ekko. The Americanizers are in America! Once we get established with Amazon and we’re ready to go, we’ll put up a post. Our hope is by the end of June, fingers crossed!
Thanks Stefany!
I’ll be watching for the Americanizer post. Hopefully your post will come to my email address.
I’m pretty sure they won’t last long on Amazon.
Also, it’s a good thing that you got the first (Unicorn) Ekko, because you guys are a great resource for the rest of us to learn from… 🙂
Looking forward to seeing where you put the litter box!
We’ve put it in the exterior cabinet where the optional kitchen goes! Mel can pass through from the inside to it via a hole that was intended to be a vent!
That makes cleaning it even easier!
Congrats and welcome to B+/C- Transit life like us Fuse folks.
Thanks, Don! With so much Fuse inspiration in the EKKO, I think that makes us RV cousins perhaps?
Yep. All part of the Winnebago family
Very cool rig!! Can you share the OCCC number?
OCCC is 1835! 🙂
I like that OCCC number! Should be good for James’ new batteries and more!!
Congratulations! When can we expect a new video featuring your new rig?
Congratulations! It looks like you all went with the green. “ Keeping fit and ( environmentally) clean with Team Green “ could be your new theme. You could name it “ Mel’s Diner”.Happy Memorial Day to you and all that have served.
Mel’s Diner, LOL! Yep; we chose the Team Green interior!!! We like that it has no picture of wood in it.
Awesome news! Can’t wait until ours is completed ! We will share photos from the mountains of British Columbia!
I hope to see those pics of you with your RV in the beautiful BC mountains VERY soon!
James and Stefany,
Really like your videos. Waiting for the one where you install the induction stove top.
We just ordered our Ekko and hopefully it will be delivered in June.
Do you have to take the front wheels off your bikes to get them in the Ekko’s garage,
You *can* get a road bike in the garage without removing the wheel, but it’s close to the ceiling.
We’ll be storing ours in the garage with the front wheels off.
Don’t know about mountain bikes. Haven’t tried.