RV review: 2025 Winnebago Access 26RL—nicely packaged

Today’s RV review is of the 2025 Winnebago Access 26RL travel trailer. With all the writing I’ve been doing about “decontented” RVs lately, this is a prime example of that. But it’s also a showcase of doing this well in many ways. 

What you have here is one of a series of couple’s campers that are built in the traditional means—meaning wood-framed, aluminum-skinned travel trailers. If you didn’t know, Winnebago has been doing this since the 1960s. 

Winnebago Access 26RL—from the road up

Like trailers of the 1960s, this one rides on bargain-basement tires and an old-fashioned leaf spring suspension. 

The frame used by Winnebago is the BAL NXG frame, which is a huck-bolted design that the company claims is stronger than a welded frame. This is also a Z-frame in how the metal is shaped. Something else about these frames: Each piece is painted individually and then assembled to minimize rust. However, I had one of these frames on my first Mini Lite which rusted and cracked… so there’s that. 

Something you might not expect in a more entry-level product are power stabilizer jacks—but the Access comes standard with those. Of course, I’d rather have Lippert Solid Stance manual stabilizers and Goodyear Endurance tires with tire pressure monitoring. But if wishes were fishes I could have an ocean. 

Speaking of tire pressure monitoring, this is prepped to support that and I think you’d be crazy not to get it. Crazy. 

Heated and enclosed underbelly in the Winnebago Access 26RL

Another thing you might not expect is the heated and enclosed underbelly with 12-volt tank heaters. This camper is well situated for camping in colder weather—depending on how cold it gets. In fact, something you might be downright surprised to find is that the front pass-through storage is heated, as well. 

I also like that the slide room is a through-frame rack-and-pinion system, and there is only one connection to dump all the tanks. However, whoever put the gate valve lever under the slide room should be sentenced to a lifetime of challenge by some contortionist pain infliction specialist. 

Something I really like is that the main steps at the back of the trailer are solid steps, but you have traditional trailer steps at the front. That means if you’ve stopped for a potty break you won’t be fighting those solid steps to get in, but you do have them once you’ve set up at camp. This is the best of both worlds. 

Winnebago Access 26RL - 2025

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What’s inside the Winnebago Access 26RL

While this isn’t a huge trailer at 30’1” long, it certainly feels spacious. That’s thanks to a 6’8” ceiling height. This floor plan is very similar to that of a lot of fifth wheels with a couch along the back of the trailer and a slide with a dinette and a refrigerator in it. 

There are also cabinets all over the place here. There are overhead cabinets above the rear seating area, and the kitchen counter extends along the camp-side wall from the rear entry door around the front bulkhead. 

With all this counter space you get lots of cabinets and drawers above and below the counter. There isn’t a pantry, per se, but there is enough storage that you’ll be fine. Trust me. 

In the kitchen

For cooking there’s a three-burner propane cooktop and a convection microwave oven. I think that this is ideal for most RVers as many, many of you have told me that my obsession with RV ovens is sort of, well, obsessive. 

While a 12-volt DC compressor fridge is standard, you can still get a propane-electric gas absorption fridge as an option as of this writing. I know a lot of you will be happy about that. 

Seating choices include the option of either a hide-a-bed sofa or theater seat/couch at the very back. 

Winnebago doesn’t include a TV with this, and I think that’s a good decision. No matter what comes with an RV, people always seem to want something bigger. So this saves on e-waste and you can get what you want. 

Mattresses in RVs

Now, if we could convince RV companies to quit putting mattresses in RVs, that would be fantastic. But that would also mean RV dealers would likely have to stock mattresses and not all of them could. Plus, mattresses are such a personal buy you’d have to stock dozens of choices. 

What you do get here is a true queen-sized mattress, so that’s a plus. 

Something else I like is that, even though the furnace ducts are in the floor, their placement is such that they’re not very inconvenient. In fact, the placement of the bedroom unit is downright smart. 

The bathroom in this rig bisects the trailer. This is something I like in my own camping style, but it is not universally loved. However, it is a nice, big bathroom with plenty of room for changing and all the other things we commonly do in a bathroom. 

I’m a fan of the use of a shower curtain instead of glass doors. 

Boondocking and travel access in the Winnebago Access 29RL

For 2025, this model includes a 200-watt solar panel. You can get it with a propane-electric gas absorption refrigerator, so you might be set for a lot of boondocking adventures. It has a 30-amp charge controller and is prepped to install an inverter, as well.

As for travel access, you can get to everything with the slide in. However, you can’t access the mid-trailer bathroom from the living area. But you can get to the bathroom from the bedroom, which does have a door to the outside. So I give this a total pass.

Conclusions

Most of the execution on this trailer is pretty good. This has a flatter corrugated skin, so it’s a bit easier to maintain. The nose, too, is a bit flatter, which opens up space in the bedroom. There is also prep for side-view cameras, which are a good safety feature. 

I don’t like the look of the cabinets in here at all. To me, they look cheap. I’m not saying the build is bad—they just look cheap to me. Winnebago tends to do well with cabinets, so it’s just a choice of stickers I guess. 

Overall, this is a nifty starter couple’s camper with some features that are a bit unexpected. I wish they would upgrade the tires and include a tire pressure monitoring system standard. But, hey, that’s just me. 

My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and photos in this article. 

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.

You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy. 

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