Winnebago Goes Full Overland With the $332K ARKA Adventure Truck

When you hear “Winnebago,” your brain probably defaults to a Class A motorhome rolling slowly through a national park, not a Ram 5500 wearing 41-inch tires and a BuckStop conversion. The brand has spent the past few years quietly leaning into the backcountry side of RV life through its Revel and other Backcountry Series rigs, but the new ARKA is the biggest swing yet. And we’re absolutely here for it.

Built on a heavy-duty diesel chassis with a one-piece fiberglass habitat bolted on top, the ARKA is Winnebago’s first proper overland adventure truck. And at $331,901 fully equipped, it’s the most aggressive shot the brand has ever taken at the EarthRoamer crowd.

Built on a Ram 5500 (and Then Some)

The foundation here is a Ram 5500 crew cab running a 6.7L Cummins inline-six diesel mated to an 8-speed automatic. In its stock form, that’s already a pretty serious work truck. Winnebago partnered with BuckStop to take it well past stock, swapping the dually rear axle for a single-rear-wheel conversion and wrapping all four corners in 41-inch tires.

The truck also gets a winch-ready front bumper, integrated branch guards, an onboard air compressor, and a 480-amp dual-alternator setup feeding the house battery. It’ll tow 15,000 pounds and carry a 19,500-pound GVWR, so bringing along a side-by-side, a boat, or a small herd of mountain bikes shouldn’t be an issue.

A Cabin That Actually Wants to Get Dirty

The habitat is a one-piece molded fiberglass shell rated to operate from -10°F to 120°F, with R-15 insulation in the roof and floor and R-12 in the walls. Hydronic heating runs through in-floor tubing and keeps the freshwater and gray tanks from freezing, and there’s a heat-recovery ventilation system on board to manage humidity and condensation.

Inside, the 20Z floorplan goes hard on modularity. The rear dinette quickly converts to a wall-to-wall sleeping space. And, when not in use, it folds away entirely to expose a full-height heated gear garage with van-style rear doors, L-track tie-downs, and aluminum cabinetry to ensure it won’t swell when things get damp in the outdoors. The cabover bunk above the cab handles two more sleepers in a king, queen, or twin configuration. Winnebago advertised total capacity at four people.

Two Weeks Without Plugging In

The off-grid spec is where the ARKA really earns its price tag. A 48V architecture pairs with up to 15 kWh of Lithionics lithium battery and 800 watts of expandable solar (up to 1,200 watts), feeding a 3,600-watt inverter through an EcoFlow power hub.

A 60-gallon heated freshwater tank, continuous hot water from an Elwell Timberline system, and a Guzzle H2O UV purification setup mean you’re not rationing showers either. Winnebago is claiming up to 14 days fully off-grid (with the AC off), which firmly plants this overlander in serious expedition territory.

The Smart-RV Stuff Actually Looks Useful

Winnebago Connect is the brand’s in-house monitoring system, and it ties into pretty much everything: tank levels, battery state, multi-zone climate, real-time pitch and roll for leveling without jacks, freeze protection, even a Pet Minder for the dog you definitely brought. Offline pairing means it works without cell service, which is the only version of “smart RV” that actually makes sense once you’ve left the highway.

There’s also Starlink prep baked in, so staying connected at the bottom of a canyon is more or less a hardware decision, not a software one.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

The ARKA 20Z is fully equipped at $331,901 and is currently available for pre-order through Winnebago’s website. Two interior decor options are offered: Carbon (dark gray) and Oxide (pebble).

Recap

2027 Winnebago ARKA 20Z

A Ram 5500-based, BuckStop-converted overland truck with 14 days of off-grid range, a heated gear garage, and a $332K sticker. Welcome to Winnebago’s serious era.

Learn More: Winnebago