2018 Venture SportTrek Touring Edition 336VRK Review
Even before heading inside, you’ll notice the exceptional features of the 2018 Venture SportTrek Touring Edition line of travel trailers, like the outdoor kitchen. For couples and families who want to feel at ‘home’ on the road, the layouts and thoughtful elements in this line fit the bill.
Nine floorplans are available in the Venture SportTrek Touring Edition line. The STT336VRK offers couples a trailer with a genuine residential feel with its high-end exterior and interior features. It has an unloaded vehicle weight of 8,570 lbs and a Gross Vehicle Weight rating of 9,995 lbs. It measures 11’4” in height with the air conditioning unit, 37’8” long, and 96” wide. The fresh water tank has a capacity of 40 gallons, the gray water tank holds 64 gallons, and the black water tank can hold 32 gallons.
A painted front cap has LED hitch lighting and integrated rock guard paint for a seamless look.
There are two awnings (15 ‘ and 10’ 4”) with multidirectional LED lights to keep bugs away from the entrance. A thoughtful feature on the larger awning is it’s self-dumping mechanism to collect and dump water. The shorter awning is over one of the STT3326VRK’s standout features: an outdoor kitchen, or what Venture calls the Campfire Café. It comprises a three-cubic foot refrigerator, sink with hot and cold water, two-burner cooktop, cabinets for outdoor dishes, and electrical outlet for a small appliance. You’ll also find a propane hook-up for outdoor grilling. The entire area is covered by the awning to keep you dry and in the shade. Two outdoor speakers mean you can add your own music to your outdoor experience via Bluetooth.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2018 Dutchmen Aerolite 294RKSS
The trailer’s pass-through storage is LED-lit with magnetic latch doors, and there’s also an outside shower with hot/cold water.
Inside the trailer, you have a choice between two different décor palettes. To your left upon entering is the spacious living area. A slide on each side really open up the space. One of the slides houses the entertainment center. Cabinet doors are built with hand glazed hardwood and upgraded modern handles. A full row of cabinets along the top of the unit give you plenty of space for games, books, blankets and whatever else you need for a cozy evening inside. At seated eye-height, there’s a flat screen television as well as a Bluetooth CD/DVD/AM/FM stereo. Underneath the television is a 26” fireplace, one of two in the trailer. Not only does the fireplace provide a lovely atmosphere, it also puts out a lot of heat, so if you are using free electric at your campsite, you’ll be able to save a bundle on heating costs in the cooler months. One of the trailer’s two fireplaces can be operated via remote control.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2018 Lance 1985
Directly facing the television in the opposite slide are two wide, fully reclining theater-style seats with cup holders and windows on all three sides. To the left of the theater seats is a tri-fold sofa bed, creating a nice conversation space.
Move to the back of the trailer and you’ll find the kitchen. A freestanding table and four chairs gives the space a more residential look than a dinette booth. Windows along the side and back of the dining area allow for lots of natural light and a great view to your campsite. Solid surface countertop and sink cover adds to the upscale look and the U-shape gives you a very big, user-friendly and efficient meal prep area. A double undermount stainless steel sink and high rise pull-down kitchen faucet make clean-up so much simpler. For cooking, you have a three-burner high output range with glass cover and a 17” oven. Above the cooktop, there’s a range hood with light and fan, and a microwave. Right next to the cooktop and oven is the eight-cubic foot refrigerator/freezer, along with a full-height pantry with and upper cabinets that gives you plenty of storage space for all your dry goods and dishes. There’s more storage under the sink for your cleaning supplies, as well as a bank of drawers to keep your utensils and cutlery organized.
The trailer’s bathroom has two entrances: one from the main area, and the other from the bedroom. As well as a porcelain foot-flush toilet, radius magnetic latch glass shower doors and skylight, there’s also a generously sized linen closet, a cabinet over the toilet, and a mirrored medicine cabinet.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2018 Travel Lite Falcon F 23TH
You’ll find the bedroom at the very front of the trailer. It boasts a king-size bed in the slideout, with plenty of walking space at the foot of the bed. A comfy padded leather headboard is a nice touch and each side of the bed has a small overhead corner shelf with an electrical outlet. There’s also a full stretch of cabinets overhead. The bed does lift up with struts, giving you access to a very large storage area underneath. Along the front inside end of the trailer you’ll find a full wall of cabinetry, including two wardrobes, drawers as well as the trailer’s second fireplace. Again, like the first one, this warms the bedroom right up on chilly nights. At the foot of the bed is a window with a cabinet underneath, as well as television and satellite hook-up so you can turn your bedroom into exactly the retreat you want at the end of a day of adventuring.
The Venture SportTrek Touring Edition 336VRK starts at about $46,000. For more information, visit http://www.venture-rv.com/.
