We’re going to do a bunkhouse trailer comparison between the Jay Feather Micro 171bh and a Winnebago bunkhouse model. Now, when we were researching trailers, we were very interested in a particular Winnebago bunkhouse. We were looking at the Winnebago Hike 172bh. Now, this is not the trailer that I’m going to compare today because the Hike 172bh is no longer in production. The hike line has changed, it still exists, but the hike 100s, which are the current models, are all much smaller and there isn’t really a comparable bunkhouse model. So instead I’m going to be comparing this model to the Winnebago Minnie FLX 2100bh. You may have heard these referred to as the Winnie Minnie, and even though this wasn’t the trailer that we were originally looking at during our research stage, which was now about three years ago, this is the most comparable current model and this is the one that we would be looking at if we were doing our research today.
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Length
Okay, let’s start our comparison by comparing a few key data points. First let’s look at the length. The length of the Jay Feather Micro is just over 20 feet, and the length of the Winnie Minnie is almost 22 feet. So because the Jay Feather Micro is almost two feet shorter, I’m going to give the win for this category to the Jay Feather Micro.
Weight
Next, let’s talk about weight. So the dry weight of the Jay Feather Micro is about 3,800 pounds. The dry weight of the Winnie Minnie is about 4,100 pounds. Now the fully loaded weight of the trailers, which is the dry weight plus the maximum cargo carrying capacity, which will be your gear, water, propane, batteries, any extra upgrades that you do to the trailer, all of that will get calculated into the cargo carrying capacity. So the maximum amount of weight for the trailers for the Jay Feather Micro is about 5,000 pounds. And for the Winnie Minnie it is 5,500. These numbers are pretty similar.
The Jay Feather micro numbers are a little bit lower. The difference between the dry weight and the maximum weight of the Winnie Minnie is a little bit more than the difference between the Jay Feather Micro, which means you can actually carry about a hundred pounds more of cargo with the Winnie Minnie versus the Jay Feather Micro.
But honestly, these numbers are so similar. It is nice that the Jay Feather Micro has a little bit lighter overall weight. It is nice that the Winnie Minnie has slightly more cargo carrying capacity, but ultimately these are really similar. So I’m just going to mark this as a tie for this category.
There is a slight difference between them, but the weight can change depending on the options on the trailer anyways, so because these are so similar, you could probably find a Jay Feather Micro that has a dry weight more than the Winnie Minnie and vice versa. So I’m going to give this category a tie.
Tanks
Next, let’s compare the tank sizes. So on the Winnie Minnie there’s a 30 gallon fresh water tank, and then the Black tank and the gray tank are each 25 gallons.
On the Jay Feather Micro there is a 55 gallon freshwater tank, and then the black and the gray tanks are each 30 gallons. So on the Jay Feather Micro, the freshwater tank is much larger and then the black and gray tanks are slightly larger.
So all of the tank sizes are larger on the Jay Feather Micro than on the Winnie Minnie. So I’m going to give the win to the Jay Feather Micro for this one.
Axles
Now let’s talk about axles. So the Jay Feather Micro is a single axle trailer. The Winnie Minnie is a dual axle trailer. If you remember, the Winnie Minnie is almost two feet longer, so it is a bit of a longer trailer, but still it’s rare to find a dual axle trailer under 24 feet.
I don’t have personal experience with a dual axle, but I hear it’s a little easier to tow and it’s a little bit safer because if you have a tire blowout, there is an extra set of tires. It’s also supposed to be a little bit easier to chock those tires. Again, I don’t have experience with using the dual axle trailer and we haven’t had problems with having a single axle trailer, but I have heard that there are a lot of benefits to that, which do make sense.
So I think it’s really nice that they were able to do a dual axle model and still keep it under 24 feet. So for this category, I’m going to give the win to the Winnie Minnie.
Entry Steps
Next, let’s talk about the entry steps. So the steps on the Jay Feather Micro are very sturdy. They’re the step above solid steps that you pull them out from inside the doorway on the trailer and they go all the way down and touch the ground. So it gives the trailer additional stability. They are nice large steps. They’re easy for the kids to go in and out of, and we really like them.
The steps on the Winnie Minnie are the more traditional steps that were the standard for a very long time. They pull out from underneath the door and they just kind of hang there so they don’t go all the way to the ground. They don’t add any stability to the trailer. They are easier if you want to hop in and out of the trailer. You don’t want to mess with the steps, you could just leave them up.
We’ve been really happy with the steps on our trailer. We’ve been happy that they’re easy for the kids to use. Nobody’s had any spills going in and out, and we like that it adds a little bit more stability to the trailer. So I’m going to give the win for this one to the Jay Feather Micro.
Stabilizers
Next, let’s talk about the stabilizers. So the 2024 and the 2023 model, the newer Jay Feather micros have the same style stabilizer as the Winnie Minnie, which is an improved stabilizer from the version that is on our trailer.
It’s the quick drop stabilizer, which is supposed to be pretty good. We haven’t used it, so I can’t really speak to that, but the type of stabilizers are the same on both.
But on the Winnie Minnie, the stabilizer is actually a power stabilizer. So there’s a little button, a little switch right above it that you can just hold and it will pull it down instead of having to use a drill to crank it down. So it’s kind of a minor thing. I mean, we always use a drill for our stabilizers and it’s fine, but I think it’s pretty cool that they have a little power button right there that you can use to just put the stabilizer up or down.
So I’m going to give the win for this one to the Winnie Minnie.
Outdoor Kitchen
Next, let’s talk about the outdoor kitchen. So an outdoor kitchen is important to us because we really want to make sure that we’re getting the family outside as much as possible. Our goal was to cook all of our meals outside, and the outdoor kitchen really helps make that happen.
The outdoor kitchen on the Jay Feather Micro is a little different than what we originally had in mind, but it’s worked well for us. It’s not a pullout kitchen, but there is a shelf that could slide into the side of the trailer and we could put a Blackstone right there on that shelf, and that system’s worked out well for us.
The Winnie Minnie does not have any type of outdoor kitchen. They don’t have a shelf or anything. They do have a quick connect, so you could still hook up a grill, but you’d have to have your own stand, your own table for it, your own system, which isn’t that big of a deal, but it is nice that you don’t have to think about that with the Jay Feather Micro.
So for this category, I’m going to give the wind to the Jay Feather Micro.
Black Tank Flush
Next, let’s talk about the Black Tank flush. So the Black Tank flush is a nice feature and definitely something that we wanted in a trailer, and both of these trailers do have it.
What it is is it’s just a port that you could hook a hose up to and after you drain the black tank, you could put a hose in the black tank flush and it will help the water cycle around to help get anything off the sides of the tank to hopefully clean it up just a little bit more. So it’s nice feature to have, and like I said, both of the trailers have it, but the reason why I put it on this list is because on the Jay Feather Micro, it’s on the side where you’re already dumping your tanks.
But on the Winnie Minnie, the Black Tank Flush for some reason is on the camp side. So it’s on the opposite side of the trailer where you normally are doing everything for dumping. So that didn’t make a lot of sense to us. It seemed like it would be a lot less convenient to have it on the camp side.
So for this one, we’re going to give the win to the Jay Feather Micro.
Interior Width
Okay, now let’s talk about the interior width, or we could also talk about slide versus no slide, but I’m going to call it interior width because that’s really what it comes down to.
Now on the Winnie Minnie, they have a slide. There is a dinette slide and that is used to help open up the inside of the trailer.
On the Jay Feather Micro, there is no slide, but the interior width is wider or the overall width, it’s all wider than on the Winnie Minnie.
So the Winnie Minnie has a seven foot body, so inside it’s about six and a half feet. The Jay Feather Micro has an eight foot body. Inside, it’s about seven and a half feet. So the difference inside between the Jay Feather Micro and the Winnie Minnie is about a foot, which is much larger.
So there is no slide on the Jay Feather Micro, but it doesn’t feel like one is required. We have space inside without having to deal with any of the extra maintenance that comes along with having a slide.
In the Winnie Minnie the slide does open up that dinette area, which does give you a little bit more walking space next to the sink, but the area behind that, the slide doesn’t impact. Between the bunks and the fridge it still feels very, very narrow there.
Now we do have a wider overall trailer, and I do hear that the smaller the trailer, so having it more narrow, having it shorter makes it easier to tow. So since this trailer is wider but shorter, the other one is narrower, but longer, I don’t know that there would even be a difference in towing. I’m not sure. I haven’t towed with both of these, so I can’t say, but I doubt that it would be that noticeable and this extra width allows us to have so much more space, so much more comfort in here without having to deal with the slide.
So to me, it makes a lot of sense to have the trailer be a little bit wider and get a lot more space on the inside and not have to deal with having a slide. So for this category, the Jay Feather Micro wins.
Counter Space
Next let’s talk about counter space. So the counter space on the Jay Feather Micro is pretty limited. There’s a sink and then there’s a three burner stove, which takes up a decent amount of space, but the stove does have a cover on it, which allows it to be completely flat and it can be used as counter space.
The sink did also come with a cutting board that we could put on it to use that as counter space as well, but we don’t really find ourselves using that too often.
Now the counter space on the Winnie Minnie is great. You still have a three burner stove, so that’s taking up the same amount of space. And then the sink is double wide, so it would be even easier to fit large pots and stuff in there. And then you have counter space next to that. And in addition to that, they give you a little counter that can pop up, so you can have some additional space right next to the counter if you’d like. Now of course, the Winnie Minnie is a couple feet longer, but it’s nice to have extra counter space with that extra length.
And in case you’re wondering, that pop-up counter is something that could be added to the end of the counter in the Jay Feather Micro too. We haven’t done that just because it seems like it would be difficult to go in and out of the trailer with it up and we haven’t really felt the need. We’ve just used the kitchen table as additional counter space.
But anyways, since the Winnie Minnie has so much more counter space than the Jay Feather Micro, the Winnie Minnie wins this category.
Fridge
Next, let’s talk about the refrigerator. So the refrigerators and both of these trailers are very similar. The reason why this is on the list is because in the Jay Feather Micro, you can have a 12 volt fridge or the gas electric fridge. In the Winnie Minnie, there’s no option. The 12 volt fridge is the only choice. And we have heard very good things about the 12 volt fridge, but we really like to have the option to have the gas electric fridge.
We like to use the gas option when we’re boondocking, when we’re dry camping. It uses very little propane and it’s a great way to cool down your fridge without digging into any of your battery reserves. Our battery bank is large enough now that it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but when we first got our trailer before we did our solar upgrade, it would have been a big deal. Having the propane to cool down the fridge was very important to us at that time. So I like to see it as an option.
So I’m going to give the win for this category to the Jay Feather Micro.
Dinette
Next, let’s talk about the dinette. So the dinette in the Winnie Minnie is in a slide, so it’s able to be a little bit larger because it is in a slide. So overall, the dinette in the Winnie Minnie looks like it is larger than the dinette in the Jay Feather Micro.
But in the Winnie Minnie, since it’s in the slide, it’s boxed in. It looks like it is very boxy, so you have to go up a step to get there, and then that’s going to impact the headroom that you have in there.
Our dinette has fit the four of us, two adults and two children just fine, no problem. And because it’s not in a slide, it’s just more comfortable. You don’t have something above your head, it’s just the same height as the rest of the trailer. You don’t need to step up, step into it.
So the dinette in the Winnie Minnie, it probably can fit four adults more comfortably, but because we haven’t had an issue with the dinette that we have and we like that it doesn’t feel so boxy, I’m going to give the win for this one to the Jay Feather Micro.
TV
Okay, now let’s talk about the TV or more specifically the TV placement.
So in the Jay Feather Micro, the TV is located right near the front bed, and this works out well to see it from the dinette or to see it from bed. It sometimes does get kicked in the bed, so that isn’t great, but it hasn’t really been a problem.
Now the TV in the Winnie Minnie is in the kitchen area. It’s right near the sink and the extra counter space and the placement in this would make a lot of sense from the dinette. You could probably see it from the bed, but obviously it’s not as ideal as being right next to the bed there.
But the real problem that I have with this is it would get dirty. At the very least, it’s going to get splashed from the sink being right there. When we’re camping it’s important to me to have the kids help out with the chores and having them do dishes is one of their primary chores at camp, and they do a great job with it, but there’s definitely going to be some splashing and that TV would definitely get splashed if it’s sitting right next to the sink.
Plus, just when you’re chopping stuff up, it just seems like there’s a lot of potential for food to get flicked onto the TV, which I really just don’t want to have to deal with.
So because of the placement of the tv, I am going to give the win for this category to the Jay Feather Micro.
Bunk Windows
Next, let’s talk about the bunk windows. Having a window in each of the bunks was important to us just because it is a small space and we thought the windows would help the kids feel a little bit more comfortable in there.
In the Jay Feather Micro, both of the bunks do have a window. The window on the bottom bunk is in the storage door, but there’s still a window, so that was good. They both have one.
In the Winnie Minnie the top bunk has a window just like in the Jay Feather Micro and the bottom bunk has a storage door just like in the Jay Feather Micro, but that storage door is solid and there is no window in it.
So the winner of this category goes to the Jay Feather Micro because both of those bunks include a bunk window.
Bathroom Sink
Next, let’s talk about the bathroom sink. If you’ve seen any of my previous trailer comparisons, you’ll know it’s important to me to have a sink in the bathroom. That’s one of the main reasons why we went with this trailer. We loved the layout of the bathroom. Having a sink in the bathroom just really helps keep our kids keep their routine. It’s easier for them to brush their teeth, and it just makes more sense all around.
So in the Jay Feather Micro, we have a sink in the bathroom. In the Winnie Minnie, they do not. This is another area where having a trailer that is a little bit wider really helps out. It allows for the bathroom to have a much better layout and it allows us to have a sink and counter space in the bathroom.
Electronics
Okay, next, let’s talk about electronics. And I’m going to lump all of these electronics into one category.
So the Winnie Minnie FLX focuses on having a really strong electronics package. So we’ll go through some of the big differences with this.
Starting with solar, they give you an MPPT controller, whereas in the Jay Feather Micro you get a PWM. And if you don’t know the differences between those, the MPPT controller is going to charge your battery faster and it can take advantage of more sunlight than the PWM controllers, so it’s faster and more efficient.
On top of that, the Winnie Minnie FLX comes with two 200 watt panels, whereas the Jay Feather Micro comes with one and even more, the Winnie Minnie FLX gives you a lithium ion battery, whereas with the Jay Feather Micro, it’s up to your dealer and no dealer is going to give you a lithium ion battery.
In addition to the solar package, the Winnie Minnie FLX comes with a TPMS system. We added one onto our Jay Feather Micro, but it’s great that it’s just coming with one. And then in addition to that, the Winnie Minnie FLX also has wifi prep and it has a wireless cell phone charger. Both of those are not included in the Jay Feather Micro.
So the electronics package that comes with the Winnie Minnie is pretty awesome, and because of that, the Winnie Minnie FLX definitely wins the electronics category.
Price
Next, let’s talk about price. Now, as always, these are very rough estimates. The pricing is going to vary depending on several factors, including where you’re located in the country and the different options that come with the trailer.
But just to give you an idea, the Jay Feather Micro 171bh, you could find normally around the $30,000 range. The Winnebago Minnie FLX 2100 BH you could normally find around the 35 to $40,000 range.
So in general, the Winnie Minnie FLX is going to be more expensive than the Jay Feather Micro, but as we just went over, you do get a really big electronics package with that, so you can easily justify a higher price point for that.
Conclusion
As I say in all of my bunkhouse comparison posts, there is not a bad option here. Both are great. We are very happy with our Jay Feather Micro. The Winnie Minnie has a lot going for it as well. What it comes down to is what is the best option for you, for your family, for your needs.
