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So many questions..... |
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tennbrad 
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Joined: 11 Sep 2011 Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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 Topic: So many questions.....Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 12:22pm |
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Hey Guys!
So happy to be on this forum to take advantage of the wisdom and info. Please bear with the length of this post. My family and I (Myself/Wife/2 daughters 11 and 8) are planning a LONG trip next spring/summer/fall and I quickly decided on the Rpod. I just picked up a 2008 Nissan Titan crew cab with tow package to tow. I am only looking at Bunk house versions (172, 176 and 182G). I have some questions and hopefully I can impose on the great experience and wisdom from you guys. Unfortunately, there aren't any dealers locally that have any of these models so that I can actually have my family sit, lay and walk around in to help in the decision. We are going to texas for a two week excursion in a month and I thought we'd get the camper before then and make that trip a test run for the big one next year. 1. It seems from the FPs that the bunk width is different in all three models. Can anyone speak to the comfort/headspace/etc in one or all of these particular models? 2. One of my difficulties is that I find a model at a good price (new) but one of the major options is missing. For example, there's a new 2011 172 in Ky (5 hours away) for $10,995 but there's no Micro/Convec oven. The dealer says it's better to just buy one at walmart and put it in but it looks like there is trim and such native to the factory model and a walmart version might not fit/look right?? 3.Are there enough benefits (re the rear garage) to offset the smaller bunks in the 182G, given my family situation? (182G owners) 4. Where is the best place to buy and have the proper ball and such put on my truck (dealer I buy from/vs somewhere else)? So sorry for such newbie questions and thank you in advance for your help! Brad Nashville |
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Kenn
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Joined: 15 Jan 2010 Location: Fort Drum, NY Status: Offline Points: 612 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 1:13pm |
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Before you make your purchase make sure you take your whole family with you to go inside the RV. Sit, stand, move around, and make sure that the model you're getting will work for you. Make sure you also look ahead and not get caught in the moment. If you can't stand having people on you when you're cooking, sitting, etc, then look at a different model. If you're never going to be indoors at all, then an RPOD is great to have. If you're going to hang out inside with that many people and don't mind converting the dinette to a bed and back, then a 176 or 182G will work for you. Since, you have a Titan, you could probably get a bigger rig for more comfort and space in the future. This will save you $$ in taking a loss later when you trade up your POD.
You can get a bigger rig that provides a lot more room and comfort for not much more than a POD. Also, evaluate your needs/wants. What're you going to use your POD for? Are you ever going to carry toys (ATV's, bikes, boats, etc.)? If so a Toy Hauler or a slide in camper may be better for you. Will you dry camp a lot? If so, something with a built in generator and bigger tanks would be better (Toy Hauler). I know for us, with two small kids, dog, and toys an RPOD would be miserable for a two week trip. We've never been tent campers and rely on our built in generator and 100 gal fresh tank for dry camp adventures. There's nothing like being able to pull to a place, fire up the generator (from inside) without the fear of anyone stealing it or running out of fuel (35 gal fuel for generator) and take a very long shower and not have to run out of water for all four of us. Having two TVs in two seperate ares of the RV to watch it in is also a big hit for me. Also, evaluate your camping plans. Are you going to spend time in National/State parks? If so, a smaller rig like the POD would be better than a bigger, longer rig. If you're camping on RV parks, then most definitely a bigger rig is better. Whatever you decide on, the best thing is to enjoy your trips and cherish the moments you have with your family. Enjoy!
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2010 RPOD 176 (Silly-POD), 2011 Forest River Stealth 2612, and 2014 Forest River XLR 380AMP |
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wallawallaron
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Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Location: Walla Walla WA Status: Offline Points: 286 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 2:26pm |
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+1 ^,
Might try and rent a larger unit for a long weekend see how much space you all will need. Before you buy. As girls grow up they might want to take a friend along. The RPOD is what my wife and I have. Used to tow a 35FT 5er with my big truck,was like 2nd home. Does you truck have a hitch yet? Might swing deal with people you buy unit from(dealer) Some go to UHALL,some do install thereself,camping world to name a few. Might try the sponsor of this web page couchsrvnation lot of folks on this forum have bought units from them. You will also need a brake controller installed in your truck Find out how big of a unit you are going to get then proceed to getting the right size hitch set up. Keep asking us questions, it does not cost as much as just going into this blind. Most of all make this fun for you and the family. WWR
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WWRon,2012 RP177 HRE "Eye Pod",2010 Ford F-150 4x4
9/11 Never Forget. NRA Life Member, Amsoil dealer www.lubedealer.com/wallawallaron |
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Sixgunner
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Joined: 18 Apr 2011 Location: West Virginia Status: Offline Points: 228 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 3:19pm |
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Brad:
The above posts offer sage advice... I kind of suspect you're going to want something a tad larger than an RPod. Those young'uns might be little now, but they're going to grow (as I'm sure you're well aware). My wife and I are comfortable in our RP-177, but we wouldn't be able to handle company in such a confined space for more than a short period of time. The long trip you referred to would be out of the question. Whatever you decide on, don't let the dealer cajole you into foregoing the way you want the unit equipped. Make sure you have things exactly the way you want them before you take delivery. At the risk of shamelessly plugging Jeff Couch, you're only about 5 or 6 hours from them, so I'd give them a look. They have a lot of other units in addition to the R-Pod. Check out their inventory at http://www.couchsrvnation.com. If you see something you like, take a weekend drive over there and check them out. I will be surprised if you can beat their prices. Wallawallaron's pointer to UHaul is good advice for trailer hitches if you need one and don't plan on installing your own. I'm working on the assumption, however, that your towing-ready Titan already has the trailer hitch and you're just looking for a draw bar and ball. That being so, you're going to need a common 2" ball on a draw bar with (in all probability) a 2" drop. You'd have to take a few measurements to be absolutely certain of that. But, if I'm right, you can pick up a good quality draw bar with the ball already on it at your local WalMart (here I go, sending you to WalMart now...) for twenty bucks or thereabout. If you can't do the measurements ahead of time, I would just let the dealer fix you up with the proper bar & ball when you take delivery of your camper. Whatever, you & your wife keep planning that trip, and enjoy your time with those girls. In just a few more summers, they'll be grown and gone, leaving you with these precious memories of summers gone by (from the voice of experience). |
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feo fuerte y formal
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tennbrad
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Joined: 11 Sep 2011 Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 3:23pm |
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Hey Guys-
Thanks for the kind responses so far. A little info about us that might help clarify. We are a very close knit family. We homeschool and are together alot. We have also tent camped quite a bit and originally thought the big trip might be a tent camping thing but decided for that amount of time, having an hard sheltered bed in changing climates as well as the bathroom/cooking options a camper brings warranted looking for a minimalist approach. I believe the Rpods fit the bill. It will basically be for us a place to sleep, to shower occasionally and cook. None of us watch TV or require much entertainment (other than we all read, ALOT) I like the 18-20ft unit idea as we will probably dry camp some and will be spending alot of time in National Parks and hopefully little time in RV parks. We also plan to be spending some amount of time away from the camp base and the pod, especially in the east (as we tour museums, monuments, cities, etc during the day or maybe two via a hotel). In short, we will be using the pod for only necessities, only sleeping, bathing and cooking. The truck has a hitch installed (with Uhaul sticker on it) but no ball as of yet. Do the RV dealers install brake controllers? Thanks so much!! Brad |
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Sixgunner
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Joined: 18 Apr 2011 Location: West Virginia Status: Offline Points: 228 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 3:31pm |
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Brad:
As a matter of fact, I meant to ask you if you had a brake controller. I installed my own without any problem (bought mine at eTrailer.com). Couch offered to install one for me when I bought my R-Pod. I suppose most of the larger dealers offer that service. |
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feo fuerte y formal
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David and Danette
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Joined: 31 Mar 2009 Location: Fort Myers Status: Offline Points: 317 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 4:08pm |
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Brad welcome to the forum! It is a big decision, I think that it would be worth the 5 hour drive for your family to see the camper in Kentucky. Your family being as close as it sounds and using the Rpod for the reasons you mentioned, it sounds good to me. Butterfly Lee and Huronsailor have 172's and have spent a lot of time camping in their Rpods. Hopefully they will give some input, and as has been mentioned by another member do not rush into it. David and Danette
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SWFL 171
2010 Jeep Liberty |
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ToddsPod
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Joined: 24 Jun 2010 Location: Conroe, Texas Status: Offline Points: 36 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 4:49pm |
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I can't speak for the others, but we have had our 172 for over a year now, including five or six camping trips with our now eight year old son and seven and two year old daughters. We don't spend a lot of time in the pod during the day, as we like to get out and explore when we go out. We also homeschool and find it wonderful to be able to go during the week in stead of waiting for the weekend when the kids are free.
We have neither TV nor Microwave in our pod and we like it that way. We have brought a TV with us on occasion to entertain the kids for short periods, but don't find much use for the Micro, as we do as much cooking as possible over the fire or in dutch ovens. We also have a portable Coleman stove and use the stove in the pod as well.
As far as sleeping arrangements go, the kids do well on the bunks, with the two girls in one and the boy up above. There's even enough room on the beds for some baskets of clothes or other equipment, as storage inside is at a premium. The bunks are a little wider in the 172, which I like. I could even sleep comfortably on the bunk at 5'11".
I remember growing up that my parents had an old Hi-Lo trailer that must have been shorter than the pod. it had a dinette table/bed at the back and a bench at the front, enough to sleep three, and my dad installed three cots above the dinette side by side and two above the bench, one above the other, for a total of eight beds. It was still not enough to fit all ten of us, but by the time my younger brother and I came along, the three oldest were out sleeping in tents.
Good times.
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'10 Forest River R-Pod 172 '06 Dodge Grand Caravan |
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Butterfly_Lee
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Joined: 02 Jun 2009 Location: Corpus Christi Status: Offline Points: 1131 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 4:55pm |
Four people in a 172 will be cozy, put some curtains on the bunks and a curtain for the dining/sleeping area and everyone will have a little privacy. The 172 has the largest bunks, and my daughter sometimes joins me in the bottom bunk. We leave the dinnette set up all the time. At present I close to my weight on my truck, and why I choose the 172. You might consider a 176 which should be no problem with your Titan, you lose 9 inches of bunk space but the slide will give you more open floor space to move 4 people around. You said you were coming to Texas in the near furture, you may find a dealer on your trip that can show you a few models. If you happen to be close to Corpus I'd be glad to show you Podterfly, or we have a Texas roundup scheduled for Oct, you could stop in and see us.
Podterfly came with all the bells and whistles offer when she was made in 2009, so I can't advise on models that came without things. From my dealer I got a Ez equalizer and they also installed the brake controller, and wiring harness.
If you plan to do national parks and be off the grid...I'd look into a generator large enough to power your A/C (there will be times you need it even if your taking the minimalist approach), a slight flaw in the design is airflow, when the a/c (fan) in not running. The 172 only has two working windows.
If your in my area feel free send me a PM and I'll be happy to set up a showing.
Lee
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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/ |
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furpod
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Joined: 24 Jul 2011 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 966 |
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Posted: 15 Sep 2011 at 5:31pm |
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Lots of good info posted. I am going to guess you understand the closeness of a small trailer. My guess is you have thought it through, and are comfortable with it. I know it can be done.. I come from a family where my parents loaded up 3-7 kids in a 24ft Class C and went for MONTHS at a time... You don't say where exactly you are located.. Only that you are 5 hours from a dealer in KY.. Last time I was at our dealer they had at least 5 pods on the lot..
If you list your location someone near you may post up an invite to look at theirs.. Podders are like that. I would not sweat the microwave deal. Most TT's with any age on them have been through a microwave or two, you just garage it where ever the factory one was. If you need "trim" it would be no big deal to trim it out. I have seen many Airstreams done this way and it looks fine. The big option I would not want to be without is the dome, some hate it, but most love it. Doubles the available space in case of inclement weather pinning you down. The option we need/use the least is the TV/DVD.. As far as a hitch we tow on a standard 2" ball, no load leveler or anti-sway, rides fine. I would start out that way, then go with more hitch if needed. A brake controller is crazy easy to install if you are any kind of handy. Especially if your truck came with a pre-wired towing package... |
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tennbrad wrote: