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Talk me out of an 182g!

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GetMeOut View Drop Down
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    Posted: 05 Oct 2015 at 8:58pm
After many years tent camping, then the last decade in a pop-up, we're looking to get completely hard-sided camper.  The R-pod 182g is currently our top pick, but with SO many options out there, I'm wondering what we might be missing.  I know this is an R-pod forum, but I see the evidence of much knowledge here!

We are a family of four.  The kids are elementary age.  Right now, we have an enormous pop-up with a slide-out dinette, tip-out kitchen, two king beds and a storage bin.  And, on most trips nowadays, we only go inside it to sleep and retrieve stuff.  I haven't opened the stove inside all summer since I do all our cooking outside.  I'd be fine with no inside kitchen and I'd rather have a nice pantry or wardrobe than fancy electronics or a full bath.

I love to cook.  My tent camping bin even has nicer cookware than most people have at home.  My dream camper would have an outdoor kitchen like the 182g.  Actually, I'd rather it be more outfitted like a camping chuck box.  I envision storing all of my kitchen stuff out there - utensils, cookware, spices, cutting boards, storage containers and such.  I would set up my 3-burner Camp Chef stove and a prep table, making a cozy little kitchen.  Sometimes, my Dutch oven gear would also make an appearance.  My dream kitchen would NOT have a TV or speakers taking up precious space.  I've seen some campers with a small kitchen area on the side of the unit, but, generally, the space is ridiculously small.

When we camp, we hike, bike, swim, canoe, chat, read and play board games.  So, we don't need a toy hauler and our full-sized truck can handle any gear needed for these activities.  An outdoor shower has been handy for after swimming, but my handy hubby can install one.  

On the inside, we need a double-wide bunk for us and places to sleep for the two kids.  I'd prefer they have separate bunks like the 182g offers.  It must have a dinette that we can use during poor weather to play those board games.  It's okay if that dinette doubles as a bed (like in the 182g) because we don't usually stay inside; it would only be a foul weather thing.  Otherwise, I wouldn't want to convert the bed every day.  An indoor kitchen is NOT a requirement, though I would probably use it some on shorter or Mommy-only trips.  It would be nice if we could house two extra kids on occasion, but that's not an absolute requirement.

Required luxuries are few - a fridge (not an icebox!) and heat.  A hot water tank is high on the want list, too.  I'd rather have more internal storage - or a shorter RV - than any sort of bathroom.  We don't want a TV in the RV either.

Our tow vehicle is a full-sized truck, so towing capacity is not our limiting factor.  However, the larger and more unwieldy the camper, the less likely we are to take it out.  We've come to realize the overhead of a tent trailer has caused us to not go out as often as we'd like.  So, I don't want to trade that for some 30' beast that I'd hesitate to haul.  Being able to fully load the camper in the driveway and leave camp within an hour of rising is going to be a dream!  Convenience is a huge factor here.

We homeschool and I'd love to use the camper to dash off for a day or two or three with the kids to somewhere interesting and related to our studies.  In the 182g, I figure the oldest and I would take the bunks and the youngest can still fit on the back bench of the dinette, leaving the table for school - and board games.  I really don't want to drag an oversized camper 500 miles.  Something with the interior room of the 182g is sufficient.

One reason to shy away from the R-pod is price.  Our popup was far less expensive as are many older trailers out there.  A used R-pod isn't entirely out of reach, but we'd sure rather spend less!  According to NADA, the oldest 182g (a 2011) retails for $13,000-14,000.  Right now, I can get a new one in state for $18,000, so this seems optimistic.  But, even if $10,000 is more realistic, that's still quite a bit more than an old Aristocrat.  (One vintage model has a double bunk bed that seemed like a great solution even though the kids would have to bunk together.)

But, we REALLY, REALLY want that garage.  I would be very disappointed to get a camper without one.  Some older campers have a large storage area in the back that could be my "chuck box" and I'd setup an awning.  (But, we're trying to minimize setup!) 

Adding the requirement that it sleep four to that and our options diminish quickly.  I've only found three teardrops that fit the bill and two of those are so small that our foul weather option is to sit cross-legged on our bunks as that's all that's inside the camper.  And, one of those is actually only intended to sleep two.  We could make it four with a bunk cot, but it would impede the entry door severely.

So, the 182g is definitely on our short list, but the price, sleeping capacity and modern features (TV, microwave, full bathroom) instead of storage make for points against it.



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DanRoth911 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DanRoth911 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Nov 2015 at 10:38pm
We just bought a slightly used 2015 182G and took it on our maiden voyage this past weekend.  We love it, especially the outdoor kitchen.  In the two days we were camping we must have had 20+ people that came by our campsite who loved it and wanted a tour.  We bought it just for two of us but the bunk beds would certainly accommodate two small adults if needed.

We came from tent trailer camping as well and we love not having to deal with setting up and tearing down a tent trailer.

Good luck on your search.
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