Maiden Trip LI to NC

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Took our new 177 on it's first adventure. Drove from Long Island down to Chapel Hill, NC. Driving through the Bronx and over the GW bridge was like learning how to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool! Held steady in the center lane and pushed our way through. Our trip down I95 was smooth,  thanks to the anti sway bar and WDH. Kept the Jeep in 4th and monitored the RPM's. Averaged about 10.5 MPG and did a little better on the way home.
The set up was a breeze, all systems worked well. Friday was rainy and pretty chilly and the heater worked like a charm. By Sunday the temp went to 90 and we had a chance to run the AC.  At night we kept the fan cover open and opened the windows and we were comfy. 

The shower worked well, even though it was tight. ( I'm a big guy, DW had no problem) The sink in the bathroom is a waste of space. Overall we were pleased. Being former PUP campers, we loved the 'luxury' of the POD.

The RV park was nice and quiet. Spring Hill Park in Chapel Hill, NC. It's a former trailer park that is being converted to only RV's. Set into a wooded area about 6 miles from Chapel Hill, the location is great for visits to UNC or DUKE.

We did have some small issues that we'll need to address and could use some suggestions?
* The small switch used for the HW heater is in a terrible location, and that cotter pin is annoying. Anyone just leave that pin out all the time?
* The mattress has got to go.. any suggestions?
* Anyone have a unique way to store clothes?
* My POD did not come with a micro wave, so I bought a counter convection Micro and placed it in the space above the Ref. It almost popped out of the space. I hoped that mesh net would have held it in. When I stopped at a rest area, I was shocked to see it ripped the hooks out. It rode on the bed the rest of the way. I Think I'll have to use some sort of bracket and screw it down.
*The shower head needs to be changed out. Even though the pressure seemed fine at the sink, the pressure at the shower head was very weak. Is there a flow restricter in the shower head?

Over all we covered 1300 miles on our first trip that lasted 4 nights and we are thrilled with our POD. Let's just hope gas prices level off or even drop soon. We plan on traveling to Yelowstone in July!

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Iteach5th Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2010 Location: Floral Park, NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 109	Topic: Maiden Trip LI to NC Posted: 26 Apr 2011 at 6:42pm
	Took our new 177 on it's first adventure. Drove from Long Island down to Chapel Hill, NC. Driving through the Bronx and over the GW bridge was like learning how to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool! Held steady in the center lane and pushed our way through. Our trip down I95 was smooth, thanks to the anti sway bar and WDH. Kept the Jeep in 4th and monitored the RPM's. Averaged about 10.5 MPG and did a little better on the way home. The set up was a breeze, all systems worked well. Friday was rainy and pretty chilly and the heater worked like a charm. By Sunday the temp went to 90 and we had a chance to run the AC. At night we kept the fan cover open and opened the windows and we were comfy. The shower worked well, even though it was tight. ( I'm a big guy, DW had no problem) The sink in the bathroom is a waste of space. Overall we were pleased. Being former PUP campers, we loved the 'luxury' of the POD. The RV park was nice and quiet. Spring Hill Park in Chapel Hill, NC. It's a former trailer park that is being converted to only RV's. Set into a wooded area about 6 miles from Chapel Hill, the location is great for visits to UNC or DUKE. We did have some small issues that we'll need to address and could use some suggestions? * The small switch used for the HW heater is in a terrible location, and that cotter pin is annoying. Anyone just leave that pin out all the time? * The mattress has got to go.. any suggestions? * Anyone have a unique way to store clothes? * My POD did not come with a micro wave, so I bought a counter convection Micro and placed it in the space above the Ref. It almost popped out of the space. I hoped that mesh net would have held it in. When I stopped at a rest area, I was shocked to see it ripped the hooks out. It rode on the bed the rest of the way. I Think I'll have to use some sort of bracket and screw it down. *The shower head needs to be changed out. Even though the pressure seemed fine at the sink, the pressure at the shower head was very weak. Is there a flow restricter in the shower head? Over all we covered 1300 miles on our first trip that lasted 4 nights and we are thrilled with our POD. Let's just hope gas prices level off or even drop soon. We plan on traveling to Yelowstone in July!
	"Whether you think you can or think you can't, either way you are right"- Henry Ford 2011 RP-177 2009 Jeep Cherokee 1982 Coleman Redwood pup

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest Group	Posted: 26 Apr 2011 at 6:51pm
	Thanks for the story/pictures and glad you had a good time! Water heater - some just leave the outside switch on all of the time and turn the electricity off at the breaker panel. Others have wired/made up their own on/off switch inside the Pod.

psaman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Jun 2010 Location: Corpus Christi Online Status: Offline Posts: 231	Posted: 26 Apr 2011 at 7:17pm
	First of all nice pics and sounds like you had a great time. We are former PUP campers too and love our 177. As for your questions: I leave the cotter key out all the time; call me lazy, but have used propane for the WH last 2 times. We bought a mattress foam topper from Kohl's and it works great, nice and comfy. We store clothes and towels in 2 laundry baskets under the bed, fit perfectly. Our pod came with convection/microwave, so can't help you there. *Also, our particular shower head seems fine, most times I turn it down so as not to fill the grey tank as fast. Others have reported obstructions in different faucets from debris left over from manufacturing. Maybe unscrewing the head and checking might help. Not sure about any flow restricter. Many happy trips and hope you enjoy your 177 as much as we do ours!!
	2011 R-177 "Sponge-Pod" 2011 F-150 XLT "Texas Edition"

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 26 Apr 2011 at 10:35pm
	Mine didn't even come with a cotter pin. Like psaman we added a memory foam topper and my wife loves it. Open up the shower head hose to check for construction debris, several people have had problems with debris completely clogging the screen in the kitchen sink, a quick clean-out fixed it. I agree about the shower's sink, there isn't enough room in there to begin with. You could always use it as a soap dish.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Snowbound Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Location: Edmonton, AB Online Status: Offline Posts: 270	Posted: 27 Apr 2011 at 1:48pm
	Thanks for posting about your first trip. We hope to get the Gastropod from the dealer on Saturday. Actually we wanted it Monday as Tom had the day off but apparently it was in mud up to the axle so they told us to come early on Saturday before the frost is gone for the day. We REALLY did have an unusual amount of snow this year. I plan on taking it out for the night somewhere close Saturday night just to try out the systems. Was your heater noisy? How much water did you haul? It was nice to see an R-pod that looks like ours! B
	Tom and Bette in our 177 "The Gastropod"

Iteach5th Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 Nov 2010 Location: Floral Park, NY Online Status: Offline Posts: 109	Posted: 28 Apr 2011 at 5:50pm
	Thanks for all the kind words. I think I'll be looking for a thick topper for that mattress. I also plan on changing out the shower head before our next trip. Snowbound, the heater wasn't too noisy, about the same as the AC kicking in. As far as water, I only filled it up 1/3 for traveling.
	"Whether you think you can or think you can't, either way you are right"- Henry Ford 2011 RP-177 2009 Jeep Cherokee 1982 Coleman Redwood pup