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shanebevel View Drop Down
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Joined: 04 Jul 2015
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Shopping campers...
    Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 3:10pm
Hi folks! Wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. 

So, currently we camp out of a pop-up, a 1997 Starcraft that I bought a couple years ago when my son was born. I wasn't sure I would like the camper life. We tent camped and camped out of the bed/camper shell of my truck before that. 

So, fast forward a couple years and the camper is starting to show its age and we have learned a few things. 

So we started looking at a few really nice off-road pop ups (mainly because they are built much better). And we stopped off at a dealer here that carried the r-pods. There was a 182g in the showroom and we instantly fell in love with the interior and the build quality, then we saw how little interior storage there was and that love fell off, then we saw the garage and fell back in love. 

We plan on having another little one at some point, so the bunks look super handy and we rarely sit inside the camper, so I don't see us converting the bed to a dinette unless the weather turns south. 

The other thing the camper is used for is my solo hunting and work trips. In that case, I would sleep in the bunk and leave the dinette up for use as a desk. 

We spend some time in state parks, but like to boondock too. 

Things I like about the r-pod are that it's geared toward people who spend most of their time outside the camper, I love the construction and the fiberglass, it seems like a camper that's going to be around a good long time. I also like the retro styling and the smaller size (we live on a small city lot and don't have a ton of extra space)

We pack pretty light, but there is really no room for clothing that I can find. For now, we can use the top bunk, but eventually of course, that won't work. What do you guys do? 

Also, the price is high, but so is the quality. Currently there is a 182g with AC of course here at the dealer and their initial price was $18k. So how much lower can I expect to get them? Or what should I insist they add?

Any other thoughts I should be thinking? Potential pitfalls I don't know about? 

Thanks! 
Shane
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siR-Pod View Drop Down
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
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Posts: 17 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 3:56pm
We got our 2014 182G brand new for $14,500 so there is room to get the price down. We camp with two kids in ours and we find that putting our clothing bag under the rear bunk or front dinet seat works great. Storing it under the front seat allows acces from outside as well. We were also concerned about storage on the 182G but it forced us to get creative and we found plenty of space and a system that works for us. Don't panic, you'll find a way to make it work. Converting the front bed is easy and we manage to do it with all four of us inside. We just put the kids in the bunks while we do it.
SiR-Pod
2014 R-Pod 182G
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shanebevel View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 4:08pm
Wow, so a good bit of wiggle room there. I'd love to get it down that low, that would be great. 

I actually don't think I knew there was storage under the bottom bunk. Is it the entire area? and is is connected or separate from the outside storage (where the spare is) 

Which brings up another question. Is there a way to relocate the spare to the front of the trailer instead of it being in the storage well? I know on the non-G models it's on the back of the camper of course. 

I think everything else will be fine. Dishes are minimal and there is plenty of room for them out back and in the kitchen. There is plenty of room for tool and hardware storage in the outdoor bins. It's just the clothes thing that made us scratch out heads. ha. 
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siR-Pod View Drop Down
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
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Posts: 17 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 4:25pm
Originally posted by shanebevel

Wow, so a good bit of wiggle room there. I'd love to get it down that low, that would be great. 

I actually don't think I knew there was storage under the bottom bunk. Is it the entire area? and is is connected or separate from the outside storage (where the spare is) 

Which brings up another question. Is there a way to relocate the spare to the front of the trailer instead of it being in the storage well? I know on the non-G models it's on the back of the camper of course. 

I think everything else will be fine. Dishes are minimal and there is plenty of room for them out back and in the kitchen. There is plenty of room for tool and hardware storage in the outdoor bins. It's just the clothes thing that made us scratch out heads. ha. 

Edit: Most of our wiggle room came from a 2014 new being liquidated in 2015. I do hear others speaking of $15800ish for a 2015.

The rear bottom bunk has storage for about 2/3rds the length of the bed and it does have access from the outside via the rear pass through. 

First mod we made was locating the spare tire to the hitch, which cost about $25 for the hardware to do it. 

We are still shaking ours down, we only have made use of about 40% of our space so far and we can still find ways to maximize that. To me that's be part of the fun so far when it's not on the road.
SiR-Pod
2014 R-Pod 182G
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shanebevel View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 4:27pm
Oh yeah, for sure. And thats another thing that I like about it... being able to just go out and walk in it in the driveway without having to set it up.... guest bedroom anyone? ha! 
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techntrek View Drop Down
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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2015 at 11:06pm
Welcome.  Rule of thumb is you can get them down about 1/3 off the original sticker.  Go to Couch's web site and get a quote for your model to get an idea of what the lowest price will be.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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shanebevel View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2015 at 10:59pm
Thanks for that info Doug! Couches came back at $15550 with the R dome! Now that's a price I like! So I basically just forwarded their email to the local dealer... we'll see what they say!
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Marx View Drop Down
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Joined: 18 Jul 2014
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Posts: 103 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2015 at 9:00am
Welcome, lots of stuff you can do mod wise for storage space as well too.  Good luck in your search!
2014 R-POD 177
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shanebevel View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2015 at 9:38am
Yeah for sure. For instance I think we quickly came to the realization that we have no need for a microwave. Ha. We hardly use the one we have at home! So that will become storage. I wonder if I can buy a matching door for the rest of the interior. That would be nice.
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JohnBG View Drop Down
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Posts: 190 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2015 at 9:42am
Find a used one in good shape and let someone else take the depreciation hit.  Pay cash if you can, payments suck. Ouch
2010 R-Pod RP-171
2010 Honda Ridgeline TV
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