Questions for rpod owners

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

   Hi, we do not own an rpod yet, but are strongly considering one.  We are to the point where we'd like to hear from people who actually own and use them.

A bit of backstory for you: My hubby and I both grew up in families that loved camping. His had motorhomes, mine had a slide in truck camper. Two weeks with four people in a campsite with no electrical plug in was not a problem. Fast forward to current day: We'd been able to borrow a travel van for some trips but wanted our own rv. We did countless hours of research and found what we though would be the "perfect" trailer for us. We ended up using it a total of 3 times and selling it. Why? It had some idiosyncrasies which turned out to be huge issues for us, which no one told us about before we bought the trailer. The water pump was SO loud it sounded like an airplane landing and then it'd do a series of fast ticks after..... those middle of the night trips to the loo would wake everyone when the toilet flushed. Possibly even the people in the next site. Not good. And you could hear everything outside the trailer. It was like being in a tent, but with hard walls. I'm a light sleeper, who didn't sleep much at all in the trailer.  One should not need to use earplugs every night! There were other issues (like the dealership going bankrupt right after we took possession of the trailer, so we had no support from them), but it's taken us 4 months to even consider buying another one. But we love camping, so...

We love the look of the rpods. We've seen a LOT of them on the roads this summer, so figure if that many people have them, there must be something to them. We are considering either a 177 or 179, and are going to a dealership to see a 177 for the first time tomorrow (no 179 available to view).  We can at least check out the build quality, etc.

What we'd really like to know from those of you who already have them, is:
How noisy is the water pump?
How are they for soundproofing? Do you hear every little noise outside, even with the windows closed?
Do you use a stabilizer/sway control hitch?  (our tow vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Trailblazer)
On gravel roads, do you get a lot of dust coming in?
If we do the 2 battery/solar panel system, are we going to be able to camp for a week (or two?) without needing an electrical hookup?
Any other rpod quirks that would be helpful to know?

Thanks so much in advance, and my apologies for the length of this post.

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
TriPod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Aug 2015 Location: MB, Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 8	Topic: Questions for rpod owners Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 12:46pm
	Hi, we do not own an rpod yet, but are strongly considering one. We are to the point where we'd like to hear from people who actually own and use them. A bit of backstory for you: My hubby and I both grew up in families that loved camping. His had motorhomes, mine had a slide in truck camper. Two weeks with four people in a campsite with no electrical plug in was not a problem. Fast forward to current day: We'd been able to borrow a travel van for some trips but wanted our own rv. We did countless hours of research and found what we though would be the "perfect" trailer for us. We ended up using it a total of 3 times and selling it. Why? It had some idiosyncrasies which turned out to be huge issues for us, which no one told us about before we bought the trailer. The water pump was SO loud it sounded like an airplane landing and then it'd do a series of fast ticks after..... those middle of the night trips to the loo would wake everyone when the toilet flushed. Possibly even the people in the next site. Not good. And you could hear everything outside the trailer. It was like being in a tent, but with hard walls. I'm a light sleeper, who didn't sleep much at all in the trailer. One should not need to use earplugs every night! There were other issues (like the dealership going bankrupt right after we took possession of the trailer, so we had no support from them), but it's taken us 4 months to even consider buying another one. But we love camping, so... We love the look of the rpods. We've seen a LOT of them on the roads this summer, so figure if that many people have them, there must be something to them. We are considering either a 177 or 179, and are going to a dealership to see a 177 for the first time tomorrow (no 179 available to view). We can at least check out the build quality, etc. What we'd really like to know from those of you who already have them, is: How noisy is the water pump? How are they for soundproofing? Do you hear every little noise outside, even with the windows closed? Do you use a stabilizer/sway control hitch? (our tow vehicle is a 2009 Chevy Trailblazer) On gravel roads, do you get a lot of dust coming in? If we do the 2 battery/solar panel system, are we going to be able to camp for a week (or two?) without needing an electrical hookup? Any other rpod quirks that would be helpful to know? Thanks so much in advance, and my apologies for the length of this post.

SNO4ME Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 28 Sep 2013 Location: NW Wis Online Status: Offline Posts: 122	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 1:50pm
	We have had our 2011 177 Pod for two years. Pump noise: Someone on this board isolated their water pump with a foam pad, we haven't tried that yet but it was said to help a lot. The other thing about it bothering neighbors. It's not nearly as loud outside as one thinks. You can barely hear it outside if it's real quiet. Outside noise: One has to consider the windows are not thermopanes but I thought ours fared quite well a few weeks at a Forest Service campground when the big motor home left their generator running for two days straight, partied till 1 in the morning................ Stabilizers: We have an 07 Colorado Pickup with a 5 cyl 3.7 Ltr 240 hp engine. I thought the Pod pulls fairly well with out stabilizers. We have towed from NW Wis across MN, NE, Black Hills SD, up through WY to Devils Tower and home. About 1900+ miles and it went fairly well other than dropping into low a couple times coming in and out of Devils Tower. To get to Devils Tower we went farther west into Wy to avoid bigger grades in the middle of the Black Hills. I would check the weight difference between the 177 and the 179 if you don't have a V8 in the Chevy. Then again if you are towing mostly flat-lands you maybe would do just fine. Dust: Not much help there, haven't put too many miles on gravel with the Pod. Dual Batteries: We have dual 24 group batteries and have no problem with a week end camp out. We are looking at looking at a generator for camping in the fall as we have not tried running the furnace on the batteries for any length time. As for Solar, keep reading, more people on here are doing it.
	Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod (and Brewer too) 2011 RP 177

sailor323 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 2:37pm
	Shore Leave is a 179. We looked at a 178 but didn't like the galley arrangement compared to the 179. Water pump: Not especially noisy Outside noise: Not noticeable to us and we are used to peace and quiet. Sway control: we pull with a Toyota Tacoma and sway bar. Minor sway is noticeable when passed by a big rig at speed. We get 15 mpg--but we have standard transmission. Long grades can slow us down to about 50 mph. Dust: Not especially a problem and we live on a dirt and gravel road. Dual batteries: Recommend 2 golf cart batteries Solar: Great, but beware of niche marketing and over-priced products. Sizing of array and storage capacity depends entirely on your needs. Inventory your average energy needs before buying.

David and Danette Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1223	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 3:34pm
	I think most small campers have noisy water pumps it depends how they are mounted that can make a difference. You can make changes yourself to make them quieter. Outside noise the r-pods I think are fairly quiet most of your noise comes from the windows you can make or buy heavy curtains that helps a little. Depends upon tow vehicle if you need sway control but most even with a full size truck prefer sway control. When you look at one ask sales person to allow you to listen to water pump in operation and sit inside for a few minutes to listen to the outside noise. And I think a big advantage that wasn't mentioned is having a active owners forum that you do have with a r-pod.
	2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018- 2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab

Mountainrev Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Jul 2014 Location: Eagle, Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 193	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 6:02pm
	My two cents' worth: How noisy is the water pump? It is noisy to me, but it typically runs for a couple of seconds, so I don't really care. If one of us gets up to use the bathroom in the night, the other is awakened anyhow, so the extra little staccato of the pump doesn't matter. How are they for soundproofing? Do you hear every little noise outside, even with the windows closed? We had popups for over 20 years prior to getting the Rpod last year, so to me, it's very quiet. But then again, so far we've only camped in pretty quiet campgrounds. Do you use a stabilizer/sway control hitch? Yup. I tow with an '04 Dodge Durango and use a friction anti-sway bar. On gravel roads, do you get a lot of dust coming in? We just got back from a camping trip that required driving 7 miles back on an extremely dusty washboard Forest Service road. While the vibrations managed to knock loose several things (e.g. the furnace grate and a screw securing the gray water dump pipe to the brace underneath the camper), I noticed no dust whatsoever inside. If we do the 2 battery/solar panel system, are we going to be able to camp for a week (or two?) without needing an electrical hookup? What sort of things will you be running? I switched our bulbs out to LEDs, which take very little amps (2015 Rpods come with LEDs, but ours is a '14). That helps. The water pump uses amps, but it only runs on demand, so that's not a big deal. The biggest drain on your battery is the furnace. If you are going to run it for a few hours a day, it will drain your batteries pretty quickly. Obviously, you can't run your A/C off 12 volt, so that isn't an issue. We have two group 24 batteries on ours, and we've gone over three days with no problems whatsoever. I doubt we could do a week or two with this set-up. Two 6 volt golf cart batteries would give you lots more amp hours, but cost more, too. The tongue isn't really big enough to be able to house two group 27 or 29/31 batteries without some serious modifications, so either two group 24s or 6 volts would seem to be the best option. I have no experience with solar, but from what I've read, you would need some fairly large and expensive solar panels to do more than keep your batteries topped off. In a pinch, you can always recharge your batteries with your tow vehicle via jumper cables, although that means running your car on idle for maybe 30 minutes or so, creating lots of exhaust in your campsite. I usually bring along my battery charger, so that if there's an outlet somewhere, like in the bath house, I can charge it there (which involves keeping an eye on things lest they grow legs and walk away). Or you could always invest in a generator. Hope this helps.
	2014 177 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Turbodiesel "I lift my eyes to the hills."

Podinaroundbc Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 26 Jul 2015 Location: Alberta Online Status: Offline Posts: 34	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 7:37pm
	We have a 179 and have no issues with the water pump. Its quiet but we camp mainly outside campgrounds. We travel many Kms of gravel with no dust inside living or cargo areas. These trailers are a good buy for what they are. Perfect for 2 and a dog.

topher2u2 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Jul 2015 Location: Broomfield CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 8:02pm
	We've taken our 171 on several dirt roads to get to camp sites and I haven't noticed any issues with dust inside. The outside, on the other hand 😄 The water pump is right under our bed, so even if it was virtually silent, a light sleeper would probably hear it. I've heard a loud pump, in my dad's 5th wheel and ours is very quiet in comparison. We have a Renogy 100w suitcase panel and just one 12v battery. The panel easily tops off our battery each day, but we are not large electric users when we camp. We did run the fan in the bathroom continuously on one recent trip to try to keep things cool. Otherwise, we run some LED lights and charge some phones.
	#3PsnRPod 2016 R-Pod RP 171 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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: 12 Aug 2015 at 8:30pm
	Welcome. Expect the water pump to be noisy. Even if you put it on a mouse pad and wrap all the pipes with insulation you will still hear it. You can make it run less often if you add a pressure tank, but the trade-off is it will run longer when it does run. So you might get by with a flush and quick hand wash in the night - but you might also catch it right when it needs to recharge and get a long run. One option for the night for #1 uses, is to leave the pump off and use hand sanitizer. Since you need to fill the bowl 2/3 up for #2 uses, and you should do a full hand wash, there isn't much of an option there. Maybe leave the bowl filled 2/3 just in case, and one of these on the edge of the sink. The pod is the quietest camper I've been in since it has so much insulation, including styrofoam in the floor and side walls. Our current camper is noticeably louder inside but still much quieter than being in a popup. Starting with the pod, we started leaving the A/C fan on low continuously overnight for white noise, to drown out the noises that do make it inside. Plus that masked the sound of the compressor kicking on and off. I always recommend a weight distribution hitch (WDH), one that includes sway control, no matter how capable your tow vehicle (TV) is. Even if you have a full-sized pickup it acts as an additional suspension system which makes your ride more comfortable. You will be fine long-term with a solar system, get at least 100 watts in panels. However, if you have even a little shading the panel output will drop dramatically. Half-shaded and you'll get almost nothing. So if you often camp under trees it may not be the solution. A small inverter-generator may be better.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

SNO4ME Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 28 Sep 2013 Location: NW Wis Online Status: Offline Posts: 122	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 9:08pm
	Tech, did I misread something or were you suggesting a FIVE GALLON water tub on the edge of the sink? Ones hands should be clean after that!
	Bruce & Donna in the Sno Pod (and Brewer too) 2011 RP 177

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1454	Posted: 12 Aug 2015 at 9:28pm
	The water pump definitely makes noise, but I don't have a problem with it. The furnace and the air con are a different matter. Soundproofing is great, I think. I don't use a WDH or sway bars. I haven't had a bit of trouble over closing in on 10K miles. No problems with dust and no experience with solar, but I think a lot would depend on the kind of camping you do. If you do mostly beaches and deserts you'll be a lot better off than in forests and mountains. We use a small generator to keep the batteries topped of and to use the air con and microwave when we want. Those don't work at all on battery power, of course. From what I've heard you'd have to be pretty conservative with your twelve volt usage to get a week out of 2 six volt golf club batteries without topping them off. Solar panels might be enough to keep you going though. We love our pod. It's getting a bit of age on it but is still in great shape. This forum attracts the people who love their pods and the ones who have problems with them. Most issues are resolvable and this place is a great resource. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser