Previous Lurker Now a Newbie

I have been perusing these message boards for a month or so now and decided today that I needed to become a member of the community! I say "I" but really mean my boyfriend, my mutt Pele and myself.
We are both in our late twenties and realizing we are not cut out for the corporate world and are burnt out from still living in our home town so we have decided to purchase a 179 and hit the road in July until we find a city we want to stay in (we are leaning toward PNW or northern california, and YES we know we will have to go back to the daily grind of corporate life eventually...) BUT in the meantime we plan on hitting as much open road as possible while hiking, walking, relaxing and exploring all the US has to offer us! we plan on boondocking a lot and would love anyone's guidance on solar power/generators and $$ to get this rolling.

We are looking right now at a 2017 179, we have the option for a hood river edition but are wondering if it would be a worth it add on- I have been reading the new models don't offer that much of a difference between the regular model and the hood river- I would love to hear your thoughts on this! We can also ask for the R-Dome but I have read that it is a pain to take out and putaway.

Since we have never done the RV (or pod life) before we would love advice on how to not get steamrolled at the dealership- what are some MUST buys and what are items that we can wait to purchase/ don't necessarily need.

If any of these questions have been answered before or I am posting in the wrong thread please let me know!!

Fun fact about us- we love to collect records ESPECIALLY classic rock, we both have a serious love affair with Neil Young's music :) we plan on using the r-pod to check out a few msuic festivals during our travels.

thanks :) 

Welcome, welcome. Always gotta' give a shout out to fellow Neil Young fans. 1979 Live Rust Lp with Crazy Horse. Probably one of the best albums ever.

I have a 178 Hood River Edition and the only real difference now is the bigger (15 instead of 14 inch) tires with a more aggressive tread. If 95% of your travels are on the pavement don't worry about it if it costs extra. A few necessaries I would suggest are:

- A couple door mats. one for in the other for out. You will be gad you have em on rainy days.

- 2 deep cycle 6 Volt batteries. If you plan on boon docking this will more than triple your Amp time. I did a hunting trip for 4 days in at the end of Oct. and didn't run out of juice. For me this was a $175 CAD up grade, the cost of one battery and its cover. I did the install myself.

- Depending on your tow vehicle, a weight distribution hitch with sway control is a necessity if the trailer weight and gear (including that behind the rear vehicle axel) is more than 50% of your towing capacity. Also if the trailer tongue weight is close to the vehicle hitch weight. All the numbers and info can be found in your owners manuals. Also if your tow vehicle doesn't already have it a trailer break controller and 7 pin (Barkman) plug.

- As for a generator, you'll need one with a minimum of 30 amp out put in order to run your Microwave and Ac if you have them.

- Other than that, your new Pod is really well equipped how ever they all need a few little things like, a paper towel holder and dish towel bars. I put a small closet bar in the wet bath to dry towels and or use as an actual closet.

Good luck on your adventures, and if you make it to the PNW might as well come north of the border and help us Celebrate Canada's 150 birthday. All our National Parks (Banff, Jasper, ect.) are offering free admitting this year. (still have to pay for camp sites)

Cheers; Brad