Considering an Rpod

   Furpod I am going to miss your signature hope it returns, time changes a lot of things. The canine campers are going to feel left out.   David

Originally posted by jerome Hello All I am making the transition from a Westy to a travel trailer. I have always liked the look and mystique around the Rpod, and now I want to purchase. I have narrowed it down to a 2018 180 or 190 Hood River edition. When searching reviews, I was very disheartened to read some very negative ones on late models. Needless to say this burst my bubble, and having a hard time believing it. It was mostly about poor craftsmanship, silicone and calk everywhere, heater and AC loud to the point of almost unusable, refer beeping and not working. Most of all they said no support from the dealers and Forest River. I am still very interested in the rpod and jumped in this forum to get some reviews from real owners. Any comments, experiences with late models would be very helpful. Thanks ahead for any who take the time to answer. Jerome in Idaho

Hello Jerome,

First, remember that complaints get voiced often and loudly. Positive experiences are not so often expressed. While there are some problems with R-Pods, other brands are not much different. The same hardware is used in different brands. The refrigerator that has problems in R-Pods may have the same problems in a Jayco or Winnebago clone. The same with the AC or furnace.

Fit and finish is overall good in an R-Pod. You would have to look at R-Pods and other models to compare. That being said, vacuuming out the inside of hidden areas seems to get skipped. I opened up areas and vacuumed the sawdust out myself. It is not something that should be a deal killer. By "silicone and calk everywhere," it really depends on point of view. Around the vent stacks and fan openings, there is a lot of lap sealant (not caulk which would not work well). However, that is up on the roof and I don't know too many people that climb up there to admire the view. It is out of sight, so isn't a problem.

The furnace and AC are loud. That is a problem of a small trailer with non-ducted furnace and AC. There are some things you can do to mitigate the noise. One is something I did to the inner shroud of the AC unit. I removed it (check because there are more screws in not very visible places holding it than you would think) and then took some thin, closed-cell foam and glued it to the inside of the shroud. This reduced the noise somewhat but it is still far from quiet. Changing the fan to run on low constantly and not cycle on and off with the compressor helps as then the sound is steady which is much less obnoxious than the cycling. For the furnace, make sure the thermostat is set so the AC does not come on when the furnace turns on. That will reduce the noise from there. I run a small fan both to help circulate the heat from under the bed of the 179 and to provide a steady sound that helps mask the furnace cycling.

Forest River support? Our R-Pod had to go to the factory for repair after an accident. Although communications with the factory were slow, in the end, the factory went above what we expected and our R-Pod came back in great shape with some repairs that I did not even know were needed such as changing the Fantastic Fan out for the newer model fan and replacing the microwave which did not pass a HiPot test. We also got the newer style spoiler on the back. There are some issues though as I am waiting on a fender to replace one where the paint was peeling. The wrong one was sent to the authorized repairman. He told me that the factory said they were having a problem with the supplier for that particular part so we are waiting for the replacement to arrive.

Dealer support? Our dealer (Country Roads RV Center in Lexington, North Carolina) has been excellent in providing warranty support. Other dealers are not so great. You do want to look at reviews for the dealer to decide if the dealer is one of the better ones or one best avoided. That applies no matter which brand of RV you eventually choose to purchase.

Since we live in NC, we have the "Midwest edition" which is built in Goshen, Indiana. These seem to get more complaints than the "Hood River edition" RPods. Whichever plant builds them, these are lightweight travel trailers built to a price point where they are affordable. You spend many times more for an Airstream, but even they have problems.

Because our R179 is inexpensive, I have had money to make modifications to make it even more to our liking. It isn't all Fiberglass inside like an Oliver or Bigfoot which would be difficult to modify. I am in the middle of a project now to modify the table and dinette to improve the sleeping arrangements. I will write that up in my mods when I am done. My other mods can be seen in my mods link (see signature).

Originally posted by David and Danette    Furpod I am going to miss your signature hope it returns, time changes a lot of things. The canine campers are going to feel left out.   David

Go for it Jerome!  I really can't add anything new to what has already been addressed by those seasoned podders above.  Anyway, my 2011 is getting 'grey hair' now going on year 8.  Complaints with my 177, none.