New RP 180!!!

I've seen them on the road for a long time and always thought they were cool and unique. Just last weekend while visiting the antique travel trailer show at the Pismo Beach campground I noticed that there was an rPod dealer among the RV dealers across the street. I briefly looked at the RP 180 and took some photos with my phone. Later I showed them to my wife and she agreed to go see the trailer the following day. We ended up buying it last Sunday, and we settled on $750 for the trade for the '89 Coleman Sequoia. We pick up the new trailer this coming Saturday. They also agreed to throw in a set of towing mirrors and a new drop hitch and ball.

My wife Genéte liked the large dry bath on the 180. I liked the 179's big kitchen and dinette but neither of us liked the wet bath. Since it's just the two of us, and our four Dachshunds, I'm hoping the 180 will work well. I liked the openness of that floor plan with the windows on each side.

Today I cleaned out the old trailer and removed all of our gear. In 2003 we towed that trailer from CA to NC and did 13 states in six weeks. Genéte and I got married a month later because we figured that if we could live together in tight quarters for six weeks then anything was possible!

I towed the Coleman tent trailer with a 2002 4 cyl Tacoma extra cab (5-lug), and got 17-18 mpg on flat ground. The hills were difficult, sometimes had to drop to second gear.

This time I will be towing the new rPod with a 2011 Tacoma V6 PreRunner Access Cab with the factory tow package. I will probably add a set of Hellwig overload springs to the back of the Tacoma if the tongue weight pulls the truck down. My last Tacoma could have used overloads because the relatively light tent trailer (1,500 lbs) sank the rear.

I just this week found this forums website and it looks like there is wealth of information here!

Planning on some short weekend trips to try out the new trailer and later this year travel up the Oregon coast.

Welcome to the forum. I am sure you will love your Rpod.  Last year we spent 2 months traveling the Washington and Oregon coasts.  There are lots of great camping parks and and areas to explore.  

travel safe

Vann

The gas mileage on the Tacoma is not the best unloaded. When I bought tis one I researched both engines; the V6 and the 2.7 4 cyl. The I4 only got three miles per gallon better than the V6 but had no power at all and couldn't even get out of its own way. (I asked the salesman on a test drive, 'This is so gutless. Is the parking brake on?' He said no, they're all like this.) If I get 12 mpg pulling the pod I'll be happy. From what I've heard the 4.0 V6 pulls much better than the new smaller Toyota Tacoma V6 introduced in 2016.

 I had a set of Hellwig progressive overload springs on my '91 F-150 and it made a world of difference carrying a '67 Alaskan camper. I'll probably add a set to the Tacoma. 

Congrats on your new 180 and for some the same reasons you like yours we love ours.

I don't see you have any problems towing your Pod with your Tacoma PreRunner V-6. I added SumoSprings to my 2016 Tacoma which helped out along with using a WDH. I have no problem pulling our 180 with this new generation of Tacoma with it's new Atkinson cycle engine. I think most people freak out because this engine was designed to run at higher rpm's and they equate it doing so as to not having the power to pull at highway speeds which it in fact does.