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Topic ClosedR Pod for a Family of Six?
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TrailerTrish View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Jun 2018
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Posts: 32 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: R Pod for a Family of Six?
    Posted: 27 Oct 2018 at 12:16pm
Why not one of those large tent trailers? Many of them can sleep six comfortably and have something that resembles a bathroom. But they still feel more like camping than like RVing. I don’t know how off-road sturdy they are, but certainly they are made more for your type of camping than they are for RV parks. 

Or what about a smaller tent trailer for the adults, which also makes a nice gathering place in the cold or the rain, and putting the kids outside in a tent so they get that experience? REI sells a tent that goes up in a minute and is a thing of wonder, IMO. The Caddis Rapid 6 Tent for $269. I stumbled across it last year when I was thinking of maybe going back to tent camping instead of getting an R-Pod.  (It’s the tent I wish I’d had when I was camping my way cross-country and back in 1977. Instead, what we had in those days was a pup tent with 14 stakes - took forever to set up.)
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Joined: 09 Sep 2018
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Posts: 98 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Oct 2018 at 11:11am
I have just purchased a R-Pod 180 and we love the size of the bathroom, you can actually fit two people in it and I am not a little guy ( lets just say I love pasta ). I sleep 3 in my 180, but my daughter is short ( lol, shhhh don't tell her I said that ) so it sleep us 3 perfect. If I took my son it would be really cramped. I do not have the extra tent that attaches to the pod so I just take my cabin tent along with me.
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Posts: 204 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Oct 2018 at 7:12pm
Six people in an rPod seems cramped to me. I think our 180 is perfect with just the wife and me. I grew up in a camping family / environment and loved it, but my kids were never happy with the concept of camping. Kind of sad really. They are more into video games than actual reality. But, your mileage may vary.

Our 180 is a HRE. It’s just like my PreRunner Tacoma. It looks cool but I would never take either of them off road. (I bought the PreRunner because of the V6, and not because I had any illusions of going off road.)

After years of boondock camping with truck campers and even a tent trailer I have come to the realization that I really like full hookups. The rPod works great for us and my wife loves the large dry bath.

Good luck with whatever you end up purchasing.
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Posts: 158 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Oct 2018 at 1:21pm
I would like to suggest that you find a RV dealers' show where several dealers have come together to show their products.  As much as I like my R-Pod, it may not meet everyone's camping style.  A RV dealer will show you what they have in stock.  When several dealers get together, you can see several options and different makes and models. Floor plans don't change that much from year to year, so, if you find a plan that works for you and your family, you might be able to find a used one and save some money.

And, now is a good to look.  When the camping season starts to end (cooler weather) the salesmen start to get hungry.
Enjoy Life!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 2:46pm


PS - We have a "non-Pod" area down on the main page a bit, if what you want to post doesn't fit in any of the other discussion topics.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 2:42pm
Originally posted by Maticuno

Then I just need to find a forum for the NoBo, unless a sub-section on this forum can be created since they are built in the same factory with many of the same features and designs.



For sure check out the FB group but, absolutely feel free to hang out here also! You'll find the same equipment that is installed in the Pod is in the NoBo too.

Myself, and a few others, find the NoBo interesting (maybe a future purchase) and we would appreciate hearing from you about it. The 19.5 looks real interesting, to me.

Good luck in your purchase.   

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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 1:58pm
Originally posted by Maticuno

Thanks for all of the input, folks.  I think if we had taken my truck to look at the NoBo, we would have driven home with it.  I'll probably pull the trigger in the next couple of weeks.

Then I just need to find a forum for the NoBo, unless a sub-section on this forum can be created since they are built in the same factory with many of the same features and designs.


If you FB, there is a strong, for it's age, owners group over there..

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NoBoOwners/
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 1:51pm
Thanks for all of the input, folks.  I think if we had taken my truck to look at the NoBo, we would have driven home with it.  I'll probably pull the trigger in the next couple of weeks.

Then I just need to find a forum for the NoBo, unless a sub-section on this forum can be created since they are built in the same factory with many of the same features and designs.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 4:28am
Maticuno,you're saying that the nobo axle takes 6 lug wheels, so I think it is a different axle than what we have on our rPods which are 5x4.5.

On the frame I did one time do a quick structural analysis on it (I'm not a structural engineer but I know enough to be dangerous Tongue). It looked like on a fully loaded larger rPod we have about a 2.5-3g factor before we hit yield strength in bending. That's apparently roughly in the range that vehicle designers use as a minimum safety factor for bump loading. Any actual structural engineers out there feel free to correct me. 

Since you have a seriously robust tow vehicle and should be able to get by without using a weight distribution hitch, that would reduce the max frame load significantly since it occurs pretty close to the point where wd hitch bars would be tensioned.   

And as mcarter says, there haven't been any reported frame failures so we're probably ok there unless you want to run the rubicon or something. 

+1 to mcarter's comment that the construction techniques and fastenings will likely be your weak link in any of these built-to-a-price-point travel trailers. 
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Posts: 10 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2018 at 9:56pm
Originally posted by StephenH

About that axle, at the Kentucky MiniMini/10th Anniversary Rally, the question about the axle rating came up. Yes, it is the same basic hardware as a 4400 lb axle except that because the mounts are so far inboard from the wheels, the axle is derated to 3500 lbs. If the mounts were next to the arms, the rating would be higher. It makes sense because the longer distance means the tire can exert more force on the axle.


I'll have to check again, but at least on the NoBo 19.5, I seem to recall the mount being fairly close to the trailing arm.
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