R-Pod 195 sneak peak teaser |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Online Posts: 2587 |
Topic: R-Pod 195 sneak peak teaser Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 7:36pm |
I really like our Pod, so I never discussed the trailer's characteristics in detail with the dealer and can't justify taking on a bunch of debt to replace a paid for trailer to gain a shower stall. But I think the all the tanks are 25 gallons, so there'd be 31 gal. of fresh water as there is really 36 with the Pod's 30 gallon tanks. I also didn't like the color scheme -- too gray for my taste, though it seems to be the popular style. The galley in the pictures of the 195 is more stylish, with the 18FB being much more like the traditional pods in finish. Also, the fridge was the same size as the traditional pods, if my memory serves me well. Bottom line, the trailer is in the same market as the rPod and offers, based on the dealer's price, a reasonably good value for the buck. But, as I said, why go into debt when you're happy with what you have?
Oh, and as for the tank heaters, they really suck up the power so I don't think they'd really be that useful unless you were at a full service rv park and even then, the heating efficiency is not necessarily adequate to keep things from freezing in the pipes. A corollary to the refrain "don't fix it if it ain't broke." ..."Don't buy a new one if you are happy with whatcha already got."
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 5:54pm |
Given that the tank capacities of the 18FB are 25 gallons fresh (which presumably includes the 6 for the water heater meaning actually a 19 gallon tank unless they are not including the water heater in the fresh water capacity) and 26 gallons each for black and gray, it would make the 18FB less desirable for me. The one thing that piqued my interest was the "Heat Pads." That may mean that the tanks are heated for 4 season use. If so, one would need to be connected to shore power or have a great charging system for the TV to run them. I don't see them running on battery power alone.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 4:49pm |
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Online Posts: 2587 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 3:03pm |
The functional space is about the same, though the galley is in the back on the 195, it is basically the same size. The head is on the side in the 195 and in the back on the 18FB, but the volume of each is about the same. I looked at the live version of the Pac. Coach. trailer last summer at one of our local dealers. Its construction seems to be at about the same quality level as the generic rPod product. The tankage may be a little different, but functionally, there isn't much difference. Both trailers are going after the same market segment. From the fotos of the 195, I think FR's choice if finishes and such are a little nicer, but the price of the 18FB that I looked at was considerably less than that expected for the 195. Oh, and one other thing about the 18FB, the mattress was a throw away. They should sell them sans mattress and let the buyer get her own.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 2:17pm |
The only thing alike with them is the front walk-around queen bed. Otherwise, the layout is very different.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Online Posts: 2587 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 1:50pm |
The new 195 looks similar to Pacific Coachworks, Mighty-Lite 18FB https://www.pacificcoachworks.com/travel-trailers/mighty-lite/mighty-lite-travel-trailer-18fb/
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 10:43am |
Right now, Couch's has the very last 177 produced, sitting on their lot..
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David and Danette
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1215 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 9:55am |
Our last trip with the Vista we stopped at a truck scale and weighed our camper when it was fully loaded with about 10 gallons fresh water and just a few gallons in the black and grey tanks. The axle weight of the Vista hitched to our tow vehicle was 3,740 lbs. With our truck it is easily towed but with a smaller SUV it would be a little difficult. The original r-pods were easily towed with most SUV's but I think too, the new r-pod 195 will need a large SUV or truck for towing safely. As mentioned can't forget the wind resistance with a larger frontal area and too the visibility with the side mirrors. But the positive side of the 195 is it will have a fiberglass roof and a torsion axle the Vista and No-Bo have only one of those features not both. We wanted a larger camper with both the torsion axle and fiberglass roof that we could afford and the Vista is as close as we could find but it has a leaf spring axle. There is the Big Foot and Oliver beautiful campers but out of our price range. I think the 195 will be about the only choice for someone wanting a larger camper with both a fiberglass roof and torsion axle in it's price range. But as history has showed there will be most likely competition from other manufactures.
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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 9:41am |
The Pontiac brand was discontinued by GM in 2010. http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/pontiac/why-did-gm-discontinue-pontiac/ so not seeing any Pontiacs is not surprising. OTOH, the Civic is still a thriving model of the Honda brand. Manufacturers make what people want if they want to survive. Yes, there are other trailers. However, I have not seen one with the layout of the 195. That is what is exciting for me. The only Vibe model I saw with a rear kitchen was the 25RK which has an unloaded weight of 5868 lbs and is 29' 4" x 8'. The NoBo 19.5 has similar specs in length, width, and weight, but is not a rear kitchen model. Neither is any of the Coachmen Apex Nano models. The twin axle Lance 2285 has a rear kitchen, but dry weight is 4930 lbs which would be way too much for our Frontier. I think there will be a significant market for the 195 for those who would like the walk-around queen. Now if the 191 had a rear kitchen, I could see going for that instead but it doesn't. The one feature I am not sure of is the round sink. When we travel, we have a dish drainer that rides in the larger top-mount stainless steel sink I installed in our 179. That woudn't fit in the round sink. The sink and faucet are likely candidates for replacement if we were to upgrade to the 195. I would want to keep the faucet I installed in our 179. Since it is flexible, it combines the functions of a sprayer with the faucet without the negatives of a weighted supply line below the counter which a pull-out faucet would have.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3227 |
Posted: 08 Mar 2019 at 9:09am |
+1 to Offgrid. Case in point. When we purchased our 177 in January 2011, it was one of the more popular models. People's wants change over time and FR, being a good marketer of their product, met those needs: larger interior space, longer trailer, more options, ect. Fast forward a few years and new models roll out, 178, 179, 180 and so forth. As a result, some of the original models, 177 included, are no longer manufactured due to lack of sales. After 8 years with the 177 there is no intention to 'change' to a different model, but if the unfortunate happens be it accident or theft, we will be forced to either purchase a different model or look for an older used one. Offgrid makes a good point, no more Pontiac's. Something to be said however about the 'classics'. I wish I still had the '69 Vette I had in high school and college, it is worth many times more now than when I owned it. Could this also be the case for the 177 and other models in the future?
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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