2013 177 Advice Before Purchase

Hello everyone, my husband and I are here for the first time. We've been reading posts for two years and dreaming about an R-Pod. Due to the fact that we have a Labradoodle who loves to travel, we think the 177 is our best choice. The lowest price we've found is at an RV dealership in Ohio, anyone familiar? We have a 2013 Toyota Highlander which is rated to pull 5,000 lbs so we think we will be OK there. Now we have to get the SUV outfitted with a hitch. What else do you suggest we need to do to get ready? It's a 12 hour drive to Ohio, we're thinking about doing this in early January when the weather is cooperative as we'll have to drive thru the mountains to get there!

For us, who have had both, and these are my thoughts.  It depends on what you both want out of camping.  We are just delighted to be in the outdoors communing with nature.  Most of our time is spent outside of the trailer and when either the weather or cooler evening temps drive us inside, we both bring lots of books to enjoy.  I do have to admit that we also travel with a laptop computer that has a USB adaptor to hook up to any cable outlets that the campground provides.  Primarily for the evening news.  We are hikers, and also enjoy the ranger programs that are provided at some of the state and national campgrounds.  Also exploring the interesting museums, points of interest, etc. are also what we look for when we go camping.  Fortunately for us, geographically, we don't have to deal with excessive humidity or mosquitos in the summer months.  I enjoy cooking also, so we have an assortment of cooking equipment that we bring along.  I have a lp gas grill that I hook up to our lp gas outside of the Pod.  Also an ancient 2 burner Coleman stove with stand for frying, etc. again, outside of the Pod.  The only use of the inside cooktop is for heating water for coffee, hot chocolate, etc.  We did also purchase the microwave which when we have a full hookup, most of the time, works very well.  That being said, the compactness, weight, cost, is what made us decide on a Pod.  Don't need no stinkin Corian counter tops, cooking island, or expansive bath facilities.  We do not use public bathrooms, as I prefer to stand in my own dirt, rather than someone elses.  Hope that give you some insight for making your decision easier.  We are senior campers, age wise, and with some mods that you probably have read about, make the Rpod downright wonderful to explore and enjoy with.  Although we have ours since June of this year, we have traveled over 6K miles over about 7 trips.  Other than a few very minor problems, that were taken care of very quickly, we are very satisfied.  As fuel costs will undoubtedly increase, the smaller trailer meets all of our needs, although we only get about 10 mpg, it is workable.  Hope that helps.  Safe Travels.

Greetings, Barefoot14, and welcome to the R-POD users forum. My wife and I are also new members of the forum and new owners of a 2013 RP-172. Our tow vehicle is a 2010 Honda Pilot which is similar, but slightly heavier, than your Highlander. So I will share some Newbie thoughts with you.

There are lots of ideas for the care, feeding, and modification of RPODS on this forum. If you have a question it’s probably been addressed here sometime. Browse and enjoy. I’ve used these new user forums on Ham radio, model railroading, and podding with great success. Lots of helpful people with lots of experience available. Just use your common sense.

A couple of points on the tow vehicle: Be sure your dealer properly sets up the electric brake controller and hitch. For the lighter weight tow vehicles I recommend a weight distribution hitch (WDH) and an anti-sway control bar. Mine is the E2 hitch which combines both functions. There is some disagreement as to whether these are really required, but I’d rather be absolutely safe than absolutely sorry. It adds greatly to my peace of mind and comfort. Also, keep your trailer properly loaded and your speed down. A recent post describes a potentially tragic accident with the same RPOD/Vehicle you are contemplating. Also, do not be misled by the 5000 tow rating. That is under ideal flat conditions at sea level with an empty tow vehicle. The tow capability of an engine/transmission combination decreases 2% for each 1000 feet of altitude. Climbing hills at altitude really is a factor. Since we plan lots of 8000-10,000 foot time and have a small tow vehicle, trailer weight was a prime consideration.

As for choosing the RPOD: it’s light; it’s small; it can go where many larger rigs can’t, the holding tanks are larger than many others, and it’s neat.

 

Happy podding.

We fell in love with the Pods the first time we saw one, and just recently this fall made the leap to buy our 171.  We had been tenting it for many years prior to this, and we like being outside more than inside but wanted a better place to sleep and to hang out in during bad weather.  Being able to get up in the mornings, have some coffee and relax without going outside is fantastic, and the R-Dome for us works like an enclosed patio in that it expands the "living" area.

Hello and welcome!