Hello All, been thinking of becoming a podder

Originally posted by francoisfrogpod Techntrek, how was your extended vaca? DH and I are seriously considering one of those around Christmas. I'm a teacher at the college level so winter break is the only time I get more than a week off at a time. How was it in the pod for such a long time? We've stayed in our previous camper, a pop-up for 12 days and weren't ready to come home, so I know we could make it work in the pod.

It went well.  Our schedule worked as planned, allowing for 1.25 times the travel times Google shows for shorter legs (zero or one food stop), and 1.5 times for all-day legs.  That took into account getting behind slow trucks, staying below the speed limit in areas where its above 65, meal and gas stops, etc.  We enjoyed almost all of the stops we picked, some more, one a bit less.  Had issues with the fridge not working after day 1, gas wouldn't work at all and DC only worked in camp (AC too).  Used a small cooler with ice for our milk after that.  I think I've fixed the gas problem by cleaning out the burner assembly.  A/C leaked condensation almost non-stop which we've experienced before, I'm hopeful that I've figured that out as well.  My generator box worked out well, as did the generator, but my TV's engine and tranny ran warm on the highway since it partially blocked air flow.  They were ok on slower roads.  I'm looking into an extra tranny cooler with fan to solve that problem.  As I mentioned above the pod felt a bit tight with the extra time we spent inside at places like truck stops, but once we settled on to the beds to read/surf/watch tv it wasn't a big deal.  For our non-campground stops we found we liked truck stops more than Wal-Marts.  I always worry about the local "bad element" at Wal-Marts (three times now this worry has been proven over the last few years), but there's no way anyone is going to come to a truck stop to mess with truckers.  Looking forward to three more weeks next summer!

We enjoy our 171.  As luck would have it, our dealer had the 171 parked to the slide model (number?), so we could easily compare. My structural engineer husband was most adverse to the idea of a heavy slide with additional maintenance issues, cost and gas requirements.  After a year of camping in it, we are adept at being aware of the position of the other person or the dog (an 80 pound greyhound).  A 171 is good at facilitating either your rekindled romance or divorce.  I like the kitchen storage, ease of driving with our Honda Ridgeline, and flexible space.  I like all Pods!  You will enjoy yours whatever model fits you best.

The sleeping areas of all the R-Pod models are 74" (6' 2") wide.  So, the ultimate decision should be on layout preference and pod weight, if weight is a consideration.  Some like the roominess created by a slide, but my wife and I (and 3 small dogs) get along fine without one.  And, for us, weight was a major factor in our choice.

Bob

We own a 177, which we love.  We bought it barely used in the spring of 2012.  For the past year we have camped for long periods of time.  We had two pugs and even though they were small, it was a little trying,,,but that could have been because they were deaf, blind, incontinent, snorers, and had dementia.  Just sayin'.  They let us know earlier this summer that it was time, so now we are dogless.  We live on a lake in upstate New York so we have not taken our Pod out for camping,,,but we will be looking forward to using it again when we head to Florida for the winter. (We are Floridians for 5 months a year,,,we use our Pod for short outings into the Florida State Parks, which are wonderful!)  It will be our first time ever, going camping, without dogs.  

Have the 177 and pull it with a 2007 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma.  Does a good job as long as you don't use the overdrive.  The gas mileage drops from 25 mpg to 15 mpg but the nice part is the good mileage comes back when not towing.  Had to install spring stiffeners (extended cab model) to stop the sag in the rear and for good measure added a transmission oil cooler in front of the AC condenser.  Does moderate grades well but shifts down on steep grades.  Haven't done the Rockies yet but sure it will grunt going through real mountains.  Overall with your TV you shouldn't have any problems.  And, yeah, you should go for the 177 over the 171.  You are getting a whole lot more space for very little extra weight.