Introducing the RPod 179 this February

I don't know if it is the same in a 179 as in our 177, and for that matter I haven't measured ours.  I am guessing 3-4 inches, and it has never been a problem for us.

Now if they would just do a push out for the bathroom on the other side it would be perfect.

 I was wandering with the back more square if there would be enough length for a 10 foot awning. I went back and looked at the pictures it looks to short for a 10 foot maybe a 8 foot awning.  David

Well... I like ohm's law as much as anybody, but you are figuring on 12v output from the charge controller, and it won't be.. it will be as high as 16v when the batteries are down enough to need a bulk charge, then dropping into the high 13's and then high 12s as needed. (based on how my brother's system works) I am not sure the 80 watt panel is designed to fully top off the batteries daily, it can in best conditions.. but we don't see those everyday.. But.. if it can top off any percentage at all, it can extend your stay.. will also depend greatly on your usage.. as long as we don't run the heater all night, my guess is the 80 watt would keep you us and running a long time. Spring and fall, when you might only need the heater to get yourself moving in the morning, same thing I would guess. But that is part of why I would go with the 120watt panels, to be a little more sure..

BTW, the quoted price I heard for the panels from my dealer was "around" $350..

The system FR is pushing is the 80 watt. Do you run dual or single batteries? The quickest/easiest way to double your boon docking range is dual batteries. If you still find yourself short on battery life, some form of electric generation is needed.. If you run dual batteries like we do, the 120watt system is the answer IMHO.

And yes, the 12v system is fully available while charging, just as it is when the converter is charging the batteries.  If you look down at the bottom of the products pages, you can find the interface connector and socket just like FR is using..