New RP-178 Owner

My son and I picked up our new 2015 RP-178 on Wednesday. Following are observations, opinions and questions. First though, my wife and I have been tent campers for over 35 years, and we’re pretty good at it. Unfortunately at mid 50’s getting in and out of a tent has become difficult so we decided to trade up rather than forgo camping.
That said, my perspective regarding the trailer is that compared to tent camping versus many critiques I read where people are attempting to replicate the comforts of home.

We purchased the trailer from Stoltzfus RV in Adamstown, PA. Simply, a good experience. Good price, good guidance, accommodating and professional. I would highly recommend them. Ask for Lee, he took good care of us.

The initial inspection of the trailer I was a little disappointed by the craftsmanship.   While the design is well thought out there are a few rough edges and it is most likely not built with the highest quality components. None the less, a good value for what we paid and our anticipated use of it. Also, quite comfortable for the anticipated two occupants with occasional guests.

We towed with a 2014 Mazda CX-9 from Pennsylvania to our home in Connecticut. I had been apprehensive about the ability of the car to handle this trailer but was assured by the Mazda dealers Service Manager it was capable. The car performed admirably on our drive home with the exception that our fuel economy dropped from 18 mpg to less than 11. We’ll have to do a few more trips and then see if any issues arise when we have the car serviced later this year.

Having already researched and reviewed a lot of blogs including this site I already had some idea of what to expect, modifications and considerations. We spent two nights at a campground near the dealer to be sure that any problems or issues could be resolved before we travelled home. We had none.

I’m 6’3” and was not uncomfortable in the Queen bed. I’ll have to see if that changes when my wife joins me on that limited space. My son, also my size said sleeping on the dining table conversion was not that comfortable so we are considering buying a mattress top which we’ll use on the bed and then when necessary we’ll transfer for our guests use on the conversion bed.

Cooking area is crowded, but we’re used to camping on the fire and using a single Coleman propane cooker. I’m not sure what to use to compliment the cooker in the trailer, perhaps a small charcoal grill. We’ve still got the wire grates to use over the camp fire so might just continue with that. If I get something it must be small, lightweight and easy to transport without making a mess. Suggestions here are appreciated.

I like the mod of the cutting board over the cook burners, but would also like that mod to have a dish drying rack. Insights and links on accommodating that would be appreciated.

I don’t anticipate using the microwave/convection oven very often. We don’t even have a microwave at home and if it had been an option I would have taken the extra space vrs. the oven.

Air conditioner is LOUD. It was very humid on the trip and it made us more comfortable but it is loud. When the humidity dropped and it got cooler at night we opened the windows. In seconds, the roof vent fan did a fantastic job of drawing the cool air in and the hot air out. It’s much quieter than the AC so I’d anticipate we’ll only be using the AC only in extreme conditions.

We didn’t have the opportunity to try the heater, but it seems a bit curious and perhaps unsafe to have a heater under a bed. Does anyone else have any thoughts or concerns about this?

The entertainment center works well, but you need to be conscious of the volume when changing sources. The volume my change considerably so it’s best to lower the volume before changing the source. We also had a ghost encounter when the entertainment center, presumably on its’ own came on and blasted an AM broadcast. My son say’s it was entirely on its own, and not the result of inadvertently hitting a remote control.
The entertainment center provides the audio for everything (dvd) except broadcast television, so you’re not using it watching the TV in broadcast mode. If this is not the case someone correct me, but that’s the conclusion we came to.

Our campground provided cable so we used it and it gave us lots of viewing options. We didn’t try to see how the external antenna worked for local broadcasts, but I’m curious how the source is changed from cable to external antenna or if it is done automatically. Insight here is also appreciated.

Hot water heater worked well, but we were not sure if we should turn it on and off or bring it to temp and then leave on. It seems to me since it was so quick it would best be used on demand. Also it did a good job of holding the water at a pretty decent temperature for a good deal of time.

We didn’t fill the black\gray tanks much and drained all including the fresh water before leaving. No problems there but was slightly concerned using the fresh water hose on the black tank spray inlet. I wouldn’t want to carry another hose for that purpose only but thought it’s probably not an issue and most likely remedied by a little bleach and water on the couplings. Probably a non-issue. We’ve already decided the toilet will not be used for solid waste unless it is a critical situation. We don’t expect to be camping outside of campgrounds and if we should do and pull-over overnight somewhere I’d expect there would be a lavatory in reasonable proximity, if not we’ll deal with it.

I also don’t anticipate using the shower much. Probably more likely to use the external shower when necessary due to my size and the size of the bathroom.   Curious where people keep the toilet paper when showering so it doesn’t get wet. Even the toilet will be quite tight in those situations that it might be necessary for me to sit on it. Once again we expect to use campground facilities, but nice to have the options available. Also considering a small nylon cord to suspend in the bathroom for hanging wet towels bathing suits. There’s already a couple of eye hooks on the shower curtain that look accommodating. Insight or ideas on this are appreciated.

The wood trim on the one of seats in the dinette has already ripped away partially. I’ve tried to screw it back in, but it won’t hold. I’m considering taking it off and replacing the screw fastening with Velcro or taking the trim off all together since it doesn’t appear to have a function and is purely decorative. I think it will continue to be an issue if I leave it the way it is now. Again, any insight or recommendations are appreciated.

Speaking of Velcro, we are using that on the remote controls and have them hung on the small wall to the right facing the kitchen. This helps keep the table and the shelf under the TV clear or available for more important things, but still keeps them hand when using the TV.
I’m apprehensive about drilling any holes for shelves or anything else right now, but will inevitably need to. I’m hoping that at least a paper towel holder and some hooks and such will be double stick tape. I may add two small shelves over the bed near the hangers to store toiletry bags and such.

I expect to store the tire in the rear storage compartment so I can use my Thule Helium bike rack on the back. I don’t expect any issues here with two or three bikes.

I’m a little concerned about mice and their ability to destroy the bedding and cushions. I’ve already put mouse poison in the trailer and will also distribute some moth balls when I winterize it.

So there’s my observations and concerns, at least for now. Any insight from the group is appreciated.

Good Advice, thanks Leo.

Hello Don
welcome to the group-there are a lot of good people here with a lot of experience and knowledge.  everybody has a different pod because they become personalized.  check out the past posts throughout the forums and you will see lots of good ideas.

just to address a couple of your questions-
you can easily remove the microwave in most units by simply unscrewing  the outer trim ring from the cabinet surround.  Our microwave just sits on a little shelf and is plugged in to a regular  outlet.  Several people have done this and used the space for storage.  the space is considerably larger than the microwave.

We added a simple bathroom shower rod  in our bath.  We mounted the  end brackets on the front to back walls so as to make it as long as possible.  We hung it as high as possible with enough room for a coat hanger or towel to fit over it.  I cut the top of one  end bracket so we could easily remove the rod if we wanted.

We carry a small 14x24)propane grill with us.  It is powered by a 1 pound disposable gas cylinder.  We use it almost every night for cooking dinner.

enjoy your new pod
travel safe
Vann

We bought one of those pocket hoses to use to flush out the black water tank.  Hangs over the shower head to dry.  Goes back to almost nothing for storage.

Thanks all for your assistance and support.

I found this in the fridge when we got home. Must have fallen from somewhere inside of the fridge, but I can't figure out where. Can anyone identify this part. Its a Dometic, and I've looked in the manual but don't see the part anywhere.

Thanks again.