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Topic Closed"Must Have" Mods & Fixes for the noob?

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Direct Link To This Post Topic: "Must Have" Mods & Fixes for the noob?
    Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 10:53am
Hi folks,

It looks like we are going to be using the RP-171 a lot more than we had originally planned.  Being our first RV, we were taking baby steps - only figuring in the range of a half dozen trips this summer.  To put it blunt, last week we just got blindsided by finding out that my FiL has "Stage 4".  So now we are going to attempt to go to their beach cottage every-opposite weekend during the workable season, maybe as many as 20 trips by the end of October. So to a certain degree this is going to become a towable master suite for this year. The HVAC will get heavy use, and we will use the toilet on an emergency basis, but the kitchen will see next to no use this year. My main goal is to make my wife's trips as stress free as possible during this difficult time.

These are the immediate mods I have planned:

1) Letter the Rpod - to cheer my wife up.Smile
2) Add a light blocking curtain to the master bed entry - so my wife can watch TV etc at the dinette if she is up in the middle of the night.
3) Install reverse lights - well... because light.

Any other "must have mods/fixes"? I am going to have the advantage of a shed full of tools down at the cottage, and to be honest I am going to need to distract myself a lot when thereOuch, so please suggest away...
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 11:14am
Mostly it's a matter of making the pod more functional for your needs.. they will come to you as you use it. There are quite a few in my mods link, and a couple others here have mods linked.. Some won't apply to you, but might give you a start or idea..
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 11:35am
Thanks. That is what I figured, the mods will become obvious as the needs evolve.

EDIT: based on the thread about the faucet, that will get proactively swapped out before our first "real" camping trip (going to the beach is this summer will be closer to Glamping...).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 11:50am
I would highly recommend switching to double steps. It makes it so much easier to get in or out! Especially someone who might be feeling a little weak. Search the boards for a link. I bought mine on eTrailer for less than $90.


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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 12:56pm
If the goal is to make it more comfortable for the missus, then here's what I would suggest as this is what mine did to our interior.

Buy extra throw pillows to be comfortable while sitting at the dinette watching TV or lounging in bed reading.

Add decorations, pictures, and touches of home to the walls.  My wife found a large vinyl decal for the front wall at Hobby Lobby that says "Wherever we are together, that is home", they have a ton of others to choose from.  Help it to be a place of comfort where she can take refuge from the stress of dealing with a family member with cancer.

Install a wall mount iPad or tablet holder in the bedroom area, to watch movies or surf the net while relaxing.

Since it sounds like a lot of short trips, maybe skip the r-dome and go with a pop-up awning or clam enclosure that is easy and quick to put up and take down.  Include a few folding chairs to sit outside and enjoy the beach view.

All that being said I am a stage 3 Non-Hodgkins survivor myself.  I bought the camper about a year ago when I was going thru chemo.  My wife thought it was nuts, but it was on my bucket list for a long time and I wasn't sure how much time I had.  Worst case, I got a few good trips. Best case, a lot of good trips.  So far it's been best case.  I will say for sure that taking the missus camping helped relieve the stress of what she was going through with me.  Best of luck...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 1:02pm
Thanks for the idea about the steps! My FiL will be staying in the cottage, so stairs shouldn't be an issue. OTOH my wife is only 5'4" with short legs, and this actually might be "must have" so she doesn't sprain an ankle.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 1:05pm
Unless you have the Hood River Edition (HRE) or the 2" lift kit installed on the non-HRE-pods, the 2nd step will either be on the ground or just above it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 1:25pm
Originally posted by JohnBG

If the goal is to make it more comfortable for the missus, then here's what I would suggest as this is what mine did to our interior.

Buy extra throw pillows to be comfortable while sitting at the dinette watching TV or lounging in bed reading.

Add decorations, pictures, and touches of home to the walls.  My wife found a large vinyl decal for the front wall at Hobby Lobby that says "Wherever we are together, that is home", they have a ton of others to choose from.  Help it to be a place of comfort where she can take refuge from the stress of dealing with a family member with cancer.

Install a wall mount iPad or tablet holder in the bedroom area, to watch movies or surf the net while relaxing.

Since it sounds like a lot of short trips, maybe skip the r-dome and go with a pop-up awning or clam enclosure that is easy and quick to put up and take down.  Include a few folding chairs to sit outside and enjoy the beach view.

All that being said I am a stage 3 Non-Hodgkins survivor myself.  I bought the camper about a year ago when I was going thru chemo.  My wife thought it was nuts, but it was on my bucket list for a long time and I wasn't sure how much time I had.  Worst case, I got a few good trips. Best case, a lot of good trips.  So far it's been best case.  I will say for sure that taking the missus camping helped relieve the stress of what she was going through with me.  Best of luck...


Thanks for all the thoughtful ideas. Many of your suggestions are in the direction of what we have been thinking, so it is great to get some first hand feedback. That is a good point about making sure she has iphone access somehow, if T-mobile isn't strong on the beach she will lose her mind. I am already planning to put a 12v LCD TV/DVD somewhere in the bedroom, so that she can turn it on for background noise during her afternoon naps (very noisy boardwalk). We were planning on skipping the R-dome, and just getting a nice portable screenhouse from Cabelas. But I really like your idea of incorporating artwork, she was a dual major with art as secondary, maybe I will surprise her with some supplies to make some stuff for the pod while we are down there - art therapy. Best of luck to you as well.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 1:45pm
Originally posted by JohnBG

Unless you have the Hood River Edition (HRE) or the 2" lift kit installed on the non-HRE-pods, the 2nd step will either be on the ground or just above it.

Good point. Being in Oregon I often forget you non-HRE folks!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Mar 2016 at 1:49pm
If the T-Mobile is weak, maybe get a Verizon or AT&T Mi-Fi or other wireless hotspot, they use a lower frequency that has better coverage.  I have Verizon as my carrier and the phone has a "mobile hotspot" feature and it's worked great everywhere we have camped in Florida, but coverages can vary.   Gotta love streaming college and Monday night footballs in the dome to torment tent campers... Tongue

My sister had T-Mobile here in FL and once you got 20 miles out of town or away from an interstate highway, it was dead as a doornail for 3G/4G wi-fi service.
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