Jayco Hummingbird r-pod clone

I've been watching to see one of these come to a dealer nearby (Eastern PA). Closest to me so far is Erie. From what I gather, there is at least a $2k price difference so far on comparable units on RV trader (17RB vs RP-180). My local dealer says they have not even been given a build date for their first order yet...so it may be September until they see any come in. 

Hello everyone,
New to the forum and have been doing a ton of research between the Jayco Hummingbird 17RB and the Rpod 180. First of all the Winnebago DROP is out. So the dealbreaker for me is the larger three way fridge and the new THULE awning that's in-closed on the Rpod versus the exposed awning which is electric on the Jayco Hummingbird.   I don't need an electric awning. One thing that I looked very very closely at was the models and sizes of the refrigerators. There seems to be a huge difference in them and the models installed and the actual sizes and operations of the refrigerators. Depending on the production runs of certain refrigerators they can change them to others without notice. I do prefer the Dometic three-way approximately 4 cu ft. fridge. I also like to add thermostatically controlled cooling fans to the rear of my refrigerators for more efficiency. Also driving down the road on 12V letting my alternator help my battery system recover so I don't have a live propane tank system. I think it's just a bit safer.
I do like the rear bumper on the Jayco, however the new Rpod has a full-size sewer tube mounted underneath. The new Rpods colors are gorgeous along with two aluminum steps that have been mounted on it. Also the thermostatic controls for heating and cooling being on the wall make much more sense.   The Jayco "Optional Electronic Sway Control System" is now being recalled being disconnected.   And with the whole Rpod support system forums community of thousands of people, Forest River Rpod is clearly my choice! I will be ordering one soon. I hope this helps thanks.
Any other input would be welcome. Dan

Welcome.  Not only are there no problems running from propane, it is the only method used by larger rigs.  The biggest reason not to use the 12 volt mode is most TV charge lines are only 12 gauge, so they aren't large enough to supply the fridge.  So you draw down the pod's battery on the road until the fridge begins to warm up.  Then you arrive in camp with a low battery.  If the pod's battery is already low from a weekend of boondocking, the fridge never has a chance.

Thanks for the warm welcome!
It sounds like you've already experienced these issues? Lol,
I guess, I just like the 12volt option being available. I understand there is a option on another model of the Dometic that automatically seeks power 12v, a/c or gas. Of course that's after the fact if you're battery packs are depleted.
Having never traveled for extended periods using a 12volt system for refrigerator operations, I don't really know the reality. Thanks for the information. I will no doubt tap into this forums communities experiences again.

The one thing we have to conclude about FR and our 179, is that with an extensive month-long 5000+ mile journey with only one motel, (both boondocking & camping w/ connections) we've had close to 98% reliability of all systems, which we didn't expect. Even the tires have had very little wear over some very rough roads, and the axle & suspension has been stable and smooth. Jayco has to match that quality as well, out in the field.... not saying they can't they've been long in the biz. We hope that our R-pod reliability level is throughout the R-Pod community mostly and it wasn't us just lucking out with a unit built Tues. thru Thursday and not following a long weekend (!)