And a Podder is born
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Introduce Yourself
Forum Discription: New Members - tell us about yourself and your r-pod
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3184
Printed Date: 14 May 2025 at 4:06pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: And a Podder is born
Posted By: PBFM1967
Subject: And a Podder is born
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 8:34pm
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I bought a 2013, 177 about two weeks ago and after reading post for days I have been creating storage locations all over the place. We tent camp for two weeks every year in TN, now we'll be podding (got tired of wet tent).
Anyone have any immediate things i need to know? |
Replies:
Posted By: dsmiths
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 8:57pm
PBFM, its so much more fun than a tent. My wife Donna was not a camper at all, so about 5 or 6 years ago I told her that if whe would go with me to Hoosier National Forest in Southern Indiana 35,000.00 acres of pristine beautiful rolling hills and fishing lakes and did'nt like it I would not ask her again. We Camped in the back of our 1st trail blazer and I cooked on the fire and the camp stove. Good old camp cooking, lean burgers, pork and beans, baked potato on the hot coals of the fire. She fell in love with the quiet of the forest. We then tent camped for a couple of years and then an RP 151 passed us on the highway, I goggled the pod and found a dealer about 40 miles from us. The rest is history, she loves it and we hike and fish, cook outside, relax. After a full day outside we watch andy griffith DVD's and then get the bobble head and its lights out. I wish I could bottle the smells and sounds of the quiet woods, I could make a fortune, I guess we all are making a fortune when we get out in the outdoors and enjoy the sounds , the flora and fanua. come on Mr Spring.  ------------- Dane and Donna Smith 2011 RP-172 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 lift kit prodigy wireless brake controller |
Posted By: dsmiths
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 9:01pm
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PBFM, oopss sorry did'nt answer your question. If you have tent camped the same basics as far as food, clothing etc. The Pod really has a fair amount of storage so we load the pod with things we dont have to carry back and forth, plates, silverware, pots pans salt and pepper, all your shower stuff. games to play. DVD's for night watchin. mirror to hang on shower door. make a list of what you forgot, can opener, duct tape, camp saw. have fun. planning is have the fun. ------------- Dane and Donna Smith 2011 RP-172 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 lift kit prodigy wireless brake controller |
Posted By: PBFM1967
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 9:07pm
| True, I love our TN camping trips in the National Forest. We have plans to "unplug" camp within a 50 mile radius of the house at least once a month.....we'll see how that works. |
Posted By: PBFM1967
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 9:13pm
| The DVD/TV/RADIO runs off the battery too? |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 at 10:14pm
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Welcome!
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 8:05am
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"The DVD/TV/RADIO runs off the battery too?" No. Unfortunately Forest River chose a unit that not only doesn't run on 12 volts, but it doesn't sound very good or or produce a usable picture. The 12 volt option would have been so cheap and so logical that it's absence amazes me. One option is to use a small DC to AC inverter, but that adds inefficiency which adds to battery drain and adds inconvenience and complexity. The Audiovox is rated at 34 watts, which would draw 42.5 watts assuming an 80 percent efficient inverter. This translates to 3.54 amps from the 12 volt battery, which would be very bad for battery life. We use our laptop to play CDs and DVDs if we need them. The laptop has its own battery which can be recharged when on AC, or recharged from DC with an inverter. Of course,again, the inverter adds inefficiency, but the sound , picture and portability are much better. The only use I see for the Audiovox unit is commercial AM/FM radio, but I also have a SiriusXM satellite radio on board, which does run on DC. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: P&M
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 8:43am
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Welcome! We are former campers that moved up to our Pod last October, and after 3 trips out already we are so happy we made the jump. We found that there was plenty of room in the Pod for all of our camping gear that we used to haul, with lots more room to spare. For immediate things to do I would suggest that you take it out for a couple of one-night stays, either at a campground, in the backyard or even in the driveway if necessary. For us (we did 2 of them on back-to-back weekends) it gave us an opportunity to test everything out, make sure we knew what & how everything worked, make our list of "things to do" and "things we want" for the Pod, and just get an overall good feel for the setup & take-down processes. That helped us out immensely when it came time for our first real 4-day camping trip over Thanksgiving. ------------- P & M ... and Comet too! 2012 171 -- The Monkey Pod 2018 Ram 2500 |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 10:51am
If we had the option we would not have purchased the TV/radio.DVD. It is not important to us while camping, and we rarely have used it. It is unfortunate that it doesn't run off of DC for those who do wish to watch TV. Seems short sighted to me. I think the Antenna is powered on DC, but I may be wrong on that. I think I have seen the light on when AC is unplugged. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: gnawbone
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 12:54pm
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We also would not have purchased the combo. It's a head knocker to say the least. How to remove it? Does it leave a hole? we just got a 177 and haven't done anything with it except sit in it and dream about springtime. Our first outing likely will be at Promised Land State Park. Can hardly wait. Best wishes... ------------- 2017 Toyota Sienna 2016 R-180 "the Wee Pod" |
Posted By: dsmiths
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 7:36pm
I have heard a lot of people complaining about the audiovox t.v./dvd/cd player, our 172 has an amplified antenna,it has fair reception. we dont use the t.v. much. morning try to catch the weather. nightime before bed either silly stuff, two and a half men, big bang theory (Donna calls it brainless humour) I watch dvd of andy griffith or sometimes nature specials on dvd's. generally we get the bobble head after about 1/2 hour and are asleep. I may have gotten a good audio vox unit as we have not had any problems with it, its not a 70 inch Toshiba, but we dont spend much time looking at the box anyway. I figure I can watch t.v. at home. While in the outdoors I plan to enjoy the fresh air and sounds of the woods. Fresh air until that old skunk comes around begging for some food. PEEEE EEEWWW go away skunk  ------------- Dane and Donna Smith 2011 RP-172 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 lift kit prodigy wireless brake controller |
Posted By: PBFM1967
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2013 at 10:05pm
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Good stuff, I have a five year old so while camping if it rains it will occupy if board games don't. We have spend the night at a fairly local state park the same night i brought it home. Now we are trying to schedule a two nighter between work and gigs. Next will be the conquering of the R-Dome. Reading other post I have files the sharp edge from the R-Dome track, verified no protruding screws and applied a small amount of silicone lube. I miss anything? We also went to Camping World (hour ride there) i was a kid in a candy store. Bought all hind of stuff, cant wait till the next trip.
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2013 at 9:54pm
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Sounds about right for prepping the dome.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: tango287
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2013 at 10:31pm
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Hi my wife and I are new, we have purchased a 178 and are waiting (impatiently) for delivery from the factory. We live in Harrison, Ohio about 20 miles west of Cincinnati. This will be our 5th camper we have owned. We have a cabin on a river in SE Indiana but when she retires in June we hope to do some Fall and Winter traveling with the R-Pod. I do have a question, has anyone pulled an R-Pod with a minivan? Hope to see some of you around the country! Tom & Rita
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 7:29pm
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Welcome. I pulled my pod with a 2003 Toyota Sienna for over a year. I pulled a popup for years before that which was heavier than a pod. A downside to minivans is the suspensions are soft for ride comfort, so in my opinion a weight distribution hitch like the E2 or Equalizer are a must. I tried airbags in the rear suspension for a while but it just doesn't cut it.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: tango287
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 8:46pm
Thanks, I did install a kit named Timbren SES (Suspension Enhancement System) which replaces the original bump stops with larger ones. For pulling my bass boat it did improve the situation by making the rear suspension a bit more stiff but does not affect the ride.  I guess we'll know when we take delivery of the R-Pod Thanks again! Tom
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Posted By: gnawbone
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 8:56pm
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Tango287, what are you towing with? We have a Toyota Sienna but haven't pulled our 177 anywhere yet. Haven't heard about the Timbren SES, but as Doug had stated, the Equalizer will probably be a good WDH to ice the cake, so to speak! Good luck, maybe we'll see you in FROG Rally in Goshen. ------------- 2017 Toyota Sienna 2016 R-180 "the Wee Pod" |
Posted By: tango287
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 9:07pm
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Hi my tow vehicle is a 2009 Kia Sedona. I have a weight distributing hitch from a former set-up. I think we will be fine I have pulled my pontoon boat with the van although not very far it did seem OK and felt OK. The pontoon boat is a 21' boat and with the trailer that adds another 4'. By the way when is this FROG rally? Where in Goshen, that is not far from us. Thanks, Tom & Rita
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Posted By: gnawbone
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 9:30pm
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FROG International Rally Elkhart County Fairground August 4-9, 2013. registration forms and info is not out yet. What is your Sedona rated to pull? Our Sienna is 3500# ------------- 2017 Toyota Sienna 2016 R-180 "the Wee Pod" |
Posted By: tango287
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 9:35pm
| Thanks for the FROG info we will certainly try to be there. Our Kia is the typical minivan, 3500#. I was just looking at the E2 and others. I think we will definitely get one. Our older WDH is from when we had a Ford Expedition and towing a 29' trailer that weighed about 6500#. That hitch by itself probably weighs 50#. |
Posted By: gnawbone
Date Posted: 17 Jan 2013 at 9:40pm
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I was considering the Andersen because of the weight factor, it only weighs 60#. I have an Equalizer for my big truck&trailer...really heavy duty and it works fine. I'd have to buy the smallest Equalizer for this rig. I'm not familiar with the E2. Price and weight are factors to consider. ------------- 2017 Toyota Sienna 2016 R-180 "the Wee Pod" |