Kitchen storage in 178
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Topic: Kitchen storage in 178
Posted By: Lena
Subject: Kitchen storage in 178
Date Posted: 21 Aug 2013 at 9:29pm
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I just joined the forum, but have had a 2010 152 for 2 yrs....bought it used from a neighbor and fell in love. Reminded me of the used Serro Scotty we had back in 1972, but the Pod has more amenities! We have taken 2 trips so far...last summer to the Canyons and just returned from "the Great North American Road Trip" from Wisconin to Alaska and back.
We are thinking of upsizing a bit as hubby is 6ft 2 and could use a little more room. Looked at the 178 and while we love the Queen bed and extra room with the bump out, I was really disappointed in the storage in the kitchen area. My smaller 152 has lots more storage that fits pots and pans and food supplies. Has anyone made mods to the 178 to improve kitchen storage? Seems there is ample storage under dinette, but that doesn't seem convenient for cooking utensils. Or food. Looks like the 177 has the same kitchen storage. I would love to hear from folks who have either made mods or have figured out how to make the existing cabs work. Thanks for any insights or ideas. PS. Made a typo on username and can't find how to change. |
Replies:
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 21 Aug 2013 at 10:08pm
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Welcome. Tell me what you want your name to be and I can change 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: Lena
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 7:50am
| Lena. I didn't realize I hit the r until too late. Thanks |
Posted By: TopJimmy5150
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:45am
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My wife has faced this challenge by keeping pots and pans to a minimum. Think about what you really need and eliminate anything extraneous. ------------- Jay 2014 R-Pod RP178 2015 Toyota Tundra SR5 Crewman 2008 Honda Odyssey |
Posted By: CaperPodder
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:54am
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I agree with TopJimmy. My wife eliminated anything we didn't need and all our pots and pans fit in the storage under the refridgerator in our 177. We use the cupboard above the sink and stove for our plates and glasses.
P.S. techntrek, could you add a second "d" to my name. It should be CaperPodder. ------------- Don, Mimi, & Nola the Goldendoodle 2013 RPod 177 (CachePod) 2013 F-150 4x4 |
Posted By: Lena
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 9:59am
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I thought I had done so. My plates, glasses, collapsible wine glasses, kitchen utensils and all silverware fit in the 2 little drawers under the sink. That would work in the 178. My concern is that the only cabinet appeared to have about 12 inches of useable space d/t the bumpout and there are 2 false cab fronts below which would be nice if there was accessible space behind...but doesn't appear to be. The shelf/cab across the top of the bumpout is very narrow and is questionable as to whether anything but condiments would fit. My entire cooking and eating supplies fit in a 24inch Rubbermaid tub over winter, so I think I was pretty minimal? Yes, the space under the frig could hold pots....I didn't like the idea of putting them directly on the floor and having only mesh to cover. Maybe this is because we traveled lots of miles on dusty roads on the kast trip? Would love to hear from a few more folks. Thanks for your replies.
I would love to hear from other |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:51pm
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Done. ------------- 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: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 8:52pm
Done ------------- 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: alan7170
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 10:07pm
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Lena, We have a 177, and I agree with you about the kitchen storage...not well thought out and minimizing what you carry only gets one so far. We camp almost exclusively off the grid, so I removed the microwave/convection oven and installed a pull out wire rack in that large cabinet space...made life much nicer for us. Now the pots and pans are off ground. I can store some dry goods on the same shelf, and keep the back up foods under the dinette. Of note, I also created additional storage in the drivers side of the dinette which is not there when delivered from the factory. Pics soon, if I can find them. Alan
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Posted By: alan7170
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 10:23pm
Two pictures of the rack. In the retracted position you can see I installed a velcro strap for retention of the rack when traveling.  |
Posted By: Lena
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2013 at 10:38pm
| Nice job on the mod. I'd love to see the under dinette seat mod. |
Posted By: Paige
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 10:06am
We use the cabinet below the sink to store our dishes, glasses, drainer and cutting boards.  ------------- Paige and Pete 2010 177 - RPug 2012 Rav (six cylinder) New York & Florida residents 
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Posted By: Paige
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 10:10am
We put up a wine glass rack and also hooks for our cups. ------------- Paige and Pete 2010 177 - RPug 2012 Rav (six cylinder) New York & Florida residents
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Posted By: Paige
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 10:11am
Then we put up a set of shelves near the sink to hold toothbrushes, soaps, etc.
 ------------- Paige and Pete 2010 177 - RPug 2012 Rav (six cylinder) New York & Florida residents
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Posted By: Lena
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 2:13pm
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Posted By: Lena
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 2:16pm
| Oops on above post...hit the wrong key. Meant to say very clever on mods. Thanks for sharing. |
Posted By: Paige
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 2:47pm
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The cup holder also has a shelf above where I put the spices...when we are not moving. ------------- Paige and Pete 2010 177 - RPug 2012 Rav (six cylinder) New York & Florida residents
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Posted By: Kokopod
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 6:08pm
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We use the cabinet above the sink for our plates (oval), cups, bowls, paper plates, etc. We feel it's amazing how much fits up there in a pretty orderly fashion. We use the two drawers for cutlery, cooking utensils, scissors, etc. We also put up a narrow wire basket (amazing what you can find at Bed, Bath and Beyond) on the right slide wall above the stove for spices and an under-cabinet paper towel holder. We put our coffee mugs and coffee/hot chocolate above the frig. We have a baby Kuerig Coffee Maker, so we put up Command Hooks so that we could bungee cord it in place on the counter when we're traveling. Under the fridge we put a canvas container where we put all of our extra T-paper, paper towels, canned goods, etc. We also have a larger canvas container where we put chips, granola bars, cereal/cracker boxes, etc. that we store under the kitchen table.
Our children purchased for us at REI the most wonderful set of pans (like a mess kit). The pans do not have handles, and they come in a nest. There is a large skillet, a large pan, a small pan, a set of 4 durable plastic plates, a set of 4 durable plastic mugs/cups. In one of the mugs is stored the removable handle for all of the pots and pans. It takes up so little space. We also moved the plumbing under the sink to make more room for an open area. Besides the mess kit, we keep two cutting boards, dish soap, a measuring cup, a square Pyrex pan with lid, an over-the-fire grilling pan (that has a rotating handle). Under the driver side bench, we moved all the electrical wires to one side so that half could be additional storage space there. We have a crock pot, a toaster, a small three-drawer container for fuses, batteries, junk. On the wall by the front door (where the wall to the bath is located), we have hung with 4 of the strongest Command Strip Hooks a hanging linen-colored shoe pouch that hangs almost from floor to ceiling (25 pouches). We put all kinds of things in those pouches like combs/brushes, sun screen, tape, note paper, flashlights, gloves (you could put kitchen stuff in there). We do have to take that off of the wall when we're traveling and lay it across the bed. We also put up a tension rod in the bedroom area across the width of the pod and hung a set of linen shelves that match the color and style of the shoe pouch (may seem silly, but aesthetics are important to us)where we put our dish drain mat (a real space-saver), our Kuerig cups (stored in Glad containers), lots of stuff. This we can leave up as long as we only put light-weight things in it. Under the queen bed we have two canvas containers that we have tied together at the grommets like a train. We pull it out from under the bed;and one of us uses the front one, and one of us uses the back one for clothes. Under the passenger side front bench storage we have two more canvas bags where we store clothes that we don't need all of the time and our extra shoes, manuals for the pod/appliances/etc. Our goal was to have a few mods but not to ruin the integrity of the original product. I think we've achieved that pretty well using what is already available to us in this wonderful little camper. P.S. Command Strips and Hooks are a MUST! Sorry this was so long. ------------- 2017 Jayco Melbourne 24k 2013 Premier 19FBPR Formerly-2013 R-pod 177HRE 2011 Dodge Durango Love a good road trip |
Posted By: Lena
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2013 at 7:01pm
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Wow! I am impressed. Sounds like very clever, well thought out use of storage without changing the features of the R- Pod. Great ideas. Thanks for sharing and I appreciate the detail and length of the post. Happy traveling.
Lynn |
Posted By: GA_RPOD_178
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2013 at 7:19am
While you are fixing things, would you please remove the 20 extra pounds from my waistline? -------------  [/URL]
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2013 at 12:01pm
Done ------------- 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: RPodWeGo
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2013 at 12:54pm
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Allan7170: love the rack! I too never plug in so micro is storage. In as much as I have not taken the leap of faith and done same, where did you get the rack? ------------- RPodWeGo RPod 177 04 v8 Toyota 4Runner |
Posted By: alan7170
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2013 at 6:34pm
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Rack is from Lowes...but Home Depot sells similar products as do many other kitchen supplies. they are standard sizes. Even bed, bath and beyond (pricey, though)... FYI, once you pull the microwave, the inside of the cabinet is already finished. So all you have to do is touch up in a couple places with stain, fill the 6 holes that secured the micro and the space looks nice. You will need to reinforce the underside of the cabinet bottom where you screw it down, but that is very simple. Mine was done from start to finish in an hour.
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Posted By: BigEyeDuck
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2013 at 6:48pm
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We are in the market for a new 178 replacing the pop up camper. Do dinnette benches provide any storage??? ------------- 2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo Crew Cab 2005 Fleetwood Utah CP In the marklet for a new 178 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2013 at 9:18pm
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Welcome. Yes, they do. The newer model years block off the entire bench where the converter is but it doesn't take much work to open half of it up for storage. The older model years came that way from the factory.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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