So, currently we camp out of a pop-up, a 1997 Starcraft that I bought a couple years ago when my son was born. I wasn't sure I would like the camper life. We tent camped and camped out of the bed/camper shell of my truck before that. 

So, fast forward a couple years and the camper is starting to show its age and we have learned a few things. 

So we started looking at a few really nice off-road pop ups (mainly because they are built much better). And we stopped off at a dealer here that carried the r-pods. There was a 182g in the showroom and we instantly fell in love with the interior and the build quality, then we saw how little interior storage there was and that love fell off, then we saw the garage and fell back in love. 

We plan on having another little one at some point, so the bunks look super handy and we rarely sit inside the camper, so I don't see us converting the bed to a dinette unless the weather turns south. 

The other thing the camper is used for is my solo hunting and work trips. In that case, I would sleep in the bunk and leave the dinette up for use as a desk. 

We spend some time in state parks, but like to boondock too. 

Things I like about the r-pod are that it's geared toward people who spend most of their time outside the camper, I love the construction and the fiberglass, it seems like a camper that's going to be around a good long time. I also like the retro styling and the smaller size (we live on a small city lot and don't have a ton of extra space)

We pack pretty light, but there is really no room for clothing that I can find. For now, we can use the top bunk, but eventually of course, that won't work. What do you guys do? 

Also, the price is high, but so is the quality. Currently there is a 182g with AC of course here at the dealer and their initial price was $18k. So how much lower can I expect to get them? Or what should I insist they add?

Any other thoughts I should be thinking? Potential pitfalls I don't know about? 

Thanks! 

Shane

I actually don't think I knew there was storage under the bottom bunk. Is it the entire area? and is is connected or separate from the outside storage (where the spare is) 

Which brings up another question. Is there a way to relocate the spare to the front of the trailer instead of it being in the storage well? I know on the non-G models it's on the back of the camper of course. 

I think everything else will be fine. Dishes are minimal and there is plenty of room for them out back and in the kitchen. There is plenty of room for tool and hardware storage in the outdoor bins. It's just the clothes thing that made us scratch out heads. ha. 

Edit: Most of our wiggle room came from a 2014 new being liquidated in 2015. I do hear others speaking of $15800ish for a 2015.

The rear bottom bunk has storage for about 2/3rds the length of the bed and it does have access from the outside via the rear pass through. 

First mod we made was locating the spare tire to the hitch, which cost about $25 for the hardware to do it. 

We are still shaking ours down, we only have made use of about 40% of our space so far and we can still find ways to maximize that. To me that's be part of the fun so far when it's not on the road.

Nope, we don't really. Occasionally we bake some fish sticks for the kid, or make a roast, but those are things we won't cook camping. We are iron skillet kinda folks and try to cook everything in that one skillet when possible. Use a dutch oven too. And the gas grill will get a pretty good workout. 

We are big meat/vegetable folks, not much bread or sweets or baking in our life. ha! 

The microwave at home is used basically to melt cheese on chips occasionally. 

 

I had a look around and I can't find a used one any cheaper than the new ones. Certainly not a 182g which is the only floorplan we are really interested it. 

State farm is currently financing at 1.99%, we'll finance it, but we have a Miata that doesn't get driven much and needs to be sold. When we do that, the "entertainment" funds will roll over to the camper. 

Just remember it's not just a microwave, it's also a convection oven. Nice to have!

Anyhow, there's more storage in it than we first thought. So far it has not left the drive (I had to work this weekend) But we did spend a lot of time in there this weekend cleaning, reglueing trim pieces that fell off on the way to the house from the dealer (I will never understand how RV companies can get away with the quality assurance that they have) and sorting out the storage. 

The clothing situation was solved by paying attention to how we packed the underside areas and leaving the area under the lower bunk for nothing but clothes and the grill stand (I am working on another place for it too) 

Here's a photo of our first "camp" location. Fits right in huh? ha! It actually looks great next to the house and takes up less room than my pop up did. Being able to just walk out there and go inside is awesome. 

Things already on order are the manchester two tank LP kit. leveling blocks, water filter, eBags packing cubes, second battery. To follow shortly are the small "fly awning," a cover (suggestions?) and maybe some more baskets/hooks for the garage wall area. 

Thanks for your help, we love it and are headed out with it on Friday for a local destination somewhere.