About a hundred miles into the trip I realized it was rubbing on the door lock and making a mark. I then thought...the door has a dead bolt and a lock. The only way it was protecting the door from coming open was in a rollover, in which case it really wouldn't matter any way.

Silly idea. Just lock the door and drive on.

fred

Okay, I see at least 3 Rpod owners can open their doors from the inside with the hand rail closed across the door.  The hand rail on our 2019 180 locks in place.  You have to lift it up to rotate it from any position.  There is no way to open the door without breaking the hand rail if it is across the door.  You would have to kick it hard enough to rip the rail attachment brackets off the side of the trailer.

Any modification made to make the locking mechanism loose enough to force open with out raising it up first would ruin it.  I think there must be a different design hand rail on those that can be forced open.  Not trying to be a contrarian.

...and take solace in the fact that our bank account is still relatively in tact.

Please have fun!

fred

Okay.

1. I have not experienced this. I agree that it should have been better mounted. lining the paneling with some cleat stock into which the screws could get a grip would be good.

2. That one is strange. I have a 179 and have been over some very rough roads and even had an accident which required my 179 to go to the factory for repair. The TV has stayed in place, even when I forgot to fasten the strap. Unless the mounting bracket was changed, it should have four screws holding it to the wall with all of them going not just into paneling, but into studs or other stock behind the paneling.

3. Yes, phantom draws are unavoidable. About the only thing one can do is to make sure the antenna booster is turned off. One can't disconnect the CO/LP detector. The refrigerator circuitry, the AC/furnace thermostat circuitry, USB outlets (if installed), etc are draws, but they are minimal. Check my mods (link in signature) to see the battery cut-off switch I installed. It was easy and avoids problems. I keep mine plugged in when it is at home so the converter will maintain my dual 6V batteries (wired in series to provide 12V). The switch is for when I take it somewhere for service where I know it won't be plugged in. As for the manual, it is indeed lacking. I think the same manual is used for multiple models, some of which might have a cut-off switch. The R-Pod doesn't unless the newer models have added one.

5. Agreed. High density foam or a thick layer of high-density foam topped by a thin layer of standard density foam would work much better.

6. Common. Dealer prep could have caught this, but dealers don't open things and check.

7. Not unusual. Easy to fix.

8. It can happen when one is causing the equivalent of an earthquake every time the 'Pod is moved unless the roads are smooth as glass (never has happened with me).

9. Light weight construction is for weight savings. However, I agree that a little more care or pre-drilling holes would prevent the splitting. I can add staples sticking out to that as well, particularly in the under-bed area as seen through the outside storage hatch. I nipped those off so I could slide things in and out without them being caught on the staples.

10. As do all of us. Check out the online manual here. It is much more complete.

11. Don't blame Forest River for those. Blame the appliance manufacturer. You can go online and find more details.

12. Not an issue. It does not prevent one from opening the door. If that does not seem to be possible, taking a file and rounding the edge of the bracket next to the door slightly will make it even easier to open if someone swings it closed while someone is inside.

Some of these issues would be common to all small camping trailers. You don't get an Airstream for the price point we pay for the R-Pods. If you want Airstream quality, be prepared to pay Airstream prices. It is good that you are doing much of the care yourself. I do so also since my dealer is also distant from me. My warranty is expired anyway, so doing things myself is a way to save money and get things done in a timely manner.

Beside the things above there are two things you should check:

1. Check the supports for the fresh, gray, and black water tank to make sure the brackets are tight up against the frame and that there are no threads showing between the brackets and the frame. This will make sure you don't experience the loss of a tank. Even after the dealer tightened up mine, I did not like it so I installed one stainless steel bolt with SS washers and lock nuts in each bracket. I was told the screws are "industry standard." That is not an excuse to keep using something that can fail.

2. Check the supports for the gray and black water tank drains. The factory mounting is inadequate. Rough roads can cause even lock nuts to vibrate loose and come off. Twice I have had the support for the black tank fail. When my R-Pod went to the factory for repair, they added a second support of the same type. It did not help as both of those failed on our trip this spring. It won't happen a third time because I have decided to make my own support. I got to test it on our most recent trip, some of which included rough roads that contributed to the previous failures. No problems with my new supports. I submitted pictures and descriptions of that to the R-Pod factory to see if their engineers can redesign the supports to prevent this from happening to others. I am not the only one to whom this has happened.

Last, enjoy your R-Pod. They are lightweight and easy to tow which makes them great for traveling and seeing large parts of the USA. I think I am approaching about 30,000 miles with ours by now. One of these days, I will have to figure out just how many miles we have been with it.

1. Heavy converter/charge/power unit mounted to light gauge paneling fell out. Yes I did drive on gravel roads but VERY slowly and with care. I keep care of my vehicles and don't abuse them. Solution is to mount this unit with better bracing.

2. Same thing with TV mounting. Also TV position made it very difficult to remove mattress for access to pump and plumbing. Solution - Removed TV.

3. I have calculated battery draw to .5 Amps per hour with nothing turned on. I assume this is for LED's and system sensors (low battery/LP?). 

4. Low battery/LP alarm is not documented anywhere in my manual that I can find. Alarm is loud and cannot be identified or switched off. Solution: Monitor battery condition closely. Plug camper into tow vehicle and run engine and wait for charge to return sufficient to silence alarm or disconnect battery. Always disconnect battery cables when camper will not be used for awhile to avoid excessive draw down. How long I really don't know. A battery cut off switch would be nice. The manual says it has one, Page 51. I can't find it. Troubleshooting this problem is difficult in the middle of the night.

5. Foam filling in seat cushions is poor. I'm not a big person or particularly heavy but not skinny either. Still, I find the foam compressing completely. Solution: Better quality foam. 

6. Construction debris not cleaned up - sawdust, extra screws & such.

7. Mis-aligned drawer catch.

8. Trim pieces falling off

9. Light gauge cabinet construction bracing splitting at screw points particularly where screws are not straight.

10. In my opinion the manual is insufficient.

11. In my opinion appliance manuals are insufficient

12. The handle next to the door is helpful to steady yourself while entering the trailer. It swings to a closed position over the door while traveling. How would you possibly exit the trailer if someone were to close this while you were inside?

These are the highlights. Incidentally I have and will continue to perform all care and maintenance items as specified in the manual. My dealer is a couple hundred miles away so it is not practical or economical for me to return there to accomplish these tasks. I take particular care to maintain seals to keep them in as good condition as possible and to avoid "abusive treatment" as specified on page 49 of the user manual. 

Great first post!!

OK.. how about a list of what issues you have had.. I am guessing you came here for help..

If it's just to rant, let us know, so we know not to bother trying to help.