Welcome, Ian & Fly. My DW (Dear Wife or dish washer depending on how brave you are) prefers a rear kitchen so it is out of the way and when cooking the bed doesn't get splashed on. After having a wet bath and crossways bed, she wanted a change so we moved from a 179 HRE to a 195 HRE.  I liked the size of the 179 for towing and the bed was ok when by myself (I'm longer than the TT [trailer] is wide so needed some of DW's space). We have solar on the roof of the 195 and like that it keeps the battery up when not on shore power as long as we are not using too much power. Have fun!

Hello,

I am new to this forum, currently I want to buy a R-pod I had not yet made my choice that's why I decided to join, 

Jamie

Congratulations on purchasing the best r-pod floor plan, the 177 IMHO!  We have owned our 177 since March 2011 and after 38,000+ miles have enjoyed it thoroughly.  Just got home today after being gone the better part of three weeks.

On batteries, please make sure you have a voltmeter handy to read your voltages.  Fully charged a 12v or two 6v tied together will read 12.72v or better at 'rest.'  Do not take below 60% S.O.C. or 12.2v for maximum life.  My pair of 12v group size 24 Interstates (deep cycle) were made 12/2010 and 4/2011 and have been used a lot, we don't have solar or generator either but get a minimum of 3 days out of each battery when night temps are in the 40's with the furnace running a fair amount.

Our 177 empty weight is 2440 and fully loaded with gear and FW tank full we max out at 2940 lbs.  Tongue weight is critical, make sure you have 11% or more of your fully loaded 177 on the tongue, in our case that is 2940 x .11 = 323 lbs.  For me to arrive at that not only do I have the two batteries and two 20# propane tanks on the tongue but also added 3 used pickup rotors in the front stow area to get to 325 pounds on the tongue.  I tow with a simple $40 Curt anti-sway bar and have towed our 177 with the following: '94 F-150 (322,000 miles), '08 Explorer, '11 F-150, '13 Explorer, and currently a '17 F-150 with ecoboost.  In a pinch or short run we still use the '13 Explorer to tow.

Questions, please ask away!  This is your 24/7 owners manual.  We have greatly benefited from others sound advice and wisdom over the years as our questions have been answered.  Again, welcome aboard!

Use a good, biological agent in your black tank. Such ones as TankTech's Rx or Unique Products RV Digest-It are good as is Eco Strong RV Holding Tank Treatment. I purchased the Citrus scented. Mainly I purchased it to get the metering bottle, planning to refill it with one of the two I mentioned, but it also seems to be working well. It is much easier to use than trying to measure out by the cap while keeping the product off one's hands and avoiding spilling.

Also, if this is your first time with holding tanks, the key is that you don't need to use a lot of water to flush #1, but you do need plenty of water to flush #2. Fill the bowl at least half-way and lay some paper across the top of the water, then do #2. Add more water and flush. The water keeps the solids from building up as you use the tank. Don't empty until the tank is about 2/3 full so there will be lots of water to help move the contents down the waste line. If you are at a site with full hookups, you can have the grey water valve connected and open, but don't do that with the black tank to avoid the "pyramid of poo." You don't want to have to deal with that! When the tank is at least 2/3 full, you can dump and then add the treatment with some water to start again. If you allow some grey water to accumulate, you can use that to flush out the sewer hose before storing it away. 

Batteries: A lot depends on what you want to do. Do you go to campgrounds with shore power available? Then you don't need to worry about how much power you need. If you intend to camp without connections, then power is a consideration. You need a good deep-cycle battery. If you get a lead-acid one, flooded or sealed, don't discharge it below 50%. It will extend the life. If you get a flooded battery, check the fluid level often and add distilled water as needed. If it is sealed, you won't need to worry about this. If you need lots of power for extended trips, then consider dual 6V batteries (connected in series to provide 12V). The down side is weight. A pair of those will be about 120 or more pounds. The only way to get a lot of power without a lot of weight is to convert to LiFePO4, but then it requires a number of other changes. You can read about that in my mods. For casual use though, a Lead-Acid battery is more than adequate.

Solar: I have a Renogy 100W Solar Suitcase that I have used. With my new battery (200AH LiFePO4), I really need more solar capability. I have seen flexible panels mounted on the top and front of an RPod. I prefer the movable solar suitcase though. Even so, a lot depends on where and when you intend to use them. Solar panels work best when there is unobstructed sunlight. If they are shaded, it cuts or eliminates the power that is generated. You may wish to check out an inverter generator in addition to or instead of solar for those times solar is not a viable option.

The forum's search function is your friend. The Advanced Search is even better as it allows you to search posts older than the default six months. You will find that a lot of your questions have been asked and answered previously.

Regards,

Stephen