In the 182g I would be making the dinette up each night.  If I don't want to use the canvas ends on a particular day I can keep it closed up and I pretty much have the 182.  U-dinette converts to a bed and it is roughly the same length.  Obviously trading the bunks, garage and r-dome for wardrobe, pantry and really large bathroom.  If I open the bunk ends up I sort of have what I wanted with the r-dome, just inside instead.  If our teenage boys randomly join us, we have that second bunk to open up.

It just seems a little more versatile at the expense of a little heavier and wider.  It is sort of weird, the older I get the worse I sleep.  Strangely, when I have brought the tent along with my toy hauler I slept really well.  I think it sort of transports me back to childhood days.  I am looking forward to sleeping under canvas.  I know the general trend in RV ownership is to go bigger and bigger.  I really just want to be outside.  I think both the r-pod and the hybrid represented good options for me to go smaller and have assets related to outside living.  

It is sort of hard to go wrong.  Ultimately I would like to have a small r-pod for going further away...and I have no doubt I will eventually.

Last week we went to put money down on our longtime obsession...the 182g.  After years I was finally going to earn my r-pod owners forum stripes by actually owning one.  That is where the story goes off the rails.

The garage was either defective or not closed and there was obvious water damage to the light bar.  Fortunately they had more but none were optioned the way I had hoped.  No worries...I will order one.  The thing is I decided to do what many of you had suggested and we closed the door and spent an half hour inside it.  Honestly it was pretty great in every way....in every way EXCEPT the bathroom.  I could tell the wife was just really not liking the bathroom when we really tried to pretend actual usage.  Honestly, even though I still loved the unit I was sort of understanding there were some real tradeoffs.  

At the end of the day it is still the perfect camper for me but I do want to have the wife look forward to camping with me and sometimes our teenagers might stop by.  I started thinking about the things I really loved about it and it led me to go through a hybrid camper.  Long story short, with the hybrid closed up it was basically the r-pod without the r-dome...but the bathroom is fantastic and it gives a lot more versatility.  I am a tent guy and planned to sleep in the r-dome so the hybrid sort of represents the best of both worlds...luxury for the wife.....tenting for me.  

It has been really hard to let go of the r-pod.  I identify with the pod, I love this community, and it just really seems like me.  Someday I know I will own one, but I think that day is not this one.  I would love to stay as part of the community as I have so enjoyed it over the years in my multiple names.  I am willing to wear a scarlet letter of shame.

(podvader/green18 exits to a walk of shame)