R-pod Owners Forum : Maiden voyage in 2016 178

Author: Baypod
Subject: 7679
Posted: 01 Apr 2016 at 9:18pm

My wife, Nancy, and I recently purchased a new RPOD 178 at the winter RV Show here in Maryland. The dealer was Bay RV and we are very pleased with the transaction in every way. We are not new to camping or RVing. We owned a Jayco 1407 popup (the cadillac of popups) for many years and towed it all over the US, first with a Ford Ranger (4.0) and recently with a Toyota Tundra (4.7). I'm a backpacker and bike tourist, so I have spent some time sleeping on the ground. We miss the popup for all the obvious reasons, but we sure do like the POD, for all the obvious reasons. First thing I noted about the POD, compared to the PUP, is you can ... get in it without setting it up.

Secondly, there's a bathroom in the POD and although we never really thought we needed one in the PUP, it's sort of like growing up in the 1950's without a dishwasher and then moving into your own house in the 1970's with your very own dishwasher. Nope, it's not a necessity, but it sure is a nice luxury.

For our first voyage we headed south from our home in Annapolis, MD to Point Lookout State Park. We booked a site with full hookups because we wanted to see what that was like. Nice. We had the whole Tulip Loop to ourselves for three days. The weather was outstanding (high in the 60's) lows in the high 30's. We brought a small ceramic heater for warmth and it worked just fine. I cooked most of our meals outside in our trusty Weber smokey joe and Nancy used the kitchen for food prep and cleanup. We tested all systems, including my newly installed 12 V outlets, under cabinet lights, and our CAMCO Eaze Lift WD Hitch with friction sway bar. All the systems worked flawlessly, including water pump, hot water, heater, frig and microwave. We caught a small leak under the sink, which was caused by loose water lines. I simply tightened them.

We set up the RDOME and although we hit some snags, for a first-time set-up by husband and wife, I 'd give us a decent grade. The good news is Forest River fixed the problem with the track that secures the Dome to the POD. The older version was too tight and the Dome would get snagged on the screwheads inside the track. Well, the bad news is the purchasing guys at Forest River must have eyeballed the old track and said, "lets go one size up..." thereby increasing the inner diameter of the track by a quarter inch. As any one over the age of 50 knows, if there's a chance something can be off just enough to mess things up, it will be off by just that much. The track was too wide to hold the DOME rope inside the track. So, I improvised a little and used the collapsible aluminum spars (I'm a boater) to press the dome against the side of the POD. That worked fine and held the entire system in place for three days in winds exceeding 20 knots.

The fix is pretty easy. This weekend, I'll doctor up some vice grips with duct tape and crimp the track at 1 foot intervals, just a smidgeon, maybe a 16th of an inch which is all I need to hold the rope in the track. No need to take it back to the dealer.

This is one of the units with the new axle that eliminates the need for risers. As Forest River says, it raises the unit about 3 to 4 inches and places the fenders at a more aesthetically pleasing distance from the tires. I felt no need for risers in a edition to the new axles.

All in all, Nancy, the dogs (two rat terriers) and I had a grand time. The rig performed above my expectations. We are looking forward to many years of enjoyment with the new camper. Compliments to those who established this site and keep it running. It has provided much education and enjoyment.

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