New 171
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Introduce Yourself
Forum Discription: New Members - tell us about yourself and your r-pod
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6227
Printed Date: 11 Sep 2025 at 12:36am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: New 171
Posted By: Dreded
Subject: New 171
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 1:05pm
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Hello my name is Ryan I hale from langley bc canada (vancouver bc)
just bought a 2015.5 171 Hood river edition Ryan-Pod with ac, microwave(fully loaded) we also added In a cover, wheel chocks etc, 9x12 outdoor mat, 120watt solar panel, 2x6v absorbed glass Matt deep cycles (540ah), some camping chairs for 21,500 cdn + taxes I am picking it up on Friday and they will be doing a 2-3h walkaround is there anything specific I should check for or ask? I am quite familiar with towing and rvs etc but iv always had older ones without water heaters and showers (have had bathroom) The tow vehicle is a 1990 f250 diesel 7.3l won't even notice the trailer lol ------------- 2015.5 RPOD 171 |
Replies:
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 2:11pm
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Welcome!! My recommendation is check out everything, run the stove, fridge, a/c, heater, run the water , flush the toilet, run the shower , try all the lights. Turn on the tv, radio. Set uip the r-dome, make sure it all fits. Use the water pump, hot water heater etc ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2025 Ford Transit Camper van 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
Posted By: johnmaci
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 2:19pm
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Congrats on your purchase! Looks like you intend on lots of boondocking with those batteries and solar panel :) I hate campgrounds and stay off grid as much as possible. You'll get lots of recommendations, but here are a couple of things that made my life easier: 1. Change the faucet aerators. My kitchen had a 2.0 gl per minute, and the bathroom had a plastic cover with holes! Here is what we use to keep the water use down: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0034UMZA6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 2. Change the shower head to a low flow/high output such as the Oxygenics Body Spa: http://www.amazon.com/ETL-26781-White-Oxygenics-Shower/dp/B00F5MUB66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431540709&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+shower 3. As a matter of health, I always filter the water before adding it to my freshwater tank: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006IX87S/ref=pd_luc_rh_bxgy_01_01_t_img_lh?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I could go on and on, but you could go broke :) JD |
Posted By: Dreded
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 3:14pm
Yep we coulda done without the ac and microwave as we will literally never use them but our dealer only orders them that way and compared to other dealers without those options where still cheaper I doubt it will ever see a campground unless it's to avoid paying hotel cost for a wedding or something : ) Filtering water isn't a huge concern for me as we have extremely good water here in bc And my house water is actually artisan fed well water Which we have tested annually and is always cleaner than clean : ) I would have never thought of faucet aerators as helping water flow... whyou just not turn the tap all the way on?(I'm genuinely asking not being smart ass) and a low flow shower head is an excellent idea I'm surprised that's not what's in it : ) and feel free to go on and on about making water supply etc last longer lol... anyone know what the furnace fan draw is? Also would love to know what the draw of fridge pcb and anything else that is always on is... the 2015 have factory led lighting so no issues there I figure fridge and co2 detector etc shouldn't be more than a 2 amp draw so that gives us a few weeks of power... but and assuming the furnace is 12amp that gives us down to 4 nights or so...(hard to calculate lol) so I don't think I should have an issue power wise while using the solar panels as they should keep up ok even on clouds days ------------- 2015.5 RPOD 171 |
Posted By: johnmaci
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 8:13pm
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- No matter how many times I tell the Mrs to turn on, rinse, then turn off the water......she forgets. - Additionally, the higher pressure from the aerators actually helps rinse the same with a 1/4 of the water use. - Oh, and forget those factory supplied shower heads, they are horrible water wasters....... - We also don't use our toilet; We have a Luggable Loo with disposable bags. No wasted water or need to empty the black tank. Your grey tank can be emptied anywhere! - The furnace fan will be your biggest ac hog, but your panels should be able to recoup the power used in a few hours.... I have a 100W Renology Portable and it works wonders! I purchased a 3kw portable generator and have never used it. |
Posted By: Jpntime
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 9:23pm
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Check to see that the things mounted to the walls are secure because a lot of the screws and ours were just were screwed into nothing and did nothing and came right out and look at the molding around the bottom of the Front of the trailer where itcomes into the bottom of the trailer mine was coming loose because they screwed it into nothing and the angle iron that hold the water tanks underneath that they go from frame rail the frame rail mine didn't about a quarter inch gap between the end of them and only one self tapping screw on each side had to fix that myself wasn't worth taking him they would've fallen out in a short amount of time with water in them and check the water lines that they're tight not leaking we had many of them leaking faucet fell off water leaks underneath the sink just because they left them loose even the The air conditioner vent came loose and fell down because one of the bolts in the air conditioner was broke and it was moving around on top so check everything thoroughly But I can say I love the trailer I think I got everything fixed ------------- Love to camp 2014 171 |
Posted By: ChinookPod
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 10:01pm
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Hello from a former Maple Ridger with a 171. Make them show you the water heater and the other mechanicals, and turn them on. Read and copy and print some or all of the Rpod Owner's Manual (find the link under Techntrek's signature. Prepare your own set up/take down list. Camp in the driveway or somewhere close and try it out. Take time to learn the basic principles of each system (eg. have water in the HW tank before turning on the heater, valve positions for water supply to HWheater, etc.). Take a big sheet of paper to make notes, and go have fun! This forum is a fantastic resource. ------------- 2014 RP171 HRE 2010 F150 |
Posted By: Dreded
Date Posted: 14 May 2015 at 12:10am
wow sounds like you had some interesting issues... I would kinda expect 1 of those but not all of them. The angle iron issue is rediculous most people would never notice that until its to late... what did you do to fix it? did you have to get a whole length of angle and drill bolt holes?
------------- 2015.5 RPOD 171 |
Posted By: Jpntime
Date Posted: 14 May 2015 at 9:23pm
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I mounted and L bracket to the bottom of the frame screwing it in . the other side I welded to the angle iron it comes from frame rail to frame rail Plus added to self tapping screw every mounting point on the original brackets they only put one in . it should hold now I hope ------------- Love to camp 2014 171 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 15 May 2015 at 2:53pm
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Dreded, you may want to remove the microwave to get more storage space since you'll mostly boondock. Without solar, and with nothing else used, the fridge brains + LPG detector will drain the battery to the damage point in less than 2 weeks. As mentioned, the furnace is the biggest DC + LPG hog, and it is very loud too. You'll only get 2 nights on battery using the furnace, even less if it is very cold out (again, w/o solar). Many boondockers use catalytic heaters since they don't use any electric and are completely quiet. Olympian Wave and Mr. Heater are 2 options. Always make sure you camp with a window and the roof vent open a little, otherwise condensation will be a problem (you are ok if the A/C is running, but since you won't be using it...). ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: Luv2Q
Date Posted: 15 May 2015 at 6:05pm
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Lots of good suggestions above and, since you boondock so much, this may not help much: At the dealership, ask them to hook up to "city" water (with a pressure regulator, of course). If you can, leave it hooked up for a couple of hours. We found a small but unpleasant leak that way. Congrats on the new rig! Hope you get years of enjoyment out of it. ------------- John & Teri Tundra 5.7L V8 / RP 180 E2 WDH / Integrated controller (POS) replaced by Tekonsha P3 |
Posted By: Dreded
Date Posted: 19 May 2015 at 3:35pm
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Well thanks everyone for the tips... hooking up city water for a bit is a great idea... we don't want to find a leak down the road when we actually need it.
We picked it up Friday morning without incidence I tested everything before leaving the dealer lot and headed straight to 4 days of camping... it handled great down the wash board laden logging road we drove down for 40km... for my truck without water I barely noticed the trailer but apperently the 500 lbs of water put it over that magic number where I then noticed the weight a bit. But with that said this truck can barely pull itself empty up some of the mountain roads around here At the speed limit... and I managed to pass an empty mini van so wasnt doing to bad lol So far I havnt found anything loose or missing but will be pulling off all the service panels this week to do a thorough check of all pipes etc I'm a big guy and was surprised I fit the shower decently enough, and another nice thing was that the rdome works as a great atv garage for one atv to keep it out of sight of hooligans over night. myself and chandra(fiancé) loved it and even though it's roughly the same use able space as a slide in camper it was much nicer to sleep in etc Loved not having to jump off the bed. And there is lots more storage space than a camper. ------------- 2015.5 RPOD 171 |
Posted By: Leo B
Date Posted: 19 May 2015 at 4:56pm
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Congrats on your 171!! ------------- Leo & Melissa Bachand 2025 Ford Transit Camper van 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |