Potential R-Pod buyer

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   Other than price the drawback of the Bigfoot is weight, probably just the smallest ones would be Durango towable, and like the Casita, those are pretty small inside.
Gotcha vegasartist on the sailboat adventuring. I'm over it personally too, had a 32 ft mono before changing over to a multihull which I much preferred for cruising. No more "leaning" and shoal draft which is essential on the East Coast. CA, MD, and NC.  

I'm done with hurricanes. Left the Outer Banks because of those, I lost count at around 10. But I know several folks that enjoy the trek following the warm weather up and down the "Ditch" annually, avoiding hurricanes.  Very low key, only go offshore when they want to and the weather is perfect or just relaxed sailing on the bays and sounds. Nice and warm, not like cruising on the West Coast with that cccold water. 

I suggested it because you sound like you prefer truly warm winter weather, and that is not easy to access via road while staying in the US. You have S. Fl and possibly S. TX if that's warm enough. Too bad you can't drive to HI....

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offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Topic: Potential R-Pod buyer Posted: 22 May 2020 at 5:04am
	Other than price the drawback of the Bigfoot is weight, probably just the smallest ones would be Durango towable, and like the Casita, those are pretty small inside. Gotcha vegasartist on the sailboat adventuring. I'm over it personally too, had a 32 ft mono before changing over to a multihull which I much preferred for cruising. No more "leaning" and shoal draft which is essential on the East Coast. CA, MD, and NC. I'm done with hurricanes. Left the Outer Banks because of those, I lost count at around 10. But I know several folks that enjoy the trek following the warm weather up and down the "Ditch" annually, avoiding hurricanes. Very low key, only go offshore when they want to and the weather is perfect or just relaxed sailing on the bays and sounds. Nice and warm, not like cruising on the West Coast with that cccold water. I suggested it because you sound like you prefer truly warm winter weather, and that is not easy to access via road while staying in the US. You have S. Fl and possibly S. TX if that's warm enough. Too bad you can't drive to HI....
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

vegasartist Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 May 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11	Posted: 21 May 2020 at 5:45pm
	Thanks for the Bigfoot and Sonoma suggestions. More possibilities. Note to Offgrid...... Sailboats. Completed that adventure years ago. 4 sailboats. Hobie 16 catamaran in Seattle. Lots of Puget Sound sailing. In Southern California 3 boats. 30' Capri racer cruiser. Then a Swan 44' (441). https://www.google.com/searchq=swan+441oq=swan+441aqs=chrome..69i57j0l7.6727j0j4sourceid=silkie=utf-8 And finally Melges 24' an all out high tech racing boat capable of 20 knot + speeds off the wind Most of my sailing was racing. Some cruising. A week in the Channel Islands, Many days anchored off Catalina, A week long bareboat charter on a 44' sailboat in Tahiti. And many over night sailboat races. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones sailors learn to avoid. I have experienced 4 typhoons in the Philippines. Not on a boat thankfully. My investigation continues. Appreciate all the helpful tips. Michael

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Posted: 21 May 2020 at 8:57am
	The Sonoma that replaced our Pod has the insulation that Podwerkz mentioned and a heater duct to the insulated tank area. We spent 5 days in Las Vegas in it last Jan. and it was more than adequately insulated for the cold. It is another FR product and is priced about the same as the r-Pod. They are made in So. CA and are less expensive to buy on the west coast than trailers made in Indiana, the center of North American trailer manufacturing since transportation costs can be less.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288	Posted: 21 May 2020 at 8:49am
	One other brand you could consider is Bigfoot. I have seen one of those, and they are quite nice. They are quite pricey, but they are very well built, to include being 4 season capable.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 21 May 2020 at 5:33am
	If you are going to full time and follow the seasons to stay where it is warm then you can probably forgo the 4 season insulation requirements, but I agree that the build quality of rPods and similar mass market RV's is not up to the level needed for full time living. There aren't a lot of smaller TT's that are built for that, and the ones that are pricey, as podwerkz says. There are more quality choices in larger trailers and 5th wheels, most full timers go bigger, which you don't want or need. You might want to also consider a Casita or Escape, new or used, if you can find one. Re MX, I have travelled extensively as well, and hold the opposite opinion of Mexico (and its cuisine). As to government corruption, I can't think of anywhere warm you can reasonably drive to from Vegas that I would place high on my list for clean government these days. That is one drawback with RV living, you have to be able to get to your destination by road. If MX is off your list and you want somewhere substantially warmer than Vegas you're probably headed to south Florida at some point, and even that is not as warm in winter as you seem to prefer. If you like the nomadic lifestyle, don't mind small spaces, and truly want year round access to a warm humid climate, you might also consider sailing and joining the many liveaboards that transit up and down the ICW every year between FL and the Mid Altantic/Northeast. That gives you access to the Bahamas and points farther south depending on how adventurous you are. A nicely equipped sailboat in the mid 30 foot range can be had quite inexpensively. Unless you want to play russian roulette with hurricanes you pretty much have to head north for the summer and fall though.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

vegasartist Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 May 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11	Posted: 20 May 2020 at 6:41pm
	Lance already on my list. Will checkout Grand Design as well as others. Thanks. Regarding Baja.....not likely to happen. I have traveled all over the world. Many countries. Mexico my least favorite. And I detest Mexican food. Chips and guacamole ok. Nothing else. A pass on Mexico. I know people who live there and like it. Drugs, cartels, kidnappings and murder and a corrupt government. Not a good combination.

podwerkz Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966	Posted: 20 May 2020 at 6:19pm
	If they made a 3 or 4 season full-time capable r-pod with a solid floor, heated/enclosed holding tanks, proper axles, lots of inside and outside storage and a walk-on roof, that is the one I'd recommend for full time living...but then it would not really be an r-pod. It would cost more and be a lot heavier. I'd look at Grand Design or Lance or Tab or Scamp or something with a bit more full-time intent. r-pods are fine for a week or a month but I would not want to wear one out full-timing in it. Yes, they will cost more. Not a slam against r-pod....but you should choose the right rig for the use you have in mind.
	r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 20 May 2020 at 5:19pm
	Sounds like wintering in Baja might be in your future. Nice!
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

vegasartist Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 19 May 2020 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11	Posted: 20 May 2020 at 4:36pm
	Thanks Fred. I am not fixated on any brand. During my previous explorations into trailers I toured many trailers. Also Las Vegas has many trailer expos. Easy to check out a wide range of options. I do live an uncomplicated life. No permanent residence other than a PO Box. I have lived the other kind of life with lots of possessions and houses. Now a large storage area holds my necessities when I go overseas. My most important possessions now are an Instant Pot, Air Fryer, and a large computer system I built for creating digital art that I license worldwide. I still have a couple of easels, brushes and leftover paint. But the art market I deal in is almost exclusively digital. Good for me. Less space requirements and far less mess. Living in the cold no longer an option. Only warm weather. Cold for me is Las Vegas in December through February. Even that is too cold for me. Bangkok temperatures since my arrival have ranged from 92-100. Humidity high to oppressive. No problem. In LV I see ads by trailer owners who offer to move their trailer to a park and rent by the month. A good option for me as an experiment. Lots of possibilities. I can take my time. I appreciate the input from this forum. Michael

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Posted: 20 May 2020 at 9:41am
	Michael - Good luck with your return travel and your search for a suitable trailer. Some suggestions: Don't fixate on any particular brand of travel trailer. They are pretty fungible. The quality difference of one brand over another is generally not that much, even as you go up the price ladder. Forest River, the manufacturer of the r-Pod line, makes a broad range of relatively affordable travel trailers under various brand names many of which could meet your needs. It sounds like you are already living an uncomplicated life with little burden of material possessions. But, small camping trailers are not really designed for full time living. They always look bigger in the pictures and floor plan drawings. Look at them in person when you are trying to pick something to purchase so that you can get a real feel for what they are like. Best if you can rent one for a week or so to see how it feels. Also, if you are going to use it in very warm environs, you will probably be warm enough in a travel trailer in winter months, but if you are going to live in a colder area, make sure you check out whether the trailer is well enough insulated and the slide out won't leak cold air into the trailer or you will be spending an awful lot of money on propane with frequent trips to fill the tanks. Best wishes in your adventure.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost