P-pod for dry camping?

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   I can't speak to all your mods, but the lift kit is a great idea. The tank drains are so low that tracks into areas like you picture will be hard on them. The stabilizer jacks will appreciate the lift also. Get under your Rpod and look at the wiring. Some on our 179 hung loose so needed zip tied up. Pick up your water when you get close to where you're going if you're going to keep this combination. And as offgrid says, go slow.

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Dirt Sifter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Dec 2018 Location: Right side OR Online Status: Offline Posts: 170	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dirt Sifter Report Post Quote Reply Topic: P-pod for dry camping? Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 8:09pm
	I can't speak to all your mods, but the lift kit is a great idea. The tank drains are so low that tracks into areas like you picture will be hard on them. The stabilizer jacks will appreciate the lift also. Get under your Rpod and look at the wiring. Some on our 179 hung loose so needed zip tied up. Pick up your water when you get close to where you're going if you're going to keep this combination. And as offgrid says, go slow.
	Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE '07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages 1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Post Options Post Reply Quote offgrid Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 7:33pm
	+1 on getting a higher rated tow vehicle. We only boon dock too and out trailer weighs in at about 3750 lbs and 500 on the tongue. Too much by far for a 3500 lb rated tow vehicle with a 350 hitch rating. We’re not traveling heavy either, water and batteries, both of which you will want, are really heavy. And the 3500 lb rating assumes there’s nothing in the tow vehicle, which is not realistic. Even with a 5000 lb rated TV we have to be careful what we take, but it’s doable. Bottom line, Get a lighter trailer or a heavier TV. One other point, rpods are lightly constructed and will not stand up well to lots of travel on rough roads. Axles and frames can and do get bent and things can get shaken to pieces. When we get on forest service roads we go really slowly, like walking speed slowly, through the rough spots, lift kit notwithstanding. And that’s after upgrading tires and wheels and reinforcing my axle. Again, doable but you have to be patient and careful. A more off road capable trailer the size of an rpod is going to cost and weigh a lot more, and you’ll Want an even heavier tow vehicle. There ain’t no free lunch unfortunately.,
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3223	Post Options Post Reply Quote jato Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 7:00pm
	Welcome to the forum Mark. What area of the west is your pic from? Very nice indeed or is that your 'private' boondock campsite? We normally boondock as well so when we 'special ordered' our 177 back in January 2011 it came without A/C, microwave/convection oven and without entertainment system and after 10 years and 36,000 + miles - no regrets. The factory installed a vent/skylight where the a/c would have been. We love it as it is so much brighter/lighter inside. Without the microwave/convection oven I was able to get 2 additional shelf areas for storage - a huge plus. We hardly ever watch tv at home, unless streaming something off a laptop or maybe an old series on dvd's like right now we are watching some "Mission Impossible' episodes from the mid 1960's - kind of fun. No info on the toilet although 2 years ago installed a hi-rise Thetford toilet that was about 4" taller than the one from the factory. My biggest concern would be your tow vehicle. Unless you only plan to go on relatively flat areas like in Michigan which I see if where we are both from, you will be sorely disappointed as well as potentially putting you in harms way. For 8 eight years our tow vehicles were '08 and '13 Ford Explorer's with 5000 and 5500 tow capacity. Even with that pulling a 177 (empty 2415, full with FW tank and extras 2850) there were times in the Rockies which is where we camp a lot, I wish I had more 'juice' under the hood. Yes, another mod we did a number of years ago was to add the 3.5" lift kit. Used a couple of floor jacks, hand tools and just under an hour of my labor - well worth it. Unless you plan to go 'bare bones' and not add anything to the 179 you have your eye on, IMHO I would suggest looking to upgrade to at least a vehicle that can tow a minimum of 5000 lbs. Am sure others will chime in and give their better wisdom than I have on this topic.
	God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

MarkW Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 25 Jan 2021 Location: Michigan Online Status: Offline Posts: 54	Post Options Post Reply Quote MarkW Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 30 Jan 2021 at 4:03pm
	Hi all, I'm new around here and hoping to be an R-pod owner soon. We've got a line on a used RP-179 that we're planning to look at this next week. We're particularly interested in boon-docking and primitive campgrounds -- I doubt we'll ever stay where we have an electric hookup (we really like it quiet and, as longtime tent campers, don't mind roughing it). We'll be towing with a vehicle having a 3500# tow limit and will probably want to use the pod at times when nighttime temps get down to freezing. Given all that some of the mods I've been contemplating are: removing the AC and replacing with a vent/skylight (to save 100lbs and bring in some more light) removing the microwave to save a bit more weight and create some more kitchen storage and possibly putting in a cassette toilet (which is what we've always had on our trailerable sailboat) I wonder if anybody done those kinds of mods or has other advice of a prospective pod boon-docker? Is a lift kit a good idea? TIA, Mark P.S. Here's the kind of thing we're hoping to do (if we could swap an Rpod into that scene in place of our Coleman tent, that would be just about perfect)