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Topic ClosedMy 2016 R-pod 179 Review

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ilovetraveltrailers View Drop Down
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Joined: 05 Apr 2021
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: My 2016 R-pod 179 Review
    Posted: 09 Apr 2021 at 12:39pm
Hello all. Long time lurker. We recently sold our R-pod 179 and while things are fresh in my brain I wanted to share some thoughts.

First he rpod 179 was our first travel trailer. We wanted to have a good first experience. We found a very lightly used rpod. We also looked at a satellite and the jayco version was also on the radar. I have some construction background, but nothing RV specific. From what I can tell all 3 of these trailers are about equal in the quality/longevity department. Ultimately we settled on the 179 because of the great layout and reasonable used/end of season price. We really had a good time towing this trailer around. Our smallish, body on frame SUV  got us where we needed safely and the torsion axle on the rpod is a nice to have. There is room for improvement, with the addition of shocks on the torsion axle. I would like to see this as an option.

The inside looks like many other modern trailers. The 179 has a great layout. The layout is by far the best part of this trailer.

The table is terrible. We ended up taking ours out and leaving it in the basement. It was heavy. It had to many sharp edges to catch a toe or shin.

The bed is in the right location but I feel that almost everything else about it is bad. The mattress was bad. The plywood is splintery and awful. Accessing any of the services is hard. I learned to winterize with air because pulling the new memory foam mattress out of there was hard and there is a high chance of damage to the trailer while wrestling it. The whole setup should be a platform with struts.

Most of the interior is paper covered plywood. It scratches off with a fingernail. I can imagine kids would really be hard on this camper.

The space under the stove top is a monumental waste of space.


What finally pushed the sale of our rpod was the exterior quality. I had 2 minor leaks. Leaks that a lesser owner may have missed. I think most campers are built the same, with the same materials so keep that in mind. I am calling the material quality on the rpod out because It is destined to fail. I hope to have several more decades of camping. The problem was I could not see the rpod making it 20 more years. Not without a roof over it's head. Every rpod is destined to leak, rot and fail. I would guess most will be gone in 25 years. I just can't afford to loose that kind of money.

We looked at aluminum and true fiberglass trailers. These are made to stand the test of time. We will be able to hand our trailer down in working order. For those considering a new rpod seriously go look at the fiberglass options. Prices are very comparable. If we ever do sell then we will get a very fine resell value.

If someone asked me if they should buy a new rpod I would not hesitate to say no. That would also be true of any forest river product, jayco, satellite ect.

If someone asked about a used rpod I would say maybe. We had a ton of fun in ours but only if it is in really good condition and they planned to move it along in the next 2-5 years.
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jato View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Apr 2021 at 2:13pm
Interesting analysis.

I cannot agree/disagree with your conclusions on your specific 179 experience however I would like to give a few notes I have taken with my 177 which was purchased January 2011.  For two of us it has been a tremendous trailer with very few complaints.  No leaks roof or otherwise so after 10 years according to your predictions I should get 10 or maybe 15 years more . . . we will see.  I have been impressed with the 177 in that it has been hauled over 34,000 miles over a lot of varied terrain from highway to offroad/backroad situations where top speed on those back roads may have been only 2-4 mph due to killer potholes or water that was 8 - 10 inches deep.  Even after those situations the 177 has remained dry inside.  The two Interstate 12v batteries (group size 24 deep cycle marine) were built 12/2010 and 3/2011 and still perform very well for our mainly boondocking camp style.  Thanks to wise podders here we have taken their advice for battery care leading to longevity like not drawing down under 60% S.O.C. or 12.2v before recharging.  Last fall our Dometic RM 8501 refer developed an ammonia leak which lead to its death so we did have a large expense ($ 1100 +) to replace.  However that has been our only big expense since owning it for now over 10 years.  Yes we have replaced tires due to aging out but again, that would be the same regardless of whether it is an R-Pod, an Airstream, or a Lance (cheapest to best hereLOL).  Winterizing is a breeze in the 177, just lift up the corner of the 8" mattress, reach down thru the access hole, turn 3 valves to winterize - about a 1 minute endeavor.  Drain HW tank - 2 minutes maybe.  Blow out with air - at 85 psi I go through all outlets twice in less than 2 minutes.  Finally 16 oz antifreeze total for traps and toilet.  Windows are doors have held up well, even with the abuse our grandkids like to put them through!  R-Dome has held up very well also after 10 years with only 1 rip encountered after a nasty 40+ mph windstorm came up and made a 6 inch rip in a seam.  Fortunately my wife, being an expert seamstress, was able to repair it. 

Actually I like our heavy table, good and stable.  Not like what we had previously in our popup that was flimsy, held up by a single pole that was jammed into a receiver in the floor. 

After the first year of ownership we did replace all the interior lights to L.E.D.'s and that was a big expense back in 2012 with each bulb costing $ 10.  BUT, they all continue to work - 9 years later.

Yes we did bend our rear stabilizers more than a few times on back roads in the Rockies so I the decision was made to spend $ 150 for a 3.5" riser kit which was quite simple to install.  2 floor jacks and some hand tools and about 1 hour of my time.  The larger job was replacing the single step to a double - necessary with the additional 3.5" of height and my wife just receiving an artificial knee. 

But that is really about it, just went through the exterior with a clay bar and finished it off with a coat of MeGuiar's ceramic wax - still looks like it is in showroom condition.  All decals still look like new as well.  All in all it has held up well for a 10 year old unit here in northern Michigan.
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'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."
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 9:09am
I certainly have to agree that the rpods don't have nearly the shell integrity of a two piece fiberglass trailer. But where do you buy a comparably sized fiberglass trailer for an rpod like price? The Casitas as an example start around $25k for a much smaller floorplan.

We find the storage space under the stove in our 179 very useful. Since it's in the rear we don't put heavy stuff there, using it mostly for paper goods and pots and pans.

I don't remove the memory foam mattress and don't find it difficult to winterize with antifreeze. Just prop the mattress up and reach in. Once you know where everything is it's pretty easy. Much easier than say getting at bolts to remove and replace parts on most of today's vehicles.

My only critique of the 179 layout is really the outside storage, which is pretty tight. It would be nice to have a full width pass through. Otherwise, it's a great floorplan for us.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2021 at 3:59pm
We have loved our 179 for about 3 years.  For us, the interior layout is the best  of the 20-25 trailers that we looked at in similar size/price range. The interior storage is more than we need, but somehow manage to fill. Like OG, we use the area under the stove for paper goods, dishwashing drying racks, cleaning supplies, etc. It is huge. It would be easy to add a door on the end of the cabinet for better access.  there is a gas line and electrical line in the way-moving them would be a pain.
Everybody complains about all of the RV stock mattresses. There are lots of alternatives that are comfortable.
We made one major improvement that OG mentioned as a negative.  As soon as we got the pod, I removed the mattress and all of the plywood platform.  by rearranging some electrical wiring , moving an interior partition and  relocating the water pump I was able to get a full width storage bay.  We keep the Rdome pushed all the way over to the driver side exterior wall.
When I replaced the plywood for the bed platform.  I put it in as 2 pieces with a horizontal(side to side) joint.  I cut the wood following the framing that supported it.  There is one piece along the front of the trailer that goes full width and is the same front to back size as the framing for the opening under the bed.I added horizontal supports as needed. . It is screwed to the framing below.  There is a second piece that covers the space over the heater, water heater, water pump and over the open area under the platform. this piece  is piano hinged at the common horizontal joint with the front full width piece. I made a prop stick that is the right height to hold up the front half of the plywood.  It is very sturdy and I can easily get to all of the mechanicals and valves.
We love our 179 and have traveled many miles and months together.
Safe travels
Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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ilovetraveltrailers View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 10:08am
I hope my post was not offensive. Most of my complaints are minor and easily tackled by an average DIYer.

MY biggest complaint is the quality and longevity of the trailer, extorior, rpods and any other forest river. This is a problem with the RV industry, and without going to far off the topic I think it is a shame. 

I talked to a man pulling a Casita. It looked brand new. When I asked he told me it was 21 years old. That is the kind of thing I want to put my money towards.

I know some of you are very diligent owners and you will keep these trailers on the road far longer than forest river expected. I think you and a lot of the people here are the exception though. Most trailer owners are not nearly as diligent.

Anyways I hope will can still be friends. I will still wave and tell you I like your rpod and I will tell you about mine and how much I liked it when I see you in camp.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 10:48am
For myself I wasn't offended at all, and agree with much of your post.

I like the Casitas but my wife felt they were too cramped. Nothing at all wrong with going in that direction if the floorplans work for you.

One thing to remember is that pretty much all travel trailers use the same appliances so while the structure and water resistance of the fiberglass TT's are better the appliance lifetime and reliability will be similar. The fridge is generally the most costly item, and it will need to be replaced roughly every 10 years or so.
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1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 12:26pm
Comparing a Casita to a Rpod is.. well.. useless. Cubic feet wise, a Casita the size of a 179 would cost around $40K. A Oliver in that size is almost $60k, and the "larger" Olly is $70k. And they are ALL cramped, sterile, and ugly.

Incredibly, vintage trailers, made, not as well as an Rpod, are still out there.. they, just like the Rpod, require maintenance and owner diligence.. just like everything else in the world. Let them sit, without checking on them, and in a couple of years, they may disintegrate.. but so will most houses. Water is, and always will be the enemy.

As an Airstream owner, I can assure, they can, and will leak.. again, the owner has to stay on top of it. Oh, and when they leak, often INSIDE the wall structure, the floor rots, and it's a mother to repair.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Apr 2021 at 4:04pm
+1 offgrid and furpod. Take care of your TV, TT and they will take care of you. And, if/when you have a question or a problem you can't easily come up with a solution for on your own, a lot of people have and are still coming here for help. I am sure I will have my turn when our new trailer is built/delivered and I can go over it.
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'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
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