New 2012 r-Pod 173

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   We bought a new 2012 r-Pod 173 last Thursday and took it for a late season outing at a local State Park this weekend. Apparently Forest River is not making the 173 model for 2013; but I thought it offered a fair amount of versatility for a non-slider model. Since my wife and I are not particularly large people, my intention is to use the sofa for a more-or-less full-time bed, and leave the dinette setup. I sawed off a 1x10" board to fit below the back of the sofa, where I stuffed a couple body pillows to fill the gap between the top of the sofa and the wall when it is pulled out to a bed position. That arrangement makes a sleep area just slightly smaller than a full size bed. It worked OK, but a foam cushion custom cut and upholstered would do a better job than the body pillows.
Our tow vehicle is a 2008 Trailblazer, and it towed the r-Pod almost effortlessly. I just sold a 21-foot KZ Sportsmen Frontier travel trailer that we had for 6 years. The Trailblazer was able to pull it; but it felt pretty well max'd out. I particularly like the fact that I don't need any mirror extenders to see to the rear while pulling the r-Pod. For this trip, the Trailblazer got about 14% better fuel economy that when it pulled the Frontier.

I drove to the campsite and setup alone before my wife joined me after work. Our r-Pod came with the r-Dome; so I set that up in spite of the generic and somewhat misleading instructions. It really wasn't bad to setup, and should be relatively easy from now on, unless the wind kicks up. With a wind, I probably would need some help. Also, the r-Dome requires a fairly sizable campsite. As long as there's room, I definitely like the size and versatility of the r-Dome. It's a great space for our two dogs in their crates, and makes a pleasant transition area from the pod to the ourdoors.

The appliances all worked as designed, and I think the r-Pod/r-Dome combo has an appealing look.

Overall, though, my wife and I were disappointed in the r-Pod. It has a profound lack of storage space; the toilet/shower stall is uncomfortably tight; and, for such a tiny pod, it was frustratingly hard to heat. It did a lousy job of retaining warm air, so the furnace had to kick on so often that our battery did not last for two nights. We have had 5 other campers. The 21-foot Frontier that I just sold had gobs of space, and it warmed up easily and stayed comfortable. The r-Pod was not noticeably warmer than the fold-down campers we've had. It seems to be very drafty, though I can't specifically determine where the cold air is coming from. The floor is particularly cold. 

I plan to do some surgery that could help the storage issue some. There is a large empty area under the sofa; but the only access is to lift the sofa into the mid-transition position. I think I will cut out a section in the middle of the base under the front of the sofa, and make sort of a drawer that can be slid out onto the linoleum floor. It looks like the drawer can be about 20"Wx40"Dx10"H, which could serve as a readily accessible lay-down closet, plus hold towels and such. Extra blankets and things we don't need so frequently could still be stored in the two remaining areas under the sofa on either side of the new drawer. Wish me luck with this idea. If we're ever going to enjoy this camper, we really need a solution for the lack of storage.

Hopefully our r-Pod (is that redundant?) will grow on us.  I already asked the dealer we bought it from about trading it back for a Gulfstream Visa 17 that I had overlooked on the lot; but I would take a $2500 hit in addition to the $3000 difference in the cost of the two campers. He explained that a used camper is a used camper. If so, we may as well wait at least until Spring and maybe get some real use out of it before we try a swap. I wish I hadn't seen the Visa, because it seems to be everything I really wanted; but it does have that wider profile that creates rearview challenges, it weighs about 500-600 pounds more, and it has a $3k higher price tag.

For now, I'm going to try to remember all the charming characteristics of the r-Pod that attracted me to it in the first place, and find ways to enjoy it.

Sam