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JayBee View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: ?s about 179 dinette ( and more)
    Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 12:32pm
 We are new to the forum and haven't purchased our pod yet.  We think the 179 is the model for us, but are a little put off by the shape of the dinette.  We would love to hear from people who think the dinette is great, but also those who think it could be improved.  We are particularly interested in how people deal with the backless Ottoman parts of the dinette. They look uncomfortable to us. Are they?  Are there any modifications that you folks have come up with to make that dinette more usable? 

 The second question is this: is there a better time to purchase a new trailer? We can wait if necessary.  We have heard that the big RV shows start in January. Does that mean that we can expect more or different features from Forest River?  Perhaps we can strike a better deal during the RV Expo season? 

 Last thing: we also like the design of the 178,  but have noted the lack of storage,  as have others.  Have you 178 owners come up with good solutions for this? Thanks in advance for your answers! 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 1:19pm
Good Afternoon JayBee an welcome to the forum! We have a 179 (picked it up in August) We love the 179 and love the dinette. Typically we'll have the table set up (for playing cards or whatnot) and sit on the bench with our feet up on the ottoman portion. If you're going to use the ottoman for a seat, it is a bit soft. Some on the forum have replaced the foam with more substantial foam.  
2017 179 "Big Sexy"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 1:26pm
Greetings,
We have a 179 that we have used and towed extensively the last two seasons (121 nights and about 20,000 mile at latest tally). You zeroed in on the 179's worst feature the dinette. We find the Ottoman's pretty much 
​useless​
 and the bench seat is just so so. We eat outside as much as possible but the dinette is useable
​ ​and you find ways to make it work. A search through past posts will turn up several modifications which might make the dinette more appealing to you.
Having said that we love the 179 and would not trade it for any other floor plan. The kitchen has plenty of storage and work space with a large window to look out of during prep or clean up. It is a great 2 person trailer, easy to tow and fits nicely into the small campsites you often find at the National Parks. 
Ron & Sharon
2015 R-Pod 179
2022 Nissan Frontier

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 1:39pm
Wanted to help you just on the 179 dinette question. For us, the big rear kitchen works best for my wife as she loves to cook. Also, no bodies (like mine) squeezing past her, (as you'd get with a traditional side "galley" kitchen along the hallway). Also there is an amazing amount of room for kitchen storage cubbies inherent in the 179.

The trade off is a few issues with the 179's center dinette's usefulness. We answered one of our contentions with one low-tech modification: I remounted the leg assembly on the dining table, offsetting the leg mounts toward one side. (I'm not the originator of this idea, I learned of this mod from another member... whose name I wish I had handy to insert here).

After this mod, you can more easily reposition the table perpendicular in the center dinette zone, and now, one portion of the table overhangs (more than before) over the long center back padding of the dinette.

This is more convenient for a couple having beverages/snacks, or playing cards, or sitting opposite each other, as you are looking across the table the narrow way. A few more inches of one end of the table can now overhang back center bench (now that leg mounts are offset the other way).

We now prefer having a full meal with the table set perpendicularly (as opposed to lengthwise). However, if YOU DO want to position the table crosswise, that's OK too. After the mod with the legs shifted one way, it's easier to get in and slide around past the table leg obstructions, since they are slightly shifted to one side underneath. Just enter the dinette past the table on the more open side. 

The table itself is very heavy, rigid and strong, so there are no negatives to the legset being remounted in an offset position of 4 to 7 inches (your choice). And best of all, the modification is completely reversible to the factory holes.

The converse benefit of the "table legs remount" mod, is that the opposite end (hallway side) of the table end, (when perpendicular) now does not stick out into the hallway as much, and thusly stays further out of range of the open swing of the bathroom door.

Finally, a mod #2 is coming: haven't done this one yet: The "end pads" that you sit on with the 179 dinette feel like sitting on squishy marshmallows to us. Neither of us are big people, but we'd be happier with higher-density foam stuffed into those two end-pads. I have yet to put better foam into those two "butt pods" on the ends, but that is planned for 2017. 

( Incidentally, we did add a sheet of thin high density foam under the back bench pad of the 179 dinette. ) And, I've noticed some podders getting quite creative revamping ALL the seating material in the dinette portion, ....including purging the factory table, and coming up with their own unique table.

Anyway, once both mods are done, we will be happy still with the 179 dinette.

Yet, I completely understand why others choose the 180 or 178, however. But since I benefit greatly from the "Rachael Ray" aspects of my wife's skill set, we knew the 179 was best for us. Hope this helps in some small way. Whatever your model choice (which also affects the size of your bathroom), best wishes on scoring the most perfect model for you. And whatever the issue may be, "there's (almost) always a mod for that." There are some really smart pod-modders in our community.

B & L
WonderPod, the ('17) 179 HRE
towed by "BG"
Western NC

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 3:00pm
Welcome to the group! We have a 179 and love it! There is just the two of us, so we do not use it as a bed. We don't mind the two benches, use them now and then, can be fairly comfortable.
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
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2010 Rpod 171
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 3:33pm
We love the space of the dinette, but we didn't care for the lack of comfort when using it. As a result, we made a couple of mods.

1. We bought a futon at IKEA and put it in place of the cushions. It provides much better back support when sitting and converts to a bed quickly.

2. We still wanted a table, but wanted one we could get out of the way when we wanted. The factory table didn't fit that criteria, so we bought a 20"x40" folding table from Walmart. It folds up compactly enough that it will go in the gap between the bed and the slide on the left side of the 179. We just have to make sure it's not there when we close the slide.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 4:49pm
In our 179 I removed the right side ottoman; only 2 screws holding it in place. This added a lot of usable floor space. The left ottoman has wiring & some plumbing in the bottom & can not be removed. So I made a wood floor over the wiring & plumbing. This left enough room to store all of my dogs stuff .... food, treats, leash, poop bags, etc. I have  heard of others who keep their shoes in this space.

We found the table that came with the 179 to be heavy & useless for us. So we got a light weight folding table from Walmart. When we are not using the table it is folder up & out of the way. 

These two simple changes give us much more usable floor space & the Pod does not look crowded.  
Rob & Becky
2014 Ford Explorer 3.5 SOHC V6
2015 R-179 Pod aka Piddle Pod

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain!!"
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 6:20pm
The ottoman seats were way to soft to sit on, we had an upholsterer re place the foam with some very high density foam cost me about 95 bucks but it was money well spent they do not hardly go down at all.We also bought a smaller table on amazon that is very light and we can take outside if we want.
Mike and Cherie
Michigan
2015 R179 2016 silverado
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 6:46pm
Welcome. Like many here were love our 179 but found the table too big and too heavy to be of much use. The replacement comes from Homesense and is much lighter and is constructed in such away that it essentially does the same as moving the legs on the factory supplied table. The only time I sit on the ottoman is to tie my shoes....other than that it is a footstool when sitting on the bench.
Bob&Margaret
2017 179
2016 Toyota 4Runner
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2016 at 7:17pm
Ditto for all of the above!! I like sitting on the couch with my feet up on the ottomans. Comfy! Yes, the foam is soft in the ottomans so we will be replacing it with a firmer foam. We are toying with eliminating the table too and using something smaller and easy to store when not in use. The trailer feels so much roomier without the POD table.
Diane and Michael
2016 179 "PIP" (PODDING IN PARADISE)
2007 Toyota Tundra
BLOG:Podding in Paradise,
birderdiane526.blogspot.com
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