Our-Pod Mods

We haven't had a chance to name it just yet so apologies to any others with the same name...

Our 2010 R-Pod 152 arrived mid-December that we bought sight-unseen. We paid a bit less than $5500 and another sum to have it delivered. We have been lusting after a trailer for several years (since 2012) and have looked at many, but none met our needs quite as well.

We were VERY happy with the condition of the trailer. While not quite new, it was obviously well-taken care of. The only thing we have a complaint about are the decals on the front, but my understanding is that a little peeling is par for the course.

First mod: Removing the upper bunk and converting some of the space to a shelf. This was pretty straightforward as I essentially kept the shelf at the same height as the bunk. The point in doing this was to have a little more relaxing room. As part of this mod, I needed to replace the corner molding as the old piece cracked. I also needed a new piece to cover the edge of the shelf. Both of these pieces came from Home Depot and are really just vinyl-covered plastic but the color is an almost perfect match. This was a pretty simple process: Remove bed, cut to size, replace shelf, and attach trim. The reality was that even the bracing was the perfect size, so I really just had to make a couple of cuts.

Second mod: Tongue box. I picked up the smaller tongue box from Harbor Freight with the intention of being able to secure 2 batteries down the road. For now, the extra space will be used for wheel chocks and such. None of the holes lined up very well though so I did need to drill some holes and use some self-tapping screws to get it in place. While the position is perfect, the single LP tank is in the way, but there is plenty of space to move the position forward and add what is needed for a second bottle. This will be a future mod. It can't really be seen in the pictures, but I used the original straps that were holding down the plastic battery box as a hold down for the internal box. I doubled over the strap and heated up a large nail to poke a hole through the strap. I then used another screw and nut on each end of the straps with a fender washer to keep it from pulling out. I used the same buckle from the original strap.

Battery cut-off switch. This also came from Harbor Freight but did require some fabrication skills to get it looking right. I removed the black center cover to have access to the small hex nut holding the handle to the switch. I then used a 1” hole-saw to create an opening for the handle and then ¼” holes for the screws. I used a rubber gasket from Ace Hardware to keep things water tight. I secured everything with a couple of ¼” by 1” screws and washers. It’s a great fit and super helpful!

A couple of other inside mods: Naturally a paper-towel holder is helpful. This one we picked up from Wal-Mart and has a ratcheting feature that keeps the paper on the roll even when moving. A few command strip hooks for jackets and towels as well as another for a trash bag right next to the stove. We also found a command strip item that while designed for a broom, is perfect for securing a flashlight in a convenient location.

While not really modifications, so to speak, we also added a few necessities like a toolkit, water filter,  dump station items (clear elbow, hoses, poop-tubes), various water adapters (Y connector, 90 degree connector, pressure regulator) and all the stuff we usually carried while tent camping.

Future mods: Grills for the vents on the driver side, bed modification to better accommodate 2 people, possibly removing the DVD player/TV, storage options that may include raising the one remaining bed a bit. Some of these things will happen over the course over the next couple of months but many more will happen once we really get a chance to use the trailer.