180 Mod Question

Hi!

I posted about six weeks or so back with some questions about a 180 before buying. I'm still hanging on the edge of the cliff, but am much closer to pulling the trigger. To really make this camper work for me, however, I need to make a mod. Since I have no easy access to a 180 to see if this is practical-- I'm several hours drive from the nearest that I know of-- I'm asking the opinion and advice of any owners here. I'd like to pull out the dinette and the little benches and replace them with a desk, maybe even one that folds to the wall when not in use. (As a semiprofessional writer, I need a reasonable and above all comfortable workspace to sit at for hours at a time. If I'm not comfortable, I can't concentrate. Since I'll be traveling alone 99% of the time, I don't need an extra bed or seating for two.) Ideally, I'd even like to use my current at-home recliner as the office chair. This is so important to me that my current #2 choice in a trailer is a toy hauler not because I need to haul any toys, but simply because I could at least choose my own furnishings and arrange them however I like. Even though I'd have to buy a larger TV and spend tons of $$'s, I'm still tempted just in order to be able to set up and define my own work area.

It looks like there's plenty enough room there for at least a small desk-- all I really need-- but... What about the floor itself? Is there floor covering installed under the benches? Are the walls stout enough to be bolted to? And, how are the benches mounted?

Any advice at all is appreciated!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you! Obviously, I never considered the door-size limitation... 

Lapine Rider,

Have you considered a different model than the 180? Just as example, the 178 has a forward dinette, that is storage under the benches, but empty area as far as any electronics or water, etc. There was a post on here several months back, where a podder had removed the front dinette and added two recliners and a center table. You could remove the dinette, add a desk area and still have space for one RV or apartment size recliner. I looked at the 180 floor plan, it looked doable but not as feasible as a forward dinette area would be, because you have the whole forward area to work with vice the middle or side of the RV.

Thanks muchly to both of you!

I'm sort of stuck on the 180 for its bath facilities-- I'm a pretty large guy, and until I discovered the 180 I'd reluctantly put the entire r-pod line aside as simply too cramped to be feasible. The fold-down table looks great-- it's pretty much exactly what I had in mind-- but with the 180 so far as I can see the existing dinette pretty much hasta come out in order to accomplish what I'm after. I've even considered just working outside, but what about when it rains or storms? Deadlines aren't optional.

So... Maybe I can come up with a way to make the dinette actually comfortable to sit in for five-six uninterrupted hours at a time while I work? I'll have to ponder the matter some more. In the meantime--

You guys have a great forum, and are a big part of why I'm considering the brand. If this product attracts people like you, it must be pretty excellent stuff. Thank you again!

Don't want to through a monkey wrench into your plans to purchase a 180.  We went with the 180 and will pick it up in the spring.  We decided on the 180 mostly due to the weight as we did not want to get a new TV.  However our backup choice may be better for you.  It is the IDEA 2.0 i18.  It is from a very small builder Travellitecampers.com.  I spoke with the manufacturer at an RV show.  It looks like an excellent product and well built.  It is 7 foot wide and does not have the slide out so about the same size inside as the 180.  Three advantages are that it is a walk around bed with drawers on each side.  The refrigerator is 6 cu feet with separate freezer better for full timing and for you the dry bath has the fan above the shower giving a taller person more head room.  Lastly it comes in a choice of 180 like dinette or 179 like jack knife sofa so you maybe able to order without anything or get one or the other and modify it to a desk.  I am sure they tile the entire bottom and then add the dinette or sofa It weights 3215 dry which was too much for us.  But I really liked it.  Of course they do not have a board like this which is a tremendous plus and we are certainly going to be happy with our 180.  But you should check out the IDEA i18