I have a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4-door Rubicon, with factory tow package, includes electronic sway control, 4.1 rear axle,  rated 3500lb towing capacity. I have been considering A frame hard side trailers, such as the Rockwood A196HW. That is until I saw the R-Pods, much nicer creature comforts and floorplans! Not much more in price and less than Chalet / Aliner A frames which are $20k plus!!

I am partiial to the R-171 and R-177, concerned about weight and wind drag. Love my Rubicon and do not want to buy a trailer and find out towing it is a white knuckle experience. I have towed larger trailers with larger vehicles and am a very good driver IMHO. 

All of the above said, would appreciate any Jeep Wrangler owners to share their experiences with the R-Pod, towing and otherwise. I like the Hood River units with larger tires, ground clearance. Will use mine in the Southern CA deserts and mountains where it does get very windy. Also reading up on hitches, sway controls, was told weight distribution hitch not needed on these single axle trailers but sway control advised. I would think a brake controller would be a must.

Thanks in advance. 

Dan

All pods, no matter what the model, hit a wall above 50-55 mph.  They look aerodynamic but aren't any better than other campers at highway speeds.  Normally it isn't much of an issue, but it can be if you hit a strong headwind.

The pod is the most comfortable trailer I've ever towed, between the torsion axle and radial tires.  I had a popup which absolutely had to have sway control, so I was happy to tow my pod for a year or two w/o it.  Then one windy day I realized I should get it for safety.  I ended up getting a WDH which included sway control since I really needed weight distribution with my last TV.  With my current TV I don't need weight distribution - but it still acts as an extra suspension system, improving the ride quality a lot.  I still use my WDH for this reason.  If I didn't have the WDH I would get a bar-style sway control for safety.

Yes, a brake controller is required.  If you want to go easy (but not cheap), Tekonsha has a wireless system.  Cheaper but still top-rated is their Prodigy, which requires a wired installation under the dash.  Don't buy cheaper brake controllers, this is one area where you don't want to save $40.

I would second techntrek on the WDH and sway control.  Brake control is required.  I used a Tekonsha Prodigy on my Jeep and it worked great.  Was easy to install on the Jeep as well - wires were not hard to find.  Yours may be different because it is newer.  I have a Tekonsha Prodigy RF (wireless) on my Santa Fe, and that also works great.  You can't go wrong with either.

There are people here who tow with a JKU and are happy with it - there are people here who towed with a JKU and traded up to something bigger. I think it really depends on your travel plans and if you're willing to take it easy.  I can't speak for the newer JKUs because I haven't owned one, but I would have welcomed that extra horsepower in my 2011.  For me, trading it in wasn't as much of a choice based on towing ability, rather, on the comfort of the family on long trips.

Hope that helps!

Dan:

You shouldn't have any problem towing the R-Pod with your Ruby.  I assume it's the longer 4-door model?  I'm towing a 2015 179 with one of the new 2014 Jeep Cherokees with the V6.   Last month I towed it from the Cincinnati area to our home high in the Rocky Mountains. I towed it at 60-65 on the Interstate with absolutely no problems. On the second day of Interstate travel, my wife asked.."is it still back there?"  When we started into the mountains it pulled great and handled wonderfully.  I've towed much heavier trailers over the years using WDH and sway bars.  I was able to hook up the 179 before I bought it and discovered quickly I didn't need the WDH--only a sway bar.  The hitch weight is only 250 pounds and dropped the rear end of my Cherokee only about an inch.  On short trips through the mountains (we do a lot of dry camping), I don't even use the sway bar since we travel at lower speeds.  Hope this helps! BTW, I averaged 12MPG on the 1300 mile trip to the Rockies...a far sight better than the 6-8 I used to get with a Suburban pulling an 8K pound trailer.

Jan

Thanks to all who helped me do the research and make an informed decision! 

Just be cautious not to take too much off the hitch weight as you could introduce sway.