181G v 182G

[SafariJim]

Hello,

This is my first post to this forum. My wife and I are seriously considering getting an RPOD. We both like the garage feature on the 181G and 182G units. But, what we can't seem to agree on is the sleeping arrangement. My wife really wants the 181G with the full queen bed, but I really don't like that there's basically no where to sit inside. I prefer the 182G with dinette that can become a bed, plus the bunk beds. I suspect that I'll use it a bit more during hunting trips, with my dogs and a friend or 2, so I like the bunk bed idea. I probably already know the answer to this, but those that have the 182G how does the dinette turned bed sleep? Those that have the 181G, how have you overcome the lack of interior seating? If we weren't so interested in the garage, we'd probably get the 178. Have seen a lot of positive comments from those that have the garage. Has anyone gone from an RPOD with the garage to one without, or vice versa, and regretted that decision? I realize this is a lot. Not trying to start any battles between units, just trying to get some opinions on why you chose or would choose one unit over another. Thanks for your time.

[donanddona]

If your wanting seating then a RPOD may not be for you. Lots of other choices out there.

[kymooses]

Hi SafariJim,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Rpods and the community that we have, us Podders are everywhere and we're always ready to discuss our units.

First some info on the G models. The 181g is the less popular of the 2 units usually just because of the fact that you mentioned, the lack of seating. It does come with the 2 barstools that sit up against the half moon little eating area but as for us we never used those.

We solve the issue of no true seating in the 181g, and this is what most all Podders do regardless of model, by sitting outside in our Rdomes. It truly doubles your living space.

Personally I find the 181g the very best of the Rpod Models that are out there. It is the most open floorplan there is, no tight corners no weird angles inside, just open space, which for us makes it feel larger inside than any other model. On a specifically rainy day we pile pillows up against the walls of the bed and make it a daybed of sorts and hang out that way.

We have a lot of friends who have the 182g and they absolutely love it. There are a lot of people in our Rpod club that truly love the bunk bed setup.

Regardless of either model you are getting the awesome garage area in both units, which honestly cannot be beat. You will not find a more useful area to Pod around in.

A few differences between the models that might be of interest. The 181g has the wardrobe/closet area which we find amazing. The only Pod aside from the new 179 with storage like that.

Concerning your garage area, the 181g sink in the back empties into the black tank, while on the 182g the sink in the back empties into the grey tank.

If you have any other questions, specifically feel free to give me a yell. I love talking Pods and personally know someone that could answer most any question about any model!

[sponge]

Funny you posted this...I am going through the exact same decision as I downsize. The 3 models you mentioned are the only 3 I am considering and my reasoning is exactly the same as yours. I will be curious to hear what you decide.

I think I am throwing out the 181g even though it was my favorite originally. I just do a lot of camping without the family and I think I would get more use out of a single bed with dinette arrangement than just the queen bed. I always use a memory foam topper so I am not all that worried about comfort in the dinette versus standard queen. At the end of the day the standard queen is still just an underwhelming mattress on plywood. Once I add the memory foam topper I am not sure I will be able to tell what is underneath. Plus, I like that the top bunk could become a huge storage shelf and replace the lack of cupboards.

I love everything about the 178...except no garage. I may yet end up with the 178 but I am really struggling to let go of the garage. Every time I camp and see RV's with an outdoor garage I kick myself for not having it.

[kymooses]

If I did not own and love the 181g, I would have a hard choice to make. The 178 being the same size as the 18xg models does afford you a bit more room than other models in the 17x series.

Now if you're not 100% familiar with the garage it is a great little area but it isn't as useful as it could be. There's a bit of wasted space back there in my opinion with the giant cooler thing they have back there, but others I know have used it successfully for certain things.

For 4 years now of camping though I've done every bit of our food prep and cooking there in the garage, either via the attachable grill or via whatever electric skillets or griddles I have back there. And it's great to have and nice hose and sink there to do your washing up with.

As of now if I had to buy new, I'd go with the 178.

Gimme a yell if any of you have any questions further about these or other model plans or features. Always happy to support our growing Pod community!

[sponge]

That is great feedback Mooses...thank you. I did notice you would go with the 178, which definitely feels like the logical choice...but you also said you do most of your cooking in the garage.

I plan to use the r-dome a lot because i am a lifelong tent camper and setting things up is one of my favorite parts of camping. I like the 178 having speakers that would feed into the r-dome as I listen to a lot of quiet radio.

I hear what you are saying on the "cooler". I can't see myself regularly having ice to fill it and I can't imagine ice stays frozen in there for long so I am guessing it just becomes a big storage bin in my situation. Still, I do think I would spend a lot of time back there and would enjoy the radio controls, watching the news and having an outdoor shower out of the box.

Right now where I am looking the 182g is 3 grand more than the 178 primarily because it comes with a lot more options. The 3 grand is probably pushing me to the 178...BUT THE GARAGE!

[kymooses]

Yes I do all of my cooking back there, and currently am on a complete garage remodel back there to make it even more friendly to my cooking needs. Gutted the entire thing and am starting from scratch with the help of another Podder here.

Let's see, also any new model Pod will have speakers in the Rdome area, those rolled out as a revision change late last year, so unless it's an older unit on a lot you should have speakers in your dome area. Although they are very very bad speakers. Most our owners are pulling them out this year and replacing them with others that they have bought online.

The garage is nice too because as you can watch tv, or movies, or just your radio from back there. The speakers in the garage are actually pretty nice ones, we love ours. But you cannot use your remote control back there to change the radio or operate the dvd if you were using it. There is an accessory cable you can buy that allows it though.

I hate to see that there is that much of a price difference on the models out your way. Here in the east most any model are all relatively the same price range, our 181g was only slightly more than a 177 at the time. But Western prices are a lot different and that's just they way it is. What dealer are you working with currently for your quotes?

[sponge]

I haven't gotten to quotes but the listed prices are 3k apart. The 182 has risers and I noticed the dometic thermostat vs a slide one in the 178. I will know more tomorrow when we road trip.

I thought the 182 only had spreakers in the garage, not by the entry door??? I did hear a lot of people say they were awful but I like the wiring being done for the sake of easy upgrades.

I am in iowa and looking at two dealerships. I also fear I hijacked the thread so apologies if I did!


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[kymooses]

Well we're discussing the models SafariJim was curious about so hopefully they will not mind.

As far as speakers, again the last production run of 2014 and all 2015 models should have speakers outside now, in the dome area. It was an additional feature for a while but would be standard now.

As far as the thermostats, also all of them should be the digital Dometic one. Any Pods that have the older slide button thermostat are an older model. A new Pod hasn't had the slide thermostat since the middle of the 2010 production runs.

Oh and Iowa, my bad, you're not out west at all. Prices might be a bit higher for you with some added freight charges but shouldn't be too bad.


Good luck on your road trip to check them out, again let me know any questions you have.

[SISUNOR]

We are a family of three, me, my wife and daughter, + two smaller dogs. We opted for the 182G. Our daughter loves her own sleeping quarter, which is the lower bunk bed. The upper one we use for clothing storage. I'm a tall guy, 6'5 and 280 pounds, but I sleep just fine in the queen bed. We also love the rear kitchen area, thus far we have only used the inside stove top a couple of times when the weather was bad. Also like the gas grill that came with the r-pod, makes the outside entertainment area just perfect. Another nice feature is the outside speakers, and that you can hook up that Jensen flat screen outside too. The perfect tail gating set up.

[SafariJim]

Kymooses, sponge, and sisunor. Thanks for all your comments. Good stuff. My wife and I have both been reading and talking about them. Has really helped. Leaning toward the 182G, but need to actually go to the dealer and "experience" them both.

Look forward to reading more dialog and comments from others.

[SafariJim]

SISUNOR. Just curious what you and your wife do to make the dinette/bed more comfortable? This is my wife's biggest concern. Addition of a memory foam pad or air mattress? Are there air mattresses that fit this space? Thanks again.

[SISUNOR]

We have been thinking about a memory foam mattress, might get one, cause the standard set up is marginal at best.

[kymooses]

Bit of memory foam, take very little, can change anything into a pretty comfy sleeping area. We've had a big sheet on our 181g bed for 4 years now and it's been perfect for us that way.

Also since you're going to get the chance to look inside some Pods, do just that, really spend some time in the models that you have available on the lot. Sit in them, imagine yourself stuck inside one during a long wet rainy trip, imagine where you'd be comfortable.

That's the more important thing I try to advise all of our new owners on, is to spend as much time as you can in them before picking your model. The right Pod for you will be the one where when you're sitting in the different areas or even laying in the bed you feel the most comfortable.

[sponge]

Where does the grill store? Do you generally rinse it out heavily with the outdoor hose?


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[SISUNOR]

We store it in the rear compartment in the storage bag it came in. Besides light cleaning in between each use, I do a more throughout cleaning when home, as needed.

[sponge]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I saw them for the first time in person. They are awesome! I wish I had gone this route before versus our toy hauler but I am sold.

Right now I am torn but leaning to the 182g. I loved the open feeling of the 178 and that window made a world of difference. Loved the interior in it. I see so much potential for the bunks and storing things and the garage is probably going to win the day.

I am kind of surprised they don't do a small fridge or electric cooling compartment as that would have been aces. Still, that big outdoor sink would be tough to give up after seeing it.

Now to see how bloody I will get trying to sell and downsize.


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