Moving up in the world (of campers) R-Pod to Passport Elite

[CCC]

Hi,

We got our first TT in 2011 (a 2011 rPod 177) and LOVED it (see pic below). But we recently decided to get something bigger since we found ourselves enjoying camping so much. The rPod was just a bit too tight. DH was tired of crawling over me to get to the bathroom at night, I was tired of setting up/breaking down DS's sofa bed each morning and evening, DS was tired of having to constantly get out of the way as I cooked/cleaned/accessed storage, and we were all tired of the downsides of a wet bath (daily shower = wet feet each time you use the toilet).

We're currently trying to sell the rPod now on our own, but didn't let that stop us from going ahead and purchasing a Passport Elite 28BH. We pick it up tomorrow (assuming the PDI is fine) and head straight out for a shakedown night at our local Corp. of Engineers park.

It's more trailer than my DH initially wanted, and in fact he had to upgrade the tow vehicle to accommodate it. He's been joking to everyone that he just wanted to stand up out of bed, and he somehow ended up with a leather sofa! But I think it is *perfect* and will suit us for many, many years. DS is 11 years old and this is prime camping adventure time. Bring on the summer!

[GaryWT]

Welcome and congrats. It can get old quickly is things are too tight.

[Pawpod]

Welcome from a fellow past RPod owner. We had the 177 and like you we moved out in a year into a passport grand touring 28ft.

[CCC]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

Welcome and congrats. It can get old quickly is things are too tight.

Amen! We felt so blessed to have a trailer at all and there are so many great things about the rPod that it was a hard choice to move on. But the heart wants what the heart wants.

Originally Posted by Pawpod

Welcome from a fellow past RPod owner. We had the 177 and like you we moved out in a year into a passport grand touring 28ft.

Thanks! You know the saying about buying your second trailer first? We did that with the rPod, and had a great 1.5 years with it. It convinced us that we aren't just wanting to do this every so often, but as much as we can. Esp. now with DS the age he is. It's a memory-maker 5000! Your screenname is familiar...have you been on the rPod forums this year?

[zuley]

I hope you enjoy your Elite as much as we do ours. We have spent 5 nights so far in our 23RB and everything has worked out great. They are a great camper.

[CCC]

Back from our shakedown overnight trip (pic below). I was too excited to grab pics as we were unpacking and trying everything out, so this pic is from the dump station. (turns out DH took some pics w/his phone. just posted those on pg. 2)

We have two questions on our model: Passport 28BH.
1) Is the vent over the kitchen supposed to have a fan? The identical one in the bathroom does, but this one just has a knob to turn the vent cover up. No fan to actually move the air up and out.
2) The gray water tank is listed at 30 gallon capacity. But during the PDI, they said there were TWO greywater tanks. Since one tank filled up so fast, I'm assuming they are 15 and 15 and have an overflow when one gets full to fill to divert to the second one automatically. I asked the service guy during the PDI, but he had no idea.

[Pawpod]

Yes we were on both rpod forums and the forest river forum under the same name. My wife found the rpod too hard to get in and out of the bed and wet bath becouse of knee problems. Also being cooped up for 12 out of 14 days of bad weather made us realize it was too small for us. We got a great deal on old stock and a top trade in offer we took the leap. This summer will be our first trip with it. And yes we still have good memories with it, over 8000 km of memories

[Pawpod]

Our 2510rb has 2 vents also. Only the bath room has a fan, our dealer said that we could add a fan to the main room one later.

[CCC]

Pawpod, thanks for the info. on the fan. It surely wasn't a deal-breaker to not have a fan, but I'm thinking if I burn something in the kitchen, it would be a quick way to clear the air. Adding one did look like it would be a pretty simple thing to do.

One thing I noticed is that in the rPod, we made mods like crazy because everything had to do double-duty in such a small space. When I was looking at the Passport, I was sure I wanted to take off the M. Bedroom doors to "open up the space" but once inside, and compared to the rPod, it was plenty open. Felt like a mansion. Plus, I surely enjoyed being able to shut the dogs out at night and have a bit of privacy. So, the only mods I have in mind now are pretty minor, but will make life a bit easier. For example, that ladder to get to the top bunk is hard to climb, and there is no place for my curlers to sit in the bathroom. Quick and easy (for my husband!) fixes.

We'll probably tackle those in the next few weeks and post the photos in case it gives anyone else some ideas and tips.

[davidcyndi]

fellow Texan. Enjoy the new TT!

[Pawpod]

We named ours Cottage. We have so much storage we have only used a 1/3. Everything from the rpod and more. Stil use the rpoder's freind though! (3m command strips) LOL. Plus all the things we learned from using the rpod.

[CCC]

Originally Posted by zuley

I hope you enjoy your Elite as much as we do ours. We have spent 5 nights so far in our 23RB and everything has worked out great. They are a great camper.

Sorry Zuley! Forgot to say thanks for the welcome. :-) We had zero troubles during our shake down, but a few things we want to add (like a rear light in the back for when we are cooking burgers past dusk). But, the amenities and quality are top of the line!

Originally Posted by davidcyndi

fellow Texan. Enjoy the new TT!

Hey there! We're in central Texas which makes it a day drive to experience all the beauty here, from the pines out east, to visit family in west Texas, to red canyons in the Pan Handle, to the southern beaches in the gulf. We are excited to see it all. :-)

Originally Posted by Pawpod

We named ours Cottage. We have so much storage we have only used a 1/3. Everything from the rpod and more. Stil use the rpoder's freind though! (3m command strips) LOL. Plus all the things we learned from using the rpod.

I have designated a drawer in the kitchen as the "Junk Drawer" and it is 1/2 full of command strips, hooks, and 3M tape. :-) I agree that the rPod was a fantastic starter trailer. I learned that I want at least 30-gallon holding tanks, and a slide to open the space, antenna booster, black tank flush, 0h-heck lots of stuff that someone moving up from a tent or popup wouldn't have worked with so the learning curve isn't as great.

So far, beyond the space and amenities (hood over range, separate oven, dry shower, etc.) we have found some extra benefits like the aluminum frame = far less weight than wood studs in the rPod. So towing is a dream now, even with the larger/longer TT. In fact, we got a more powerful truck to use to pull it, but since it is really light for this size trailer, we have none of the engine whine or torque lag that we had pulling the rPod. We are also glad that the newer technology (i.e., aluminum water heater tank) allows us to skip some of the maintenance like anode replacement.

[CCC]

More pics from this weekend's shakedown trip. Kid tested, mother approved.