So, from my blogs you know we’ve wanted to upgrade from our tent trailer(that we love, but alas has no bathroom) to a hardbody.
So yesterday we decided to go take a look at the 2020 R Pods. They are small and lightweight. The original one we thought we’d be interested the 190, was a little cramped for our style. Then we like the 179 ( it may be a different #)with the rear kitchen, was quite a bit roomier.
But then he showed us the 195 and we were sold. It was perfect. But out the door almost $ 26,000 that includes all the setup, brakes for the Santa Fe, etc. So it was a good price but we weren’t sure or I should say hesitant to commit. We would need to finance some and I think we’re unsure about that.
So although perfect, now isn’t the right time. Or maybe it is.
The other thing is after we got home I looked up towing it with the Santa Fe. And although it has a towing capacity of 5000 lbs, most people advised against it as it will wear the motor and brakes out by stressing it. This R pod came in 3400 lbs, so under but still probably hard on the car.
So that also then got me thinking we’d need to go back to the drawing board about getting used truck. That then increases the cost now considerably. So it is a dilemma.
oh well, we’ll just have to think about it all more.
Tahoe Girl 
Boy, this brings back memories. We were tent campers until we moved to Texas, where it was too hot at night during camping season for sleeping outside. We started shopping around for a trailer, but everything was too heavy to tow, and we didn’t want a car with a bigger carbon footprint. We ended up buying a custom-made teardrop with an air conditioner (but no bathroom) that we could tow with our Honda Element. The people who made the trailer cut some corners, and we had issues with leaks. And the AC never really worked as it should have. We had some nice camping trips, but it was more trouble than it was worth. We towed it to California and lost two bumpers in the winds along the way. More money to fix that. We camped in it a few times, and then it developed more leaks. When I retired and we moved, we had no place to park it anyway, so we donated it. We are back to tent camping.
We were tent campers for years. Then eventually had a Westfalia. That was a lot of fun. So we finally bought the Coleman Tent trailer in 2000 and have LOVED it. But aging brings many things and with my chemo-induced IBS, I need a bathroom nearby. So far we’ve managed at New Brighton and Nevada Beach but it’s been a challenge. I don’t think I could go back to sleeping in a tent even with an air mattress which we do have. It’s just too hard to get up off the ground, ha ha…. So we’ll keep processing!
I find it odd that you are considering a purchase this significant with all the health issues recently and I think you recently posted about financial concerns. I would think that you would wait until all health issues resolved before such a large purchase right now. Just my opinion.
Very true with all the health issues that are life or death with MDS.And considering I have Myeloma that is coming out of remission. Given that B is doing so well and that the survival rate is approximately 5 years( I certainly hope longer after all this), we kinda feel we need to have a 5 year plan and that includes taking a trailer on the road for weeks at a time. We are cautious though and money is a factor since we don’t have any ‘real’ retirement money. We have a small savings and I do mean small. But all things considered we need to figure out how to make this ‘plan’ work both with health and money!!!