New to this...buying a travel trailer

TrailerTraveler1 wrote:
When we were looking at travel trailers, the RPods were our #2 choice. The biggest reason we didn't buy one was storage and tank size. We wanted a trailer that we could live in full time for several months a year and didn't think the RPods had enough storage or big enough tanks. If you're not using it for full time, I'd go for the RPod in a millisecond. Our .02 cents worth...

So....tank size has got me baffled here abit. I have brochures on both Rpod & AR-ONE. The Rpod shows tank sizes to be 30 gal (@ grey & black water). The AR-One shows 15 gal - grey wtr, 9 gal - blk wtr. That's for the models we're interested in, comparable in size.

It appears the AR-One is at the disadvantage rather than the Rpod, unless the specs have changed over time. Can you clarify?

Do yourself a favor, forget new and instead think in terms of used. Let someone else absorb the depreciation of that new trailer.
Living next door to the Forest River Dallas plant I see lots of Rpods on their lot and lots more in camp grounds. They seem to have mixed reviews, some love them, some have had problems. Personally I have never looked closely at them. But they do seem popular.

Floor plan, tow vehicle, cost are the three things that had to match. The DW and I could not make up our mind, so we rented what we thought we wanted and spent a week in the Ozarks.

Learned a lot really quick.

Good luck.

If you like the oldies look, Retro, then take a look at the Whitewater by Riverside Manufacturing. They have an 18 ft. and a 24 ft. Both have the island bed, so you don't have to crawl over the other person to get out of bed. The 18 ft. has a wet bath and the 24 ft. has separate shower and commode.

When we were looking at travel trailers, the RPods were our #2 choice. The biggest reason we didn't buy one was storage and tank size. We wanted a trailer that we could live in full time for several months a year and didn't think the RPods had enough storage or big enough tanks. If you're not using it for full time, I'd go for the RPod in a millisecond. Our .02 cents worth...

The Rpod trailers have a fiberglass roof and the Starcraft has a rubber roof. I'd do some research on the fiberglass roof, but it could be a major advantage for the Rpod. Our previous travel trailer as well as our Minnie have rubber roofs, and if you maintain them and keep the seams caulked, they will last a long time, but if I had an option for a fiberglass roof, I'd be very interested. We saw quite a few Rpods on our trip out west last summer, and they look like pretty nice trailers. On the other hand, Starcraft has a good reputation and the company treated us very well when we had problems witn one (of three) Starcraft pop-ups that we owned in the 80's and 90's.

Before buying anything, take your time and look at other trailers and compare floorplans and features. Since you are looking at a Starcraft, look at the Jayco trailers also as they also have the 2 year warrant. Winnebago has also come out with a line of smaller lightweight trailers that could meet your needs.

And, make sure you know what your Suburban or Jeep can safely tow. Make sure you understand that tow ratings are only based upon one driver in a vehicle and no cargo. So, add the wife, cargo and any kids, and your towing capacity goes down.

Since it is your first trailer, buying a really good slightly used trailer could be a good idea as you need to travel/camp for a while to see what you really want in a trailer. If you buy used and decide to trade it in after a season or two, you'll lose less money.

Good luck in your search, and I hope you're enjoying an rv soon!

Edit: On the other hand, the Starcraft can be purchased new at a fairly low price and that would make it very attractive when you consider the 2 year warranty.

We've had an AR-One 17 RD for four years now, and still love it. With all the horror stories I've read on this forum regarding build quality and problems with some other trailers, our 17-RD has been absolutely trouble free. It's been perfect for my wife and I and the occasional trip with one of our kids.

The only cons are the "pinch point" between the kitchen and bath (narrow hall), and lack of sitting area other than the dinette. My wife isn't a big fan of the orientation of the bed, it's harder to make, but it doesn't bother me!

While it is a starter trailer, and some of the appliances are bare bones (you have to manually light the water heater pilot, for example), we are very pleased with it and would buy it again.

If you're the type of person who pulls into a campground, pushes a button to have the slides go out, stabilizers deploy, then sit in the RV for a weekend watching your electric fireplace reclining in your easy chair, this may not be for you. If you don't mind setting up a few things manually and spending some time outdoors, this trailer may be right up your alley.

Good luck, and if you have any questions specif to the 17-RD feel free to give me a pm.