What kind of camper do you have?

Clean looking camper. Do you have any pictures of the remodel?

 

Very shortly yeah. My wife is supposed to be doing the re upholstery this week but she's severely dragging her feet. Ill post some up when thats done.

 

I went from a Winnebago Winnie Drop 1710 (18', 2400 lbs) to a Micro Minnie 2106DS (22', 3900 lbs). Really loving the new size. Towing is not as good as the little guy, but it is still fine.

 

Not looking like she's going to get it done for a while so I'll just post up the pictures we have.

Original for reference.



Stripping and re wiring everything.



We used interlux brightside paint for the grey. I cut new doors for the cabinets out of MDF board primed them and painted with high quality oil based paint.

 

The lone thing I found unloveable was the long rear porch, tire to bumper. I mention this because some folks may want use it offroad, drag it through gullies.

I had a 2015 Rpod 178 Hood River Edition, lifted, 16" wheels. Only trouble was the rear end dragged. I saw some people replaced the rear stabilizer jacks with some kind of roller thingy.

Not a big deal for most people, show-stopper for me, trailer has to go through gullies, a short rear porch is necessary.

 

What was your solution?

 

Nice we have a 178, the company resolved this with a small lift. They added a spacer like a big steal brick. Can't think of the name of it exactly. Easy solution though.

 

Donated it to an animal rescue outfit, Souldog.org, then bought a used 2017 Micro Minnie 1706fb, 19', 2980lbs. I could have bought those roller thingies or removed the rear jacks (since that was the major scraper).

But I bought it with 'donation' in mind if that rear overhang bugged me too much. My driveway is quite steep and I figured if it scrapes the driveway backing it in it might be a pain in the boonies. It scraped.

 

Axle spacer/lift block. The Hood River had a 2.5" lift and 16" BFG tires, but could have used another 2" lift block.

178 was a nice unit, loved the U-shape dinette, slideout, nice passthrough storage, and a rear window. Rear window was dang nice to have, don't see that often.

I actually put lift blocks on the Winnie 1706fb, same Dexter torsion axles as the Rpod.

Winnie has some advantages, some disadvantages in comparison, but that's constantly the case with RV's.

 

Very nice camper, I love those too.

 

How is the quality of the Winnie compared to the rPod? Though I know it's hard to find real quality in Any RV. They make them cheap and lightweight. I heard that Forest River was suing Winnebago over the Winnie Drop, that is basically a copy of the rPod. (Even the same letters, just rearranged.)

 

Looks very lightweight, though I couldn't be without a bathroom. I love the rear dry bath on my rPod 180.

 

Here's a pic from last night's second shakedown to Morro Bay with the new rPod.

 

It sure is. Haven't thrown it on a scale but factory says dry weight of 1300lbs or so. My rough guess would be about 1600 with gear. I can lift the tongue and move it around by hand. My wife would like a bathroom too, so would I though boondocking would be great. Here's my MKIV TDI with it in tow as well.

 

I owned the Winnie Drop for less than one year and never owned an r-pod, but I have looked at them. My impression is that the r-pod is better equipped. Better roof vent, better refrigerator, nicer flush mount covers on the sink and stove, better awning. Living in OR, I like the Drop's windows as they can be open during rain though I don't think the air flows through them as well. As to basic construction quality, I think it is a wash with perhaps the advantage to Winnebago.

When we bought the Micro Minnie this spring we were also seriously considering the r-pod 180. While looking at the r-pods I noticed more than one example where there were finishing issues that I didn't see on the Winnie. Winnebago also puts real trim around the door and IIRC r-pod uses a plastic covering. I liked the r-pod step better though and I think the r-pod may be brighter with less heavily tinted windows.

In the end it came down to which trailer we wanted to travel in and the Micro Minnie won out due to floor plan.

 

Either one of them beats my old '89 Coleman Sequoia pop up trailer by a Mile!

 

Winnie is quality, Rpod also. Both will last a long time. Aluminum framing, gelcoat fiberglass, no wood in the frame to rot, enclosed and insulated underbelly.

I thoroughly went through that RPod I donated to Souldog.org, only problem I found there was some wires hanging loose underneath that could snag/rub, wire loom and zipties solved that.

I also found the slideout rubber seals were binding. Aerospace 303 to solve that, 303 is also recommended for gelcoat fiberglass, solved two problems with one heavy application of 303.

Rpod, the stabilizer jack handcrank doubles as the slideout handcrank if DC fails. I'd carry an extra or a suitable socket with extension.

 

I bought a R190, but was seriously considering the Minnie Drop 190RD. The Winnie felt pretty solid and I liked all the colour options plus the light coloured interior option.
I went with the RPOD based on proximity and available models close to home. The RP had the flush-mount stove, 3 way fridge, better fan in the bathroom (and not inside shower), extra drawers/cabinette, and I just preferred the squareness of the dry bath vs the Winnie's more angular set up. The RPod also has bigger water tanks, 36 v. 31 fresh; 30 v. 25 Grey and Black. I also preferred the awning (manual vs electric) that allows for securing to trailer and the ground (opens up the campsite more, less chance to walk into the support).
You can't go wrong with either. If you're willing to tow heavier and slightly wider I also considered the Micro Minnie 1706 FB (dual axle, 2900lbs dry and huge payload option) or 2106 FBS (full size, walk around Queen bed). I opted to keep it small and as narrow as possible.

 

I liked the narrow (6.5ft) trailers because it’s easier to see around with a smaller tow vehicle.

I didn’t look at the inside of the Winnies, only the outside, and I didn’t like the solid bright colors.

I just kind of fell into the rPod purchase but am glad I got one because it really is a nice trailer for us.