RP-179 reviews

This was our 2nd RV. Purchased new in 2017. One trip to Luray Caverns and the frame of the schwintek slide out was separating from the outside wall. This was noted while fueling my SUV. I tightened the screws multiple times before getting home. Whole trip was < 1000 miles. I bought it from a dealership about 150 miles from my home. This was when I discovered, at least in DE, that they won’t work on it unless they sold it. Called Forest River & they told me they knew of the problem. Blamed (I guess all 180’s that year) on improper installation. I was so fed up I traded it on a used 2015 Cruiser RV Fun Finder. Went cross country in that with no issues. There is a lot online about R-Pods walls separating from the frame. Dig deep enough and you’ll find mostly negative reviews. Seems most good reviews are newer RV’s. I wonder if they’ve even been used yet. The concept and floor plan was good. Quality is poor, which I have found is rampant throughout the industry. I wouldn’t buy new & used is somebody trying to get rid of a problem at your expense. Show less

We bought the 2025 model 180 with the 15th Year Anniversary Package. Extras in that package included a backup camera, tire pressure monitoring system, a solar system. and a gas griddle which you can hang on a rail on the exterior of the RV. Additionally, ours has upgraded Good Year Tires for additional safety. The refrigerator is a 12 V two door model which is quite large for a trailer of this size. We know that a lot of trailers built during the Covid epidemic were found to have poor quality this year's model seems to be quiet well built. Show less

Bought this RV new in 2021. For 2 people, it's an absolute gem. Easy to tow but durable. Standard couch, mattress, and tires were easily upgraded, and it has performed beautifully over the last 3 years. Came with a 7 year extended warranty and I have yet to have any issues. Show less

We have owned our 2016 Forest River R-Pod 179 for two years now and absolutely love it. I really appreciate the style and layout inside. It feels modern and there’s plenty of cabinet space. I especially love that it is light weight and we can tow it with our Nissan Xterra Pro4X. I also appreciate that this model was made pre-Covid and it has the highest quality standards. Everything works and it has held together well Another bonus is that there is such a huge following of R-Pod lovers that we have been able to be part of a Facebook community where we have learned all kinds of tips and tricks about R-Pods and traveling safe and keeping it up-to-date. They even have rallies and meet ups all across the country. Show less

Poor materials and quality. Outrageous prices for terrible workmanship and nothing but problems from the second you drive off the lot. Horrendous, unresponsive customer service, zero accountability and zero reimbursement for major defects. Screw customer over with faulty products. RV sits at the repair shop the entire first year under manufactured warranty, with all sorts of problems that they don't bothering fixing. They don't pay repair shops enough money to do their recalls either, customer has to come out of pocket on those too. Nothing but a money pit. RV dealers only want to sell and promise to do warranty work, use it as a selling point, but when you try bringing in your broken RV they turn you down claiming FR doesn't pay them enough to cover their work $/hour. Show less

This might be the perfect trailer for us. Super lightweight, can tow easily with my Toyota Highlander - I've been on 9% grades in the Rockies with no complaints. Surprisingly well appointed with AC, furnace, wet bath, solar prep, outdoor outlets and propane port. What I really love is the floor plan. Despite the small size and easy pull, once we get to camp the fold out bed in the back gives us a nearly king size bed and retains the two bunks up front. We mainly park and explore but if we're stuck inside the trailer for some reason, the big bed folds up into a dinnete with plenty of game or eating space for four. Mechanically it's been great, I was expecting a ton of maintainence and repair but the only issue I have ever had was needing to replace the watter pump last year. It's been well maintained but feels like its got more than a decade of life left after our 8 years with it so far. Show less

After only 6 total trips with my R-POD 179 the trailer hitch folded up and I think the insurance company will be totalling the unit. I bought the trailer and anti sway hitch from the dealer on their recommendation. I was on my way on the 6th trip when I heard an unusual noises and pulled off the interstate and found a shoulder to park the unit on and saw the damage. I spent over 1.5 hours trying to find a tow company to get the unit to a nearby dealer. I loved the overall design of the unit and tow ability. I am a little disappointed with the overall quality of the unit. Show less

We have towed our R-Pod several thousand miles. Many enjoyable trips, but have had to do repairs after each journey. I continue to be amazed at the low quality of the construction of this unit. The typical drain pipe support breaking, twice now. We are lucky to not have had electrical failure by now, based on the experience other owners. Fixed some rain leaks and interior trim that needs to be refastened all too often. Now the final straw is that the poor design has inadequate support for the slide out wall, which is collapsing. No frame support built in, and the supporting wall is distorted to near complete failure. It seems that newer models have those frame supports built in, but that Forest River no longer provides the frame supports for this model for a mechanic to install. This unit will soon be unrepairable. So much for trusting Forest River products. From the first year, it was apparent that they care very little about customer satisfaction. Show less

The quality is not good. We've used the air conditioner once and it has broken twice, once under warranty and once where we had to pay $2,300 to repair it. The front window design is a terrible idea. We have had to replace the window three times, twice at our own cost. I can't possibly outline all the things that have broken in the three years we have owned it. VERY disappointed in Forest River. Show less

I know many of you have had good experiences with your rpods but I have had nothing but poor quality workmanship on my brand new R pod 153. Every single time which is about once a month since I purchased it in October 2022 something fails on the unit. Multiple trips to the dealer, which by the way is not very close to me. Yesterday I wrote Forest River and supplied them with all the details of all the warranty issues and requested that they standby their product by providing an extended warranty. I’ve had it all, water leaking, toilet, leaking black tank leaking whole cabinetry had to be replaced because of water damage the back panel of the unit itself illuminated and that had to be replaced. The dealer broke my door and they had to replace that now this weekend I took it out and I have wallpaper pilling on the inside and also it appears to be delaminating again from the front The reply I got back from the #Warranty administrator was “I’m sorry that you were disappointed with your new unit. These units are man-made and men make mistakes “ If anyone on this site is considering purchasing a forest river R pod just make sure you spend the several thousands of dollars to buy an extended warranty because you will need it.  Show less