Forest River R-Pod reviews

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

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 love how easy the R-Pod itows with our SUV since it's so lightweight. The storage under the queen bed is huge, and I like how everything is easily accessible from the outside on either side of the trailer, as well as from inside. This was perfect for our family of three - two adults and one child. We also had two small children sleep on the dinette bed when we were camping with family / cousins. The sink is much roomier than typical rv sinks, and the automatic vacuum feature makes sweeping and keeping the inside clean SUCH a breeze! That is often the most frustrating thing for me as a mom while camping with kiddos running in and out, but not with the automatic vacuum door. The R-Dome is much easier to set up and take town than you would think when you first look at it, if you just watch one of the tutorial videos on YouTube, and we enjoyed how much moreprivacy it gives than a traditional awning, and makes it conducive to extra kiddos sleeping in it as well. 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

Bought new and immediately noticed details of poor workmanship. Into dealer for warranty repairs. Noticed wall panel with pulled through staples but decided not to pursue. Wish we had because shortly after warranty expired and on our first long trip, WHEN THE BATHROOM POCKET DOOR FELL OFF, we could see into wall panel and noted it was not pulled tight and not stapled to the fir strips and wall "studs". Much poor quality work or design. Must have the worst quality control. The manufacturer and workers must have absolutely no pride in their workmanship and quality. Be warned! 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

Overall we enjoy the floorplan and it's livability for only a couple with a couple dogs. It is spacious enough to not feel cramped but overall quality is okay at best. As with most RV's the quality is still an issue with these and has been a headache. It was working well in the beginning with everything operating as it should and with a few mods and tweaks to some of the weaknesses in the design. But then we ended up having a major slide failure which I have been reading is more common than I thought with this model. It came down to a production issue that caused the slide to be out of square enough that it loses contact with the slide track. It was a bit of a headache and many calls and emails to FR to get it fixed properly. Initially, there was some pushback from them but persistence is key and they finally agreed to take it back to the factory to get repaired properly. More to follow but overall I think the 202 is a great floorplan for couples (with or without pets)! Show less