I'm thinking about adding a dropper post to my Specialized Rockhopper Elite hardtail.  It's a new bike, so it will be internally routed.  I'm not sure what brand to get or how much travel.  I'm 6'0 if it matters.  I'm a new rider and don't need anything super fancy.  I was looking at the PNW Rainier 150mm along with either a Loam or Wolftooth lever.  Am I on the right track?

Old guy popping in to say “you don’t need one!”

Anecdotal evidence at best however I took a 2 day class and at least half of the riders with droppers had problems with them.  

Another old guy, and I say they’re good to go

For some it takes a little to get use to, depending on how you ride.  I like steep descents, so the dropper comes in handy for allowing me to put all my weight behind me w/o my seat jammed up in my stomach (and I’m not a fat guy, so it’s not a beer belly getting in the way ).  Some of the other old guys I ride with have them, but due to their riding style they rarely use them.  One added benefit of the dropper, is it can make getting on and off the bike easier on uneven terrain.  When i come to a stop for a break or to wait on other guys, I’ll lower mine so I can flat foot comfortably while still sitting.

I’ve only had 2 models (I keep my bikes for a while).  RockShox and KS.  I had a minor issue with the RS when i first got it, but can’t remember what exactly it was as we fixed it pretty quickly (probably a routing issue).  The KS has been flawless all the time.

Like anything, buy something with high reviews and good technical support and you should be fine.  I use mine constantly on every ride, but for some it may just be a gimmick.  Like i mentioned above, just depends on your riding style...

No, just no.
I use my dropper more than I use my gears. It's a game changer.
I have a RockShox Reverb Stealth that was OEM. I have read good things about the PNW droppers.

On my first bike a few years ago, I was of the opinion that droppers were overrated. But with my more recent bike, as my confidence and skills grew and I was hitting more features / riding harder, I came to realize that the dropper is a necessity. Breaking my dropper early this year and having to ride without it for two weeks confirmed that opinion.

Figuring out the travel seems difficult but all of the manufacturers have some data on the site that explains how to measure for the ideal fit. I am 5'10" and currently run a Fox 150mm but I would prefer a 170mm to get the seat even lower out of my way (currently drops just below my kneecap).

There are a lot of brands and reviews of said brands. I have experience with TransX (OEM installed), PNW, OneUp, and Fox. On those four Fox is by far the "best" with PNW being a close second. I could not recommend the OneUp to anyone based on my experience with two different v2 droppers, but online everyone seems to love them. The only downside to the Fox is the price (double that of the PNW) and it is not user serviceable.

The PNW Loam lever is highly recommended regardless of which dropper post brand - IMO it is the smoothest lever followed by the Wolftooth, but the Wolftooth seems to break more often.

I have a KS Lev ready to throw on my XC bike... whenever that gets here I haven’t actually used it yet, but it appears the brand has a good reputation.

I also know a couple people who have Brand-X and PNW posts and neither have had any issues.

Lastly, lots of RockShox Reverbs for sale in my area and no one buying them.

I was originally leaning toward the 150mm, but now I'm thinking about going 170.  My bike has a nice straight seat tube, so there should be plenty of room for a long post.  Both are out of stock right now, so I guess I have some time to decide.  I did go ahead and order the Wolftooth lever and a Jagwire cable kit.

Should be fine as long as your present seat tube is longer than 170mm plus the stack height of the dropper post. Make sure to get the right diameter dropper. Most seat tubes are internal 30.9 or 31.6mm.

You will want to leave some adjustability as well in case you have variation in shoes, seat, or something else later on.

After some measurements I think I'm going to stick with 150.  My frame has plenty of room but the bosses for the water bottle cage are the limiting factor.  Leaning toward the PNW Loam since it's all they have in stock right now.

I’d rather have a dropper than gears.

I have a reverb stealth for sale if you’re interested. I had some cash to blow and switched to a fox transfer with the blingy kashima coating. Nothing wrong with the reverb.

I'm in the dropper crowd. I go through dropper cables like crazy. I seriously use it more than my shifter. Mine is a Fox Transfer Factory 150mm with a wolf tooth long action lever.

I ended up ordering the 150mm PNW Loam dropper.  The Rainier was out of stock and I got impatient.  It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but it seems to have a lot of features for the price point.

I have OneUp droppers on my bikes with KS Lev remotes. I use them mainly when I want to dismount, just push that lever and my feet can touch the ground. Such luxury.

I’m running a OneUp on my Remedy with a Wolf Tooth lever and I was able to go with the 180mm. With the base as far in as it will go, it puts me at perfect pedaling height without needing to shim it, while still getting as low as possible for descents. Only issue I’ve had with it was having to add a little air back into it when the return started slowing down, but I use the hell out of it so it’s to be expected at some point.

Well I got my PNW Loam dropper installed along with the Wolftooth lever.  Everything seems to be working well.  I did notice that when sitting on the saddle with all my weight it takes a good bit of pressure on the lever to get it to drop.  Is that pretty much normal?

@Mike92GT

A couple of things to check:
1. Cable tension (make sure the barrel adjuster was set per the instructions, should be similar to fully "closed" then back off about 2 turns), pull the cable tight with pliers carefully, then lock it down and use the barrel adjuster to fine tune as needed.
2. Seat clamp torque. Start off with the suggested torque and then loosen it ever so slightly. Some droppers are very finicky with torque - 3Nm is great, 3.5Nm starts to bind as an example.
3. Depending on your seat clamp style, flip it around. Bolt forward seems to make a difference on multiple bikes for myself and group.

E13 TRS +

fully mechanical. easy maintenance, no gas charges, no fluids, no bullshit.

I have them on both my bikes.

they're fast as fuck and reliable, easy install, and require very little force to push back down.

I hear about people having issues but I have never experienced it and I only use cheap droppers. They have come a long way in the last few years and I don't think I would ride a bike without one. I always told people "I would give up my rear suspension before I give up my dropper". Since I just  bought a hardtail to replace my FS I wasn't lying.