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Sorry guys... It's a caching plugin I had installed that helps speed up the site. I've disabled it for now until I can tweak the functions correctly. The site will be a little slow until then, but you shouldn't have any issues with posting or replies.

First you must ask why you need a generator. If it just to augment the solar a small 1000 or 2000 WATT Honda or Yahama will be fine. My Honda weighs 48 pounds and sits nicely in the gen basket. On the other hand if you plan to dry camp where you will want to run the AC you will need at least a 3000 WATT. Again I would go with Honda or Yahama. We camped for two weeks last Summer on the Blue Ridge Parkway with little or no sunshine many days. I ran the Honda twice to boost the batteries after several days in a fog bank, but other than that the batteries held up just fine. I have four T 105s. My only regret is not getting a larger inverter. 3000 Watts would run my AC. Not the standard Dometic. I have an Atwood Air Command that runs on my 2000 Watt Honda.

Your wrong about this information. As previously stated above we have camped with our Oliver for two weeks or more and never not once have we need shore power… ever. The only time we dipped down into the low 80's% of our battery pack was the first week we had it, staying in TN at my sisters house when the weather was freezing cold, mid to low teens every night for 4-5 days running. We ran the furnace during the night to keep the camper around 58º and in the morning the battery pack would be around 82-85% but easily recharged even in heavy overcast days with the rain every day to 100%. As far as I'm concerned the solar package will keep anyone with electricity indefinitely based upon our experience. Campers will run out of gas and water long before electricity with this package. And again we just returned from a two week trip to Utah depending 100% on our solar package, we had rain, we had wind, we had overcast days and the lowest our battery pack got to was 96% but only because we ran the furnace in the morning. We had at least 3 nights of freezing temps at Sand Island Campground close to Bluff. Not sure why you think otherwise but this solar package is awesome providing more power than we will ever use. We have the Elite II with dual panels, 4 Trojan batteries. Hope this helps.

75dba is at the level that it will annoy you as much as your neighbors. If you do a search over at expeditionportal.com, you'll find a few threads on diesel gens, most of which just point out how loud and big they are. Though 2.5kw is smaller than any I've seen. The alternative, if you're set on diesel, is to size up your truck's alternator or add a second, and then just run your truck each morning for the bulk charge, letting the solar take over for the remainder of the day. Fred Cook, aka DiploStrat, prefers this method and has the experience and knowledge to back it up. You can read some of what he's written on the subject here - https://diplostrat.org/documents/ Unfortunately, the Oliver's battery bank and solar package really aren't designed for extended boon docking. It's better than most, for sure, but not where I'd want it to be if you're going to be out for 5 days or so. The rule of thumb is 1w solar for every amp hour of storage. So with the Oliver you're starting off behind the curve, and that's before you eventually swap the battery bank out for lithiums (which eventually everyone will do, given the expected life of these trailers). So they really need to squeeze another panel of the roof somehow. We're going to try for two, even if that means eliminating the AC. I wish Oliver would offer an 'expedition package' that included a lithium battery pack, larger fresh water tank, and doubled up on the solar.

Jaque, You've made the right decision about getting an Ollie in lieu of a bunch of condos all over the place. With your Ollie, you'll be able to experience an infinitely large number of vistas throughout this beautiful land. A long bed Silverado 2500HD attached to an Elite will be just over 37' in length and if you attach it to an Elite II, you'll be over 42' in length. As far as living in the smaller Elite for and extended period of time, my pup, Oscar, an I spent 6 1/2 months straight in The Wonder Egg last year and never felt constrained by space. From the inside, the numerous windows, polished fiberglass interior that gives a sense of "depth" when you look into it, and the full length mirror on the bathroom door add a mental sense of space that makes it feel much bigger on the inside than would otherwise appear from the outside. Besides, the outside sitting room is absolutely huge! Owning a heavy duty work truck, I take it you have experience maneuvering trailers around into spaces. An Elite II with your truck might preclude you from parking in line within a smaller camping site, but you could simply disconnect and park the truck sideways, like many do. I believe the main difference would be maneuvering the entire 42+ feet around a parking lot whenever you fetched the groceries, etc. but you could always park on the fringes and enjoy the exercise as you hiked into the store. Perhaps some Elite II owners can chime in on any issues of maneuvering in campgrounds with a large truck. Pete

I suspect you just might piss off quiet a few other campers with a 75 db generator. Why not invest in solar? We have the two panels with Trojan T-105 battery pack and have never come close to running out of electricity… ever. We just returned from the desert country in Utah and were completely off the grid for two weeks, and the lowest we got was 96% on a very cold morning with the furnace running. Half the days were either overcast, or intermittent rain and the system still charged 100% by mid morning. Same thing last summer camped in Glacier with dappled shade. We have a Yamaha generator that is rated at 38 db I believe, quietest one available and even its too loud. We never take it with us though, as its not needed any longer. We used it with our T@b and hated messing with then. But that said, whats wrong with a gas generator. The Yamaha's are relatively quiet, more so than the Honda's and work well if you really do need one. We don't use our AC and probably never will but have on occasion used the Max Air fan through the night. Out west its all we've ever needed. Perhaps we're just cold blooded though:))

Jaquelyn, first welcome to the group. I can't answer your question exactly but will offer some relevant info. We have a F150 with Eco Boost engine and with the 6.5 long bed. Wheel base is 157" if memory serves me correct. Don't know how much longer your WB is but would guess it to be approximately 12 inches ± a few. For the most part we don't have too many issues getting in and out of places but much of this will depend on where you camp of course. Tight boon docking could get iffy but I've also seen some very small and cramped spaces in the USFS, BLM and NP campgrounds too. The long and short of it is for 98% of your camping most likely you will not have too many issues. That said personally I might prefer a slightly smaller TV but if you're attached to the one you have use it and enjoy it.