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That spectacular view is available as soon as you step foot outside the trailer, whatever brand. Big back window in our little original trailer is often amazing. Just raise the shade, when camped with a view.. All of our trailers live big on the outside, which is where I prefer to live. Just saying. . . Sherry

I talked to Scott Oliver at the rally and he said they were looking into a larger trailer, rumor has it that it may be a 31' and 8' wide but probably won't happen anytime soon, that would be large investment in tooling. Marc

Thanks, Hardrock. To help answer Yvonne's question and everyone else who might be wondering, although there have been hundreds of success stories with the Honda EU2000i and EasyStart, I don't have a video to prove it! What I do have though is oscilloscope shots since we do own a 15k Dometic Penguin II and a Honda EU2000i at our factory in NJ. (Note that the new Olivers use only the 13.5k Penguin II, either the heat pump or electric heat versions.) As you can see in the below, the start-up without EasyStart on utility power is huge, over 50A peak. We measured over 46A at the rally using another device. With EasyStart on utility power, the peak current draw is way down, below 14A for the compressor alone. We measured 14.5A at the rally using another device. Lastly, the start-up on the Honda EU2000i with EasyStart is almost indistinguishable from that of the start-up on utility power with EasyStart. In other words, the Honda doesn't even flinch. Hopefully, this helps everyone out. Start-up of 15k Dometic Penguin II on utility power without EasyStart: Start-up of 15k Dometic Penguin II on utility power with EasyStart: Start-up of 15k Dometic Penguin II on Honda EU2000i in ECO mode with EasyStart:

John, next time you get out to see how it's doing, take some pictures, I for one would love to see what your doing with it and I'm sure most others would too.

Recon, Our journey was Casita, Oliver LE II, Airstream International. We truly loved our Ollie but it became a bit small for us in advanced age and with joint issues. We also love the Airstream, but if Oliver ever makes an affordable 28 footer I will be first in line. Fiberglass over aluminum any day. If you search my user name you will read more about my rationale for switching. In a word...size does matter.

Overland, Let us know if you order a new Raptor. That looks like a very nice truck and I guess they upgraded the tuning on the 3.5. I read some about the ten speed and it sounds very nice too. So many gears are not always needed, so it can skip gears under light throttle as needed. I was thinking you could add airbags to the rear leafs and then just pump them up when you tow. You mentioned you like the Raptor because of it's off road abilities. I'm finding that Ollies are surprisingly good off road. They are narrow enough, high enough with no hanging down plumbing and have the tandem axles. I've now dragged mine over some serious trails with no problems. It's been fun to carefully approach severe dips and rough areas, get out and see how it's doing and go on. Being narrow is also a huge advantage. We started up a narrow dirt road with no place to turn around in the Eastern Sierra. Went a for a couple miles easing our way along between trees and over big ruts. Then we went to Grant Lake off of June Lake Loop and took a short cut down a steep, almost Jeep trail. Cool. If my Ram will get there, the trailer will get there.

Thats one of the things that bothers me about the AS (among other things) many windows, not thermal-pane at least not in the model we are looking at. Pretty to look out of but interior temp regulation?

John, thanks for the picture. Let us know if you find the bigger sink! Mike

While we were at the Quartzsite Rally in February, one of the fiberglass bloggers (Bex) asked if she could film our trailer and the Landrums trailer. She recently posted two videos. The first features the Landrums Oliver and the second has ours. I've subscribed to her channel for some time, she full times in a tiny Casita and does a lot of videos on her travels to various parks and camping spots. Mike

Saw those a couple of days ago... figured "Outlaw" or "Lone Star" should post on this forum..her video on " My Camper Broke in Half" is scary on s bunch of levels...

I was the first at the rally to purchase the easy start and have it installed by the factory representative, Matteo. He installed the easy start in my unit and provided training to the Oliver technicians. Now Oliver has the easy start in stock and can install on new Ollies or retrofit, as was done with mine I am very pleased with the easy start. When the AC Starts up the first time , it is much quieter. It is a slow start and you do not get the loud THUMP and jarring movement of the whole trailer. Each time the compressor turns on after the AC has been running, it is much more quiet with no jarring movement. I have a Dometic Penguin II 13,500 with heat strips. Although I have an Elite, it is the same AC unit as in the Elite II. I had a Coleman and after using it the first time, I took it back to Hohenwald. It was extremely loud, inside and out. I was told by Matteo that many were using their easy start with the Honda 2000 with no issues. He advised to purchase the companion model since it has the 30 amp plug. I will purchase the Honda generator this summer. Hardrock

It was so nice to have you all at our Rally! It was great hearing all the stories and feedback from everyone. What a great group of people! Thanks so much for attending and we hope to see you again next year! Happy camping! Kelly Robinson

Hi Guys!! I'm glad to hear you're having a good time in your trailer and it was so nice to see you at the rally! It's been a busy day here so far at Oliver's with all the folks that have stuck around after the event. Fortunately, the weather is beautiful here today! Stay warm, safe travels and please stay in touch! (Loving the Maine Mug by the way!) Kelly Robinson

Randy, thank you! Randy gave us the grand tour of his unit two days ago. He had us in every nook, closet, and hidden spots. You can feel the pride he takes in his unit, and the best part? His previous non-camper wife loves it. If you have a chance to meet up, it is recommended. We think he made up our mind on what we will order, and how we will equip...

Hmm. "Value". I looked at Casita, Escape and others before emphatically deciding on an Oliver. So for me, Oliver was a "better value". Why? Overall design, construction, quality of materials, and many things standard without being add-ons that add to the price of the other makes, if you can even get them. The conventional style interiors that I find much less durable and harder to clean, were a real detractor for me. After six weeks on the road visiting national parks and other rustic environs, just can't seem get those interiors back up to snuff like you can with the Oliver. These are just a few things that caused me to decide what was the better value. In the end, what fits one's budget will be the deciding factor on what is purchased, but to me value is highly subjective, and in many ways separate from base price. Depending on the type of camping you like to do I would seriously consider the solar option with upgraded batteries. We live in NW Florida and Downeast Maine, and like to take trips west to the national parks. When in Florida we rely on facilities with hookups to power air conditioning. Outside of the south, I look for much more out of the way sites that often do not have hook ups and look forward to the flexibility that solar will provide. Surge protection as well to protect the sensitive electonics and wiring. We also have the 30lb propane tanks...might be overkill, but I like the comfort of having more than I will probably need on any given trip, and probably any entire season of camping. The Dexter EZ flex is a very worthwhile add-on as well. Oliver has been fantastic to work with in my opinion. I bought mine used. Even though I didn't buy from them, when I brought my trailer to Hohenwald for a couple of upgrades ( change out Coleman ac and add Dexter EZ flex),they treated me as though I did, and they took it upon themselves to do a few upgrades that are standard with the newer models as well as correct a defect in one of the items provided by another manufacturer at no charge. One thing to watch out for though....just washed and waxed Oliver and he is looking mighty fine....and he knows it....asked me to borrow the keys to the TV so he could go out and meet a little Casita somewhere....

Hello ReconDon First, welcome to the Oliver Forum. I will try to provide you objective answers to your questions. Oliver is not perfect, but when a problem is encountered, they will bend over backwards to work with you, correct the problem and learn from design/installation issues. To answer your question regarding the refrigeration in desert heat, I camped in Monument Valley, Utah as well as several locations in AZ and NM. many days were 110+. Like you I do very little boondocking. In these locations I was in a campsite with full hookups. I had no problems with the fridge, AC , hot water or other utilities. The Coleman Mach 8 is noisy. I was unaware of this when I bought my Elite. I contacted Oliver and they agreed to swap out the unit for a Dometic Penguin. Much quieter. I paid for the Dometic and a small amount for labor. I easily sold the Coleman so the different in cost was about what the amount wold have been to upgrade to the Dometic. The cost of Oliver is higher but I can tell you that the high quality will be easily maintained so the resale value is high. Other fiberglass units are definitely cheaper. However, I read about all the modifications that new owners must do just to reach minimal performance. The Oliver comes fully functional for 4 season camping, needs no modifications and is well designed. The new production line at Oliver has a "Plug & Play" capability. Buy what you absolutely need and if later you decide you want additional amenities (solar, stereo, etc) can be later easily installed. I have enjoyed my Oliver Elite. It is a quality unit with no significant issues Best Wishes coy