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Our upholsterer suggested it for sleeping comfort. I like the less boxy look. On the little dinette, I'd probably stay with just dense foam, as it makes the cushions truly reversible, and no one sleeps there anyway. The boat cushions aren't reversible, as the bottoms all have breathable marine fabric, anyway... Sherry

The batteries I listed above are just generic LiFePo with no bells and whistles. But the Color Control GX can be monitored via bluetooth or internet, if so equipped. I think for bluetooth you add a dongle, but the internet monitoring is simply a matter of connecting it to the network. Once connected, you can control the system via the local network, or via their online portal. Or from the panel itself of course. They have some demo systems set up on their online portal. You can't control them, but it's cool to see what the interface is like and what info is available. Be sure to click on the advanced tab on the left to see all the graphs and logs.

If I had it to do over again, I'd use what we used on the sailboat in the last refit. Our upholsterer suggested gluing a 1.5 to 2" layer of memory foam to the top of 3 or 4" dense foam, and not using piping. The cushions are a little taller, but the memory foam gives a lot when seated, and the boat settees are pretty low, anyway. Friends and family report good comfort in the v berth and salon, and I really like the comfort plus support of the hybrid cushions in our berth. They're only a few years old now, but so far, so good as far as wear. We take the cushions off the boat in the hot summer months. Sherry

You know that's only a twin size right? Do you have Bed Bath and Beyond? They have the 3" TempurPedic king size topper for $450, seems to have gone up, then one of their 20% off coupons make it more doable

About the only thing I can comment on is the bath. I'm 6 foot tall and about 165 pounds and have absolutely no problem. In fact, I was surprised at the small amount of water that goes beyond the very front of the toilet - and I am usually no even careful as to the direction of the spray. I've found clean-up to be very simple by using a silicone squeegee and possible either a microfiber towel or a synthetic chamois. Either way the clean-up takes about one minute AND you have a clean shower. As far as the door swinging out - I have a "bath mat" inside the shower since I like the "feel" of that better than walking on the bare fiberglass in bare feet. So, it is simple to take that mat and place it outside the shower just prior to turning the water on. Therefore, it catches any water that drips when the door is opened (I do dry the shower prior to opening the door) and since it is a bath mat I don't care if it gets a few drops of water on it and it dries quickly. Bill

Most everyone seems satisfied with the size of the bath. I suppose you could argue that bigger is better, but people much larger than me seem to have no problems with it. I think the only complaint I've seen about water getting out is that the shower door opens out and so can drip water on the floor if it's wet. Some people have installed a shower curtain over the door for that reason. Everything I've seen is that it's a cinch to clean. Fiberglass FTW. I think the AC 150 is way too much AC for the trailer personally. Talking to the people at Oliver, I think they'd say that the current unit is somewhat oversized. My personal take on heat pumps is that they have such a limited temperature range in which they work that it's not worth the extra. If I have power to fun the heat pump, then I have power for an electric heater that will work regardless of the outside temp. Getting a charge from the tow vehicle is tough - the distance from your alternator to your batteries is so far that you need to run really big cables on both the vehicle and trailer to make it work. Then you also need some equipment to make sure that your alternator doesn't burn up or overcharge your batteries and that your camper batteries don't drain your car battery. It can be done, but it will take work. We're swapping out to lithium right after we take delivery. Oliver isn't quite ready to do that yet. You'll need a different charge controller, and might want to consider relocating the batteries to the inside. We're going with a Victron system. Oliver keeps telling me that one other person is doing the same thing but they're getting AM Solar to do the install. I don't think that owner is on the forum, and if so, they haven't spoken up. I'll end up doing the work in my driveway. edit - here's our Lithium Shopping List. There may be some additional wiring, etc., but this is the bulk of it. The "Oliver Savings" section are items that I would otherwise purchase if I didn't go with the lithium. At the moment, though, there's no actual savings from Oliver because they aren't leaving off any standard equipment.

Randy, Sounds good. We'll be going to Death Valley and the Saline Valley Hot Springs later this summer. It's a lot of miles off the highway and takes about three hours from the last paved road to get there. It's famous for thundershowers wiping out the road. I've been there myself when I couldn't even find the road after a storm or had to drive way out into the desert to get around a new alluvial fan or washout. Fun place to visit. The burros and coyotes wander around through camp. In the quiet night, sitting in one of the pools, the bats will dip down and get a drink as they swoop silently by. It's an oasis with plenty of hot water and beautiful hand built pools. Mysterious in its intense silence. Just when you think it's totally peaceful, some fighter planes will come by practicing. They like to show off, away from the city. Put a wing down and circle the hot springs a hundred feet of the ground. You can wave at the pilots! We went there a couple of years ago and came in from the east with our toy hauler. We were very careful on the rough roads and took our time. But the trailer suffered anyway. I realized it wasn't worthy and sold it shortly after that trip as my search for an Ollie intensified. This year there has been so much snow in the Sierra mountains that we haven't been able to do very much. We did have a very nice trip to Yosemite, but 120 is closed from the east and one of the roads from the west was closed too, so it took along time to get there. Their internet had been down for ten days and intermittent flooding made the whole place unpredictable. Best time to go! The falls were spectacular! Reed and Karen Lukens were there too and we had a very nice time. Reed knows Yosemite very well and was sure we could get a spot. He was right. We'll be in Bandon Oregon in July with the Cassita group, but I don't expect any off roading. My best times are in the desert and we'll get there later in the year. Most people won't go to the desert in summer, but that's the monsoon season with powerful rain, and it's not crowded. Excellent.

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

Looks great - there was some talk at the rally this weekend that Oliver is going back to the short drawer there. I agree that the flip out isn't very useful and is a potential ongoing maintenance issue.

OK, Tali and I restrung the shade with the broken string this evening. Not the most enjoyable task we've ever done but it beats a sharp stick in your eye. A little complicated until you've done it a couple of times but once you "see" how it works it's really not too bad. I had to partially disassemble another one to see how much tension to put on the strings. I'll be happy to restring one for anybody for only $500.00 string included.

Installed shade cords in our rear window and decided to leave frame original color. Could not find any shade cord re-thread diagrams matching the Ollie's windows. Decided to make rough sketches of the frame cord routing and shade cord routing before taking the shade completely apart. Frame cord routing: Shade cord routing: The cord used is about 30% thicker (1.5MM cord) than the original cord, did not use tape where indicated in the sketch because the new cord was sandwiched tightly between shade & frame without tape, used thicker cord on right: Broken old cord: There is one spring in the top and bottom of frame for cords to tie to: With larger diameter cord, threaded each hole one at a time instead of multiple holes: Copied the original cord routing: Night shade with new cord re-threaded: Job completed:

BugBite, As I am sure you know, this forum is primarily used by Ollie owners and prospective owners to share information and help each other learn how to maximize their enjoyment while camping. Occasionally unexpected issues may crop up and we all pitch in to "crowd source" a fix when appropriate. While some members of the Oliver staff may be members of the forum, their busy duties with Oliver Travel Trailers (OTT) do not permit them to hover over the forum to "be on the lookout" for issues. Occasionally an owner will contact the factory to discuss an issue and then share what they have learned here, on the forum. It has been a nice flow of information that benefits all. If you have a specific expectation of OTT regarding your trailer delivery it is best to contact the sales department and specifically tell them your needs. That way you will be assured they received your message. Do not assume that simply because you have expressed your desires in this forum, the factory knows about it. This does not mean your "are taking the lead", but rather, you are communicating effectively to maximize your delivery experience. I would suggest you call them direct to share your concerns. Good luck, Pete

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....