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Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with my wife’s Oliver behind my truck today, moving at a snail’s pace on I75 in Lexington KY when I hear a “toot-toot” beside me. I look over, then up at a truck driver motioning for me to roll my window down (like when windows had a crank). I’m thinking Oh Crap! Has my battery tray latch broken or is my window shade about to fall off or is he going to remind me to grease my EZ Flex suspension? So I roll my window down and the fellow yells out “Has that thing got a bathroom in it?” I hollar back “Yes Sir” and he gives me a thumbs up and says “I like it!” Now how often does that happen to somebody pulling an Airstream or SOB (Some Other Brand)? Made my wife’s day. Well, mine too.

It's always great to watch the side mirrors as people come upon you, slow down, fall back a little, sit there all the while pointing and talking, then continue to pass and give a thumbs up as they go by. My favorite so far, was being down south, bad accident stuck stopped on the highway for about 45 minutes or so and out stretching the legs and other drivers requesting tours, so on the fast lane of whatever highway that was Oliver tours available.

I was greasing and checking the Easy-Flex suspension at 6000 miles. The shackle nuts were fine, but several of the u-bolt nuts were a fraction loose, and two on the same bolt were 1/4turn loose. I checked these at 3000 and found the same situation, tho I can’t recall if the same nuts were loose both times. These should be checked every 3000 miles until they no longer require tightening, then you could go to a longer interval. John Davies Spokane WA

Here is what I just sent.... Hi Anita, Are there Oliver branded products that we can purchase? I am especially interested in a high quality full zip fleece vest, long sleeved sun shirt, or uninsulated windbreaker with small Oliver name and mountain logo on the front. It needs to be a mature and classy color and design. Columbia would be a fine choice: https://www.columbia.com/mens-flashback-windbreaker-jacket-1589321.html?cgid=men-jacketsVests-windbreakers&dwvar_1589321_variationColor=963#srule=MostPopular&start=0 These are great, I have one with an Earth Roamer logo that is my favorite. I would love to have a similar Oliver one: https://www.columbia.com/mens-silver-ridge-long-sleeve-shirt-AM7453.html?cgid=men-shirts-longsleeve&dwvar_AM7453_variationColor=413#start=3 I know there would be much interest in mugs, clothing, etc, what’s up? Father’s Day is soon and I need to find a trailer specific gift to suggest to my kids. I hope you are busy and well. Who else wants Ollie Gear (cool name for a store) and what would you like to buy? Post links please. John Davies Spokane WA

We recently arrived at our one-year anniversary of owning an Elite II, and I have been completing some maintenance and modification tasks—among them, a fresh water sanitation and flush of the fresh water tank. (I followed some good advice on another thread about how to do this. I used the bleach-followed-by-vinegar method.) I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that this was the first time that I checked the filter that is in the plumbing line just before the water pump. Opening it, I discovered several shreds of plastic. This was before I completed the sanitation and flush. I wondered how they got there, dumped them, rinsed and replaced the filter before thinking that I should have taken a photo of them to post on the forum. However, after the last flush of the fresh water tank, I opened up the filter again to find a few more shreds of plastic in the filter. I’m wondering if others have found similar material in their filters and come up with an explanation of their origin. I’m thinking now that mine might be residue from the modification completed on my fresh water tank by my local RV repair shop: They installed the kit provided by Oliver to replace the intake hose to better access the water. Anyway, I’d be interested in learning if others have found similar material in their filters and their thoughts about the situation. It DOES seem that the filter is doing its job: My pump is still pumping. I will be checking my filter much more frequently from now on.

For the most part we are really spontaneous and don't always look ahead of time at places to camp and most of the time we simply use "Trip Adviser" or "Yelp"when looking for a place. But then there's times when you just want to get away and really all that you need is a map. So I go to http://www.mylandmatters.org/ and download the USGS map that I want for that particular area. There are simple tutorials for this on YouTube but here's a quick run down 1st click the "Maps" button in the menu Then today we'll select "Recreation"first and it then opens the drop down menu below it and we're selecting "Topo Maps"this time but there's a ton of great maps on here and if you're a miner like I am then this place is my 2nd home - After Selecting this you click on the + button and then you can either keep hitting the + inside the map in the area that you want or I simply form a rectangle around the area that I want to see and let it enlarge that way on its own. To make a rectangle just put your pointer in the lower right hand section of where you want to enlarge and then drag it up and left to form whatever size area. Today we're going to Hohenwald - You can see the green and then look for state parks, etc. You can drag the map by hitting the button with the 4 arrows pointing in 4 directions then just drag the map up/ down/ etc... The arrows are above the most important button, which is the "i" or information button - After finding the area that you want the map of, you simply click the "i" and then click on your spot on the map and it will open the menu on the left in the picture above. Then simply download the map and open it up and you have the USGS Map of that area right in front of you - I zoomed in at the bottom so you could see the edge and also Hohenwald. Then I saw the green US Forest areas and picked one, the Laurel Hill Lake State Rec area and then typed that area into found a place to check out for the evening. Then we Googled Laurel Hill Lake and the rest is up to you. There's a ton of info all across the United States and this gives you a place to start. Honestly though it all starts with having a good GPS in your Vehicle. You can find them for under $200 in many stores - https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Nuvi-2589LMT-North-America/dp/B00N41UTCG/ref=sr_1_6?s=gps&ie=UTF8&qid=1482271268&sr=1-6&keywords=garmin+gps Reed

This is a truly useful app, however it is not 100% accurate. It relies on USER input to keep it current, which is as easy as sending an email, and they answer promptly, verify the info and make the update quickly for the next database download. If you send a link or gps coordinates and a description, rather than just saying, “this campsite info is wrong”, they will be very grateful The data used in the app is constantly being reviewed, revised, etc. We have been working on the data for 8 years now, correcting current listings as we find more information about them, adding new locations, and even deleting entries that further research shows are not available for camping. An updated version of the app with the newest data is issued monthly. We have seen apps where the data has not been updated since the initial release of the app months ago. We encourage user-input to help ensure our listings are up-to-date. In just a few months of use in WA I found and sent reports for: A free campground that had been converted to a state parks commercial operation Two close by camping areas, one state park and one Dept of Fish and Wildlife, that had their data merged, and only one was marked on the map. My favorite Corp of Engineers lakeside campground that had the only access road removed by a huge landslide the year before. OTH, we were headed for what I thought were free dispersed sites along a BOR reservoir, after reading some glowing Internet reviews, and I found that Ultimate Campgrounds made no mention of them, and when we arrived, we saw all the new Day Use Only, No Camping signs. So, use it but always check and verify before committing to that side road.... so you don’t find this: and please report errors! Click the round Info button, top right corner, then submit a ticket at their website support page. Great resource! .... http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/index.php/products/applications John Davies Spokane WA

We were going to Florida, a few years back, and these 2 older ladies were driving kind of weird, they would pass us, then drive slow, then we would pass them. I mentioned to my wife, we need to put some distance between them and us. A few miles down the road we entered a rest area for lunch, and low and behold, they pulled up along side of us. They just wanted a closer look at our Ollie. We had a nice chat and they were on their way. Stan

Hi y'all, This has been discussed and there's going to be a store but we do not have a set date and time when this will become available.

After viewing this video https://youtu.be/jXMJrRQ3SVkI really had a tough decision about which trailer to buy. Enjoy

Vote for Oliver Travel Trailers http://olivertraveltrailers.com/blog/2018-trailer-life-readers-choice-awards/ Who will win? You decide! You can vote in as many categories as you like, but you can only vote once. Voting begins June 4, 2018, and ends September 4, 2018. Oliver is found under the "Travel Trailers" section of the survey - 5th section down from the top. Thank you all for your consideration!

My wife and I are sort of the opposite of Mike and Carrol I guess. It's very rare that we start the day knowing where we're going to stay that night. If we want to stay someplace crowded, like a National Park campsite, often we'll plan to camp outside the park the night before and then drive in first thing to get a spot. Our first choice is BLM or National Forrest land just outside the parks though. This past trip was unusual in that we stayed in organized campsites pretty much every night, but we had no trouble finding first come, first served camping at all the parks. Our advantage in that respect is that we always travel in the off season.

Can't respond to private messages. Can't access my Account. Can't access my profile. Think it started when name or "handle" was changed, but access path was not updated at the same time.

I found one more picture from the rally that I really like! Great memories of the rally!

Unfortunately almost all the accessible free public lands are west of the Mississippi R, the eastern lands are mostly National Parks or highly commercialized resort style campgrounds with no boondocking. When most of the rural land is private, you find it posted and often gated off for any casual visitors. Add in the high population density, and the result is few available sites. Some National Parks and Monuments, such as Big Bend and Escalante, do offer dispersed camping at marked locations, but discourage random boondocking. The western National Forests and the vast areas of BLM land are pretty much wide open for this, if you can find a big enough wide spot, you are usually OK to spend the night there Texas is a prime example of bad planning... Just after statehood the new government opened almost all land for private development, probably as a buffer against Mexico, saving very little for the future public. Now there are vast primitive areas, but they are mostly private farms and ranches, with no public access. I like Texas, but this is an idiot situation, unless you happen to own a 10,000 acre ranch. This is just one of many reasons we fled from TN in 1981 and never looked back. If you really want to boondock, other than parking lots, plan on lots of high mileage days to get there, or sell your home and move west. Utah would be a good central location. You could boondock in spectacular scenery the rest of your life and never leave the state. The West Coast has great opportunities, but due to high population, in season many camping spots are very hard to find without a reservation. If you live within two hours of Puget Sound, you can just forget camping without a reservation from June through August. I moved from there too, 14 years ago. I do strongly suggest reviewing sat imagery before venturing down any uncertain road, to make sure there is a turnaround..... or hike it first! For a long road trip, if we have several fixed destinations, I will spend many hours studying the Ultimate Campground app and Google Earth (higher definition imagery than most nav apps, and the wonderful 3D tilt) and I will waypoint with comments all possible free or low cost camping locations close to the route, on GAIA, so en route we can easily find a spot when we start to get tired. Do your researching when you have extra time and fast wifi, rather than when cruising down a remote highway, with spotty cell reception and an expensive data plan. Use a good nav app and download the maps and images you need, before leaving home! John Davies Spokane WA

Headed to the Oregon coast (Cannon Beach and then Brookings). Really looking forward to putting the trailer to use now that we've outfitted it, studied it, working on it.

Just realized I never replied to my post as to what the problem was. The pump was bad. Oliver sent me a new one and no problems since. When I pulled the existing one out and direct connected it to a battery - nothing. I know it worked at the factory because there was plastic shreds in the filter. No other explanation.

There's a part of my mind that still has trouble coping with pulling into a gas station and having people quickly approaching you to ask about the Oliver. Thank goodness that I rarely am doing this at night. Just how is it that a quick stop for gas can turn into a half hour Ollie tour? Still it is nice to see that others recognize the same qualities that attracted most of us to Olivers in the first place. Bill

Those little "bits" of plastic are why you shouldn't use a hacksaw to cut plastic pipe. A razor knife leaves a whole lot less "bits". My guess is yours were a results of the holesaw used on you tank. You might want to raise your tongue and flush your tank several times. Might as well sanitize the system while at it...

Yes, I have noticed that also. So, those folks are sort of “tailgating” while looking at an Oliver, so they are “Olliegating”. And when they pass you and give you a thumbs up (salutation) that is an “Ollietation”.?

I tried jacking one wheel, then when the equalizer reached max travel, I used a bottle jack to push up the other one over center. That worked but I never could get the other one to invert to the correct position. I thought “screw it, I will just lower the trailer...” and they all popped over without a sound. I have to wonder if the geometry is off, I really thought that tandems wouldn’t do this unless under really unusual circumstances. In regards to the zerks, I had the factory install them to the inside. With wheels off, I can reach around with my flex hose and swivel tip and grease them easily. With wheels on, I have to crawl under..... John Davies Spokane WA

Beautiful bedding! Have fun & please share pix of your destinations.

As John said - this is nothing to worry about in the short run. During manufacturing of the tank and its installation there are plenty of opportunities for "stuff" to get in both the tank and plumbing lines. However, once they are filtered out you shouldn't have much else getting in there unless you get your water from questionable sources. Given the relatively low water pressure used in most RV's it just might take a bit of time to flush whatever might be in there. Bill

The more you outfit it and work on it, the more it becomes really YOURS. Enjoy the coast, have fun! Bill

It's normal to find that at the first cleaning, check it every few months, if debris still keeps appearing, then you should worry a little. I expect it will clear up on its own. Probably the guy who drilled your tank was not real careful about the chips. I would have used a shop vac while drilling, to catch most of the shreds.... or sucked them out of the hole afterwards. John Davies Spokane WA

Looks great! Have a fun trip and learn as you go. Plenty of expertise here when you have questions. Mike

We have been on the road now for 75+ days. Some of the roads we have traveled have been less then smooth.(Dirt,Gravel, BLM) While in Grand Junction CO, I was filling the propane tanks at Tractor Supply. I noticed both connections on the hoses at the tanks to the regulator had developed leaks. Holy s--t batman! Luckily, T.S. had Mr. Heater replacements. Replaced and rechecked for leaks, O.K. so far so good. Our hull #104 2015, Please remember to do a leak test on your hose fittings.

Steve & John - While I like the simple idea of a using a bolt to prevent this tray from sliding, it does have its (potential) drawbacks. For those of us that still have the regular lead acid batteries it would be simpler to have an easily removable piece of hardware as opposed to the bolt. Obviously the problem is finding that piece of hardware given the relatively limited space available for it and not wanting any more movement in either the hardware or the tray than necessary. Once I get Twist back out of storage prior to this summer's Western fishing trip, I'll try a couple of things that might work in that space (wing nut, bolt drilled for a small hitch pin/clip, etc.). If not, there is always the bolt thing that you guys have used - thanks! Bill

I lost one on this day and with Memorial Day approaching I feel this is appropriate

One of our camping stops when we were touring Colorado and Utah last fall was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It’s not a large park but was well worth the stop. It’s called Black Canyon because the canyon formed by the Gunnison River is so narrow and so deep the canyon walls can appear very dark. The closest town is Montrose, about 15 miles away. We camped at the South Rim Campground which is just inside the park entrance and is at about 8,300 feet and easy hiking distance to the canyon. There are 3 loops in the campground, A and B for RV’s and Loop C for tent campers. Loop B does have 30 amp electric hookups at each site, no water or sewer. Picnic table at each site. Each Loop has a set of vault toilets and drinking water. Since they truck water in there is no filling of RV tanks and no dump station. Reservations are accepted for Loops A and B from the middle of May to the middle of September. We were outside the reservations window, so it was first come first served. We arrived mid afternoon and had no problem getting a site in Loop B (B15) with electricity which allowed us to run our little Vornado space heater since the nights got quite cool. We would have been fine with the furnace. $22/night or half with the senior pass. Both Loops A and B were full before dark. There are plenty of hiking opportunities and you can also drive the road along the canyon stopping at various pull offs to hike to the rim of the canyon. Maps, reservations and more information are on the park website. Mike

Bill, We started in Colorado Springs then went to RMNP (Grand Lake side) mostly on I-70. Then we went to Black Canyon on I-70 and Hwy 50 through Montrose. From Black Canyon we went to Mesa Verde down Hwy 550 through Ouray and Silverton to Durango. This road is not for the faint of heart. Some parts over the passes are very narrow with no guardrail. We encountered all kinds of weather, sunshine and t-shirts, rain and sweatshirts, sleet and snow - all in a very short time. There was a moderate amount of traffic and the speeds are slow. Very scenic. We enjoyed the drive and would do it again. Pulling the trailer posed no issues. Mike

Your eyes see the beauty, yet what the camera captures is only a fraction of the reality, Lake Guntersville is one of those places. I am reminded of Mark Twain: Life on the Mississippi - There were graceful curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft distances; and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enriching it, every passing moment, with new marvels of coloring. I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The world was new to me, and I had never seen anything like this at home. We arrived late Tuesday afternoon, traveling the short distance from Hohenwald where we had some service work completed. The drive into the park is full of beautiful scenic vistas of the lake and covered tree lined forested roads. The campground is located about 5 miles inside the 6,000-acre park. We checked in at the Country Store just as the staff was getting ready to close up for the day. After a quick exchange of information, we were handed a map with our lot number and on our way. The campground is made up of semi-circles starting at the lake’s edge and going back up in elevation into the trees. Most if not all lots offer a view of the lake. We later learned that a tornado in 2011 fell thousands of the trees in the campground, they have replanted many and in time the canopy will return. There are before and after picture in the Lodge that shows just how many trees they lost. We camped at D18 right on the lakefront and close to the docks. Our pad was gravel and level with plenty of room to back in. There are a few concrete pads but most are gravel. Well placed 30/50 electric, water and sewer hookup made our setup effortless. We had a stone fire pit, grill and picnic table that just beckoned to have us sit by the fire and enjoy the view. The grass grounds are well cared for and clean. The park is open year round and the staff could not have been any nicer. The Country Store offers everything you could need and anything you might have forgotten - firewood, ice, propane, fishing tackle, RV repair items and lots of drinks & snacks. The Bathhouses! Clean, modern and air-conditioned, with larger private shower stalls each with a locking door. Tons of hot water and water pressure that made showering an event you looked forward to after hiking or being out on the lake. The park has so many things to do that embrace its natural beauty. With over 30 miles of hiking trails, fishing, a golf course, boat rental, nature tours, geocaching and of course killer zip-lines through the forest canopy – there is something for everyone. Just sitting outside your Oliver and taking it all in came to the top of the list. The morning mist coming off the lake at sunrise with all the waterfowl beginning their day is otherworldly! Our Oliver Owner’s May Rally should afford us cool temperatures at night and pleasant days of discovery. We had the pleasure of meeting Sandy Tesney, Director of Sales. She is working with Coy Gayle (Our Owners Chairman) and Matt Duncan (Oliver Travel Trailers) to plan our May 2018 Rally. Sandy showed us around the Beach pavilion where our daily meet-ups for breakfast and cookout will be held. The pavilion is located just to the south of the campground entrance and a short walk from the campsites. Located right on the lake, this large covered octagon seats 250 and has great facilities for serving meals and group gatherings. In addition, we got to see the meeting rooms at the lodge where we will share a dinner and have some of our meetings. The lodge can easily host many hundreds of people and Sandy told us they hosted 23 weddings in just October alone. That fact alone, speaks to the grandeur of this place. The Lodge sits high up on a cliff above the campground and at night the lights make it look almost magical. If you are considering staying at the lodge, it is a grand retreat, with massive balconies overlooking the lake and a beautiful rustic interior. Sunset at the lodge is breathtaking and should not be missed! You can hike up to the lodge about a 40-minute trek or drive one of the two the paved roads. There is a full restaurant and bar that matches the high quality of everything about the park. Early morning or evening has the many deer come out along the roadways. We saw new fawns and large bucks, all going about their business as if we where not even there. If you have not booked your reservations to attend the 2018 Oliver Owner’s Rally, we hope our brief introduction to Lake Guntersville State Park stirs you to action. Merely call the park at (256) 571-5455 and ask for the discounted rates ($22 per night + taxes,) let reservations know you are with the Oliver Owner's Rally (Group Code 7066.) While Oliver Travel Trailers and other great vendors are sponsoring parts of our Rally, there is a $35 fee per person that we as owners pay to cover food and the park facilities. 100% of these proceeds go to the park. Many hands make light work – if you want to help make this event one to remember, volunteering is simple. With lots of small rolls that can make a major difference, contact Coy Gayle (gayleman@aol.com) like we did. We look forward to meeting all of you in this enchanting setting.