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I bought the Telesteps 1600EP OSHA compliant ladder thru Amazon. Made a storage bag from indoor/outdoor carpet with the bottom side in and closed with Velcro. When using the ladder I place the bag over the top of the ladder to prevent scratching the camper. It stores in the closet on the bathroom wall side just under the vent pipe. I have two Command hooks on the wall and use nylon string to secure it in place.

After 5 years of digging around the subject of an RV, I'm getting close to committing to a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and the shorter Oliver Elite. I have some previous trailering experience and a lot of RV technical training. Took my wife on a 10-day motorhome rental trip last year and found out she was not hot on the idea...she would rather we buy an SUV and stay in hotels. Since then she bought an SUV and is still working. She recommended I also buy an SUV or a class B van, but told me to do my thing...it's my separate money after all. Have pretty much killed the idea of a van and DIY build. As some have told me, Rodger, you will never hit the road. Well, there have been timing and responsibilities issues and I'm not stressed over it. My 98 pound Boxer is ready to go, now that I have trained him up with a remote collar. And I have had a good year of art training so I can do some pretty nice landscape art work when we get going. I probably will be pretty quiet as to forum interactions, but I will be floating through the posts meantime. Don't plan to say much until I buy an Oliver. "Mace" and I want to dry camp on low to moderate off roads and avoid the private campgrounds. The wife may show up for a short vacay if I find a nice spot...fly in for a visit. For sure, we will also do some overseas traveling as well. But like I told my wife, it is time for Mace and I to get out of town from time to time. Cheers.

RodgerS - First - welcome to the Forum! Only you can decide what is right for you. If you need time and/or more experience in order to make those decisions then by all means take all the time you feel you need. However, remember that time is one of those things that you can never buy or get more of. The clock IS ticking and the older you get the louder it tics. Certainly there are those times when we must simply gather what information we can, make a decision and move on before time passes us by. If we make the wrong decision then do whatever is within our power to correct it and continue moving down the road. Each and every day spent in analysis paralysis is another day we simply can not get back. Many people have said that making a decision - any decision - is better than making no decision at all. There are just too many beautiful places to see, wonderful people to meet and exciting experiences to be had out there. Bill

A pic of Mace

Many states have wonderful state parks with RV site that rival any private park at much less cost. Mike

I wish you the very best and lots of satisfying adventures while you follow your dream. Have fun! Sounds like a good combination of truck and trailer too. But somehow it all sounds a little sad.

To all the Oliver Dads out there. Hopefully it is not too hot wherever you are and you can find a nice cool place to relax. Bill

I’ve been checking the threaded knob under the license plate that holds the spare tire cover on. I have found it loosens after a day on the road. I am going to add a Nyloc nut to keep it from backing off. Edit: Just found a post by DavePhelps September of last year that addresses this. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/spare-tire-cover/#post-72664

I don’t care for organized campgrounds and we never make reservations anywhere (and yes, this includes all the major National Parks.) When we get tired or ready to stop, we pull over somewhere. Could be an empty lot in the middle of some small town, a rest stop on a busy interstate, a Walmart or Crackerbarrel even a wide spot on the side of US50 in the middle of Nevada. We’ve never not found some where to sleep and usually it’s free. Recently, while traveling in Georgia with another Oliver couple, we met a man in a Walmart parking lot. He asked where we planned to stay over the Memorial Day weekend. We admitted we didn’t have any plans. He insisted that we come to his farm and camp there. He provided us with a gigantic pole barn to park in complete with 30 amp hookups, sewer and water. He apologized that his satellite dish was currently out of service. The barn also had a small apartment with a kitchenette, shower and toilet. Thanks to his generosity, we rode out 5 days of hurricane Alberto’s near constant rain and wind high and dry in relative luxury. Have faith, there’s always somewhere to boondock.

The answer to your question depends somewhat on your personality. Carol and I are both planners and check list people. We like to know where we’re going and that there will be room for us when we get there. If it’s not summer, we usually have a destination planned but do not plan the return - we just wing it. If it’s summer, we plan the whole trip. We’re getting ready to leave for Colorado and will return through NM. We have reservations at BLM, COE and TX State Park Campgrounds for the whole trip. Our go-to App is Ultimate Public Campgrounds. It’s very accurate and shows all the non-commercial places to camp. Mike

Hi Mainiac! Your Ollie stash in the garage is exactly like us now - even down to the toaster!!! We're going to need and extra large shoe horn to get all this stuff in! I am putting the brakes on any further shopping. And you're right about red flags going up about those "new floors" in Airstreams - we so love the fact that there literally is nothing to rot and replace in the Ollie! Thanks for sharing - Kim

On our most recent trip, and after a long haul down a pretty rough gravel road, I noticed the spare tire cover was coming off. When I pulled down the license plate to inspect, I found the X-nut (?) used to secure the cover was hanging on by just one or two threads! Good thing I stopped to stretch when I did, as I still had some miles to go. So what I have done now is to pack out behind the cover with some 5/8" washers on the threaded rod. This fills the space between the back of the cover and the threaded aluminum bar that actually secures the tire. Then, with he cover back on, I have added a second 5/8-11 nut on top of the X-nut to secure it. If you travel rough roads often, I would recommend securing the cover in this way. Dave