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Bill Gates' latest blog posting ( here ) is titled 'Why the world deserves a better toilet' and he shares an interesting video ( ) on the interim results obtained by his 2011 'Reinvent the Toilet Challenge'. It looks as if the blackwater vs composting choice is going to look quite quaint in the future...

It isn't an issue with just the one panel each side, since I can easily reach from either end to clean. But yes, if you ran three end to end down the full length of the awning then I think you'd want to incorporate some sort of hinge and latch so that you could lift them up to clean. The big panels in front are a bigger pain than the rear. I worried about roof access, but I had to install the soft start on my AC since Oliver forgot it, and it wasn't a problem. The awning seal does collect junk, but that's a side affect I can live with. Being able to leave the windows open in the pouring rain and not having to worry about gunk in the window tracks makes it worth the trouble. When we camp, I roll out the awnings on both sides about 18", which is enough to attach the poles to the trailer without them hitting the belly band. They can withstand most any wind in that position and allows us to leave the windows cracked when we leave without worrying about rain. Plus I think it keeps the trailer a bit cooler inside. A side benefit of those panels was that they gave me a nice spot for some reflective tape. I realized during our first trip that I had driven one night after going over a muddy gravel road with pretty much no lights on the rear of the trailer, since they had gotten covered in dirt from the back spray. The end of the panels were about the only place that stayed clean.

I think the original shorter ollie is perfect for a solo traveler. But the narrower width means the twin is smaller. I'd just get the full size bed, and order extra cushions to make the side dinette into a sofa. Our shorty has been great for two month trips with two people. We put three crates under the full size bed for a lot of extra storage. Or, two crates and two duffel bags. How much stuff do you want to carry? Either trailer you choose, I'd recommend deleting the microwave if you boondock a lot. We cook on a fire, a grill, or the two burners. Usually, a fire is preferred. The extra storage of our cabinet vs microwave is really great. I use ours for dry good groceries, now that we got rid of the dead weight microwave.... Good luck in your decision. Go see both. It will help you. Both trailers are great. We love our smaller ollie, as a comfortable place to sleep. And, cook, in inclement weather. Sherry

hobo's question was Which Generator? There have been a lot of good advice in this thread about the trade off between generator power and generator weight, and what you need to run the AC. There is another long thread on generators HERE. But there is another question I want to address. Gasoline vs propane as generator fuel. My story. We got our Ollie with solar and AGM batteries, and I did not think we needed a generator. In 2017 we spent ten days camping in Olympic National Park, which was lovely. However, we were camping in a rain forest. Our solar panels were not working well camping under trees, and at one point after 5 days in the forest our batteries were getting to the danger point. This forced us to change our plans and find a campground with electricity. So we decided a generator was needed as part of our gear, at least on some trips. Based on my research I bought the highly recommended Honda EU 2000i model. I got it new for under $700, in part because Honda had introduced the new EU 2200i model, and the dealer wanted to trim his inventory of the older 2000i models. I wanted propane, and I did not want one of these unsightly conversion kits where the propane components hang out from the generator. I really liked the reviews of the GenConneX Honda EU2000i Propane conversion kit. You remove the gasoline tank from the inside of the generator, and the propane components fit in the available space. The GenConneX propane conversion kit is an impressive example of engineering. At the time they did not have a conversion kit for the 2200i model, but it appears from the web site that that is now available. Why propane? Two reasons. One is the hazard of carrying gasoline in your vehicle in either a gas can or the generator. For me, the major negative of a gasoline generator is that the gasoline goes bad over time, whereas propane does not. This is not a problem if you are using the generator regularly. However, I anticipated taking the generator only as a potential backup on trips where we were without electricity. For us the generator has been a magical insurance policy. In the past year we have not once needed the generator. Our solar panels have provided all the electricity we needed on these trips. I call it magical because I am convinced that had we not brought the generator we would have had clouds or trees that would have hindered solar panel efficiency. If we had a gasoline generator, the gasoline would have gone bad. And we always have plenty of propane. One negative for propane is that power output from a generator drops when you are using propane instead of gasoline. If your generator is only for occasional use, propane may be a better option.

I have a Yamaha 2400 and I think it is a perfect size. It is heavier than the suitcase units (about 85 pounds), but I leave it locked with a heavy cable in the back of my Land Cruiser and just open the hatch and tailgate and run it there. I use a 25 foot 10 gauge 15A extra heavy duty cord which never shows any sign of overheating. the dual outlet is rated at 20A. It will handle an 18 or 19 amp load for hours, and will surge to well over 30A without a problem. It starts my AC just fine, but I have the small Air Command unit and it does not need an easy start capacitor. It is very quiet, reliable, easier to start than my Honda 1000, and is built just as well. Running inside my rear cargo area makes it inaudible unless you are near the truck. Be aware that your microwave and inverter is NOT your friend when boon docking. My inverter draws 75 AMPS with just the microwave running, and if you plan to cook a couple of 6-minute tv dinners, it will have an impact on even the biggest battery bank. If you are parked in the direct sun, in summer, you can cook those meals at 4:00 pm and your batteries will be charged back up pretty quickly. Try this in October, in a northern latitude, running your furnace all day, with overcast skies or heavy tree cover, and your batteries will go flat in a hurry. The generator is not just for the air conditioning, it is to allow a quick 1 hour recharge if the weather won't let your panels do their job. Or if you want to park in the shade. Of course, you can charge off the gennie at dinner time and run the microwave of the generator's 110VAC current, no worries. The onboard converter will charge at up to 45A when running off a generator. Your panels or truck cannot match that. But if there is some sun, the panels will add to the generator's charge rate. I don't think it is wise to buy a barely adequate sized generator, always have some reserve power. That way when the lights go out at home you can run more stuff off it. John Davies Spokane WA

I am a serious cyclist who has struggled to find a solution for transporting expensive cycles when traveling with my Ollie. I purchased the original Oliver receiver for a bike rack with my ‘16 Elite II. I then learned that most bike racks are not designed for use on an RV so my Thule bike rack could be used, but without warranty coverage. I liked Oliver’s second attempt at designing a bike rack, but the Thule components they used wouldn’t work with the 4” wide tires on my fat bike. Here’s the contents of the email I sent to Jason when I finally found a solution: “As you can see from the attached photographs, they welded a piece of aluminum to the apparatus You provided to me. Then they mounted components from the Thule T2 Classic bike rack to that new aluminum member. The last two photographs are of that particular Thule bike rack. Now I have a rack that will accommodate any type of bike from the skinniest tires on a road bike to the fattest tires on a fat tire bike.” I’ve attached the photos I sent to Jason. This rack is bomb-proof and accommodates all of my bikes.