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There’s no shame in leaving the Ollie to fend for itself for a night...

@ John D: Thanks for the good read. Posted within is a link to "How to Wash Your Car Show Style". To save readers time, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOt--yizRoc Before watching this riveting and informative video, I recommend having a full cup of coffee (AM) or beverage of choice (PM). You'll know why when the video is over. :-). I thought I knew all the ins and outs of the two bucket approach, but learned a bunch. So, thanks John D!

I have never even considered a truck wash. Can you tell us how they work? Are they automatic, are there rotating brushes? Blow dry? Do you worry about damage to all the stuff up top? I am pretty anal about the finish on my vehicles and Ollie. I loathe drive-through car washes that scratch the paint with stiff rotating fibers or brushless floppy things, and won’t use one, ever. I don’t even like the harsh soaps that are used at the quarter car washes, so I won’t use more than the rinse cycle and never the brush on a stick. I do use a commercial place in the winter when it is too cold to do it myself, to get off the deicer, but it is a pressure pre-rinse followed by a hand wash. And they only do a 6 out of 10 star job, at best. And it does scratch, so I have to rewax in the spring. https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-you-should-never-take-your-car-to-a-carwash-1821475097 OTH a lot of people don’t really care very much about their paint, especially if they change vehicles often. But if you want to keep it twenty years, you should.... Thanks for any comments on the truck wash. I would like to see a pic of your Ollie parked among a bunch of big rigs. John Davies Spokane WA

I’m often away from home for 5-6 weeks with my Elite II. Both the tow vehicle and camper get pretty dirty because of dirt/gravel roads, rain, bugs, etc. Car washes are ok, but I haven’t found them very effective. My preferred method is to find a good truck wash. It’s not inexpensive—you may pay as much as $50-$60 to get the tow vehicle and camper washed, but often they do an excellent job. One of the best I’ve found was Exit 96 Truck and RV Wash in Missoula, Montana. A new truck wash opened near my home and I now stop there before putting my Oliver in storage. They only charge $30 and that makes it an easy decision for me. It usually takes me at least 90 minutes to hand wash my camper after a trip. One caveat: you may have to wait at a truck and RV wash. At the one in Missoula, I waited about 45 minutes and the wash took about 30 minutes.

My Ollie is on the road for over 100 days during the summer and washing while traveling is essential. Whether you use Rejex or Meguires Flagship Marine wax (Very similar to Rejex, but quite a bit less costly) about once a week, a wash is essential. Upon arrival at a Military Family RV Camp, I make it a point to politely ask the park manager his policy on washing of RV's. At military FAMCAMPS, it is OK about 90% of the time. However, rarely is it permissible to to wash the Tow Vehicle (TV). That said, the etiquette question still comes into play. How you wash your trailer makes a lot of difference. Some suggestions on etiquette washing that I follow are: If the trailer has mud on it, don't wash it at the FAMCAMP. I don't wash Ollie if there is any possibility of disturbing others. I try not to waste water (and protect your trailer's finish) by using a two bucket approach. I use absolutely the minimum amount of soap necessary if any! I use biodegradable soap and use it very sparingly. I make sure that is no runoff from my parking area. I make near zero sound when washing (No conversations, music, high velocity water noise, bucket bumping, are examples to avoid.) I wash Ollie at a reasonable hour, not when the neighbors are asleep. If there is any doubt, or if I do not have explicit permission, the I won't wash Ollie. If I can not wash my Ollie within these parameters, then I'll either go to the base car wash before arriving or when departing the FAMCAMP. If not at a military FAMCAMP, then I follow John and SeaDawg's advice. One final thought: Never, never ever wash anything outside of your rig at a Walmart Super-center or other establishment which has been so kind to allow us to park overnight. Frankly etiquette at these wonderful locations should be taken to an extreme, and deserves a separate thread. Welcome to our Oliver Family!

John has a good point about the bugs. Many of them - most of them - perhaps all of them are acidic. Therefore they will eat into whatever wax you have applied if you leave them there for too long. There are a number of other waxes and "detailer" products that will do the job. If you have a good base of wax on that nose almost any of the "detailers" on the market will get them off without a bunch of work but it is certainly easier and more friendly to the surface of your Oliver to do this cleaning when the bugs have had a chance to soften a bit with dew or rain. I've found that the products sold specifically to remove bugs are only marginally useful when applied prior to a normal washing. Bill

Many camogrounds frown on, or prohibit, washing your trailer in your campsite. Wastes water, can leave a mess, and neighbors complain... Best to take it to a do it yourself carwash. Make sure you have the height clearance in the stall--your Ollie is a lot taller than most vehicles. Good question. Ask away.

John, All very good points. I had a lot of fun with a pop-up camper on my truck for years. I like to explore back roads and you make a good point about wondering if there will be a place to turn around. And, of course, parking is always a hassle. A number of times we have wanted to stop somewhere and went on because of no place to park. The thing that wore me down about the camper was not being able to go anywhere without taking it along. No side trips after getting set-up somewhere. And the fact that the trailer is so much more convenient once there. The people we got our Ollie from decided right away that it was not right for them because they were in a separate vehicle when camping, unlike a motorhome, for instance. They felt more secure in a small motorhome. And they did not like backing up, which doesn't bother me, but can be a challenge. It seems that by the time they got back to CA from Hohenwald, they were done with their Ollie. It was a mistake for them and a great opportunity for us.

Dwain, If you boil down the concerns to their most basic elements, it seems to be something like: If I continue with the routine I've always done, I'll be safe. If I stray from that routine, I'll be unsafe. It's the fear of the unknown and nothing more. Or, put another way, if I drive on the freeway, in the city, and go about my life (where there are X number of traffic deaths, X number of muggings, and X number of murders every year), I'll be safe. But if I take a risk and go out into the forest, where there is almost nobody around, I'll get robbed and killed for sure. Following that logic, why even go outside, or to the store, or on any kind of vacation? Or why vote for anyone other than who is feeding you the rhetoric of fear? If you long for a breath of fresh air, want to see the open spaces, listen to the quiet, or explore some natural wonders, you have to get out there and do it. And an Ollie is the perfect little cabin you can take with you to do it. I must say that wondering about these basic questions reveals that you are looking beyond the confines of the security trap. Good! Spending the night in the forest, or out in the desert, and just looking and wondering at the night sky, the sound of a breeze in the trees, or a babbling brook, will help you take stock in your life and the meaning of it. Making some new friends that are doing the same, will give you renewed confidence in humans. Hearing a coyote late at night, or watching bats swoop in for a drink from a pond as evening sets in, or hearing a bird screech, or poking at the campfire with it's quiet crackle and warmth, as you study the Milky Way, will reset your clock. And as you drift off to sleep, you'll know you've been changed. Your insecurities about being in a new place will melt as your fascination about it grows. But, of course, you must take more responsibility for your own safety by taking food, water and supplies, and a way to communicate as much as possible. As in being wherever you are, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Much of this comes down to addressing emotions with logic. Those two are incompatible and one cannot answer the other very well. But reason can bridge the gap. Curiosity can fuel desire. Desire and curiosity can lead to adventure. A taste of adventure can lead to more adventure. A desire for more adventure and good experiences can lead to acquiring an Ollie. An Ollie can lead to virtually unlimited adventure. None of this can occur without a bit of courage and curiosity. I say grab your courage by the tail and let it pull you out of the routine. Cautiously at first, if need be, at a rate the works for you. But grab that chance before it's too late. Or before fear of an imagined bogeyman keeps you hiding under the bed thinking you're safe. Find your adventure and relish it. We all have our demons, do they rule us, or do we live in spite of them? Step one: Get an Ollie and attend an organized Casita or Oliver rally. They are totally safe, fun and organized. You'll have chances to make lots of friends and get lots of ideas. Open house tours will give you a chance to meet others and look at their trailers. These are social events based around camping. Step two: Visit some State or National Parks with organized campgrounds. A safe, organized and a wonderful way to see natural wonders, like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. These are camping trips with no risk and easy access to resources. Step three: begin to visit some BLM lands in more secluded areas, if you wish. There is nothing wrong with steps one and two and they may be just fine forever. But you might want to get out farther, or find more seclusion. If so, Death Valley awaits. The National Forest lands await. Lakes, forests, deserts, hot springs, Bristlecone Pines, and all sorts of wonders can act as a backdrop to your escape and wonder. These are mainly boondocking trips where you are more on your own, but no too remote. Good examples are: an eclipse trip, a hot springs search, a place off the beaten path to wait for a campsite in Yosemite, a desire for solitude, an animal study of some kind, a gold panning trip. Or a trip to the east coast of Baja to fish and swim in peace. Or a few nights amongst the ruins of a ghost town as you ponder the past. Or simply a romantic getaway with your sweetie for a few days.

Thieves and muggers are lazy and often addicted and they stay in places they know, which is usually urban alleys. You are very safe out in a forest or beside a reservoir. You do need to worry a little about wild animals in some places. Fortunately, unlike a tent, a hard sided Ollie is very comforting when there are bears wandering around at night. This is very rare: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/08/bears-have-prompted-glacier-national-park-restrict-rising-sun-campground-hard-sided-campers For a medical emergency or breakdown, you should have some sort of satellite communicator, either an actual sat phone (many $$$) or a small two way messaging device like this which can summon a medivac helicopter if needed: .... https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/ You can buy an annual $50,000 search and rescue policy in addition to the inReach service plan, that will pay for a rescue, cost is only $18. An inReach provides great peace of mind to both you and your family at home, since you can send unlimited pre-composed check-in messages at no charge. Part of the risk of venturing away from populated areas is that it will take longer for police or medical aid to arrive, possibly hours. There is not much you can do if you or your wife has a cardiac arrest or a stroke. That is just the way it is.... if either of you has a serious health problem you should probably not stray from urban areas. John Davies Spokane WA