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Good morning Everyone! My husband & I are in the process of having our Elite II Ollie built. The expected delivery is in February. We have tent camped for many years but are new to travel trailer camping. I have looked over and/or read many of the topics in this forum, but I have some questions. We know there are a multitude of items we will need to purchase such as blocks, chocks, etc. I was wondering if someone on this list could give me an idea of what we might need to purchase and a good location/store we can get them from. I am sure this question has been asked before so I apologize for asking it again. Regards, Susan Ram 1500 4x4

I don't mean this as a "cop out", but, your answer mainly depends on exactly how you plan to use your camper. If you never camp without electrical hook-ups then you may believe that the solar option is simply not necessary. If you don't plan on extended Boondocking trips then a composting toilet is questionable. If you don't "need" the instant gratification that an on-demand water heater gives you then the standard water heater will do just fine. If you don't do a fair amount of winter camping then a 30 pound propane tank is probably not necessary. If you never listen to the radio or watch "local" TV then the standard antenna is OK. I could go on but only you can decide the "need" for a particular option as it pertains to how you will plan to use your camper. Of course there is the re-sale value of the camper to consider also, but, I would not let that sway my thinking too much. Finally, for most options, the cost of adding options later is higher than including them in the original build. If there is an Oliver owner near you then I'd recommend sitting down with them and go over each option you are considering. Listen to why they did (or did not) get that option and determine if the reasoning makes sense for your situation. Good luck! Bill

Ken, thanks for the heads up. Are your lines secure? If they are not tied down (or to each other) they will jounce around a bunch. A few minutes with some 9 inch cable ties will reduce future problems, for plumbing and also for wiring. The factory skimps in this area..... John Davies Spokane WA

I have Oliver 555 and both Honda 2200i generators, the std. one and the “companion” that has a std. duplex outlet and a 30amp outlet (L5-30). That 30 amp outlet requires a basic adapter to allow the male end of the Oliver supplied power cord to plug into the adapter. For a first trial trial I started the Companion generator by itself using the 30 amp connection with adapter and then connected the Oliver with its supplied cord. I got no power and the E2 Open ground code on the EMS. I Shut the generator down, unplugged at the Ollie and then added a neutral ground plug to its duplex outlet. Restarted the Generator and replugged in the cord to the Oliver. EMS takes a pause before allowing power the connected showing E0, Normal Operating Condition. Being that the Oliver is new, Nov. 25th, I then tested the easy start, fridge and air conditioning. Everything worked as advertised. I cycled the air conditioning temp up and down and watched the EMS which would see amperage as high as 18amps when the air was cooling with the fridge cooling. So I did not run the microwave at the same time not problem would I. Therefore I can’t see hauling the second gen and hooking it in parallel at any time so I didn’t see any value in testing the combination. Any thoughts?

Here's a word document template to build your own Oliver Supplies Checklist: Quick Supply List.docx

Patrick - As with all RV's I've ever been in, the air conditioner is loud. My solution to that is to camp at an elevation where I simply don't need it. In most (if not all) places on the Oliver with doors and other openings the fiberglass has been molded with nice radius corners or the panel has been turned in at the edges which produces nicely rounded corners. You first question depends almost entirely on your personal need for space. Besides the dinette there is the sleeping area. In either floorplan of the Elite II, the sleeping area can be used for many other things other than sleeping. Your best bet would be to arrange either a factory tour in Hohenwald, TN or to take a tour of an Oliver that is located near you. The Sales Office at Oliver would be happy to arrange either (or both) for you. Bill

Perhaps this is not what you want to hear, but, given the your constraints of not using propane - I simply leave my Ollie winterized during such travel. I do carry a couple of gallons of water in milk jugs in the bath for flushing the toilet. And, I carry other water in my truck for drinking, bathing and food prep. Once I get to warmer climates, I flush the lines and proceed normally. Since winterizing the Ollie is so easy, I then re-winterize once I get back to the chilly north. Bill

We picked up Hull #306 April of last year. Since then we've put about 5K miles on the trailer, including a recent trip to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons; and we absolutely love it. We previously had a Casita 17 Deluxe. The Oliver LEII is everything we wished for in the Casita and more. We've been part of the fiberglass community for some time and were accustomed to the curiosity people have for these trailers. However, we never get tired of the universal “wow” people express when they step inside an Oliver. I want to give a special shout out to “Jam49” who left a kind note on our windshield in Blanco, Tx. They spotted our trailer parked in the square. Made the block and left a note just to say hi to a follow “Oliverian”. And the woman with the pink Boler, who waved at us from the service road, somewhere in Colorado as we sped by. What can I say; fiberglass people share a kindred spirit. I don’t post much, but have benefited from this forum for the past year. Thank you to those who share their experiences here. Judy and I live in Fair Oaks Ranch, Tx (yes there are at least two Olivers here) which is just North of San Antonio. We’re looking forward to the miles ahead.

When I purchased my CalMark cover I asked about having clear panels sewn into the top for the solar panels. They will not do that. So, I simply put the cover on, make sure that the solar and all electric is turned off in the camper and then plug a small (25 watt) solar panel into the camper to tow vehicle pigtail so that the batteries remain charged over the storage period. Bill p.s. My Calmark cover is now going into its 5th year. I've had to patch about a half dozen places over the years where I did not pad the cover and the camper wore through - i.e. the corner of the folding steps, the bumper. But, Calmark includes patching material with the cover and all you do is glue the patch to the under side of the cover - works great.

I ordered our new Oliver without the front and rear logos, have since put on our new logo design in those spots. I wanted the side stripes to be the thin style and not the double color thick ones, just because it's too much for a luxury trailer in my opinion, there are reasons why you don't see stripes and logos on the Lexus. I do plan someday to remove the side stripes, but will leave the OLIVER and Elite II logos on the rear sides, I think they do say luxury looks. Since our trailer theme is the "Lone Star Travelers" and I have our logos on the front and rear of the trailer I'm not wanting to overdue the side with something that goes with that, it would be too much and the trailer would start to look like a side show attraction vehicle. I have some ideas that I'm working on, both using the existing side stripes, or removing one of then and using just one, but this still remains in my head for the time being. Designing and building things has always been a hobby for me, so I really enjoy doing things like this, it passes the time when needing something to do. Remember everyone has what they like on there trailers and not any of them are wrong, it's a personal thing with each and everyone of us. trainman

I won’t ever read anything on Jezebel. But I agree with your comment about the swooshes on Ollies. I think they are both unnecessary and detract from their clean and sophisticated lines. ”Mouse” is mostly bare. I had asked for just the Oliver Legacy Elite II graphic on each side and the front factory logo. They left off the stripes but also left off the side logos. I got so darned tired of hearing people ask, “Is that some sort of Casita?” Or “What is a Mouse?” that I had them send me stickers at no charge. Not once since I installed them have I been asked that particular question..... Now it is usually “That is so cool, I have been reading about Olivers! Can I peek inside?” PS I want your awning straps, do they flutter and moan in strong crosswinds and do you have a link? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Taylor, If you think you'll get it to where you can't detect that it is back there, forget it. Putting an approximately 5,500 lb weight behind your truck and then going over bumps and through dips WILL cause some pulling and pushing. Nothing wrong with that and no way around it. It will always jar you a bit when hitting bumps, and it will always push or pull depending on the road. A favorite way for so many guys to describe how well Olivers or others tow is to say "I can't even tell it's back there" It's a cute saying, but the reality is, yes you can tell it's back there. And so can the truck as it pulls 2 1/2 -3 tons along over grades, bumps, driveways, pot holes, speed bumps, dips and corners. When on a perfectly smooth and level highway, and cruising along at speed, yes, you might forget it's back there, or it's impact on the driving experience will become minimal and unimportant. But in any other conditions, it will keep reminding you it's there by tugging, jarring the suspension, pushing and pulling a bit. Not violently, but noticeably. How could it not? And again, that is not a problem. The simple physics of the trailer weight, compared to the truck weight, the uneven surfaces, and corners, all mean, yes, you can detect it back there. You've done all that you can do to fine tune the entire setup, short of maybe a final tire pressure adjustment. Now go out and enjoy it. After a while you won't be troubled by how your truck drives differently while towing. It should and it will.

I have a 2016 Ollie. I am not selling, but I would have no qualms about selling it to my closest friend. Ollies are built to last. I know of no RVs with a lifetime warranty. Even without a lifetime warranty, if you read through this forum you will see that Oliver provides outstanding service to owners even after the warranty period has ended. The 2014-2016 Ollies have a smaller sink than the newer ones, and also a better drawer under the sink. Other than that, not much has changed. With any used RV purchase, the buyer needs to make certain that components (furnace, fridge, etc) all work. Again, Ollies are built to last, and Oliver uses the best components. What stress fractures? I did a search and found no reports of stress fractures.

George - while you're looking around, don't forget to take a close look at your "marker" lights on both the top and bottom of the hull. Like Steve, I've never had to do much on the roof, but, several of those lights on mine have needed a bit of re-sealing. Bill