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Calmark uses the Sunbrella fabric. It’s breathable. And the whole thing is open underneath so there’s plenty of air circulation. I’ve been in and out of the trailer many times in the 5 months it’s been covered (since October) and I haven’t had any issues with condensation. Haven’t seen any issues either with chaffing where it touches the fiberglass. As far as washing, I have no idea yet.

Some videos that I made when testing the operation: Normal operation after lubricating. This shows the range of motion with the rain shroud attached. It moves much further with the shroud disconnected at the rear hinge. 2017 MaxxFan 7000K with rain shroud attached, full cycle bench test, 13.2 volts DC. Rear hinge binding and squeaking. This was causing the jerky operation. 2017 MaxxFan 7000K squeaky and binding rain door hinge Normal play in rain shroud when partially open: 2017 MaxxFan 7000K sloppy at part open ***** NOTE ***** The ONLY positions where the rain shroud is not loose are at full closed or full open. At ANY intermediate position, the entire assembly will flop around in the wind. NOT GOOD - never leave your fan part way open using the black knob, especially in gusty winds or when towing. It can damage the parts. John Davies Spokane WA

In another thread, @Nan asked about Maintenance schedules. @John E Davies responded with a link to his post with spreadsheets for Travel Logs, Service Records, and Inventory. John mentioned that you might need Numbers (IOS or Mac) or Excel (Mac and Windows) for these files. If you don't own this software, an alternative is to use free software for spreadsheets, such as Open Office or Google Sheets, which is part of Google Docs. I am posting today because I just updated my lists of Springtime tasks for the Oliver, including Sanitizing the Fresh Water System. I try to keep documents like this and my campground checklists to a single sheet of paper so that they fit into a sheet protector. I also took some info that Oliver posted on regular inspection and maintenance, and put them into three single sheet documents. I am going to upload them as Word documents (docx), so that they can be edited to fit your needs. Please let me know if you would like a pdf document, or an rtf version that can be edited with other software. I probably missed some important maintenance items, and I hope others will chime in. Maintenance - Spring Items.docx Maintenance - Sanitizing the Fresh Water System.docx Maintenance - MaxxAir Fan.docx Maintenance - Water Pump Filter.docx Maintenance - Window Tracks.docx

Not totally "off the shelf" components', but close. Brackets are uni-strut fasteners from Home Depot (pre drilled/zinc coated, .250 x 1.00 flat bar and angle). 1/2" bolts/nuts/washers from the local Fastenal supplier and the short piece of grip-strut was a drop from the local steel supplier. All in, the multi-purpose tongue step/genset platform cost me $30. If I would have had to purchase the usual minimum length (10') of grip-strut, the project would have been much more expensive. I isolated the brackets/bolts from contacting the AL OTT frame with simple spacers made from some HDPE sheet stock and PEX tubing I had lying around from previous projects. https://www.unistrutohio.com/general-unistrut-fittings Depending on what I carry on the rack, the tail gate clears as long as the truck/trailer is straightened out. But, I use an extended length hitch. No Anderson stuff required. TV is a Ford F350 and the tailgate is higher above the ground than most rigs. I usually have a short Pelican case, through bolted to the platform, caring blocks/gloves/misc stuff or don't care anything on the tongue. I prefer to leave it open and use it as a step when transitioning from the bed of the truck to the ground. Most of the crap I think I need to drag along is in the bed of the truck in Pelican cases or stored in the rear passenger area. I originally intended to re-purpose a Pelican 1660 case for a tongue box...didn't like the look. I purchased the propane powered genset specifically for the OTT and have yet to use it, except in testing. Solar meets most of our boon-docking/back country trip needs. I plan to fabricated a plate for the genset which will allow me to directly attach and lock it to the tongue platform. For now, a couple of Mac's straps do the job. A simple draw string bag covers the genset during travels. Tie down straps I had a detailed installation posted but it, along with other postings, disappeared after the website "upgrade". Mark

I am not quite sure I understand what you are asking. These are “full featured” fans with reversible motor, variable speed, thermostatic control, rain shield, etc. There are LOTS of parts, relatively speaking. .... https://www.maxxair.com/products/maxxfan/maxxfan_deluxe.php..... The hole in the roof is a standard size, you could easily replace your MaxxFan with a manual vent. There isn’t much that could go wrong with this that a squirt of lubricant every few years couldn’t fix. All RV appliances are made to low standards and are essentially disposable, meaning many people just use one until it fails and then they buy a brand new one to replace it. But if you are willing to do preventative maintenance it will last a whole lot longer, and hopefully remain working correctly. Owning an RV is a lot of work, no doubt about it. A lot of owners brand new to this world do not appreciate how much work there is..... John Davies Spokane WA

Like Andrew said, you can fit 4 BBs in the tray if you stand them on end. They're a pain to wire up that way, but that's the only problem. You can get the replacement converter section for the power center, and it will shorten your charge time plus probably (?) give you a more ideal charge curve, but before that module was available, BB used to say that it was no problem using the standard PD charger. Think hard before investing in them. For those who need them, they're awesome; but in most cases for most owners, I'd argue that your money is more wisely spent elsewhere.

My fan was getting erratic in the opening/ closing modes. The upper lid would jerk and chatter. Also, I noticed a small nuisance water leak inside the cabin, even when the rain hood was fully closed. FYI: Oliver SEALS the visible edges of the inside trim panel, for a pretty appearance. I had removed mine previously and did not reseal it. Otherwise the water leak would not have been seen - the water would accumulate Inside of the trim until it eventually seeped out around the screws, Trim ring showing where water was pooling: After removing the outside flange assembly, this is what I saw: A really shoddy installation. I wanted to run the fan on my workbench, so I could get to everything, inspect all the hidden parts and make sure I got it fixed before reinstalling it on the roof. If you want to service yours, then you can leave it up top if you like, but removing it is not hard at all. I made an adapter to power the fan using an existing DC cable for my external solar panel port. It's a standard plug, internally fused. More to come. John Davies Spokane WA

Problem solved. The military campground has 2 cable hookups. One that is where the other power hookups are and another on a post 3 feet away. I was trying the hookup that apparently is the old one. It had been disconnected. A fellow camper showed me the somewhat hidden new cable hookup. Too darn many channels now and I have been reminded why I cut the cord years ago.