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The concept is pretty nice - I took a look at them at overland expo and there are definitely a few things that I prefer over the Ollie. But then there are also some things I don't like so it balances out. On the whole, I prefer what I have. But if they had been available when I was shopping, and I didn't know what I know now, I'd have looked at them pretty closely. At that time, I seriously considered a Kimberley trailer, since they were available here back then. The Kimberleys were fairly unique, though, if more expensive. I don't think that there's anything particularly special about the Black Series - they're just an Aussie style trailer that happens to be sold here. Tougher construction than the average, and a lot more off-roady eye candy, but not unique in any way. There have been other Aussie companies enter the market here, like Kimberley or Extreme (?), and it seems like they last a few years and then quietly leave. Conquerer, from South Africa, comes and goes randomly. Earth Cruiser I guess is the only one that has stuck it out. From what I've read, though, the big problem with the Black Series is that you don't have to wait for the company to exit the market before being hung out to dry. There are some really ugly stories on ExPo about the quality and customer service - to the extent that they say the company has threatened lawsuits against their own owners, and the forums they post on. I can't see how anyone would put up with that sort of clown show, especially after having owned an Ollie. So, my opinion is that if you go into it, think of it like importing a trailer. Assume that you're on your own, and if you have the time, skill, and money to fix things yourself, then sure. But for me, it seems like the sort of trailer that looks great in the brochure but loses its shine in use; whereas I think you don't really start to appreciate the Ollie until you put it to use, and the more you use it, the more you realize how good it is.

I would suggest running a permanent, dedicated line down to the trailer. If you use 150 feet of #6 wire, drawing 12.5amps at the trailer you will have a: Voltage drop: 1.48 Voltage drop percentage: 1.23% Voltage at the end: 118.52 Get one of these to place at the trailer. Make sure the source of electricity at your house is at least a 30amp breaker and you'll be all set. We did this 12 years ago and we can run anything we hook to it, heaters and the air conditioner.

In preparation for our upcoming trip And desire for an outdoor living space with bug and a little wind/rain protection, just bought a Clam product. It seems well constructed and thoughtfully designed. It literally takes about a minute to pop it open, and would appear no more than another couple of minutes to stake it or tie it down. Takedown was simple too. The unit we purchased came with Velcro attachable weather panels for wind/rain. It has no floor, seems plenty of room for 4-6 lounge chairs, two large dogs and other stuff, including a regular size picnic table. It comes in a long duffel bag. We looked at an REI version, and though less expensive, didn’t feel right for us.

David and I left NH Feb 16 intending to camp in the south-eastern and gulf states working our way over to Mississippi and then coming back on the Natchez Trace Parkway, attend the rally in Alabama, then slowly camp our way back to NH, arriving home in mid-June. Then the rally was postponed and campgrounds began closing. Several days ago we decided that ending our trip and heading home was the wiser thing to do. We reached NH yesterday afternoon, sad to have our first real trip cut so short but we had great fun and learned a lot about our Ollie (happy we had brought the manuals with us!). It is time to stay home to help protect as many people as possible. Hope you all are well and planning your next trip.

He likes his HQ19 a lot. He had it at Quartzite in January. He’s done a lot of mods and is posting some of it on the Expedition Portal. We stopped by his dealer in Salt Lake City when we were there in the fall and agree that it is a nice trailer. He was going to bring it to the spring rally.

I would not hesitate to purchase a used Ollie that was no more than say three years old, that was low miles and has had regular maintenance and cleaning/ waxing. I suspect that most owners do not actually keep a usage log, so determining actual miles towed, what kind of towing - freeways or dirt roads, over chemical deicers - and past maintenance might be difficult, especially if there was a previous owner before the current one. You can tell a lot about how a unit was cared for and where it went by inspecting the frame, suspension and gelcoat for damage, eroded paint, rust, rock chips etc. This kind of damage won’t destroy an Ollie, but how the owner(s) took steps (or didn’t!) to reduce long term damage should be fairly obvious. I looked under one Ollie and I saw neglect, pure and simple - a rusty mess. Stay clear of a neglected one. Unless you are a savvy, mechanically talented buyer, any used unit more than a year old should have a full top to bottom pre-purchase inspection performed by a qualified Rv tech. The seller might offer one, that is fine if it is recent and they can provide a printed copy to you before you arrive to look at it, but if there has not been one, the buyer should pay for it and arrange the details. IMHO. https://www.camperguide.org/rv-inspection-cost/ Sellers, having a complete inspection done, performing any necessary maintenance like bearings/ brakes, and being prepared to hand a buyer a copy of the report and any service records is a quick way to make a sale. Who wants to wait three to six months before your rig is gone...? John Davies Spokane WA

Yep, ^^^, good suggestion. I added three RV outlets (one 50 amp and two 30 amp) around the homestead. We have friends/family stopping by with their RVs and of course they need to hook-up to electrical. The mother/father in-law likes their twin A/C and microwave to always work. Whether you decide to do this project yourself or hire a licensed electrician, make sure this common error is not part of life. And, if you're going to go through the effort and for very little extra cost, go with a 50 amp RV outlet. You never know when a visitor with a big 5th wheel or MH will show up and needing full juice, and it is simple to adapt down to your 30a OTT. And just a suggestion, when you have your trench open, lay an extra run of conduit or two with a pull line pre-threaded; capped off for future use. Never know when you may want to drop a cat-6 cable for some hardwired ethernet devices,wi-fi extension, security cameras or maybe another electrical need. Conduit is cheap...trenching is not and leaves a mess. Expensive mistake when installing 30-amp RV outlet at home- article by Mike Sokol

7 Pin Waterproof Holder Mod - Did this for our unit as we had that exact problem...water in the 7 pin after heavy rains. Now we are good...

FYI, Your 1500 w space heater is using about 12.5 Amps. 150' of 10 AWG wire = a line loss of 3.75v. So if you started with 120v at the house, you are down to 116.25v at the trailer.- 12 AWG = a loss of 5.96v = 114.04v. 14 AWG = a loss of 9.47v = 110.53v. 16 AWG = a loss of 15.05v = 104.95v which is .95v above the low voltage cutoff of the Progressive Industries Surge Protector. If you reach the low voltage cutoff point, you would lose all AC to the trailer because the surge protector would shut down. So the long answer is your extension cord is too long and probably too small. By the way, in the 3rd entry of this post, John E Davies shows a picture of the remote display of the Progressive Industries Surge Protector. It may be located under the street side bed. It will show the voltage coming into the trailer in the scrolling display. John's picture shows the amp reading so keep watching and it will show the voltage reading so you’ll know what that value is. And don’t return the GFCI tester, put in your Ollie tool box because you’ll use it again. Mossey

Mike, I used to do that on mine, but then I started getting water seeping in at the joint between the cable and plug. Some silicone sealant probably would have fixed it, but I got this cover instead and it's worked great.

Good reminder, John. I’m going Yamaha 2200i over the Honda, because of the fuel indicator, higher fuel capacity and carb drain feature. However, I do like the smaller and lighter footprint and slightly quieter run of the H. Though the Red machine is more popular, I’m going Blue this time. Thanks!

We are on the Gulf of Mexico due south of Tallahassee. We began our journey departing Maine on February 3rd with plans to visit Charleston, Savannah, the Keys, Naples, Tampa, Destin, Gulfport, New Orleans, Natchez and the Trace, Nashville, and then to the Oliver Rally and then home. We did get to Charleston, Savannah, the Keys, Naples and Tampa. We are leaving here tomorrow for home. With limited services and most everything closing, to us, it just seems best to head home. We will end our trip 2 months early and that is disappointing. However, the 45 days on our first camping trip in our Ollie has been great. We learned a lot and met some very nice folks. We stayed in Cracker Barrels, State Parks, RV resorts, and private campgrounds. It has been an adventure. We learned about our Oliver. We hooked up, used a dump station, learned how to use the Andersen hitch, greased our Dexter suspension, fixed a broken tongue jack (operator error) and had our refrigerator serviced in the keys. We will return to Maine to wait this out and hope to remain healthy and enjoy a great summer. We will plan to go back back out next winter and finish part of the trip we didn't get to do this year, go further and do more next year. Stay healthy!!!!!!!

A lot has changed since March 6. At this point, we’re not going anywhere. Best to stay close to family, friends and our own health care. I also understand that full-timers in some regions are having a hard time finding open parks. I have a house so I’ll let the full time RVers use available camping spots. Mike

Shutting down production is a business decision for Oliver with significant consequences. Postponing the rally results in some inconveniences and disappointment. Two different categories. I don’t think they should shut down production as long as there isn’t a virus outbreak manifested in the region. Postponing the rally was prudent and should help “flatten the curve”.