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Sherry, Our Diamondback cover is the lowest cost unit they make with 400 pound maximum carrying capacity on the cover. The more expensive models like Mac's has much higher load carrying capacities. With both top cover doors closed, the tailgate opens easily. Don't need slide out drawers with both top doors that open, but need a folding stool to reach over each side of the pickup bed to reach gear. Have not hauled anything on top of our Diamondback cover, yet. Have to admit, after seeing Overland's thread about a Tonneau cover with built in solar panels, been "thinking for now" about installing two Renogy 30W removable solar panels on both Diamondback fold up doors to increase solar capacity by 120W in addition to our 100W Renogy suitcase panel.

It is reported by RVtravel.com that Trailer Life and Motorhome magazines will stop publication shortly. https://www.rvtravel.com/good-sam-changes/ These two publications will be replaced by a "new" magazine called "RV Magazine". No word as to how existing subscriptions to the two that are being stopped will be handled. Bill

Airstream has given up on its fiberglass trailer and quit production. They’ve had a lot of issues with the Nest, sorry to see it go. https://www.airstream.com/travel-trailers/nest/ Mike

I would like to learn more about Oliver Travel Trailers. I am currently a boater. I have a 1994 33ft Carver Mariner that I have owned since 1999. I have been into boating most of my life including 4 years on a WWII diesel electric submarine. I also have a 15ft HiLo, which is stored in my garage and have only used for fishing and hunting. I pull it with a 2010 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 hemi. I love to camp but my wife hates smoltering camp fires. When they roaring shes ok with that. At my age, I can see my that my boating days are numbered. If I can convince the boss, I would like to do some traveling with a trailer. The Oliver looks like a quality unit with low maintenance. So my plan is to lurk here and see what I can learn.

There's a good discussion here of using DIY permethrin spray treatment on clothing (useful for ticks but also mozzies and biting flies! it's a game changer IMO versus DEET on the skin). It includes discussion of buying 10% dilution agricultural permethrin and further diluting it to the appropriate strength for spraying your clothing and daypacks and other gear on which the damn ticks might hitchhike. Daily tick checks are important when in tick country and season. We now keep some of those spoon-shaped tick removers handy just in case as they are just right for removing ticks w/o spurting more of their potential bacterial load into your bloodstream. link: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8017183&highlight=permethrin

I would write “or compressor refrigerator?” but then this post would head off in a much different direction and it would soon be about tow vehicle size!😂

Susan, Yes, Happy with the aluminum diamond plate material, no corrosion. Had the option to go with black powder coated finish from Diamondback, but wanted the bed cover to blend with chrome parts on the Tundra and aluminum wheels on Ollie. Thinking about installing aluminum wheels on the Tundra, too.

I thought the most requested item was a bigger Ollie.🧐

I often spend a lot of time discussing big purchases on this forum. But, it's often the little things that make our days (or nights. ) What's your best purchase, under $20, that you use all the time? I have many, but I will start with a few: Harbor freight flashlight. Used to be free with a coupon, now it's under a dollar. The hook on the front I can hang off my collar. I love these flashlights. Two modes, bright leds. I use them all the time.

The only purposes for the black flush (BF) valve that I can think of are: If a jack ass wanted to, he could hook up a hose to your BF hose bibb and flood your trailer with poop while you are away. If the black check valve in the BF line were to fail, black water could end up on your hands when you remove the BF hose bibb cove. I would wager that a significant number of the owners leave it open anyway..... On the positive side, not having that valve makes flushing your black tank faster by not having to go inside to open/close it. Either way, the odds are so low that it would appear that the cost of the BF Valve was not worth the extra.

Here's some cool storage boxes I put in the bed of my truck a few months ago called "Swing Case" that I'm really loving so far (Undercover SwingCase Truck Bed Storage Box | SC101D | Fits 99-07 Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 1500-3500Drivers Side 1500-3500). I bought the Chevy brand and they make similar cases for the other major pickup truck brands. They use the spaces behind the wheel well that are tough to use. They are easy to remove if you want to use the entire bed for plywood or sheet rock, etc. They swing out for easy access to the storage which is awesome because I used to have to jump up into the bed to get to my toolbox in the back. Here's what they look like installed: I have all my tools in the one on the driver side - and I carry a large assortment so pretty heavy. On the left hand side, here's some pictures of what I have packed in there: Holds a surprising amount of stuff: ratchet wrenches, a collapsible utility shovel, 2 tie down straps, a rain suit, heavy duty booster cables and a tire repair kit. Even if I have things in the middle of the bed that are in the way, I can easily move them out onto my tailgate to make room to swing the box. The price is pretty steep, so I started with one and liked it so much I ended up buying the other side.

The Nest looked cool and had potential, but it had a stupid floor plan, and adding in a lot of other bad decisions meant it was never going to succeed. Airstream just can’t get it right with their small trailer designs. Too much effort making marketable product and not enough effort making a good one.

The ramps i have from DB are High strength aluminum, with welded cleats (the ramp’s ladder) spaced every 7”. The ramp is hinged at the center and opens to a length of 12’ 4”. The ramps have 3” high “side walls” to provide rigidity for the ramp and also serve as a boundary for the tires to track within. A UTV or ATV will walks right up the ramp and onto the DB cover with no problem, and though the first few experiences felt a little precarious due to the incline of the ramp, after a while it becomes second nature. (If i had a motorcycle to tie down on the cover, i’d Remove the windshield and winch it up backwards, OR, find a loading dock to back into so the ramp would be closer to level.) my UTV is 1588 lbs and the weight compresses the DB cover to the point that the tailgate will not open. DB makes an adjustable expansion “post and beam” that gives lift to the DB cover so the tailgate opens under load. They also provide “side rail spacers” to lift the cover when under load for those that dont use the post and beam system. apologies for sounding like a DB sales rep, but i am a believer in their products, at least for my application.

Bye bye lil overpriced Nest! Airstream also stopped making the Globetrotter 26ft, which actually had a very nice floorplan--but I think they had problems with the macerator toilet. It's a shame the product quality control isn't good as many folks want the look of an Airstream.

Susan, the exterior covers are aluminum and the Internals and hardware are either stainless steel or zinc coated steel. I’d doubt that rust would be an issue but just to be sure I’d call DB to find out more specifics and get info about how they warranty against rust. Their customer service folks, especially Jason, know their stuff and shoot straight. The black finish seems extremely durable to me and i’m pretty heavy on it with storing ramps along with the utv, but i’m sure the shining aluminum would work and look great. Again, check with DB for better info.

I just picked these up flash light rechargeable $13.00 key holder $15.00

How far is the storage area from your house or an outdoor 120 volt outlet? Can you run a small extension cord across to that spot? If you shut off all inside breakers except the converter, that cord should easily handle the current and it will keep your batteries in great shape. Make sure the batteries are fully charged before you put it inside, otherwise the converter may draw too much power for a small cord to safely handle. It will handle a maintenance (trickle) charge, no worries... Install a Victron smart bus; it allows you to check on the battery condition from fairly far away via Blutooth. It provides great peace of mind and saves needless trips to go check in person. Here is “Mouse”, I checked the battery condition about a minute ago while lying on the living room sofa 50 feet away. Once I checked and it was down 96%, alarmed, I went out to see why and I found out that I had accidentally turned off the converter breaker instead of the one for the water heater. John Davies Spokane WA

Mine sits outdoors, uncovered, and the solar keeps everything charged. Even with some ice and snow on the panels we seem to get a charge. We do top off the water, well before a freeze, in the fall and spring. Can you put a portable panel outside in the sun and plug it in?

We also ordered a 2020 ARE Z topper or camper shell depending on where you are from for our 2020 Ford Tremor. We will have more room than we will need to pack our gear. Taking delivery in mid to end of Oct. I have owned several ARE toppers over the years. They make a fine topper with hidden rear door hinges. The fit and finish is absolutely top shelf in my experience. -Patriot

Fritz, I am 6’3” and have no problems sleeping in the curbside twin. I haven’t tried the street side as my wife sleeps there. I have tried in both directions and prefer the head to the rear especially since our 40lbs dog spends about 40 percent of the nights on my side.

6'3". 295#. The twin works fine for me. I sleep with my head to the front which gives me room to hang over a foot if I need to. Shoulder room has not been an issue. sometimes I turn to face the side and bend my knees. The first night or two I did have a little adjustment but I compare this the same as getting a new mattress. After about 12 nights total I do not even think about it. I have not tried sleeping with my feet at the rear yet. Maybe I will try that sometime but I like my head near the end I use a CPAP and I put the machine in the top cabinet and the hose just hangs down with the door left open. This set up seems to work. Erv

Storage I'm not a fan at all of tool boxes for inside the vehicle. They're noisy, bulky, and your tools get scuffed up. If you're keeping your tools in the back of the truck and don't care if they get banged around, then go for it. I have mixed feelings about tool rolls. On the one hand, they're the classic way of storing tools for travel, they're relatively compact, they keep your tools protected and quiet, and they keep everything organized and easy to find. But while great in theory, I've had a hard time finding tool rolls that work well in practice. Too few pockets, too many pockets, the pockets are too narrow to fit your tools, or too wide and your tools fall out, or they're too short for that one wrench that you then can't find a place for, etc. I have found that they're great if they're tailored for a specific tool kit, like the Tekton Wrench Sets above, and I do like the Socket Roll that I mentioned earlier. I do use this tool roll for my wrenches and this one for my misc. stuff. In both those cases, I bought the rolls so I'm determined to use them; but honestly, I'd rather use bags. But those leather rolls do smell great. What I really like are tool bags. Specifically, I like having my tools divided into a number of small tool bags that I can grab individually rather than pull out a big, heavy bag with all my tools in it. I've had good luck with these bags from Blue Ridge Overland. They're a little pricey, but they're good quality; and most importantly, they just seem to be the right size and proportion. The vinyl front doesn't really let you see anything inside, like they claim, but what it does do is provide a nice surface for some bright orange gorilla tape, which can be marked with a fat sharpie and is perfect for labeling the bags. I've found that these bags stuff well wherever I want them, and they're flexible enough to wrap around the tools to keep them quiet and protected. I absolutely hate rattles in cars, and these bags keep me happy. I also like these waterproof DAKA bags from Magpul. They're more expensive than the Blue Ridge bags, but they're definitely tougher. Plus they have a nice grippy surface, so I can see them being a good choice if you have to get out in the rain. I've tried cheaper bags from Home Depot and places, but those always end up being a difficult size to fit things in, or they tear up and so I seem to keep buying the ones from Blue Ridge. This larger size version fits my impact wrench, work light, charger, and spare batteries perfectly. As for how much space in the truck all of this takes up, well, judge for yourself: About half of the tools go into the storage tray under the rear seat. The ones velcroed to the seat bottom hold tape, zip ties, electrical repair stuff, etc. (The red bags on the back seat are first aid kits, which get stuffed into backpacks when we travel, and the larger black bag is for trash.) The remaining tools go behind the smaller, fold down seat back: The center console is packed, but is organized well enough that it stays that way: And even the glove box stays clean - the grey bag holds the key to my wheel locks and a few other things that the dealer might need to get to, and the red one holds a couple EpiPens and some other first aid things. Then some USB cables, window scraper, owners manual, and a pair of gloves: So there you go - a (hopefully) complete tool kit that takes up next to nothing inside the truck.

My guess is that I am not the only Oliver owner that has to deal with a CPAP machine. I started using one in early December; we have our first post-CPAP trip scheduled for late January. We keep the bed set up all the time, with our heads at the rear of the trailer. How have you set-up your machine? My guess is that the hose will not reach me with my head at the rear. I really do not want to put my head at the pantry end as that seems like it would be extremely difficult to get up at night to use the rest room. Also, how in the world do you clean that dang-gum long hose? I am NOT looking forward to this new addition to my camping life. :) Thank you. Gwenne

Gwenne, You are not alone with the need to use a CPAP machine. Both myself and my wife now use machines at night. When we owned our previous 2008 Oliver Elite, I had not yet been diagnosed with sleep apnea and was not using a CPAP, but Tali just placed her machine on the floor and plugged it into a 12vdc outlet installed under the side dinette. This was always a hassle as it needed to be packed away each morning to get it out of the way. During the build of our twin bed Oliver LEII back in late 2013, I knew that we needed a place for the machines to live. Here’s what I did. I had the guys on the line install 12v outlets inside each of the overhead rear cabinets. I drilled a 7/8” hole up through the bottom of the cabinets over each of our beds. I ran a short (about 4.5 inch) piece of 1/2” PVC pipe through each hole and glued it in place. Now, the machines reside in the upper cabinets. Their power comes directly from the batteries so no need to carry the 110vac converter. We use a short hose to go from the Machine to the top of the PVC pipe inside the cabinet. The hose attached to your mask is plugged into the lower end of the PVC pipe on the outside of the cabinet. We have used this system for four years now and have found it to be a very elegant solution to the problem. In the mornings we simply unplug the hose from the PVC pipe and store our mask and hose inside the cabinet during the day. Out of sight and ready to go the next night. As a side note, when I attempted to purchase the 12vdc cords for our particular machines, I found that they were $50 apiece. Not being willing to spend that much money on a simple cord, I decided to make my own. I bought two 12vdc plugs and then realized that the plug that goes into our machine is proprietary and unavailable. After brainstorming on this for a few days, I went down to our local dealer that furnishes our breathing supplies and asked if they had any inoperable power supply’s. She brought out a box full and I went home with a couple. I cut off a short length of cord with the plug attached , soldered the 12vdc plug onto the other end and voilà, free power cords. Sorry about the pictures being sideways, that always happens when I post from my phone.

SMH! My husband uses a CPAP & this dilemma never occurred to us when we ordered our Ollie last month. It's great to read that there are various solutions!

Oliver has dealt with CPAP many times. They can add 12v and 120v outlets in the overheads with a hole to run the hose through the bottom of the cabinet. You will need to determine where your head will be. We always slept with our pillows to the forward end. when boondocking it is more efficient to run your machine on 12v because the inverter will consume a lot of battery just running itself. If your CPAP does not have 12v buy a 150 watt plug in inverter from CPAP.com. It will come with a cigarette lighter plug. Way more efficient than the inverter. I have several of these small inverters for use in my Airstream. CPAP, fans, TV, all run fine without cranking up my 3000 watt Magnum.

We have the King bed and Karen's CPAP sits in her back corner on top of a small set of drawers. We had outlet sets put in on both sides by the rear speakers in the back corners a/c - d/c - USB along with reading lights but... We have found that the Zamp Solar doesn't have enough power to recharge the batteries each day, so we end up using the generator every 3 days at least to keep enough charge in them to run the CPAP. You should check the low voltage cut out on your bi-pap and see where it's cut off is because we have found that low cut off, along with power consumption, varies greatly between different brands. Then if you camp where you get more clouds then full sun, plan accordingly and get an aftermarket 500watt MPPT Solar System installed elsewhere or just take a generator. We run an induction cook top now also since the solar can't do its job anyway and just run the generator every day or 2 to charge up. Most of the time we are on the coast or in the mountains under the clouds and these days we don't plan on ever counting on the solar to help much with boondocking. The gas for the generator is cheap and it is a needed accessory unless you are somewhere in the south, stuck in the desert where the solar has a chance. Reed

Angus I keep my Cpap in the overhead storage cabinet. Inside the cabinet, I have both a 110 outlet when we have shore power and a 12 volt (cigarette adapter) when boon docking off the grid. I had a hole cut in the bottom of the cabinet to run the hose through. Oliver can customize the power outlets and hole for you. All that is exposed is the hose, so easy storage and no clutter on the cabinet top. You can buy a 110/12v converter made specifically for your machine. mine cost about $80.00. Recommend you get one from your manufacturer made for your model. Sleep well !! Hardrock

I worked in magazine publishing for years and I can vouch that it's a business in upheaval. There aren't many relevant magazines left. We still want great content but we've been trained that it should be free.