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An eternal heartfelt thank you to all Brothers and Sisters in arms who have served our great country honorably. Let’s also remember those who gave all for the continued freedoms we presently still enjoy. If so inclined maybe post up a photo of your service days. May God continue to bless this awesome country of ours. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 “Freedom is not Free”

JD, Comanche was his name and he was a certified USAF patrol dog. The day of this photo I was assigned at Brooks Air Force base in San Antonio as the Supervisor over the base military working dog program. Brooks was a sort of a sleepy small Areospace R&D base. As for Comanche he was an exceptional Rottweiler having a kind temperament and 100% loyalty/handler bond. That said, he was quickly all business when it came to his work as a patrol dog. He excelled in attack sleeve or decoy work, scouting and tracking. What I found most interesting is he did not constantly bark or act overly aggressive. He was not a dog fighter, just an overall great partner. He was quiet and extremely fast during training sessions and spot on in obedience and in the obstacle course. I have fond memories of working and training him. A great loyal partner and glad I still have this photo of him.

I agree. It actually irks me that the facebook group splits the community. The knowledge here is better than the sales team and the mods are top notch. I appreciate your enthusiasm but why fracture the community/knowledge base? If things like quality issues started to be censored here I'd support you 100% but for now, this place is pretty fantastic.

We have a simlar 4000w inverter generator. 125# and, yes, it's noisy - not something we want to take on the road, but it would work. We use it around our ranch and for brief power outages. However, you might be using it for the time being. We've been hunting for a smaller portable generator, specifically a Yamaha 2200i, for several months and they are out of stock. I contacted Yamaha and they said, with Covid, hurricanes, and wildfires, they can't keep them in stock; they anticipate availability in December. The most frustrating aspect of the pandemic for us, aside from the economic backlash, is the affect it's had on outdoor recreation (a big part of our retirement enjoyment). Normal expectations are undependable; I'd venture to say, RV traffic has quadrupled in our state of Oregon - mostly people escaping California, but we've notice travelers from states you rarely see in our location. And the usual "quiet period" we see after Labor Day just isn't happening. Camping without reservations is nearly impossible and a lot of attractions are shut down or limited. My hope is that at lot of those who have become "Covid Campers" will tire of being on the road and the situation will improve. There will certainly be a lot of used RVs on the market!

Can I ask why? What can be accomplished there that is not already done here? How are spammers and obnoxious posts handled? Are there moderators? I try very hard to stay away from all social media apps. For those like me who are clueless about MeWe: .... https://www.google.com/amp/s/mashable.com/article/what-is-mewe-network-explainer.amp Thank you. John Davies Spokane WA

Know the "stockpiling".. Think the only things we have added to the mix since is a 'Bandit' and a collapsible jug from Reny's. Think we will add another collapsible jug too. Maybe that SS pail I use sometimes needs a dedicated one for the Oliver? The downsize struggle continues. Oh ya, an extension handle for a package of Jiffy Pop. Works great around a campfire... Maybe I should get ............a .........

Just fwiw, the gear is dramatically different than back then. It is SO much easier to learn and to ski well. The ski shapes are so much easier to turn. And the bindings release way more reliably. Not that you should do it again if not motivated, but it's like the difference between power and manual steering on a big truck. Or even more of a difference. It's still quite possible to tear ACLs (and do tib-fib fractures, and get a head injury, ...). But the odds are much better now and more people are actually having fun doing it with the new gear.

Good news for Vets. “Entrance fees for the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and standard amenity recreation fees for the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation sites will be waived for Veterans and Gold Star Families. They will have free access to approximately 2,000 public locations spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands, which host activities to fit any lifestyle, from serene to high octane, including hiking, fishing, paddling, biking, hunting, stargazing and climbing. Many Department managed lands have direct connections to the American military, such as frontier forts, Cold War sites, battlefields, national cemeteries, and memorials. These special places pay tribute to our veterans and serve as reminders of their courage and sacrifice throughout the history of our nation, from Minuteman National Historic Park where colonists stood in defense of their rights, to Yellowstone National Park, which was protected from vandalism and poaching by the 1st U.S. Cavalry before the National Park Service was established, to Mount Rushmore where modern warriors attend reenlistment ceremonies.” https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/80547/veterans-gold-star-families-get-free-entrance-national-parks-refuges-public-lands/ John Davies Spokane WA

Let it snow! I have plans to ski Jackson Hole and Steamboat for a week each in February with some good ski buddies of mine - one of which is my wife 🙂 (not in the Ollie just yet!). Last ski season was cut short by Covid. Not looking good for this season with this recent spike, but I'm planning trips to keep my sanity. @Jim_Oker I have also been fortunate enough to meet many 70+ year olds tearing up the slopes over the years, and I strive to "follow in their footsteps" too. We are very much looking forward to picking up our Ollie a week from today and beginning our adventures.

I'd be curious to know if the Facebook Oliver mods would support recruiting people away from the facebook group and on to MeWe. If so, godspeed! 😀

We have had white countertops on both of our Oliver's. Reason being, the fiber granite mold for the countertop had not been made when Hull # 050 was launched and was not even a twinkle in someone's eye when we got Hull # 026. Our other surfaces are fiber granite, however. To answer your question, the area between the sink and the cooktop is very scratched. But, no more so than the tabletop. Either will show the scratches as a dullness. Wax will not make it shiny again but it does not detract. We bought these trailers to use and, after 140K miles, they do show signs.

Jason and Sherry, Many thanks for getting mine changed! Jason if you are around tomorrow, look me up. I’ll be the guy with a perpetual smile as we pick up hull #686! Dave (formerly known as dcdude)

We run our ac once or twice a year, in the driveway, to make sure it still works. In 13 seasons, we've rarely used it camping. We follow the cool air.

When we are escaping the south Texas heat we will stop at a campground with electrical hookups so we can run the AC. It is loud, so generally when the temps drop in to the 70s after midnight I turn the AC off and open the windows with the fan. We don’t boondock in hot humid weather, it’s just not enjoyable. Summer in Arizona or Colorado at elevation is pleasant. Fall/spring can be very nice at other locations. Winter in the southwest (NM, AZ, southern UT, southern CA) is nice. Our power consumption with no shore power... occasional use of the inverter for the espresso machine, microwave and blow dryer. Maxxfan, lights, water pump and, when it is cold, the furnace (fan). USB chargers for our phones and iPads. The fridge and hot water run off propane. We make coffee by boiling water on the cooktop (propane) and pour over. We grill outside either with the Weber Q or with charcoal. The times I’ve had to use the generator for the batteries was after running the furnace at night followed by a very cloudy day - just a few times over the last few years. I think that’s about it. Mike

I will say, if your main objective for power is ac, just get the solar package. Maybe a smaller genset that runs the ac, or, if you can handle the weight, or have a ramp, use what you have. I think (personally), the lithium package needs another panel or two, to make it worthwhile. My opinion, and I don't (yet) have lithium.

It's been some time since we have had a towable RV. Our last was a 30ft fifth-wheel with plenty of onboard storage. Now that we are getting an Oliver, I'd like to know just how much do you use the pickup bed for carrying essentials. Our TV is an F350 SD long bed crew cab. It doesn't have a canopy or even a tonneau cover. It is also my husband's primary vehicle, aside from his motorcycle! A few theft-prone items I know we will be carrying: small toolbox, portable inverter generator, and fuel for the generator, bike gear, inflatable kayaks and gear. Other items I'm not concerned about: firewood, water jugs, Beyond these, what do you find you routinely carry in a pickup bed and how do you protect cargo from theft and the elements? For the tools, generator and fuel, a bed width locking toolbox would suffice. And we could secure the kayak/bike gear in the back seat. We're open to any and all suggestions. Thanks

Hi everyone, We have been receiving a lot of Display Name Change requests recently and in response to that some changes have been made. From now on all members can change their Display Names after 30 days from their registration date. This change can be made 1 time every 30 days. You can make the changes in your Profile when editing it. Thanks everyone!

Hey Everyone, Just an FYI to let you know that I have started an Oliver Trailer Owners Group on MeWe. The URL is: https://mewe.com/join/olivertrailerowners This will be a group for Oliver Trailer Owners only. To discuss all things Oliver related. Hope to see you there. Scotty Hey Everyone.... I just want to clear a few things up regarding the MeWe group. This group is on a separate platform from the Oliver Trailer Owners face book group. My intent is NOT to compete with OTO on fb or to cause people to leave that group. I have renamed the MeWe group to "Oliver Trailer Owners on MeWe" to make sure there is no confusion Reasons for starting the group are: * having a group that is restricted to Owners only ( a group I never would have started on fb because that would have caused a lot of confusion and problems ) * Providing a group for those that wish to reduce their presence or "addiction" to fb * There seemed to be some interest in an Oliver group on other platforms and I figured it might be best to have people who are actually Oliver TT Owners start and run it. We all love and are proud of our Oliver Trailers. We are all very interested in promoting the brand and helping each other with the knowledge and work that it takes to use and maintain our trailers. I remember the early days when owners would fall over each other in their eagerness to help. I tell people about the time that Steve Landrum called me out of the blue and spent an hour with me on the phone trouble shooting a problem when I first got my trailer. That's the kind of family we have and the spirit we should foster. With regard to the MeWe platform. From what I see... it's kind of like face book lite. I am still new to the site but the appeal of MeWe is that (at least so far) the users don't seem to be the "product" as much as on fb, and it seems more open. Where it goes from here.. who knows. But as for the Oliver group it should remain as A-political and as well managed as the fb Oliver group. I hope this clears up any of your questions. Please join or not as you see fit. And, I look forward to sharing our Oliver passion on the Forums, the FB group and the MeWe group. Happy Camping and Safe Travels. Scotty

I worked in the information security industry before retiring a few years ago and Facebook still has a long way to go before they regain my confidence in their information security and data privacy policies. MeWe is very similar and and a newcomer to rival FaceBook. I'll wait and see quite a while before joining. I'm sticking to this forum. This is the only forum I have ever joined in my life (so far) because I see great value in the honesty and helpful tips everyone provides. I'm going to remain an "internet introvert". 🙂

If you get down and look close you can see a few slight scratches on our counter. We have a few bamboo trivets that we place around on the counter, most of the time. You wash dishes, slide a pot, make coffee, cook bacon, chop veggies, and enjoy life. After four years, to me, it looks great. Shiny, wipes easy and clean. And you really have to get down close to see any scratches. To us the Fiber Granite was just an extra layer, same material, more maintaince, different color, and cost more. Could not see a benefit to us. After four years and it still appear s to be holding true, at least for us...

"At ease"

Thanks @Mattnan for originally posting here, hope I didn't hijack this topic too much 😜 So it seems now that my main choice is still between the Solar Pro Package (AGM batteries) and the Litium Pro Package (Lithium Batteries). I think they both would obviously work for me, but there is a possibility that we would sell our trailer in 3-5 years. If that were the case, it seems the pros of the Lithium package would outweigh the AGM Package. Longer lasting batteries, higher re-sale value, more efficient. As always, thanks for the help everyone.

So so so excited for you!!!

Finally, my focus has switched from Amazon to packing for the weeklong journey to Hohenwald . . . . . 18 days and counting! Unsure of what to expect for services enroute and opposed to fast food take out for the duration, I have put together a road trip kitchen so we can prepare meals at our lodging stopovers (husband rolling eyes): Induction burner Two Magma pans (small saucepan and fry pan) Electric tea kettle French Press A few kitchen supplies (can opener, spatula, knife, pot holder, paper towels, etc) Small Ikea salad spinner (doubles as a mixing bowl) Dish washing supplies (soap, dish draining mat, scrubber) Paper plates/bowls plastic silverware Ziploc and small garbage bags Disinfecting wipes All of this packs into a large LL Bean duffle (now I know why I bought this a few years back) so we can tote the "kitchen" to our room. For a pantry, I am stocking dry goods in a soft-side cooler based on pre-planned meals. Perishables and frozen pre-made meals will be packed in a cooler. These will be carried in the pickup bed and secured in the front seat at night. We will transfer items as needed, and utilize lodging with microwave/mini fridges for meal prep and recharging ice packs. The next day's lunch will be prepared in advance and packed in a soft-side lunch cooler. My 2-week wardrobe will be carried in modular packing cubes stored on the back seat floorboards of the pickup for easy access, taking to the room only what I need for the next day. Not sure what the husband is doing; he doesn't have two weeks worth of clothes! Trailer essentials, camping gear, bedding, etcetera will be packed in totes and carried in the pickup's back seat and bed toolbox; after delivery we will shop to stock the Oliver with food (and forgotten items) for our two-night shakedown at David Crocket SP and the adventure home. I'll try to remember to share a picture of the pickup loaded down for departure 😀

I'm gradually narrowing down which options to include on our 2021 Elite II. I looked online at reviews of the RVLock Electronic lock that comes as an option. It appears to be well made, but I see a lot of comments about the inside of the lock being plastic and feeling flimsy. I don't know why they made the exterior and inner parts metal and used plastic for the interior panel. For those with the electronic lock option, do you think the inside latch flexes and feels as if it could break? For those with the standard lock: is the inside mechanism metal and thus more sturdy. The latch on our current RV is all metal and is holding up well. The convenience of the electronic lock is attractive, but we are attempting to keep our Oliver simple, with minimal electronic components. I'm fine with only keys, although the light up key pad would be nice sometimes. I guess a little LED light on the key chain would do the same ☺️

We are outfitting our Elite II with a minimum of electronic components. Conveniences are nice, like keyless entry, but certainly something to consider doing without for the sake of simplicity and fewer mechanical failures. Other than the quality of construction, one of the things that attracted us to an Oliver trailer is that you can have one built without many of the features that other better-than-average quality RV manufacturers include as standard. It's a marketing tool - buyers see these features and say, "Wow, look at all the great standard options! I'm going to buy that one. " I say, "Why should I pay for a feature I don't want or need?" I appreciate that Oliver gives us the choice. It all comes down to preference; we camp to enjoy nature and don't need all the creature comforts of home. Compared to tent/car camping . . . . a private bathroom, comfortable bed, basic appliances and a place to escape inclement weather is all we need. Oliver has these wrapped up in a beautiful package.

Thanks to all veterans, I never served but I do have the deepest appreciation for those who did, and for those who never came back. Patriot, can you tell us a little about your dog companion? John Davies Spokane WA

When I lived on Whidbey Island I skied mostly at Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass . . . once in a while, Crystal Mt. We only skied one time to Mt. Baker (because it was closer) and, yes, it was 2 deg! I think it was 1971 or '72. Since moving back to Oregon - Hoodoo Ski Bowl and my favorite - Mt. Bachelor. Skied at Mt. Ashland once, but didn't like it much. My first time skiing was at Dodge Ridge in NoCA, while still in High School. Came home from Christmas break with a torn ACL. Oops!!! I have not been skiing since my younger years, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm afraid it's been too long for me to be safe on the slopes now and I tend to be more cautious than when I was 20/30-something. We do still stay active - hiking, biking, kayaking and I work out regularly. My bucket list contains cross-country or snow shoeing. Of course this is only if I could get my snow-hating husband to go along.

Your Cummins is rated at 52 db, but that is at idle or low load. Any idea how loud it is under a moderate load? My Yamaha 2400 is a stellar unit, but it is 75 pounds dry, no oil or gas, so it is a pretty massive thing to move around. I park it in the back of the truck and rarely move it. I just run it in place. When I do move it, it goes onto this: ...... https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/lifts-cranes-stands/hydraulic-lifts-carts/500-lbs-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-61405.html....... and I trundle it to its parking spot in the garage. I can’t imagine lifting yours into a truck bed.... Also, Cummins is a long honored name in big diesel engines, I am rather surprised that they let Onan use the name, but it appears Cummins owns Onan. As long as it performs adequately and the customer service is responsive, yours should be fine if you can accept the massive weight penalty. I think though, that you will be happier with a different choice for long term boondocking. As far as following the cool air goes, we try to, but every now and then you get stuck in a wide open location, no cover, and blistering heat; the AC is a life saver. When it is like that, you have got to run that generator, or go find a motel with a trailer parking lot. I was in northern CA one summer, passing through and the daytime temps were over 110 degrees, no way would I have camped in that. That is why God made high mountains and forests and the USFS made the campgrounds. 😀 John Davies Spokane WA

I have a 37 lb generator, 2000 watts, very quiet. Champion. $399 at Tractor Supply or online. I got mine for $349 on sale at Tractor Supply.

This is great news - what a nice post prior to Veterans Day. Thank you for posting.

I live in central Louisiana. So all of our camping will be starting here at least. We really want to stay in the Utah, Colorado, Idaho area for awhile in 2021 as well. Other than that, we will be traveling all over.

Thanks for the OR link. That's cold for Mt Baker - they get great snow depth but it is often quite close to 32 degrees up there due to the heavy coastal influence (weather coming straight up the Nooksack valley). Baker is great on a nice weather day. Not so great in a storm for the most part - a lot of it is out in the open so any bad weather tends to make it very hard to see. It's much easier to find visibility in the forest and along forested trail edges where there is more directionality to the light while in a cloud or blizzard. OTOH I love both Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass ski areas for stormy weather lift skiing (and nearby forests for stormy day ski touring). Some of my role models here in the WA backcountry skiing community are still backcountry skiing as well as riding the lifts into their 70s and 80s. I hope to maintain the health and fitness required to follow their examples (one of the 80-somethings had a stroke which slowed him down but he's still skiing a LOT just on more moderate terrain and fewer hours each day; and another of them has had a few surgeries for pretty serious brain cancer but still gets after it!). Shortly after my 55th birthday I was ski touring with one of them, and he did great on a fairly strenuous day of up and downhill skiing. I asked him "Frank - you are an inspiration. I hope to be capable of doing half what you are able to when I reach you age. What's your secret?" He looked at me, smiled, and said "I retired when I was 55!" I see from Facebook that Frank is still keeping quite busy as he approaches 80, with sailing, skiing, hiking, and biking at levels that many thirty sometnings would find exhausting. Like NCEagle (another of us prospective owners) I expect to combine the Oliver and skiing, though perhaps not to the degree he's aiming for. And of course hiking, biking, etc

Yes road bikes, though in either case we'd rinse bikes off if they'd gotten dirty (road bikes can get kinda dirty when riding in the rain depending on where you're riding - lots of fine grit though not the mud that tends to cake into various spots on mountain bikes). And then let the water drip off under the awning or the cover of a tarp before stowing them inside (we tend to have them locked under a tarp quite often at camp, particularly when camped near the Pacific with fine salty spray blowing inland as it tends to do along the west coast. In any case I have observed a bit of a spectrum between let's say Felix Unger and Oscar Madison here in the community. I think we may be somewhere between the middle and Oscar based on calibrating this to what I've read in various threads 😉

As we were driving by I convinced her that Hancock was a lumber yard. (Name of a local yard). Saved me from hauling loads of fabric back to Maine...

Ford has a Service bulletin in regards to this. Depends on year and model. Think they reprogram computer to electric over hydraulic. Service bulletin number was listed on here somewhere...

I bought some soft folding “nesting” dufbags a while back, yay! May get another set or two as I can’t see making much use of my “airport” baggage. Although even if I end up throwing them out after I get stuff out of them, the world will not weep as they are beat up Jed Clampett bags. Heh. Also, you were in ICELAND and that means I am officially extremely envious!!

The performance of the solar option will depend on which battery setup you choose. We plan to use a small portable generator for cases when extra power is required, but with the lithium option installed, I'm not sure how much it will be needed; probably just for A/C. Our previous RV had 200w of less-than-efficient flexible solar panels (Go Power) attached directly to the roof. This setup, with two 12v flooded batteries, did little, except keep the batteries topped off even with no inverted power usage. In our case, a majority of our camping was in shaded forest campgrounds. I expect the rigid panels on the Oliver to be more efficient with nearly twice the capacity; and lithium batteries will charge much quicker. The trade-offs are: setting up and taking down the solar panel vs deploying a small portable generator fuel dependency; gas vs solar - pros and cons to each noise - solar, no; generator, yes. Many campgrounds have quiet times - but usually these coincide with periods of little to no sun. Boon docking - few noise restrictions unless you're in Walmart/Cracker Barrel and other such parking lots; rest areas/truck stops probably ok. I think a portable generator is more versatile as it can also be used at home for emergency power outages.

Advanced RV installs adjustable twin beds that function as recliners:

Susan, We have a Diamondback cover on the Tundra and like using it for camping.

I carry a 2K Watt Champion. Nice size, 38 pounds, very quiet.

Recommend a cap or tonneau cover. My tools are now in the lockable Rambox on either side. We carry our generator, grill, Clam, rug, chairs, camp tables, and a couple of large plastic containers in the truck bed. Not all of it gets off loaded at every site and we use the truck for site seeing and other travel without the trailer so I wouldn’t want stuff in the bed out in the open. Also, we’ve been in plenty of rain storms and a few snowy situations so I like to have things in the truck bed covered and secure. Mike

We didn’t order the electric lock but later decided that one would be convenient. I ordered a RV lock model V4 from rv lock on Black Friday Sale for $129. Install took only 15-20 minutes. It is plastic and doesn’t feel as hefty as the stock metal manual one that came with our trailer. If the RV electric lock breaks, we still have the original metal one to re-install.

So, here in sw Florida, it's windy, and rainy. Storm to follow...