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Meanwhile - back east, here's some swamp love. This is a Harvest Host at Breaux Bridge, LA. We stayed there last week on our way to SETX. Give me a couple of years to catch up! Love your out-west pics! By the way, to get a gator to smile for the picture, you have to tickle them underneath their arm - now THAT'S and adventure.

One final post on this issue. We received two brand new Trojan AGM 6 volt batteries last week and I finished the reinstall last Friday. After doing a pretty good checkout and with some cooler dismal days in the forecast for NH, we set up a recreation of our failing scenario. We set the furnace to 50 degrees and the refrigerator to LP. We ran our main cabin lights last night for 5 hours to simulate our normal behavior. We had a very rainy evening Sunday night and Monday morning until late in the day. We have been running for over 41 hours with almost no solar gain and have drawn 58Ah of draw since the last report of fully charged as reported by the VictronConnect software. Our voltage on both 12v pairs was 12.4x this morning. Jason Essary of Oliver service was extremely helpful with Trojan on our behalf. We are both very grateful. David

Hmmm, I am sure, somewhere, at some point, there has been a nefarious human lurking around in an RV park - and maybe even in a remote boondocking site. but in my 45 years of camping - from tent to Oliver, all over this country - I haven't found them yet. A few rude, obnoxious, or just out of it - but never any that were anything I worried about. Now there was this bear in Yellowstone who didn't like tents, and a large Moose - who was just - well big. A very smart and strong racoon gave us fits on a rainy night in Ark many years ago - the only marked bandit I can remember. Jim O has it right - wildlife are probably the the real worry. As has been stated - the vast majority of RVer's are friendly people - and getting to know the other campers is part of the culture - well for us anyways. Some of the best people I know - I met while enjoying the outdoors - camping. If you want solitude - it s there for the taking, and if you want to be left alone - its really easy. Probably should not come too far south if your one to be warry/shy of strangers - we say hi to everyone, will make eye contact, and generally just be nice - to strangers. ????? As or security issues - I'm usually on point at fuel fills, in town for supplies, and when around non campers. Perhaps at rest-stops - I have seen some really strange stuff at 3 am in a west Texas rest stop = off -I ???? well you pick one. Relax - the other rv dudes - they left the city for the same reason as you! The bad guys are behind you - doing their thing in a more target rich environment. Good luck. RB

Big Bend - one of the gravel pit campsites down by the Rio Grande

In general, I agree with this. National and state parks, BLM, FS areas attract folks more into being outside exploring nature. FHU campgrounds are geared more to those out to enjoy their mobile house with more amenities than at home!

RV Culture: a state of mind that requires a funny hat. The hat may not be funny to you, but one so nice and comfortable that you don't care what other people think. It is probably a hat you wouldn't wear at home where your friends are. RV Culture: a place where you can stand in PJs or sweats, a bag of dog poop in your hand, and be talking with strangers. And no body thinks anything of it. RV Culture: if you have an Oliver you want to pack referral cards everywhere. I have had people gather at a gas station. I had to pull off to the side, after filling, the line was that long. As they peeked in I would hand them a card. Told them it had the web site listed. Rest areas can draw a crowd too. I have had them waiting outside the restroom, but they only want to ask about an Oliver. RV Culture: standard basic courtesy observed. Do NOT walk through others sites. Wave at other campers as they walk by. Say "Hi" if they are close enough. If you see another camper struggling with something ask if you can help before stepping in. Pick up after your pet. Pick up after yourself. Leave only your foot steps. RV Culture: Security? Never had a problem. No food or scraps left around. Door locked when leaving the site, out of habit. I do have a pistol cable lock around my Progressive EMS system and power cord, because of the moving lights. Just lock it so it doesn't get borrowed while somebody looks to see what the lights are. Again..never had a problem...

I can't possibly count the fun times we've enjoyed with camping neighbors. We don't necessarily seek out the company, but it often evolves. Meeting new people in remote places has brought joy and warmth to some cold and crazy spots. Sherry

After four camping seasons I still get the direction wrong the first few times I use the jacks. After that my mind accepts that “Up” means “Trailer Go Up”. Which really does make sense, especially for the rear ones where you cannot see them moving. And for clueless owners who don’t know better. 😀 For the tongue it is harder to accept because you are watching the ram come down. I guess I could rewire just the tongue switch, that would make things really interesting.... I too find that stuff just takes a whole lot longer to accomplish than it used to, in say 1990. I mentally think “1 hour to do this... no worries!.” - it usually takes me half a day or more. And I have to watch closely for mistakes that would never happened long ago. There is a reason old people retire from working..... John Davies Spokane WA

I'd always thought "boondocking" referred to dispersed camping - i.e. using places where it's legal to camp but not in an established campground, and campingin a campground w/o hookups was "dry camping." But I'm happy to go with the local flow here on this forum and thread - the point in this threat being places where you'll be happy you have a camper that lets you break free of hookups! Here are a few views from a sweet dispersed site on BLM land just east of Capitol Reef NP off of the Notom Road. There are SO many spots like this near CR and also the Grand Staircase Escalante NM.

This is Red Canyon campground just outside of Bryce Canyon NP. It's a FS campground.

For those who are new to dry camping and wonder why folks camp without hookups let's post some pictures of places we've boondocked to give and idea of what we're talking about. This is Agguire Spring Campground outside of White Sands NP. It's a BLM campground at about 6K'. You can see WSNP about 20 miles in the distance.

Awning lights. Don't see the need. Need light? Turn on the porch light. Need a little light? Turn on the outside courtesy lights. That whole string of lights might look good around a theater marquee, or at a Full Hook up Campground, but see no need at a more rural setting... That much "canvas" on a sailboat will heel it over and move it along at a good clip. Based on what I have seen mine gets rolled in on a regular basis, and it is a manual. I have had slight "gust" come up and rock the Oliver during the night. Enough to get up and roll it in. Lesson learned. Some of the gust we have been in I can't imagine an automatic system rolling it in quick enough.

See my update linked below. I think part of my problem was a circuit board issue that I believe was unique to the Comfort Plus model, and the rest was Oliver installation issues, which again, may have been related to it being the first of that model they installed. It seems to be working great now, though of course only time will tell.

I put together this tester at the suggestion of another Oliver owner and keep it handy in my truck door pocket. The voltage display was ordered from Amazon and is advertised as a night light as well. This combination tests the pedestal for not only the typical wiring problems but also for over/under voltage issues. It does not however check for incorrect cycles (above or below 60). I do this very quick test before plugging in. After that the installed surge protector shows and filters out typical voltage, wiring and incorrect cycles issues.

We've had a single incident where we got a knock on our door while out in the middle of nowhere. As it turned out, it was an innocent poor guy who'd gotten caught in the cold after sundown with just a t-shirt and shorts, freezing to death and still three miles on foot from home. We let him use our phone and with the assurance of having overheard his conversation, offered him a ride. He was grateful and I was happy to help. Weird, but harmless. Other than that, nothing to report. For general security, we just make sure to lock up and not leave easily stolen items out in the open. I have no plans to ever do anything else. As for campground friendliness, we've found that you're most likely to find friendly neighbors in national park, blm, or forest service campgrounds. As a rule, the more services in the campground, the more people tend to lock themselves into their bronze striped boxes. Just the glow of the TVs to let you know they're occupied. Boondockers are just friendlier. Even then, we've found that some campgrounds are somehow more inducive to social interaction than others. I haven't figured it out, but there are CGs where we won't talk to a soul and others where we'll make friends with three or four couples.

LOL, it makes no sense, the switch is bass ackwards..... in the USA up is usually ON for a toggle switch. But the Suburban switch is actually labeled the other way, so they did it on purpose. The very first week I had the trailer I wrote down the correct direction. You certainly cannot see the switch itself without bending way over and looking under the box. This is a really good example of a dumb design. John Davies Spokane WA

So the truck is loaded... We head south tomorrow, pick up # 685 Tuesday. As I’ve been jamming stuff into the Tundra, a strange mix of what worked with the Casita, great ideas I’ve picked up from this forum, some probably not so great ideas I’ve picked up from this forum, and a large number of items that fall into the “better to have them and not need them than not have them and need them” category, I can’t help but reflect upon the last 6 months following this forum... Sure are a great group of folks on here, and it’s been wonderful eavesdropping on your discussions, debates, and pontifications.. Its been helpful to say the least as we prepare for “Mark and Debs big adventure”... which really started about 6 months ago when I first checked out this site.. Thanks for all your help.. Hope to meet you all someday! We’ll be the Ollie with the Alewives on the front...

Hello, new guy here. My wife and I took the plunge this morning and ordered our Legacy Elite II. We had been looking at trailers over the last year and had it narrowed down to Oliver and Lance. Not an apples to apples comparison but both nice trailers. Preaching to the choir here but the Oliver is in a class of its own. I've been lurking here for a while and want to thank you folks for all the help. All my questions had already been answered here. This is also our first (hopefully last) trailer.

And a great big howdy from Tennessee.

Welcome from Maine. Where will your Home Port be? I'll bet most of the "stuff" I needed the first trip, doesn't travel with us anymore. But it sure helped pass the time waiting...looking and ordering...

My thoughts - 1. You should verify the incoming voltage. At each campground, and at home. Not knowing this makes it really hard to problem solve. I use a simple circuit tester - Sperry Instruments GFI6302 GFCI Outlet / Receptacle Tester, Standard 120V AC Outlets, 7 Visual Indication / Wiring Legend, Home & Professional Use, Yellow & Black - Multi Testers - Amazon.com is an example of one does everything you need. Plug it into the pedestal before you hook up. Use a 30 amp adapter. 2. My protector has a delay - about 20-30 sec - as it goes through its test procedure - before systems are put on the verified single phase, neutral correct, 120+/- volts 3. What are the read out values from the progressive remote? 4. Was this the first time you used the trailer since replacement? 5. Any feedback on what went wrong with the initial unit? Good luck. RB

While I love remote backpack trips and boondocking in a spot we have all to ourselves I also love the social aspect of car/camper camping in campgrounds or shared dispersed sites. We definitely have a growing network of camping friends with whom we are staying somewhat in touch. Not everyone wants this but it's pretty easy to find the people who do if you're at all outgoing - e.g. exchanging pleasantries while walking near the campground etc.

Yeah out at the coast we have learned to be super careful about leaving things unattended that the racoons, and crows might have interest in. The racoons in particular often come in organized groups. Crows and squirrels are the day shift and the racoons come on toward the end of twilight. During one racoon event, where we'd had several around and above us (they travel quite fluidly in the evergreen tree canopy from tree to tree), after I thought that with the help of our big dog we'd motivated them all to move to the next site, I walked over from the picnic table to our van where my wife was doing some food prep up at the counter inside. There was one racoon with back feet on the ground and front up on the step into the van, cooly watching her and deciding whether there was a move to be made. Seeing me, it decided to follow the rest of the gang to try to find easier pickings. Crows and ravens are SMART and definitely watch what's going on and swoop in when the opportunity presents. I pretty much assume anything we leave out on a picnic table or fire pit grate or whatnot is going to be investigated by these birds when we're not right there. Bears are no joke in some areas! Down in CA they know what coolers look like and will break into locked cars to get into them. Up in WA they're not that bad (yet - our population is growing and a lot more newbies are getting out which may train them in unfortunate ways. It's sad because a fed bear usually ends up a dead bear as they become troublesome and trapping and moving usually just sends the problem elsewhere. In WA we mostly just have to be smart about food storage - in a hard sided container (a camper like the Oliver counts! but so do "bear canisters" while backpacking etc.) or carefully hung from a tree (i.e. while backpacking where bear canisters aren't required). Yeah we think way more about that than about security from people but for sure we lock our bikes if we are leaving them unattended and I'm careful with camera gear and such.

Have to agree. Mine are the same way. I still think of them as being upside down. But, we do understand what an 'engineer' must have been thinking. Push the button up and the trailer goes up. Push the button down and the trailer goes down. I would have preferred it the other way, but have just never thought about taking the time to pull out and flip over. Guess I should label them?

Dry camping today in the Alabama Hills, CA, at Tuttle Creek BLM Campground with the creek two feet away from the trailer!

Boondocking, and remote FS campgrounds usually have wildlife nearby, So, how about some wildlife - these were in the area of our camp, in the camp, or on the entrance access. the Bison were somewhat intimidating - leaving the campsite, we had to wait for the herd to move on - they had no concern for the big white thing next to them. Free range cattle drives too!

This is at the campground at Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado. Easy walk to the sand dunes.

This is at Two Medicine campground at Glacier NP.

This is a BLM area outside of Goblin State Park in Utah. We couldn't get a spot in the park, so went just a few miles away where there is a lot of BLM land with free dispersed camping.

Joshua Tree NP, Indian Cove campground.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is south west Arizona.

Quartzsite, AZ, Dome Rock. In January there is a big RV show in town followed by a Fiberglass rally at Dome Rock. BLM dispersed camping. Find a spot and camp!

This is Franklin Mountain State Park outside of El Paso. There are only 6 sites.

Larger Dinette Table Having a properly sized dinette table contributes significantly to the pleasures of life in an Ollie. That’s how Sheila and I feel after I modified our dinette table to add 4 1/4 inches to the table’s length. What a difference a small amount of additional space makes. We find it more comfortable, now have room for morning computers and coffee, and indoor dinners are more gracious. Also, I can now put both elbows on the table if I want to. We have had a desire for a larger dinette table ever since we picked up our Ollie (hull 217) and got some experience under our belts. We camp as a couple, never set up the third bunk, and don’t like having a table that is too small because of the bunk design issue. Oliver wasn’t interested in making a larger table when I broached the subject. Why mess with a successful product? But hunkering down to avoid corona virus gave me some extra time, and I used it to modify my existing table to see if I was on the right track. I worked up a design that used material from my leftovers bin, and which would allow me to undo the mod if it didn’t pan out. Unless you are really looking for it, the additional table length is not readily apparent. Aesthetically everything still looks proportional. The added length doesn’t interfere with the refrigerator door, and there is plenty of room to move about. While the pictures below show what I did, this isn’t really a how-to-do-it report. My goal is to stimulate Oliver. My hope is that the powers-that-be at Oliver will order a mock-up of a table like mine to be made, sit at it, and confirm for themselves how much nicer it is. It is my hope Oliver will then authorize a supplemental mold for laying up the larger table, offer it as an option to new buyers, and make it available for purchase by existing owners. I would be one. If you think you might like a larger dinette table too, please tell me in a comment to this string. I would like to ascertain if there is actually any demand for this, and if so, report same to Oliver. And if you are so inclined, please contact Oliver directly as well. Best regards, John Shkor SailorAshore

Your choice of campground has a lot to do with the quality of your neighbors and the general “feel” of the place. If you choose a fishing access spot on the weekend near a big city, expect a bunch of jerks who drink, play loud music, hoon around on jet skis and drive too fast through the campground. If you find yourself there, just move on the next day, it is not likely to improve. When I see a campground full of picnic tables packed with gear, blue tarps spread for shade, a bunch of kids bikes lying all over the place and older cars, I just move on. Generally that crowd is there to meet up with family, drink and party. More remote spots usually don’t have those kinds of issues. Certainly boondocking sites don’t.... and the price is way better. John Davies Spokane WA

Well done! I have given a few rides out from remote forest roads - most recently when coming across a poor guy who was starting to walk out after blowing out two tires (he wasn't sure how but after getting him to the main road and cell reception I went back to where I was originally headed and discovered a VERY sharp edged piece of split firewood in the road near his truck which I think was the culprit). In both cases I briefly pondered the risk but in both cases my vehicle guests were nothing but grateful.

Beautiful photos. We had a similar experience with the gnats. Early May. We built a fire, and I wore long pants, long sleeves, a cap and a hoodie, and still got enough bites to trigger an allergic reaction. The park is beautiful, but I would only return in colder weather before the gnats are out .

No sensor can protect your awning from a huge wind gust, ask the guy who parked his $300,000 motorhome next to me in Colorado. trainman

Robin at Banana Banners was who we worked with as well... while our logo was something we brought to her, judging by the look of some of her other projects, she comes up with some amazing designs on her own when asked to.

I checked out your link to level mounting instructions. As usual, they were very clear and nicely laid out. I'll bring the bits and pieces to do so on my maiden voyage at the beginning of December and do the mounting down south before coming back to the wicked frozen north. Thanks on that John.

More on a Larger Dinette Table A number of interesting ideas came up in the responses to my proposal that Oliver should offer a larger dinette table as an option, and for after-market sale to current owners. I wanted to provide some additional information for some of them. 1. As can be seen in the picture of my "new" table below, even after adding almost five inches to the table length there is actually still more than 26" of space in the walkway between the table and the refrigerator. Plenty of room for two people to maneuver. If I were to do it again, I would add a full 5" to the table, making the new table dimensions 27 3/4"W and 29" long. Then the walkway would be exactly 26" 2. I like the idea of a drop leaf and other expanding table designs when space permits, but in exploring design options for myself I was concerned that unless raised the drop leaf would block one from sitting down at the dinette. Also, I was concerned about sharp square corners being a safety hazard when the leaf was down, and wanted to preserve the rounded corners for safety. 3. For those who might to want to use their third bunk, if Oliver were to follow the same pattern used for its current table, the larger table could still be used as the filler for establishing the bunk. Probably with a couple of barrel bolts underneath and near the sidewall to lock the table in place when it was in the "down" position. 4. Finally, and just to gild the lily, I led the charging cables for our computers & smartphones up through the table edge under the window. When not in use they drop back down into the holes and are out of the way. Much neater than having them flop all over the place. Oliver ought to do a similar thing with its table(s). Thanks to all who chose to comment. John Shkor SailorAshore

Congratulations . . . . . . and welcome!

Nope..too old to worry about what others should think what I should think. I got to label them for me. Just going to put an arrow on the switch. My instinct is to push them the wrong way at the first of the season, unless I hear the "clicking"...

Mine are the same. I press the top of the switch to make the trailer go up and I push the bottom of the switch to make the trailer go down. Makes perfect sense! Mike

Be careful on that drive south. Try to relax a bit the day before your delivery in that there will simply be a bunch to do, to see and to absorb on that big day. Let us know all the great details! Bill

This is Westport-Union Landing State Beach Campground on the northern Mendocino county coast (CA) shortly before 101 heads inland and uphill to the north tp reach the awesome Avenue of the Giants State Park. This is a primitive but super well situated campground, actually a series of three little campgrounds in a row, set right on the bluff between the highway and the Pacific, with a nice small series of sea stacks right there. But as you can see in the photo of our friends setting up the tent they were using on this trip (we were in our van), it was WINDY as the coast is apt to be. I watched one tent that hadn't been staked out well (or at all) blowing and tumbling down the beach as we were setting up.

This is the Mattole Campground, run by the BLM, on the north edge of the Lost Coast in California. It's a primitive campground with one pit toiled and a well with a hand pump IIRC. The sites are sort of dug into the dune barrier that backs up against the beach, which runs for miles and miles - in fact going south is a multi-night backpack route across the road-free Lost Coast. I hiked south about 3.5 miles to the remote Punta Gorda lighthouse while my wife and our friends biked over the quite mountainous road I'd driven to get here. Either way is quite steep and windy and can be closed due to washouts or downed trees so check status if you go. I really LOVED the feeling here. Campendium reports someone getting a 35 foot fifth week into here but all I can report having achieved is an 18 foot van.

Here are some shots from Bridger Bay Campground in Antelope Island SP on the Great Salt Lake near Layton, north of SLC. I've used it as a stopover a few times when doing the long haul from near Seattle down to canyon country in southern UT and northern AZ. By this point in the drive - my second night in - I'm ready for a not absolutely full day of driving and want some exercise and beauty. This fits the bill quite well. The camp sites have stunning views across part of the lake, and there's a little unofficial trail up to a headland/ridge that has amazing views out over the lake, and enough walking to feel like I've gotten some exercise and have worked the kinks out from sitting so long. The first time I was there, in mid-late May, there were SO many bugs hitting my windshield and the rest of the front of the van while I drove out the loooong causeway that connects the island to the mainland. Don't say I didn't warn you ;-). There are pit toilets and not much else - possibly some water spigots but I forget. There are showers down the road at a day use beach area that you can drive up to and use at night. On my second trip there, some of the island's buffalo herd were grazing not far from camp. When I came back down from my evening hike up to that ridge and its views out to amazing thunderheads building on the Nevada side mirrored in a super glassy Great Salt Lake, they had moved in across the trail. I have no interest in being charged by a buffalo so I walked cross country through the sage and other brush in a wide arc around them back down to the campground, watching them warily as they watched me warily. I fortunately passed their test. It was fun to wake up to them chowing down fairly close to my van the next morning. One of these years I'll stay two nights and do some longer hiking on the island, which has many miles of trails.

In between Arches NP and Canyonlands NP there are a bunch of BLM campgrounds and dispersed camping areas. This is Horsethief campground just outside of Canyonlands NP. Nice level sites with at table and fire ring. Vault toilets were very clean. Only about 15 minutes outside of Moab.

FYI, open cell (no load) voltage testing of AGM batteries really tells nothing, the readings can be very close to each other, but the batteries can still be bad. The ONLY way to check the health of an AGM is to load test it. Any battery shop like Batteries Plus Bulbs .... Batteries Plus Bulbs Store Locator ....... can do it in their parking lot at no cost, in a couple of minutes. The batteries need to be charged as much as possible, and then disconnected from each other for at least six hours so they can reach a true resting state of charge. Also FYI, if you install a Victron Connect smart bus, program it, and assume that it is giving you correct numbers about the percent of charge, you are traveling uncharted waters if you first don’t verify that all are perfectly healthy. I had three bad batteries and one almost bad one, and my monitor was saying I had 100% capacity, but any serious load would simply kill the system, the inverter would start cycling on and off. Only lithiums which have onboard diagnostics give you true information. My recommendation to AGM owners: charge, remove and have load tested all your batteries at the start of each camping season. Regular “wet” lead acid battery cells can be individually checked using a hydrometer, which gives useful info, but they still should be load tested. John Davies Spokane WA