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A few years ago, topgun2 created a filter for his MaxxFan that I really liked, but the frame material he used was no longer available. Although this is my version below, it is similar to his. So I kept it in the back of my mind and often looked at different materials to create my own. I tried some vinyl channel that was used in shower glass installations, but it was too flexible. My next version was metal channel that I am unsure of it’s purpose, it worked pretty well, but I kept cutting my hands on the mitered corners. Then I found some plastic or PVC channel at Lowe’s while shopping for PVC lumber and it worked pretty well. This is the frame material from Lowe’s. I removed the round screen filter and stored it somewhere I might be able to find or maybe not. I measured the fan frame and cut the channel to size. Then I cut some sheet aluminum into triangles and glued up the frame using the triangles for corner supports. Then the filter material was cut to size and inserted into the slot and then Velcro Command picture hanging strips were used to hold the filter frame to the MaxxFan frame. This resulted in gaps between the frames which I filled with leftover filter material. The result is a removable filter that can be washed and reused and the fan blades require less cleaning. He recently saw my version and asked me to post it for you to see it and improve upon for your own needs. Mossey

For you Harvest Host folks we are spending the night at Bee Happy Farm in Brashear, TX. It’s about 10 miles off of I-30 between Dallas and Texarkana. Grass fed cows, free range chickens, horses, etc. Very pleasant!

If you are looking at RV Trader as a buyer you can pick one of those pre formatted messages by clicking a box instead of typing your own question. You should reply to those messages. A simple “yes” was my reply to the “is it still for sale” question. If someone used the “more photos” message I would ask what area of the RV they wanted to see more photos of. Selling an RV requires a good deal of patience. You will be asked questions that have answers clearly stated in your ad. Remember you are dealing with the public, and by definition at least 50% of them are below average intelligence.

As most of us have discovered - finding decent spots to park Ollie has become somewhat more troublesome. We generally like to boondock, use public State, Harvest Host, and federal facilities, and when pressed - as a last resort - private RV parks - think KOA, Etc. Florida is not a boon dockers dream, and finding a state or federal campground opening can be a nightmare. We found ourselves needing a few days in between the fed park and the state park - so we spent the money and stayed at a privately owned park. This time of year - the gulf coast is in demand - thus every place is full to the gills - and here on the bay side of the water is no exception - sardines have it better when it comes to space. Ok I admit, I just don't like apartment like living in an RV. Even if it is in our Oliver. I would rather stay at home - however - this too shall pass.!! Rant over. I am just gonna have to start planning - a year ahead of time.

That would be awesome! We've paid our deposit and are looking forward to mid-year to 3rd quarter having it available. We need it at home as we cannot get service where we live and use our unlimited data on our phones now.

Have not used our Magma set yet but we bought the regular version. Do not like the non-stick finshes on anything. They scratch and we think that the non-stick may not be healthy; Just our opinion though. I keep my Magma set in the larger drawer under the stove. We have put out plates, bowls and cups in the overhead compartment over the sink-stove area. They seem to be steady on the limited about of road travel so far. May need to re-evaluate that location if the plates move around a lot or we go off paved roads. They are corral plates that are supposedly unbreakable (hopefully).

Three new concrete pads, two gravel pads. The wine is muscadine....well it’s ok.

Geo, have you ever tried 'burping' the tank when it's at 80% and full? Try changing the angle of the trailer with the jacks at that point and see if you don't hear some gurgling and suddenly get extra space in the tank. Ours does the same, but once you burp it, it will go past 100 before any water shows up in the shower pan. A couple of other people have said the same, and I think it's a weird issue with the venting. Usually 80% is about where we need to tilt back the trailer to get to the remaining fresh water anyway.

I've posted in other threads here and there about my experiments with speakers in the Ollie, but thought I'd make a separate topic. I don't think we have one for Sonos stuff, through I know we've talked about them in three or four other speaker threads. Anyway, any excuse to talk music. Background for those who don't know: We got our Ollie back when Oliver allowed customer modifications, and one of our mods was to eliminate the entertainment system completely. So no TV, radio, or speakers at all. My idea at the time was that we'd have a car stereo place do a really nice system for us. The cost of that though was prohibitive, and at the same time I was starting to look at wireless speakers for the house, so I decided that was the route to go with the trailer as well. Apple had just come out with their HomePod, so I figured I'd try one, use it in the kitchen when at home and move it to the Ollie when we travelled. I won't review the HomePod since they've discontinued it, but suffice to say that I think they had good reason to do so. I wasn't impressed, and it was kind of a pain both in and out of the trailer, so it went onto craigslist. But the idea behind it wasn't bad. My next experiment was a Sonos Beam, which did impress me, and is still in the trailer. It's a different philosophy than the HomePod was, since it's permanently mounted, but I decided on it since it would fit perfectly under the attic. In my opinion, it's not a bad solution especially if you have a TV and want a soundbar for it. It certainly sounds much better than the HomePod - even though it's still a single speaker, and fixed at the end of the trailer, it has a much broader sound than you'd expect. Though one of the drawbacks is definitely that it doesn't really immerse you in the music, at least not the way I like. There are two other drawbacks to mention: one, it's 120 volt so you've got to be plugged in or on your inverter for it to work; and two, it requires a wifi network for your trailer (which I think is included in the latest Ollies?). Overall though, thumbs up. The sound is really nice, and one of the things Sonos does well is in the way they have you tune their speakers to the space when setting them up. Basically, you walk around the space waving your phone around like a nut while the speaker plays tones, and at the end, they recalibrate the EQ of the speakers to give you the best sound and eliminate any boominess. For a small space like the Ollie, that can make a big difference. So we've been pretty happy with it. But of course shortly after I installed the Beam, Sonos came out with the Move, which has a similar form factor to the HomePod. But instead of plugging in, it's battery powered and so is truly portable. In fact it's waterproof to boot, and has a rugged rubber base so you can rest easy taking it outside and using it around the campfire. Plus it can be charged via USB and has Bluetooth audio in addition to WiFi, which means you don't need a WiFi system in the trailer, and don't need to use your inverter to power it. So sure I had to get one, took it with us on our last trip, and REALLY like it. It's easily the best sounding Sonos we have - it's larger than the Sonos Ones that I've been populating the house with, but smaller than the Sonos Five, so the sound is predictably somewhere in between. It just has a really nice resonant quality to it. As a single speaker, it has the same drawback as the beam, but AirPlaying to both simultaneously gives you a really great, immersive sound all through the trailer. With the bonus being that you can grab it and carry it outside. But like the Beam, there are three drawbacks: one, it's a bit big and cumbersome, so kind of difficult to find a spot in the closet or wherever to stow it while traveling; two, you can't do a stereo pair with the Beam (though if you have two Moves, you can pair those); and three, it costs over $300. But to justify the cost, the speaker isn't dedicated to the trailer like the Beam is. Ours has its home in the house, gets taken out to the patio, front porch, etc. Drawbacks aside, had you asked me yesterday what I thought the best system was for your Ollie, I'd have said buy a Move. Or two, if you want stereo or the ability to have music both inside and out at the same time. But ... in the mail today came the tiny Sonos Roam. It's a portable speaker like the Move, but small enough to fit in your hand, and I have to tell you that for such a small speaker, it really packs a punch. Not as good as the Move, of course, but inside the trailer, it actually comes surprisingly close, thanks to the trailer itself adding a great deal of resonance to the sound. Outside, the Move crushes it, but inside the trailer, it's difficult for my somewhat older ears to distinguish them once you've got the volume levels even and fiddled with the EQ (Sonos allows you to set a separate EQ for each speaker, and since the setting is held in the speakers themselves, they'll have the same sound whether you're playing through their app or through iTunes, Spotify, etc.). In fact, in the trailer I think the sound from the Roam is pretty much on par with the Beam, if not a bit better. Daddy bear, momma bear, baby bear, and a shy smokey bear: The size! This little guy could go anywhere - the versatility is fantastic. Bluetooth or wifi, so like the Move it will work without dedicated wifi in the trailer. It has a better waterproof rating than the Move, so you could actually drop it in a lake, if you need to do that. It's half the price, has USB charging (plus wireless charging), and you can stereo pair two of them together. Add velcro to the back, and you could mount them wherever you want, inside or out. Move them around the trailer depending on where you're sitting, etc., then grab one off the wall and take it out to the campfire. Drawbacks? None, really. The Move sounds better, but the versatility of the Roam trumps that, imo. So today if you ask me what I'd recommend for sound in or around the trailer, by all means get yourself a pair of Sonos Roams. They come in white, too, though I don't know if their white is color matched to the Ollie.

In making good use of our time between now and the time we take delivery of our Ollie in May, I have been ordering a few items that I know we will need and use. Our Andersen levelers arrived today and I spent a whopping $7.68 with a 20% coupon on a plastic tool box from Harbor Freight. I like to keeping all our camp gear organized and so here are a few pics of the tool box. Nothing fancy, but I think it will get the job done. Hope this might help anyone thinking about storing their levelers. Just passing forward an idea. 👍🏻 Happy Camping!

Its a towel rack I made for when there is no place to put up a clothes line. I bought a double handle suction cup used for glass. Cut it in half and added a piece of PVC pipe. Works like a champ.

That is ours. Hull #520. We just got back from a 3 month trip in the southwest. Both the truck and Ollie get a bath next week.

Pretty spot! (Pretty trailer, too! 😊) Thanks for sharing.

Ollie in the vineyard - We stayed last night at Hodges Vineyard near Camp Hill Alabama last night. Our first Harvest Host Experience and it was really great. Free samples at the wine bar great cheese straws and full hook ups. We already booked again for an over nighter on our return trip from Pensacola Beach. Very kind staff and a quiet place to relax. Happy Travels!

We also have the Magma nonstick version, which usually stay on the boat. To protect the coating underway, I used to separate the pots with thin microfiber cloths from Harbor Freight. Then, I picked up sets of asterisk shaped felt pot protectors on a camping trip to Iceland at the IKEA. A set could easily and cheaply be made from a yard of polyester felt, sized for your specific pots.