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I'm sooooo glad you're enjoying my Yeti cooler.

The cost may be significant, however, when you consider the years of pleasure you will experience, it doesn't seem that significant at all . . . Here's how my Elite I looks after 13 years.

My car claimed 106 as I pulled in to the driveway a short bit ago. The self-reporting from our LifeBlue's BMS says both batteries are just under 90F - they've lagged daytime highs each day thus far (and as you might guess also don't cool down to nighttime lows). They must have a fair bit of thermal mass. The adjacent basement area on the sunny side of the trailer (batteries are on north) is reading 99F. The National Weather Service says that the wind is going to shift this afternoon out at the coast, bringing badly missed breeze out of the west off the water as the trough that's been pulling hot air from the east over the Cascades (essentially a Foehn wind) finally stumbles eastward. We get some semblance of cool air overnight tonight if the forecast holds - "cool" being relative to the overnight temps of the last three nights, a lovely 67 per NWS, though normally we'd be seeing temps in the fifties at night now. Given the battery readings and the forecast short duration of the most intense part of this historic heat event (historic for WA and OR and also BC which is setting all-time-any-month heat records for all of Canada) I'm feeling OK about the choice to leave the batteries where they sit in the trailer. Within a month we should have a carport type structure under which to park Ollie in a shady cedar grove (where it tends to be significantly cooler than in the sun of our driveway) that will further moderate the temperature swings the trailer experiences, so as long as we don't keep making history then I likely won't have to fuss with carting the batteries back and forth for storage. I hope y'all in other parts of this heat dome are doing OK. Looks like Spokane will be a bit of an oven through at least mid week. I'll be rooting for that predicted sea breeze to stiffen and make its way to the ID border and beyond!

He was trying to make a sale, buyer beware! A fully loaded LE2 is 7000 pounds. The earlier hulls tend to be lighter than current models because they came with more options (less standard equipment) so you might encounter a stripped down one that is lighter than average. But “fully loaded” means “at gross weight” (aka GVWR) - so regardless of the dry weight a fully loaded trailer will always be 7000… it is the payload that varies. Oliver claims the 2022 LE2 is “4900 lbs dry”, but options like four big lead acid batteries, solar panels and the extra awning really stack on the extra weight. My moderately optioned 2017 had an “as delivered” dry weight of 5140. It is very easy to tell by the payload sticker if a seller is trying to blow smoke up your posterior. John Davies Spokane WA

Great advice John and I agree 110%! We have been going to Discount/America's Tire for as long as they have been in San Diego and would not go anywhere else. I have gone to them in other parts of the state and found the same GREAT service and price. I also agree that TireRack.com is the best website for tire research. I have never gone wrong with their top rated tires. Andrew Andrew

I'll agree, the Elite is a very pricey little trailer. Ours has basically paid for itself in 14 years of service and memories, but will you keep yours that long? (We obviously plan on keeping ours much longer!) And, will you use it enough to justify having it? These are questions only you can answer or predict. Ours is normally used at least 3 to 5 months a year. A number of Oliver owners had Casitas before. It's a good trailer, one has much the same floorplan as the Elite, but the cost difference is in accessories, carpeted walls, and lots of wood and particle board inside. A friend of mine has owned one now for over a decade. She's been able to store it inside most of its life, so that helps. My sister had an Rpod for a few years. Aluminum frame, one piece composite roof. A reasonably priced, easy tow trailer. Again, she was able to store it inside, so that was a big plus for her. They sold it because they were too busy with work to take the ling trips they'd hoped for. They're back to a big tent for weekends, until they can retire. My husband and I looked at literally over a hundred different trailers before we chose the Oliver. I don't know what you've seen so far, besides the two Oliver models. Good luck in your decision.

That's all the miles you've traveled?

I pulled The Wonder Egg (2008 single axle Elite I) 111,000 miles with my 2008 4.0L V6 Tacoma. After the Taco surpassed 225,000 miles, it retired from towing duties in 2018 and is now a runabout town vehicle. I purchased a 5.0L V8 F150 as a new to vehicle and it does a very, very fine job. Bosker enjoys the extra room. With full water and a loaded trailer, the tongue weight is 460lbs, as measured on a scale. I've never used a WDH and even during the most adverse weather and road conditions. Now, with 138,000 miles on The Wonder Egg, it still tracks true, with excellent road manners.

EDIT 12/10/23. Useful link: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6720-natures-head-compost-toilet-troubleshooting-user-guide/ EDIT 06/06/23. This is an Oliver factory installation, not mine. One member has assumed that I did this. There are a number of threads asking about this toilet. I hope we can gather up a lot of the talk here in one place. I think there has been one other installation in an Ollie but there have been NO published pictures of any kind, that I have been able to find, even from the factory. This is baffling to me. I really wanted to cut the dump station umbilical. We routinely dry camp and finding an open station during a busy holiday weekend or off season is not something I want to face. With the NH toilet we can get rid of our grey water with a 3/4 inch garden hose. In many western states it is legal and encouraged to run a hose out to a nearby shrub and let your water trickle into the ground. The black tank, drain plumbing and vent system are all completely retained. The factory folks are extremely reluctant to delete these parts, since they are part of their certification. If you wanted to reinstall a regular toilet, it would be a very minor job. The fresh water line is even in place, next to the wall. You could sell the used NH for $400 and that would pay for the replacement conventional RV toilet, with a lot left over. An RV toilet is less than $200.... I chose to charge the base with coconut coir rather than peat moss, since it is a renewable resource and doesn't damage the environment. https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coconut+coir I made the mistake of just dropping a dry 2 pound brick into the bottom, adding water and then letting it hydrate. I ended up with WAY too much material. You need to do this in a bucket, outside, and then transfer the expanded stuff into the base, and the leftovers into gallon zip bags. The correct height is even with the internal agitator centerline. Any higher and it becomes difficult to turn with the handle. It takes about two gallons, I did not measure. There are many online sources with info. To summarize: Sit to pee, everybody, so there is no splashing. The trapdoor stays closed and your pee goes forward, and then down into the reservoir. Which you pre-treated with a half cup of vinegar, to kill the odor. That part is easy. To poop, open the trapdoor, finish the job, wipe and close the door. Give the agitator handle two or three turns. The poop and paper will decompose rapidly once the natural process gets going, which may take a few days. The fan keeps a steady flow of fresh air into the reservoir and out of the trailer through the existing roof vent. I never noticed any bad odors except the first days, before I figured out that Oliver had installed the wrong fuse, a 1 amp, which had blown. Once I installed the correct fuse (2 to 5 specified, I used 3 amp), the fan worked as designed. The fuse is located in the main distribution panel under the dinette table, right row, bottom position (UN-labeled!). It is best to put only the absolute minimum amount of RV toilet paper into the base. If you put a lot in, it wraps around the agitator and makes it harder to turn. Only stinky paper goes down - the rest (damp with pee) goes into the small covered waste can to be disposed of weekly. The can came from Walmart, $10 I think. Cleaning is simple: spritz the area lightly with a dilute vinegar spray and wipe down with a disposable baby wipe, toss in can. Done. The residual vinegar and wipes control any odor from the can. The pee tank is big but it will fill up faster than you can believe if you have four people using it! Empty when it gets to within an inch or two from the top: Flip the two side latches, carefully rotate the top off the base, remove the pee bottle and cap it. Dump it in any approved location - a pit toilet or a rest stop restroom. Rinse with fresh water a couple of times and recharge with half a cup of vinegar. Reinstall into the toilet and close and latch the top. The pee will eventually form crusty yellow deposits. The fix, I have read, is to add gravel and water and shake it hard, then rinse several times. In two weeks of use I never noticed any significant deposits. The longer you let the poop decompose the better. If you can leave it over the winter, dump it out in the spring and it will be totally benign. If you need to empty it mid-season, remove the pee bottle and vent hose, unscrew the two hold down knobs and lift out the entire unit. Carry it outside and put a 13 gallon or larger trash bag on top, flip it over and empty the compost. Refill with clean coir to the centerline. There is NO need to clean it out. Any residual material will just help the next batch get started. The organic waste you can double bag and put in the trash, or if fully decomposed, it can be spread out in the woods, but not near a potable water supply or garden. The way to keep the smell in control is to keep the pee out of the main reservoir. It's the urine that makes a pit toilet smell so bad.... If you throw up or have a messy poop, you can add a little more fresh coir to help absorb the extra fluids. I keep a gallon bag of the hydrated stuff in the overheard cabinet (along with a quart of vinegar) and haven't had to add any extra. The fan has a dust filter that is supposed to be checked every few weeks, by removing two Philips screws. I think that is way too often in the clean environment of a fiberglass trailer, unless you have a dog that sheds. You can put your hand over the left (inlet) opening and feel a light suction. If that isn't present, you need to clean the filter. The pee bottle sits in a sealed cavity to catch overflows, This is a problem since when you take a shower, a bunch of fresh water gets trapped there. I intend to drill a couple of small drain holes in the bottom. I don't care if the pee bottle overflows onto the floor of the head, at least that way I will notice it! unless it is dark, and I am barefooted.... that would be bad 😉 This is why you want to empty the tank before it gets too close to the top. Agitator handle: ours fell off right away, the shaft has a set screw with lock nut. It is very easy to tighten correctly. I am not sure why the factory guy couldn't do it successfully. Spares: I intend to purchase a spare pee tank ($40), spare lids, and a fan.I already have extra 3 amp fuses. ... http://store.natureshead.net I intend to wire in a small LED in the wire harness to show that the fan has power. You can probably hear it running, faintly, if you are in a very quiet area and don't have bad tinnitus, as I do. The Nature's Head is a cool device, but it is really just a fancy bucket. A solidly built, very expensive bucket. I wish the price were about $250 instead of $800. That seems about right for what you get. OTH it is very rugged, and long time users seem to love it. My wife still has some reservations about using it, and we need to get a short step stool since it sits so much higher than even a tall toilet. This one might work well, and it might fit in close to the base with a bungee cord around it for travel: .... https://www.squattypotty.com/shop/poop-better/classic-ecco I am still learning, but I have no regrets at this time. Questions? John Davies Spokane WA

I have upgraded to a pair (2) of the Lithionics 315GTS which are in an Aluminum Enclosure and 315AH rated. Below is my readout today of battery status at 2:46PM, trailer is in full sun and at our house the outside thermometer is pegged at 100F at the moment. I note that the Highest Recorded battery TEMP (87) is different from the BMS temperature (89). I have been testing these batteries now for 1 month of camping under various conditions. Dry Camping Test: 3 days at Kalaloch When we were dry camping at the Kalaloch in Olympic NP the temps were in the low 60's during the day and high 30's at night. We were using approximately 60AH/day and we were using all our appliances, running fans and lights, TV etc. We had high overcast conditions and a partial sun site, and thus solar was only putting back in about 15 AH in the day. That means under those conditions I could run 10 days before having to get out the generator. Full Hookup Test: Xantrex 2000XC inverter / charger When at places like Steamboat Rock where we had full hookups we found the the batteries charged very quickly when connected to shore power. The new Inverter/Charger pumps out up to 100A and has done a great job for us so far. Charging while Driving: Testing the Victron DC/DC charger We stayed at Klipchuck NFS campground in the N. Cascades last week and after a couple days I had the opportunity to test how the new Victron DC/DC charger setup would work with some batteries that were depleted by 15% (~500A Remaining) When I connected up the truck to the trailer (via our new Anderson Connectors) and started the engine, I used the Victron App to follow the charge cycle...and the DC/DC started pumping out 25A immediately in Bulk Charge mode. We then drove about 2 hours to our next stop (Rasar SP) and found that the batteries had been fully recharged during the 2 hour drive. The combo of SOLAR and the Victron DC/DC really make charging slick. Finally, I when I upgraded to my Lithium batteries I was able to move my dual 12V AGM's into the back of the truck. I also installed a Redarc DC/DC charger and have found that to be a great addition for running our ARB Fridge which we keep in the truck bed. Hope everyone is keeping their cool this summer and getting out in their Oliver's. Craig Hull 505 - Galway Girl https://4-ever-hitched.com

I'll be curious what you've seen. As I mentioned above our BMS is reporting that our batteries are significantly lagging the daily highs.

I fat fingered that post and you responded before I edited it. It now has the correct link in it and it is a different link than yours and I believe it was posted the next day. Mossey

Hi Frank, Thank you. Yes, we bought from Tim Dahle. They put the 4x4 in it. (It's covered under the warranty.) We added the lift and the Avatar Metal works bumper with winch after that picture. The winch is part of our self recovery gear. The fact that its a 3500 and on the titan truck frame is great! There is so much room it it. Unfortunately , Nissan has decided to stop making them this year. People are going crazy driving the prices up on them. I think whats left on Tim Dahls Lot are spoken for.

I’ve never had an issue with turning and my storage box. I also don’t lock it because I only carry my homemade blocks, Camco legos and rubber chocks. If I had the power cord in there I’d lock it too - it lives in the basement when not in use. Mike

We're still using two Agm batteries. We almost never have electricity. You can buy nice replacement agm batteries several times for the price of the lithium. Unless you are crazy power consumers, 2 agms and solar should carry you through three days, and, with decent weather, a week. Carry a small genset as insurance. We think our best add-on ever was the original solar package. We have recently upgraded it from 200 watts to 400, but Oliver installed the first system, so the heavy lifting on wiring and brackets was mostly done by them. You could probably be fine with a couple hundred watts portable, for that matter, for shorter trips. But, it's kind of a pain to lug around and set up all the time. I set up our homemade "portables" when we're in a site for more than a few days. The generator is easier. For people who know they enjoy boondocking, I really think fixed solar is a best option.

There is at least one person on here who has pared down the weight of his elite II, so that he's under 5k, loaded his way for camping. Pretty sure our trailer is also lighter than originally equipped, as we've removed microwave and kingdome, and fridge and ac replacements are much lighter than original equipment.

I’ve been pondering this question since it appeared. While not entirely clear on what qualifies as a gizmo, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a fair number of them. Still, it’s hard to pick a favorite.. But while replacing my very tired old Milwaukee Cordless wet/dry vac today I realized that this is my favorite gizmo.. for the truck, the camper, for dealing with disasters like the time I sort of flooded the Casita years ago…

Most trailers that have a combined grey and black are very small, and one tank is all there is space for. The now defunct Airstream Nest had only a small combined grey/black. It was originally designed for a cassette toilet, but market seemed to demand a regular rv toilet.

Well, the great Yeti cooler, makes it easy to stay out on extended trips . . . So I just keep on rolling

Please consider this from someone that has towed both models. If you try to to tow an Elite II with that little truck, you WILL have a problem and be disappointed, very disappointed in the towing experience. As John said in another thread, "you do not have enough truck for an LE2". I would say it is doable for the Elite I. Everyone looks at the towing capacity and hardly gives a second look at CCC. Depending on options and trim level, your 2020 Ford Ranger has a maximum CCC of 1560 lbs. Check you driver's side door jam for the actual number. Likely, your occupants and tongue weight will eat up half of that. An Elite II will weigh well over 5000 pounds. Ours weighs 7000. We personally tow with a 2500 diesel and I have just ordered a 3500 to give us more cargo carrying capacity.

Although towing specs are very important and I do want my tow vehicle to be within them, I personally like more towing specs and power in my tow vehicle then needed. For me it's always been a little overkill and then I'm happy with the results. Not sure what engine you have in your Ranger, but we have camping friends who tow there Elite II with a Tacoma with towing package and a V6 engine. All being said I would not be happy with that combination, the little Tacoma has a hard time over 60 MPH pulling the Elite II at Interstate speeds and can't stay up with me and I'm towing my Elite II at 65-68 MPH, which I don't feel like everyone is running over me. I have no camping friends that have the 19 ft. Elite so I have nothing to compare it to, but I would think the Ranger with a V6 would handle that size trailer ok. Good Luck, just stick within you Ranger towing specs and remember your little V6 can only do so much regardless of the factory specs for towing. If you are looking for a trailer and don't want to spend that much look at the Casita, excellent trailer and retains it's value very will, probably better return on your money then just about any travel trailer out there. Many Oliver owners had a Casita at one time, or another. trainman

Some real numbers on our 2019 Elite II if that helps: This is from when we were towing our EII with an F150. Our EII as weighed below was fully loaded including dual 30G propane, water, 4 AGM Batteries, clothing on board and food and an 60lb box of gear on the tongue. Our unit has solar panels and the tongue box is used for chocks and tools. Tongue Wt ib this weight at this stop was 665lbs...( varies from 530-675) depending upon full water, and junk in the closet and tongue box. Our 2018 - F150 had a GVWR of 7100 lbs --- and I was towing 60 lbs over GVWR on that particular run. Ultimately I upgraded to an F350 for towing. Hull 505 - Galway Girl

A bit useless for those few of us that do not carry cell phones.😁

I only order by the case. It costs less that way. 😉

We used a local tire dealer to change our Oliver stems to metal and balance with the TPMS sensors mounted. We did it outside of a bay, it was no problem for them. When we replaced our 5 year old BF Goodrich tires I wanted the Coopers that Oliver is now using. I used our local Discount Tire and they had no issues with mounting, balancing and installing them on our Oliver. My one experience with Costco was that they would not install 16” tires on my Ranger because they didn’t show on their computer. They were standard on the 4X4 Ranger I had. I asked what they would install on the standard 16” wheels and they told me I would have to get new 15” wheels. OK. Back to Discount Tire. I’ve also used Tire Rack for wheels/tires. They ship to a local dealer who does the install. Mike

When we ordered we asked for 110V outlets in the closet and near the nightstand. We also asked for USB ports on the nightstand. They didn’t do the USB ports or the 110V outlet near the nightstand. When I pointed that out, they said “oops, we’ll fix that”. 10 minutes later it was fixed, both were done. Point is, installing additional outlets is not a big deal. So if you need an additional outlet it can be done fairly easily. Mike

I think this would be a very easy problem for an RV tech to figure out. Call Service to schedule a mobile appointment. I dislike propane appliances intensely, but they normally are pretty reliable until they actually fail completely. Does that make sense? I am sure Oliver will get it corrected. This is another good reason to have a backup fridge, a compressor type running off 12 volts in your truck. Otherwise a 3 way fridge failure will ruin a vacation, as you have discovered. John Davies Spokane WA

I hope it works. A glass of any white wine, when we meet someday, will be appreciated , If it works. I hope it does. We've never used a wdh, as we have the smaller elite. Bigger tow vehicles, never needed the extra accouterments.

We have found the smaller Elite to be perfect for us, now in its 14th season. It is shorter, 6 inches or so more narrow, and a few inches less head height. If you're over 6' or 6' 1", you might not be able to stand straight up. My husband is 5'11", I'm barely 5'4", so no issues for us. The bed is smaller, more like a full size than a queen, and east/west. No pantry. Bath is a bit smaller. Kitchen counter is shorter, so no real counter space, except the lid of stove if closed, or the space in front of the microwave. It's cozy in all seasons, but can feel cramped in inclement weather. But, that's why trailers have wheels... They all live big on the outside. We have never been tempted to change up to the bigger trailer. We like the size, the weight, the way it follows in the tracks of the truck, and the way it tows. And can legally tow it with every vehicle we own, except the '58 TR3. I, too, would encourage you to see both. Neither trailer is for everyone.

LOL - I already asked this question. The Lithionics contact is getting with their engineers to better understand this limit. I guess, shoveling loads of desiccant into the battery compartment is the only way it would work for us with average RH of 85%+ . As soon as I hear back, I will post.

Our Ollie will be parked in our driveway (battery compartment facing North and shaded in the afternoon). I'll monitor lithium battery internal temperature this weekend as our temps are predicted to be near 100, if not higher. Temp only reached 85 today. . . . . lithium batteries read 68 deg internal temp. I'll check again tomorrow when it's supposed to be quite a bit warmer. Edit: Temperature stats from Sat/Sun/Mon of the heat wave (June 26-280 Internal Battery Temperature Tracking - LifeBlue 26-Jun 10:30 AM 80 76 70.0 12:30 PM 85 78 70.2 3:00 PM 92 80 73.0 5:00 PM 88 81 75.2 6:00 PM 81 81 77.0 9:00 PM 72 78 78.8 27-Jun 9:00 AM 72 68 72.4 11:00 AM 85 69 73.4 1:00 PM 101.8 69 73.4 3:00 PM 103 72 75.3 28-Jun 12:30 PM 81 75 72.5 3:30 PM 86 81 77.0 5:00 PM 83 78 78.7 7:00 PM 72 76 78.8 Outside Battery Compartment Battery Excuse the formatting; it lost something in the cut and paste

You have to discount the $8500 by the cost of upgrade from lead-acid to AGM, less the price difference between 2000w and 3000w inverter. I don't know the current costs; yes, I'm a retired bean counter 😁

There are a number of nice features, but I wish they could have figured in a decent sized bed for the trailer size. Losing seven inches of kitchen could give an "almost" queen bed, in a kind of trapezoid, and still keep the big dinette. 53" wide, is not a queen. It's not quite as wide (though a little longer) than the full sizein our Elites, and still a crawlover. The toy hauler version bed is only 48" wide. Great for one, pretty tiny for two. The bed in the camper van we rented in Iceland was about 48 inches, and it was pretty snug. Like the big fridge and oven, though. Lots of room for solar on that big roof.... Let us know how this one works out for you. I'm sure you'll like it better, with all the cold weather camping you like to do.

Should have figured you didn't have it quite yet. I've looked high and low on the internet and haven't found those blinds yet! Hope the new rig works well for you. It sure sounds like it will! Dave

Hey John, It's been a long while. You were of great help to me brainstorming and fixing my fresh water supply issues way back when. No troubles since! 👍 That's quite the new rig you have there. Looks like it will be able to follow anywhere your truck can pull it! One thing that caught my eye when I looked the trailer up were the shades that are used. Since I still love my little Oliver, I am continually upgrading parts that I don't really like. The stock Oliver shades, while somewhat functional, are very bulky, a pita to restring, etc. Do you know the maker of your shades? Do you think they would be a good fit/improvement for the Oliver? And hopefully the X22 shades use a torsion(?) spring mechanism like a regular roller shade with no strings and tension springs to deal with. Cheers! Dave

Hi trekhard, I'd never consider reuse of the grey water in that manner. I simply keep the grey water in the black tank until the whole trailer is at the dump station and then you can open both valves (grey and black) to empty everything. Putting 15 gallons of grey water in the black tank gives us about 2 extra days without having to empty the tanks (which is a lot of work if your in the middle of your stay). Hope this makes sense.

I used stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers along with neoprene washers against the aluminum box. I also used pieces I cut from one of those puzzle floor mats. On thickness under the box that sits on the fiberglass and two thickness under the part that hangs over onto the frame. Nothing fancy, I just drilled three holes up from the bottom through the fiberglass after clamping the box where I wanted it. Yes, if I ever remove it I will have three holes in the tongue fiberglass, but I don’t see that happening. It’s very secure and does exactly what we wanted. These are the only pictures I have right now. These show where the bolts are. Shot from underneath. Sho Another blurry shot from underneath. This is an attempt to show the foam padding underneath. One layer between the box and fiberglass and one between the box and tongue. I cut another piece of foam to sit in the bottom of the box to cover the bolts.