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Soak a cotton ball with Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and tape it to the bug bites for about 20 minutes. I get big red welts and bite bumps from mosquitos. The redness goes away in about 20-30 minutes. I keep applying the Vinegar and the bumps go away too. Best to apply it right after you get bit. Hope this helps.

Muncho Lake BC, from the north viewpoint, Alaska Highway, headed south. View out the back window, Strawberry Flats CG, Muncho Lake Provincial Park, at the south end. We encountered our most expensive gas near here, C$1.97/ liter (US$5.97/ gal). Average is about C$1.45, the cheapest was C$1.27 (US$3.85/ gal) in the gas/ oil fields around Dawson Creek, near Alberta. The weather was lovely, for a change, and I took some wonderful time lapse videos of the lake and clouds, and encountered the dreaded black flies for the first time. This is 24 hours after getting bit about a dozen times around the top of my socks. Yes, they really itch! Three days later they still itch…. We are near the south part of BC now, approaching Kelowna, and if we pass our Covid tests on Wednesday, we will be able to cross over into the USA again. Otherwise we will have to quarantine. 😳 John Davies Spokane WA

I agree. Each Summer I run from OK to OR and back. Out on the flat interstate out west, the speed limits generally are 80 MPH. If I run at the legal limit, I AM the island in the stream with hundreds of trucks a day running well over the limit. I will often follow (well behind) their convoys so as to not be a hazard. I employ extra following distance to avoid windshield damage, truck induced wake turbulence, and to let them clear out any deer, elk or other hazards. I can say that for sure, my F-150 SuperCrew Ecoboost and Ollie II can keep up at or beyond those posted limits when conditions are good. However going across I-80 there are some sections that almost always have severe alternating left/right cross winds cause me to slow down to 65 - 70 MPH for safety. My travel safety mitigations are: I set my truck's emergency anti-collision system to the most sensitive setting. I always tow with an Anderson with the ball greased. Ollie has never needed sway control. I use the Anderson only for WD purposes... as is required by Ford for their F-150's with tongue weights over 500 pounds. My loaded F-150 front and rear axle loadings are within 30 pounds of each other. To get that on my rig's set-up, I need and use 3 to 4 threads tension on the Anderson chains. I run Michelin Tires at 43 PSI cold, and they are always monitored by my dash mounted tire pressure monitoring system. I carry a DeWalt 20V air compressor so that I can check my tire pressures easily before the sun hits the tires. Having this compressor (With the hard case) makes this task easy. Let the sun or road miles hit your tires, and using a gauge is just guessing what you really have in the tires. I use a Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 800 non-Contact Digital Temperature Gun to check my tires every two hours or so. My Ollie loaded is 5700 pounds, and my truck has one person and about 500 pounds of gear. As such, I am towing well below the door sill weight limitations. Credit where credit is due, the idea for most of the above safety practices came from John D and other senior mentors on this web site. Geronimo John

I’ve been searching for a solution to my shoe storage problem. I found this sea grass basket at Target and it was perfect. It will hold my shoes, it’s flexible, it’s versatile and it fits under the table.

Thank you to all the hard working men and woman that helps keep our American dream alive. May you have a Happy , Safe and blessed Labor Day. 🇺🇸

The product is EZE RV Gutter. Use the search function for the term gutter and you will find more information than you need. Mossey

Middle Fork Campground about 16 miles south/southwest of Buffalo, WY.

Paul and I spent the last two weeks camped on our property outside Asheville, NC. Among our chores, the "shabin" got a new coat of paint on three sides, Paul plumbed hot water into the bathroom, and we installed the EZE RV gutters over all the windows in the Oliver. Paul did a great job, I think, and they look really nice, as if they came with the trailer. We chose the UltraWhite color, which matches the white gelcoat really closely. In some of those heavy downpours (what Pete so poetically calls "frog drowning gully washers," ) our weepholes would become overwhelmed. Especially, when the rain washes off the sidemount solar panels, and runs like a wide open hose down the side of the big window over the dinette... overwhelming even super clean weep holes. So far, we're happy. The gutters should divert some of the rain away from the window. Haven't had one of those "frog drowners" yet since installation, though, so I'll let you know. Since it's monsoon season in Florida, I should know soon. I took a bunch of photos (Paul claimed editorial rights... probably wants to make sure I got him modeling the right beer tee shirt...) and I'll post those soon. He reported that the material was really easy to work with, after leaving it in the sun for thirty minutes or so. Sticks like crazy with 3m adhesive already applied. I think he did a very professional job. Under my supervision, of course. It's really a one person job, but he let me help. Hand me the alchohol, I need another paper towel, hand me the pvc cutters, please etc... Makes me feel useful. Probably would have been faster if he worked alone. Oh, well. Then I could get back to painting and building a campfire... Sherry

We prefer to bring our water from home which is filtered through ceramic filter. We use 6 gallon jugs to bring a supply of water with and then have smaller glass containers for our daily use, one is kept in the refrigerator for drinking water the other on the table for coffee or cooking. So to free up some space in the closet I decided to utilize the space under the dinette seating. To be able to accommodate two jugs I would drop the first one in the opening and slide it towards the foot well and then have the room in the opening to drop in the second one in. To accomplish this I had to remove the obstacle which was a receptacle box for the ground fault outlet. I relocated it to the opposite side on the same wall. By the way this was the first time that I cut any fiberglass on my trailer. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I then made a aluminum backer plate so I could use a blank cover on the front to fill the hole that was left. My next concern was to protect the insulation on the floor of the compartment, so I decided to fit a piece of quarter inch plexiglass that I had on hand The last step of the project was to make a bookend to stop the water jugs from sliding forward. Here I used a short piece of 3/4" foam water pipe insulation and added some pieces of adhesive backed one inch foam to form the back stop, this is slipped over the black tank back flush pipe and butts up against the black water tank. There was one other obstacle, there were a series of wiring harnesses that came up out of the trough and were tethered with tie straps and screwed to the floor and then went off to various locations I had to undo the tie straps and gather enough slack to move the harnesses back far enough to clear the area where the plexiglass was laid. What am I going to do with all the extra space in the closet? Paul

Thanks. I try to share some of my projects to give back to the Oliver forum for all the great info and ideas I have gleaned from it. To answer your question yes that is part of an upgrade I did to the heating system. Last winter here in Minnesota I was able to test my heating modification in sub zero temperatures. I loaded the Oliver with water and with no added insulation I spent 2 1/2 days in temperatures reaching negative 12 below zero. This was done using only battery and available solar to power the trailer. If interested check out Breaking Subzero | Oliver Furnace Mod under Ollie Modifications. Thanks Paul

My wife has been REALLY struggling with her work on this trip into north BC and southern Yukon Territories. Wifi, if it even is accessible at all, is crawlingly slow every where and even the simplest tasks bog down. RV parks rarely have it there, and those that do charge a fortune for a few GB. Verizon limits us to 500 MB of cell data daily and both our iPads and her hotspot get throttled quickly, leaving just our iPhones functioning, barely. We can buy a 5Gb upgrade for 24 hours, but the challenge is still to find an actual signal. Actual LTE access is super super limited, especially above the center of BC. She would be able to do her work, which involves providing financial and operational planning for small rural hospitals and most importantly, grant research and applications to get them critical funding. She has been so very frustrated on this trip. Usually she can function at a low but acceptable level even in remote parts of Western states. She would embrace a reliable mobile Starlink system with both arms. She has no need for steaming movies, just reliable phone calls to speak with clients, and moderate Internet speeds for research and file transfers. This article is interesting, but does not address RV users at all. My wife would be in heaven if we could just pull off into an open area and connect with the world. https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/06/1034373/starlink-rural-fcc-satellite-internet/ John Davies Spokane WA

You have my personal sympathies with regards to the black flies. Ouch!

Note to self: as you start to gather "stuff" for your new Oliver you will be tempted to use a spare room. DON'T! You will find you have more room in a garage, or a small barn. After 4 years we are finding that we are constantly leaving "stuff" home. We have two overhead cabinets that are almost empty. There is more that we probably should leave behind, but that nagging feeling that someday we might need it lingers. Every item you pick up - weight it. Keep a list. Weight the clothes. You might be surprised at the end total.

Hello Andrew, Carianne and Buffy. I thought this could be you when i saw the BMW... Small world, we first met when you were one camp site down from us in Yosemite. Sounds like a nice trip. Happy to know your travels stayed on the coast and mostly out of the smoke. We live about an hour south of our crossing on 101 near a small place called Fieldbrook, Ca. We will be near you (El Cajon) in couple of weeks, then to Joshua Tree. Yep, few Oliver's sightings up and down the west coast.

Beautiful photos! As you know, Muncho Lake is one of my very favorite places. Glad you stopped. So sorry about the black flies. We usually are there in spring.

Lily Bay, Greenville, Maine on Moosehead Lake is always a favorite...

You can't, unfortunately - Oliver doesn't do customization anymore. But ask anyway, so they'll know that people are interested. It should be a factory option or standard, imo. These two threads should answer your questions, but if you have others just ask: Nope, those are just 4" cushions that we had made, with grey marine vinyl. We started off with mattresses from Southern Mattress, but soon realized that cushions would be just as comfortable and would make for a much better "lounge" for sitting and dining. We just use sleeping bags and stuff them up in the closet shelves during the day. For us, that's so much simpler than dealing with sheets and stuff, and making the change was a huge improvement for our style of camping. That's correct - I don't know if you'd need anything to secure the drawers these days. You might ask recent buyers if they have had any issues.

I found this tiny drainer that fits perfectly in the sink. I got it at TJ Maxx. I do dishes with it in the sink and rinse and dry in place. It travels there under the cutting board as well.

Great minds think alike! The plastic storage container on top of the oven keeps it from bouncing up and down. It serves a dual purpose: it is just the right height, when placed on the counter under the storage compartment door to make a level surface for drying dishes. Silcone grease shield (on the left wall) and silicone draining mat (right wall) protect the inside of the cabinet from the oven. Protecting the wall from the back of the oven is a silicone mat (curling iron mat used in hair salons) that the oven sits on when in use. And a small piece of pipe insulation to keep the oven door handly from rubbing on the cabinet door.

You have been towing an Ollie for years. That's a great endorsement. Thanks.

Can anyone state that they have had, or know of an instance where someone else has had, sway while towing an Oliver? I can not remember anyone on this forum ever mentioning it in the past 13 years. My personal experience is never any sway, no matter what.

I think our group is pretty special, actually. A lot of intelligent, curious, and caring individuals. I read that the people who own Olivers are a close knit group and from what I have seen so far that seem to be the case.

A growing source of Boondocking or Dry Camping (no hookups) is Harvest Hosts. The past couple of years we’ve camped at about a dozen HH locations, mostly wineries and farms. Sometimes you’re in a parking lot, sometimes just a field and sometimes out in the middle of the vineyard. We enjoyed camping at Amber Falls winery just outside of Hohenwald. We’ve camped next to a barn on a farm where we had chickens and horses all around. We’ve never had any hookups, although a winery in PA offered a 20a electrical hookup which we didn’t need or take advantage of. This is at Leyden Farm Vineyards and Winery in RI. Great spot and nice facilities. We enjoyed a glass of wine (or two) on their patio overlooking the vineyards.

Went down to the Wind River Range in Wyoming the 3rd week of July and just now finishing up with photos from the trip. We camped one night the Grand Canyon of the Snake River which by the way is a drop dead gorgeous canyon with some nice USFS campgrounds although close to the road. From there we headed down to the Green River Lakes area in the northern part of the Winds. Had crystal clear blue skies and no fire smoke until the last day. Great hikes beautiful country just an awesome trip. For anyone inclined to take this on be forewarned there is 20 or so miles of very rough gravel road to get back in there, no cell service for at least an hours drive out. Figure about 15-20 mph going in with a few patches of smoother gravel for a few but not many miles. To provide an idea of how rough the road is, we shook 3 of the window frame shades of their mounts, the solar controller in the basement became dislodged from its installment screws, one of the cables for the pins that latch the rear bumper broke loose. Anything not tied down was strewn all over the camper. I'm probably forgetting a few things. Trudi and I had briefly visited this place some 40 years ago and its been on my bucket list ever since. Highly recommended, I would go back in a heartbeat. Regarding true boon docking there are many places along the Green River to accommodate and initially this was our plan until talking with another family who tried it for one night but the bugs and ants were so bad they couldn't even get out of their camper, a Lance in this case. With those words of encouragement we opted for the USFS campground @$6 per night for the geezer crowd. By any measure the vast majority of campers here are tent campers, and the new rage of clamshell tents that carry on top of trucks, suvs and fold out into a top mounted tent. There are two loops here, one small higher the other a bit large and closer to Green River Lake. No reservations, its far too remote and in fact never saw a ranger and there was no camp host at all for the entire week. No problem at all getting a good site and most people only stay one or two nights. BTW the lake and campground itself are approximately 8,000 feet elevation give or take a few. Posting a few quick and dirty iPhone photos below. Green River camp above. Most of the sites here are very large probably between 1/4 or perhaps 1/2 an acre on average. Campsite at the Grand Canyon of the Snake River. Green River Lake sunrise with Sqaure Top Mountain. Preferred a b&w for this one. Beach at the far end of Green River Lake, about a 2-3 mile hike one way, we did the complete loop around with a few other excursions for a total of about 8-9 miles View from the west shore of the lake returning from hike up Clear Creek Canyon Clear Creek approximately half way to the end of the canyon where a natural bridge crosses the creek. Another view of Square Top on the route out from Clear Creek. I was nursing a plantar fasciitis one one foot this day so the almost 12 mile hike just about did me in. We had a few outrageous sunsets accompanied by a rising near full moon. Thanks for looking.

This is a cool thread, had not seen it before. I'll start out with a few in the early years of owning the Ollie. Goosenecks State Park, Utah. While there are some semi-developed campsites located back up the road with picnic tables and the likes we chose to drive further out on this bench, mesa, peninsula, reef or what ever you like to refer these geologic landforms. We were able to back right up to the edge overlooking the goosenecks as the San Juan River winds and cuts its way through land. Gorgeous evening, Trudi taking in the sights. Thanks for looking.

Plum Valley campground, Davis Creek, CA, in the Modoc National Forest. I had to put it into 4WD at one point, and the road had a little stretch with rocks and roots, but it was a good test of the Oliver in a real off-road situation. Had my co-pilot get out and spot me as I maneuvered through some pines. It's a tough trailer!

Well the project I’m working on isn’t quite as cool as yours that’s for sure, and is just getting underway.. but I thought I’d share.. All the potential storage space around the propane tanks has been nagging me for some attention… It just seems like a perfect place for things I don’t need very often but need a dedicated place to be stowed in Dearie. So I installed 1/2” hardware cloth in the bottom to keep stuff from falling out, and have got a couple of plastic “tubes” set up.. one for the grease gun and related stuff, the other for the winterization pump and the like. I’ll stash extra lengths of pex in a 3” capped PVC pipe that will be lashed to the hardware cloth behind the gas bottles, probably along with emergency short term winterization gear. I already have a garden hose that I use to flush the black water tank that lives in front of the gas bottle, and there is a fair amount of space in there for “something”… just gotta figure out what that something might be.. Judging by some of the older posts on this thread you have a very cool shop John, resulting in a small pang of jealousy on my part, though I’m not complaining about my workspace…. Dearie in the dooryard.. working out some storage solutions…

I would sew the hook/rough side to the cushions. The "made to be sewn" type has a thin edging that's easy to sew with just about any of my four machines. No adhesive. Put the softer/loop side on the fiberglass. Two advantages. No scratchy stuff on your hands when cushions aren't there. No abrasion on fabric if you don't catch all the "hooks" when you situate the cushions.

We have two of the "James" thingys. I have one on the pantry wall (Elite II) at the foot of the bed that I use for my cell phone - A Samsung 10 ( 3" x 5 3/4" in a case) fits perfectly. The divided section is perfect for keeping a pen handy.

I ordered two of these: one is in the bathroom for toothpaste, etc. The other at the foot of my bed for my cell phone. Also got the toothbrush holder, the set of two hooks - one by control panel by the door for keys, and the soap dish that is on the wall above the bathroom mirror where it is out of the way. Love these Tooletries - especially how easy they are to relocate. If they weren't so expensive I'd probably have more. Also attached is the paper towel holder. I've attached it with command strips until I decide the location is right.

A photo of our new 2020 Ollie Hull# 634 during our 4 day shakedown at David Crockett Campground. “Thin Blue Line”

In the middle of the Idaho Panhandle, we pulled off the highway into a river access point, and I think we ran over Dorothy. Only her Ruby Slippers were left...... Later, on a gravel bar (Island Bar CG, BLM, free) of the Salmon River three miles from Riggins: The view out the back was stellar, in Picture Window Mode (frame held up with a rope), including fly fishermen, lots of rafters and a few jetboats: John Davies Spokane WA

While technically not cubbies, I did find these little silicone pockets extremely handy on our recent family reunion trip. They stayed in place for 14 days, nearly 3000 miles, 1 COE, 1 NP, 7 SP campgrounds and held a variety of odds and ends. They weren’t cheap at $10 a piece on close out at Bed Bath & Beyond, so I bought one and went home to try it out. I liked it so much that I went back and bought the other 5. So we have 4 white ones in the cabin area and 2 grey ones in the bath. And then I stumbled across a different brand at Kohl’s that holds a beer can and we used it for a bottle of water in the bath to rinse after brushing our teeth. Mike

Since I was taking some inside photos today, I thought I'd snap a few to add to this thread. Plus I'll add some that I've posted in other threads recently. Here's how we organize all our drawers: Top right, we use an expandable cultery tray from OXO - I cut out some pieces of a stiff felt liner from Ikea to put in each of the compartments, which cushions the utensils and helps keep the tray from getting marred - In the middle two and bottom left, we use a different OXO tray, with the same felt lining as above - Then on the bottom right, we keep two cutting boards, place mats, coasters, towels, etc., so no need for any organizer - For the nightstand drawer, I used the excellent trick that Bill came up with. But instead of the aluminum angle, I added some adjustable shelf pegs to the drawer, and then stuck some thick felt on the sides of the insert to both center it and keep it from sliding around. Then I placed a similar 10 x 16 tray in the bottom, also with some felt pads to keep it in place. Man, now I know where all the lip balm and sharpies end up. I added two wire organizers to the pantry door (glued some 1 x 2 PVC to the door to give some extra depth and something to screw to.). Unfortunately I can't find these exact items on Amazon now to link to - We added storage nets galore, and these are incredibly handy - In the pantry, I added a stainless plate from Amazon, to which I attached a small box from Ikea (discontinued) to use as a spice shelf. (The box slides under the pantry shelf when closed to keep the contents from bouncing out.). A bungee across the very top on the inside holds a folding drying mat perfectly. The boxes are Sterilite Clip Boxes, medium and small, which you can get on Amazon or at Target. They're the best fitting that I've found so far. On our last trip, I had trouble finding stuff to fill them. The light in the pantry is a Luminoodle Click. By the way, I buy bungee stuff from www.hookandcord.com. I asked for the cabinet instead of the microwave/convection oven, and we keep a toaster oven there, plus I made a shelf for plates and bowls - Some hooks by the door are always handy - As are some flashlights - Over the kitchen, I found these boxes for glassware, mini bar, etc. They're another discontinued item, but if you want to find something similar, they're 6.25"w x 11.5"d x 5"h. We keep out the two or three pans from our Magma set that we use all the time, while the rest stays in their storage bag. I lined the back of all our upper cabinets with the same stiff felt from Ikea that I used on the drawers (they had them on closeout sale, so I bought them out.) Like with the drawers, it keeps things from marring the fiberglass, plus I think it looks a lot better - The bath cabinet stays stuffed, but these boxes from Ikea help to keep it somewhat organized. I covered the back of the door with black vinyl to protect the mirrored surface - In the back of the attic, I put another storage net to hold books in place, and then in front of that, we keep camp chairs and other small items that get unloaded at the camp site. The rest is filled with electronics. -

I posted some pics in another thread but will repost them here. Heaton Bay CG outside Frisco CO after a late spring severe snow storm.

After my microwave tried to escape from it's cabinet twice, I redesigned the cabinet to include a wine rack, utensil storage, key hooks and a smaller microwave that cannot get away. It also provides an additional work surface when open.

I am working on my presentation for the Rally and wanted to include storage ideas. If all y’all who have posted pictures don’t mind I will incorporate some of them on a couple of my visuals. We can all learn a lot from each other... Mike

We've been full timing in our Oliver since Nov of 2017. Here are some pics of storage solutions that work for us. It took a while living in the Ollie to really determine how we would use the space so I would caution you to give yourself some time. [attachment file=0311191047.jpg] [attachment file=163145] [attachment file=163148]

Fogo Island, Newfoundland - July, 2017 - with my own personal iceberg.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota's finest citing the Oliver for being too awesome!

We’ve only had a few adventures so far, but here’s a couple pictures. One is boondocking near Salida, CO. The other is my daughter reading during a rainy afternoon at Arapaho Bay CG- you can see that she has really made her little corner her own!

OK, let it be known that a grizzly bear didn't get me and I'm back from almost two months on the road with Twist. We got rain, sun, hail, wind, gloom of night, etc. and after almost exactly 5,000 miles of dirt roads, and interstate roads the EZE rain gutters are still exactly where I originally put them. In fact, they don't look a bit different at all with no staining, or discoloration of any sort. So, as far as I'm concerned, they have performed as advertised and I'm very pleased with both the look and the performance. As they say in the cartoons, "That's All Folks". Bill

The EZE RV Gutter is truly easy to install. We were dry camping, so no hair dryer available (no power.) We set ours out in the noon day sun, and it worked fine to take some of the curl out of the loop of gutter. Most important, take your time and get the prep right. (Gee, isn't that the same with just about anything?) Clean, then clean again, the area where the gutter will be applied. I used alchohol,which cuts through the layers of wax, with a clean dry cloth, two times. Rubbing hard. Make sure everything is dry before you start affixing gutter. The rest is just not that tough. Make sure you have a stepstool, actually two, if you have a helper. We used the back of a toothbrush to smooth the gutter onto the hull after it was in place, but a thumb or any tool handle would probably work. Be patient, take your time, and don't peel off too much backing at once. Once it' s in place, the product should be where you want it to be. Paul used a pvc pipe cutter to cut the lengths, but a good sharp utility knife would likely work, too. Everything is holding up well. Still nice and bright. Get the bright white, not the other one that's kind of off white. I think it's been on a year and a half now. I'll have to look. I believe the adhesive attached is 3m vhb tape, and if it's not, it's a really good facsimile thereof. Sherry

I just bought 20 feet after seeing these at Cherokee. You tube has a video on installing which makes it look eze. The tip is to warm up the strip with a hair dryer. Any additional tips are appreciated.

Well, that worked, so we'll try a couple more: Paul working on curbside window. Curbside window complete

Well, let's see if the resizing worked and this will upload: this is the rear of our Oliver with the new EZE RV gutter. Resizing didn't work for me. I resorted back to photobucket free account. Sherry

Karen, our CampingWorld only stocked 10 ft rolls. We used all but about 3 feet of two rolls to do all our windows, including the tiny bathroom window, so about 17 feet. The UltraWhite (as opposed to white, which is really kind of off white) matches the gelcoat just about perfectly. I've seen it on Amazon in varying size rolls, if your campingworld only stocks the big motorhome sized rolls. It is cheaper in the longer rolls, however, if you know someone to split a big roll with. Sherry

Hi Sherry, We are going to install the rain gutters as well and I was wondering how much you used to cover all the windows? I saw they sold it as 10 feet and 50 feet only....at least at Camper World. Not sure which to get. Glad they have worked out well. We are hoping they help with leaks....along with deeper weep hole cleaning.... Karen

Stan, I'll look for the photos and try to post something tomorrow. Thanks for the reminder. It's monsoon season in Florida. We've had some pretty good rainstorms, and I do think the EZE RV gutters are a keeper. (Good thing, as that 3m adhesive is major sticky stuff.) I've gone in to check the big window after a storm, and the tracks are dry. We especially have an issue if our sidemount solar panels are tilted in a pattern that sends the rain down like a mini waterfall. Congrats again on your decision to become part of the Oliver gang! We wish you lots of happy travels. Sherry

Sherry, I read with interest about your EZE gutters, I forgot to ask Robert about having them installed when we ordered out II last week. I would be interested in seeing a picture of them installed. It sounds like it may be a good idea to keep the water away from the window. Stan