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Thanks for the warm welcome folks. Having owned 5 or so boats and having worked on the water for a few years (I’m a licensed USCG Master) I am ready to see what’s between the coasts. I tend to over research my toys but I like the simplicity of the Oliver. No slides, no engines, no leaks, less maintenance overall. Also really love the resale value of these trailers, its unique among RV’s. I’ve checked boat ownership off my list and ready for the “Next Thing”. I am sure Ill be asking more questions as my quest continues. Cheers S 😎

Well, I am pretty sure that it is just a resonator, did you notice an O2 sensor or cable sticking out the side? If there isn’t a sensor, I bet even the dumbest thief would look further forward. And your salesman may be trained, but did he actually remember and understand those details? Most salesmen are much less technically informed than the average auto enthusiast buyer, who often has spent days or weeks studying every review and video, and asking questions on forums like this one. And unfortunately some salesmen are complete clueless newbies. They are there to sell product. I would not believe their word about payload, cats, or any other feature, unless I had already seen it published somewhere else. BTW, LongStride, I appreciate your constructive comments here. Happy New Year, everybody. John Davies Spokane WA

I would add to @Steph and Dud B, it's probably hard to find a trailer for 5 (and figure 7 to 8, when friends join later) without slides. Slides leak air and bugs, in our experience. These require constant attention, as does the roof, caulking, and everything else. But, if it's in the budget, and you can devote the time to regular maintenance, it gets the kids out camping. Which, imo, is most important.

Bigfoot and Lance are really nice trailers, and expensive in the sizes to accommodate a family of 5. I think it's important to look at options to get the kids camping, now. As the oldest is 11, it's not long til he or she will likely want to stay home, or bring a friend. I'd look at all the options with a bunkhouse, and a dinette, and hopefully, a sofa, too. Plus a queen to make mom and dad comfy. Mom and dad should go to some rv shows, and narrow the options. Winnebago makes some smaller bunkhouse models, aluminum cage, with a queen, bunks, and dinette sleeping. Plus separate shower or toothbrushing sink. (Remember, 5 people here..) this leaves truck bed room for kid and family stuff... bikes, kayaks, scooters, games, etc. Lance 2185 has a triple bunk model, plus dinette, plus queen. But it's really expensive, even used. Lance, however, probably builds the best of them, and prices reflect that. What I'd look for: aluminum cage, one piece roof (preferably one piece fiberglass laminate like some minnie winnies and geos, and some others, or at the very least, tpo roof vs epdm), at least 2 bunks, and decent sized tanks. Decent sized fridge. (Many winnebago models have a 10 cf fridge, ideal for families. If a small fridge, buy a couple coolers, or a 12v portable cooler.) A lot of solar or expensive lithium batteries is pretty much irrelevant for weekend camping, imo. I think starting next year we'll see some better prices on lightly used campers, as people will be giving up that camper that they barely used. At least, I hope so. I personally probably wouldn't buy at new price from Thor or Forest River. They're not totally junk, but they will need some skills, in all likelihood, to adjust/fix cabinetry, sloppy installation, fix caulking, etc. , even new. And, certainly, if used. But, let's be realistic. They work, have 3 school aged kids, and we're probably looking at multi weekend camping, and one or two long trips a year. Maintain whatever they get, and if they can find a nice barely used model, they won't get hurt too bad in 5 years or so. A big family tent is even less, and really teaches camping skills. Another alternative, especially if you're not camping in bear country. The memories are indeed priceless. Our adult daughter still tent camps with her friends, and occasionally with us. It's affordable and fun. Even when it rains, or it's cold, the stories make for good memories. I have young friends in Georgia who go camping with their young family (8 and 4) almost every weekend. The kids are having the time of their lives, and I suspect they'll be lifelong campers. They started with a tent, then bumper pull.

I never thought to look for an O2 sensor. I suppose that I would be a very poor converter thief 😆! If the converter is the one with the obvious heat shield up near the engine and the other two canisters are resonators, well then kudos to Toyota for making the converter harder to steal.

Thanks for the Congrats.....Proud to be an OLLIE owner.

Apparently Winnebago is installing the Truma air conditioners on their Micro Minnie FLX trailers. Quote from a review: "Enter the German-engineered Truma Aventa air conditioner. The Aventa is an extremely quiet and very efficient air conditioner. Based on specs on the Truma site, that unit consumes just 4.2 amps in cooling mode. That is literally less than one-third the power consumption of a Coleman Mach 13,500 BTU air conditioner."

Two Stooges Welcome to the Oliver Form. Retirement is great, but I am actually busier than I was when working. This is a great place to learn from the experiences of existing Ollie owners prior to your purchase. Also check out the Oliver University forum prior to purchasing for more information. As a former boat owner, I do miss sleeping to the sound of the water/ocean. Never-the-less, I no longer have any boats and now have a different toy, my Ollie, for us to go camping in. The decision to only have a land boat was the right decision for me. Just remember that presently there is around a 10 month wait from the time you order a Oliver to when you take delivery. Getting the Ollie prior to retiring gives one time to see what you need for traveling after retirement.

I think we can all share observations, and experiences, without getting wigged out. Let's calm down, folks, and look at the real world. (And forum guidelines.) These new trucks are a really, really big investment, and everyone has the right to post observations. That doesn't make any poster a "naysayer." It makes the poster perhaps someone less infatuated with what he sees than you, in your opinion. Though we have many Toyota fans here, I am personally not very "brand loyal," so I tend to look at the broad scope, and everyone's comments. We (hopefully) won't need a new tow for a number of years. I see real world observations as a help in making future decisions. I weigh all of them, positive and negative. Sherry

FWIW If you don't agree with someone else's opinion I don't think it is fair to portray them as a keyboard expert "naysayer" or as a "joy stealer". It is also not appropriate to accuse someone of raining on the parade of others just because their viewpoint differs from yours. I thought that my observations would be useful to others or I would not have posted them. I recently retired from a career working in mechanical design (not automotive). That does not make me an expert, nor do I claim to be. However, it does give me pause when I see things that I consider to be poor design. Conflict and inflammatory remarks have no place on this forum and I am disappointed that my comments rattled someone enough to get nasty about it. From now on I believe that I will just keep my comments to myself.

Picture taken a few years back at the COE Eastbank campground on Lake Seminole near Chattahoochee, FL. Notice the Jim Woodruff Dam in the background which forms Lake Seminole and serves as the origin for the Apalachicola River which runs 100 stream miles to the Gulf of Mexico.

Happy New Year!

Posted on Facebook also. We don't pick our EII until the end of June. I selected the Lithium Pro package. Truth be told, I'm second guessing that choice. I realize I have 3-4 months to change to the Solar Pro Package. Obviously $4,300 difference is a lot of money that can be used elsewhere. My wife and I come from a truck camper background. When we started the roof top solar package was a 100w Zamp panel on the roof and 2-AGM 12-volt batteries. We had a Dometic 80L compressor fridge. Between the solar and driving to charge the camper batteries, we got by. 50% of our camping was off grid, batteries running fridge, furnace, lights and CPAP Machine. The last 2 years we upgraded to 2-100 Zamp panels on the roof, a new Zamp controller, and new 12v AGM batteries. We also added a Honda 2200i generator. With the Oliver, we see our camping style changing with less back country, but numerous places without shore power ( National Parks, USFS, BLM). When we drove 6-8 hours between campgrounds, our batteries were fully charged. Yet others with the same batteries and solar, and a 3-way fridge ran their batteries down when set on 12v. I can't figure that one out. I wouldn't want to drive with the propane on. I don't think I would have an issue with the lithium package running on 12v while driving. The A/C, microwave, and TV would require the inverter. Are 4-6v AGM batteries with the 340w solar going to be enough? Will I have problems driving with the fridge on 12v? I guess there is another side to this. I'm asking myself if the Lithium and 3,000w inverter are way over my head. I have been reading the forum and some issues have popped up between the lithium batteries and the inverter. Sorry for the lengthy post. I want to get this right, and if I'm good with just the solar package, that $4,300 will be a big help elsewhere. Thanks for your input.

Greetings! I've been lurking on the forum for quite some time, and wanted to share a formal introduction now that we have officially joined the Oliver family! :). We picked up our Elite 1, Hull 967, on December 14, and finally made it home to Camas, WA (near Portland, OR) on 12/24. We love the trailer so far! Interesting tidbits: We first learned about Oliver while camping at Meriwether Lewis campground in Hohenwald. We saw an interesting trailer, and struck up a conversation with a new E2 owner, who pointed us to the factory. At Oliver, we appreciated the trailers, and also enjoyed the amount of attention Phil gave to our home built overland trailer. We bought this trailer to use primarily for overnight stays on Mt. Hood, where we try to ski as often as possible. We were torn, and still are, about E1 vs. E2. We ultimately chose the E1 due to mobility and parking convenience, and haven't regretted it, especially for simple towing with our 2018 Tundra. We do miss the bed setup and storage of the E2, however! We opted out of many of the adds-ons, preferring to do some of the modifications ourselves. I'm sure you will see additional posts to this regard in the near future. Cheers & Happy New Years! -Andy

This is a great idea for saving water while boondocking. Would love to see Oliver add this to their trailers: "Several RVs feature a SHOWERMI$ER system. You can flip a lever and the water that would otherwise come into the shower gets diverted directly back into the fresh water tank while waiting for the hot water." https://aquaviewinc.com/rv/

Excellent! Stay tuned. I'll post more information once I have the site reserved. I'll take a lot more pictures when I'm there this coming June, too. mb

The Bigfoot 25b25fb has a queen bed, dinette that makes into a queen and a jackknife couch as another bed. This was the trailer which I would have bought, save for tje fack I am 6’6” tall and the bigfoots have max headroom of 6’4”. Before COVID hit this could have been purchased new from the dealer in Denver for $50k. Now, it seems a lot of other dealers are selling these at MSRP+ ($75k). If they can find a used one or work with Trailer World in Denver they might get one closer to the $55k mark. Bigfoot is a nicely built trailer and they will work with you on some customizations (per Grant, the owner). Absent Bigfoot, Lance makes a nice camper, but most have slides. best wishes to them in their search, just stay away from the big three (Thor, Forest River and Heartland) unless they get a screaming deal and treat it as a disposable asset.

CW, Like Mike, we also have two Battle Born 100 ah batteries. We have 340 watts of solar and a Victron MPPT solar controller. We don't have a built-in inverter but, use a 400-watt portable inverter for the wife's flat iron. We dry camp and deep shade, with temperatures above freezing, we go six days without needing a recharge. If there is any real sun at all, we could go indefinitely. Hope that helps. Andrew

Welcome, Ollies are the best travel trailer for less than $100k, without a doubt, and the customer service is stellar. However, what is your budget, and are you committed to a trailer? Do you want to boondock in the back country? If you have not already, you should check out the “next level up” campers, like Nimbl, EarthCruiser, or even the very custom expedition rigs like Earth Roamer. Their over the top engineering, build quality and integration of high end marine systems will please you. The standard RV appliances in an Ollie are functional, but they are neither efficient, easy to service nor long lasting. The suspension and brakes , ditto. I love “Mouse”, but if I win the lottery it will be up for sale the next day.😬 John Davies Spokane WA

Indeed - I'd bet that the converter is actually that rectangle shaped near the front of the transmission in the right photo and that the other two similarly shaped (cone at each end) parts are simply resonators. Bill

Hey CW, that’s a good question. I’m not familiar with either of the lithium options you are asking about. I can tell you that I have 2 Battle Born Lithium batteries, 100aH each, that I installed last January. I also have the older 320W solar with the Blue Sky controller. (Oliver would probably call this the Lithium Amateur Package if they offered it! 🤣). This set up has not limited us in the least in our travels this year (6 week trip to Maine, 4 week trip to Colorado, 2 week trip to Arkansas). We are leaving tomorrow for Arizona for a couple of months and I’ve decided not to take my generator. Our solar and two batteries have been plenty. All that to say that you should be good with either package. Mike

As ChrisMI pointed out, cat converters are normally close to the engine. They need to get hot to work. This is the first one that I have ever seen so near the tailpipe (photo at left). I copied the pics from the Toyota USA website. This really bothered me. I began to think that perhaps I was misled by the trained salesman who told me that it was a converter. However, it looks just like the canister near the bottom center of the photo on the right, which looks like a normal location for a CC. They both look like a catalytic converter without a heat shield over it. The component closest to the engine with what appears to have a heat shield looks like what I would expect to see for a converter. Could this be a resonator to defeat the whine of the twin turbo? Hmmmm. If it is not a catalytic converter, I stand corrected regarding my post concerning the same. If it is not a CC, I would still be concerned that thieves would mistake it for one.

Welcome Andy! Congrats on your new Ollie. Enjoy Mt. Hood staying in your toasty trailer. We lived in WA for 26 years (Olympia and then Felida/Vancouver) before moving to Colorado in 2019. We were super lucky to find a barely-used LE2 a year ago here in Denver. We have loved exploring with it! Awesome places to take your new trailer around the PNW - Enjoy! Dan

So, his gray water suddenly becomes black water, hmmm... The other idea sounds ok though.

Interesting video. I think his use of the term “perfect” needs to be put into context. He is saying that the ANDON method results in vehicles coming off the line with no known defects, that problems are solved before the vehicle is finished so that problems aren’t passed to the dealer/customer. My two Toyota trucks back that up. I didn’t find any issues with either of them as I drove them off the lot and in the initial stages of ownership. As the miles piled on of course there were things that needed to be adjusted/fixed/etc. Mike

Like the Idea of Colorado. I am in. I will have to wait until I retire to go to a Normal Oliver Rally back East, and Oliver does seem to want to make one on this half of the U.S.

@Spike, our 2008 Ollie has the original old school analog thermostat for the suburban furnace (which I really like), and our 2008 dometic ac had no thermostat, just dials on the adu/interior unit . We replaced the aged dometic with a 9500 btu houghton/recpro ac, but we have the smaller elite. It has a remote, no thermostat capability, and no heat pump. It does have a dehumidifier function, which is great, in Florida humidity.

My Hull 218 has an Air Command AC, it does not communicate with the furnace. Oliver installed a cheap mechanical stat (circa 1940, using a mercury switch) for that, it failed after three seasons and was very hard to adjust, so I replaced it with this Emerson digital one. It has been fine and it is easy to use and very precise, with a minimal dead band. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00204WWGE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 John Davies Spokane WA

Since the furnace is separate wouldn’t the wall mounted thermostat still control it? The AC would be separate, controlled with whatever is on the unit. I hope someone knows, I’m thinking of getting the Houghton unit too. I agree with Sherry that a 15K unit is too much for an Elite II. Mike

@Spike, the unit you referenced is 15k btu, over a foot tall. I don't think any of us have installed this unit,, which I think is 1st generation, not 2nd gen lower profile like Minnesotaoli, katanapilot, and others. My amateur understanding would be that 15k is way over the top, probably contributing to short cycling, for an le2, but who knows? The Houghton we installed will not accommodate a thermostat, of any kind. I "think" this is true of all their models remote only. Also, condensate runs down the roof. Btw, I've found prices to be better on the recpro site, rather than Amazon.

I suspect that’s the trick - probably with lithiums too.

Yeah! Once again I'm among the "lucky ones" - my Ollie batteries are now into year 7 and my lone remaining motorcycle battery is on year 11.😉 In the interest of full disclosure though - both have always been religiously maintained and on chargers when not on the road. Bill

A three way fridge running on DC uses about 15 amps pretty much continually. Your old compressor fridge used way less and cycled on and off depending on temperature. You won’t be able to recharge your depleted Ollie batteries while driving with it set to DC, though you might just keep up with the discharge rate. If the sun is bright, your panels will do the job, but what about grey days? I recommend that you learn to accept the idea of traveling with the fridge set to gas, and if you are super concerned about fire danger get a Gas Stop device for each bottle. I had 4 AGMs and solar originally, I think the real battery killer is heavy use of the microwave off the inverter. If you don’t often microwave two TV dinners in a row, then you should not have much trouble. But you can’t expect them to last long powering the fridge all day. FYI: Your lithiums would NOT charge off the truck anyway, without some modifications. Oliver does not even connect that wire to the seven pin harness. You must install a DC to DC charger to get that to work correctly. Does that affect your decision? John Davies Spokane WA

Dear "Debbie", Decisions, decisions! Most (if not all) of us have made changes to our Olivers - some big, some small. It's a great canvas that allows this sort of thing. My take on the whole "solar thing with the large battery capacity" is that Oliver was trying to address the need of some customers to have air conditioning available for use for relatively short periods of time without the need of being plugged into shore power. Obviously a limiting factor for the solar array is the space available on the roof - yes, there is still more room for additional panels on the roof but at what price point? For me, the decision would be fairly simple - do I really NEED to have the air conditioner run off the batteries? In the six plus years I've owned my Oliver there have only been two times that it would have been nice to have this feature - I can virtually always find a campground where I can plug in if necessary and I can do that a bunch of times for that $ you are talking about. The whole MPPT controller story is discussed here on this Forum multiple times. Yes the MPPT is a bit more efficient but the change to the current controller was done (at least partially) to make the whole solar process easier for owners. In most situations it seems that this current controller works as intended. The black tank conversion has also been discussed at length here. But, given the seemingly limited number of owners that have actually done something in this regard it would appear that it is either still a "work in progress", too difficult to do the conversion for the resultant benefit, or simply a "nice to have someday project" versus something that really impacts current camping utility and enjoyment. Finally, the running of the fridge on 12volt versus propane has also been discussed here on multiple occasions. As MM198 says above, the fridge is really efficient running on propane. If you are nervous keeping your propane lines "open" while traveling, there is a product called "GasStop" that should alleviate that worry. If you are still nervous then you should know that a number of people simply do not open the fridge door while traveling and unless it is very hot or the travel day is exceedingly long, the interior of the fridge stays cold enough until you are stopped once again. Unless you are planning on doing a fair amount of winter/cold weather camping, the 20 lb propane tanks should be enough for the reasons Mike & Carol cite above. Finally, WELCOME! You'll find that many of us here came from a motorcycle background. Right now you are in what I believe is the "hard part" of owning an Ollie. Trying to make all of the decisions on options, trying to come to grips with the money spent on a relatively small camper, trying to get working knowledge on the Oliver systems. Please know that all of this is really not that difficult. And you still have plenty of time to get comfortable with this Family. Bill

All: well I got it! So much to do today - LEARN. Newbie, 2000%. Hellva time backing in and park empty but a couple finally came along and he helped me back in. HE said it was not the easiest place to back in. I need to learn everything. Only hooked to elec so far. But restroom right across from me with SHOWER, which is now the most beautiful word in the English language, in my book. I am so glad I booked a week here to figure basic things out! Here is the Ollie (it’s 6:30 AM CST).

This is the sketchiest character I have seen this far. I am reporting him to the rangers. APB issued. Outstanding warrants. Bad egg. Prison tats, too.

This campground does not look sketchy - hardly anyone here - I won’t gone but a couple hrs. I will trust it is ok! Thank you!!!!

I am glad my qs help others! I am both terrified and excited. Fluctuates! Ha. Right now as you said just thrilled to be ok in trailer (furnace on - cold and going to be colder tonight), dog not sick anymore, and bath house shower awaits. Finally slept last night. Had been a week of packing to be FT all the driving to get to TN etc. Exhausted.

Best of luck! Whether you know it or not you've sort of created a small fan club based on your laugh out loud posts and your genuine humility...Your questions and the answers you've received have undoubtedly benefited many others including me. You've been given great advice most especially the feedback about going slow and that doesn't mean just driving or backing in. You can now breathe and learn at a pace that is comfortable for you. Your rig looks awesome and, as far as I can tell, you parked perfectly! Keep the pics coming and enjoy!

So, now you are "officially" one of the family - welcome! After all the nerves, confusion and worry, you now have that dream of yours. I hope that you will find it much easier to get this new way of life moving forward. I've always found that if I can see and touch something, the whole idea of it is much easier to grasp. Yes, there is a bunch to learn. But, that is part of the attraction of the lifestyle. Don't rush (ever), slow down - you've got all the time in the world and as you have already seen, there are people around you that are more than willing to help. Keep those pics coming! Bill

Great picture and glad you finally have your Ollie! Backing with a single axle is a little trickier than with a double. Just remember that you can’t go too slow when backing in. After 5 years I still go very slow which allows lots of time to make corrections. Try hooking up water sometime today to make sure your faucets and toilet work. If it’s going to be below freezing tonight unhook your hose and store it until tomorrow, just use your water pump and fresh water tank. Good luck! Mike

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

Had a great trip at the end of 2018 through Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, New York (Niagara Falls, Lake Erie), Acadia National Park, Boston, Arizona (Grand Canyon and Chiricahua National Monument). Spent 14 days boon docking in the red rocks region behind Sedona AZ that was a lot of fun. Thought I'd share these shots of the Ollie in the wild. We had a blast and plan to do Utah, AZ (again), Quartzite, Tennessee and Alabama (rally time :)) starting in January at quartzite. If anyone plans on being there during the RV show please let me know would love to meet you there. yn John and Marilyn.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Rockfish Gap VA to Cherokee NC, April 2019 Great drive with lots of scenic views and very little traffic this time of year. Almost all of the on-parkway visitor centers and campgrounds were still closed, but we had no problem finding campgrounds just off-parkway. Visibility is greatly reduced when the fog and/or rain rolls in, but still interesting. Blue Ridge Parkway northern terminus, Rockfish Gap VA (MP 0.0) Blue Ridge Parkway Great Valley Overlook (MP 99.6) Blue Ridge Parkway Curtis Valley Overlook (MP 348.8)

My wife and I just recently got back from a trip to Newfoundland (where I am from). We spent a day driving up to Bonavista and saw several campers docked cliff-side in fields just off the road overlooking the ocean and watching the whales swim past. There is no doubt that our Oliver will make an appearance up there in the near future.

John, while we were parked at Glacier last week and then this week at Grand Teton we had the same thing happen several times. A four year old trailer, covered with bugs, mud, dust, etc... “Is it new?”. ?

Parked outside the Clark Fork Pantry, a stunning bakery and cafe in the teeny town of Clark Fork Idaho, way up in the Panhandle, next to the gorgeous Clark Fork River. Truck and trailer are filthy, but we have been asked twice on this thousand mile trip if the trailer is new..... I don't quite know what to make of that. John Davies Spokane WA

We were looking at Airstream for over a year, then found the Oliver web site, drove from Kansas City to the plant for a tour, and placed our order. Now when we look at the inside of any other fiberglass trailer, we know we made the right decision to go with Oliver. Stan

Wow. Your convincing me! Thanks for all responses. Dwain