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Roper Lake State Park. Safford,AZ

Hello and welcome to the forum! Since you stated you are totally new to camping, you really should rent or borrow a camper/tow vehicle to try out the experience, at full hookup campgrounds and at boondocking/dispersed camping locations, before making a financial commitment of over $100,000 for an Elite II and a suitable tow vehicle. This forum has a few ex-members who had the dream of life on the open road and jumped right into the big purchase, only to sell everything a short time later when they found out all that is involved for the normal towing and camping experience plus the routine maintenance and the occasional problems that crop up on the road.

I agree that you need air conditioning (and a way to power it, meaning a 2000+ watt generator) even if you never “intend” to use it. There will quickly come a day when you are forced to park in 100 degree direct sun with no breeze, and you will REALLY need the cooling. The Ollie heats up slowly, because it is insulated so well, but the flip side of the coin is that it cools off slowly after the sun sets. A lot of people do not fully understand the fact that the air inside the trailer is not the only thing that gets hot, but every surface, every pan, the water in the tanks, your groceries, your undies, all those parts are at that same temperature and it takes a really long time for all that mass to cool down. And the unventilated compartments, pantry and closet, and even the air gaps between the twin hulls, trap it. I think you will soon discover that in mid-summer you need to run the AC from an hour or two after lunch until the sun sets or goes behind trees. Then as the outside environment cools down below about 80 degrees you can open windows and the entry door for natural ventilation. I can tolerate 85 degrees inside the trailer if I strip down, with a fan blowing on my skin, but anything over that means the AC is running. When you are hooked to shore power, that is a painless no-brainer. If you have to fire up your generator, that adds layers of complexity….. but you get used to that. It is part of boondocking. The biggest lithium battery package will run the AC, for a few hours, but that is not long enough IMHO if it is blistering hot outside, and then you need to recharge those batteries…. with a generator. John Davies Spokane WA

So far so good! Knock on wood!!! Our basement was warm this morning. My battery temperature was 4 celsius so about 40 degrees. The furnace is running a lot. We have the fan open in the ceiling but not running so we have air and no condensation. We also leave our blinds pulled down but leave about 2 inches open at the bottom so we have no condensation on windows we leave the bathroom and closet doors open. Our bathroom gets very good heat from the vent. We went to Roswell yesterday so I flipped the gas to the 100 percent full bottle. I didn't want to run out while we were gone. I will refill the partially used bottle this morning before we leave for Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Park. One more night of single digits before we moderate to the 20s at night. We are using water off our fresh tank as none of the antifreeze made it into the tank. Thanks for all of your support!!!!

Interesting, I’m glad they’re pushing the upgrade through. Please report back with the price!

Hmm. Much, I agree with. But one point I can't agree on. We don't ever "bathe" or "rinse off " with soap in rivers or streams. Even biodegradable soaps can contribute to pollution and imbalance of fragile ecosystems. We have enough pollutants running into our waterways, imo, from other sources . I don't need to add to it. If you must use lake or stream water to bathe, take it away from the shore in a container, imo. And disperse the effluent where the earth can filter. Another thing, for new campers. Boondocking is a super appealing idea. But, please educate yourself on proper preservation of the environment. In some remote places, your footsteps can crush years, or even decades of growth. If there are established paths, please stay on them. If there are established sites, please use them. I've found so many places cluttered with stuff from previous campers, it's disheartening, and I've spent hours cleaning up behind others . Many of us bought our trailers to get out and enjoy nature. Let's do our best to make sure it's there for the next generations, too. Tread lightly. Pack in/pack out. Leave your campsite as good or better than you found it , please. Use resources wisely, and enjoy what you see and experience. I'm sure @BoondockingAirstreamand I agree on that 100 per cent.

We are in cold single digit temps last night, tonight, and tomorrow night. Our daytime high was 25 today. Winds 20 to 40mph. I have our propane furnace is set at 67 tonight, our nightstand basement door is open to the basement with our electric Vernodo heater is set up to blow heated air into the basement. We also have a small 3 inch battery operated fan set up just inside the basement nightstand door to aid circulation. We pumped 1/4 pump of antifreeze into the water inlets. I disconnected the outside shower head and drained some water from the hose and shower head. I placed some bat insulation into a plastic garbage bag and placed just inside the outside basement door to help insulate the basement. We have the Trauma on eco mode all day and night. We are only using water from our tank. So far so good. I know some of my neighbors have frozen water pipes and drain pipes. The remote bathrooms in this park are closed due to frozen pipes. It is supposed to get to 50 on Sunday so I will flush our water systems and refill our water tank as we leave early Monday to go to White Sands National Park then on to a Harvest Host winery in Deming for one night on our way to Karchner Caverns State Park in AZ.

I’m not sure but I hope I’m responding to Mike and Carol and Bill. I will be working a little as a travel RN. On my time off I would like to visit as many National Parks as I can. I’m only interested in dry camping. The options I chose The twin bed floor plan, Twin bed KTT mattresses and hyper fan for twin bed floor plan, convection Microwave, front and rear propane quick connects, composting toilet, lithium pro package, and the standard 6 gallon gas electric water heater as I like to keep things simple. My sales rep said that I’d be able to get the new quieter AC , but he is not sure of the price today but will let me know soon. Not sure I need an AC. Not sure I need the mattresses. I love to cook, and bake. I love cooking outside as well! Always used wood. What do you all think? I have no interest in ever being in an RV park or renting an RV. Thirty pound propane tanks might be a problem when trying to refill them. I plan on carrying my drinking H20 separate. I’m a minimalist and know how to conserve. I think it would be wonderful to live a simple life for a while! I will plug into shore power for approximately 6 months a year and have H20 and electric. I have 2 sons who have homes in California. One in Southern and the other in northern. This is when I will also be traveling to national parks. The other 6 months I will be on the road working. Looking forward to your response’s and hearing your stories. Kindly, Kim

You might look into the new "wind walls" that can be used as a visual barrier while providing energy. Charlie.

We travel with two Blue Heelers. They travel in Pet Porters on the back seat, with a blanket folded on the seat to protect wear and tear. When loading our Heelers, I extend the Petstep to their Pet Porter and each Heeler is happy to walk up the ramp and into their Pet Porter. The Petstep is also convenient to use for access in and out of our trailer. We raised our trailer with a 3 inch lift and swapped out from the stock 15 inch tires to 16 inch Michelins. This raised the first step higher and the Petstep is good for Human Beans, as well. The Petstep was purchased some years ago, so you will need to search the Internet. It is 72 inches long unfolded, 36 inches folded at the hinge and 17 inches wide. I keep it in the back of the tow vehicle and pull it out at Service Station stops and anytime have traveled some time and we all need to get out and stretch our 8 legs. It will take a few prompts to push the back of your dog to get the idea... and they catch on quickly. I did, myself when adapted the ramp into our trailer. When using the Petstep as a ramp access to your Oliver, I place a small footstool support near the middle of the ramp to reinforce it. If you dog(s) jump out of the Pet Porter, they will step onto the edge of the door frame, first. Then quickly go forward with their front paws to the ground. We do not want to injure the shoulders of either of our 'working dogs'. We may walk miles when we hike to explore areas we chose on a map as a 'places of interest'. Your Dog will quickly adapt and it even works for us. You may notice we have two Solar Panels mounted on the roof of the trailer and I added a portable from Costco (100 watt with Controller included for $99.00) for EXTRA charging. When our AGM Interstate batteries are fully charged, the remote shuts off the power to the batteries... all... by itself. Just a FYI. I am posting this for your Dog. This is not some kind of advertisement. Your dog will lick you when you least expect it... and a ramp.

I didn't think I would like a wet bath but it is incredibly practical. 1. Sit on toilet to shave legs 2. Toilet gets cleaned everytime you shower - ahem, whether it needs it or not.

I see some Threads about where to store or hide your 'VALUABLES" when OliverDocking. Worried about losing your Tow Vehicle? Your Trailer? What are you considering... valuable. Your... clothing, shoes, sheets on the bed, Dometic Refer, Cook Top, Microwave, Tires and Wheels... the $1,000,000 in Cash kept in a coffee can in the Pantry? Your sweat pants? Even crooks have standards... clothing is not among their choices. Ask your Insurance Agent what issues has he had reported about Trailers and Losses. Probably: Portable propane cooking outdoor unit. Bicycles. Ice Chest. Weight lifting set? Credit Cards are cash. Cash is optional, but some needed according to YOUR experience. Worried about a thief taking your loose Rolex watch? Gucci Purse? Gold coins laying around on the kitchen table? Stacks of cash left on the couch? What are you concerned about losing when camped in Remote Locations? This is a City Problem... not a Rural Problem. A City Newspaper content is not like the Kemmerer, Wyoming newspaper content. Don't confuse the two or three... or the National Forest Service warnings about leaving trash outside for Bear and Coyotes to leave scattered across the field. We have never had a single item missing, taken, evaporated, beamed up into a Spacecraft, had visitors drop in for Dinner uninvited or anything else when camped Off the Grid. Newbies... have an imagination that Alfred Hitchcock can manipulate... on the home television. Those programs are made up to get your attention. They are fake stories, not real. They are intended to get your attention, so you will watch the long series of Commercials selling makeup and loose fitting underwear and better razor blades. A Honda Generator sitting outside, under a tree... is a "TAKE THIS HOME" invitation to the one Thief driving by on the 'main road'. When not in use... put it into your tow vehicle. If you need a Generator, you probably should not be OliverDocking, anyways. We figured that out the first year. A SOLAR SYSTEM is far superior... and harder to steal, since thieves do not carry tall ladders around in their junker mini pickup. Think like a... Thief. If you are driving around the Forest or Prairie in the Rocky Mountains and see an isolated Trailer sitting in the trees... what would you want to... steal? Really. Are you looking at the tires and wheels, which would not fit their compact car. How about the mattress... yuck. Used. What then? Leave the door unlocked in the forest. Are you going to break into the trailer and then look for... bacon and bean soup cans? Ice cubes. Valuable gold jewelry? A television worth about $25 fenced in town to an undercover policeman? What? There is nothing in our trailer I would want to steal, break into or worry about being taken. I may not even notice it missing after two or three trips. TOOLS are hot items. Chainsaws. Honda generator. Overpriced Ice Chests, Propane cooking units... sitting outside. Can't hide them... so when leaving a campsite, put them in the back of your tow vehicle OR on the side of the trailer where they cannot be seen by someone driving by... which could be YOU... if the mythical thief is browsing visually. If at a campground... after Sunset... now you have something to consider. During the day at a campground... some risk, but your neighbors are watching for unusual activity... like YOUR walking around with your Dog, looking harmless and not browsing the wildlife eating off the picnic table of cold hot dogs and buns. Just relax. We could afford to lose some junk. Better yet... leave that stuff at home. Stuff has weight and your tow vehicle is already at MAX. Camping and having stuff laying around like a Garage Sale is not a good idea. Have Fun. Do not Worry about what will probably never happen to you. If it does... let us know. What have you lost? Me... my memory.

I know. You and a few others have a good Sense of Humor. A rare commodity today. Do you always fill your Scuba tanks with 'hot air' or laughing gas? Or just a rumor? ******* Now... seriously things WE DO when away from our trailer. Your TRAILER is the most valuable item left at a campsite. Remember that. It will cost $1,000's if a typical thief uses a crow bar for access into your trailer to take your hot dog buns and a six pack of beer. We leave our front door unlocked. We leave our outside storage door unlocked. We always retract our AWNING when no in or near the Trailer. A Secure Locking assembly on your Hitch. I like the ACE lock mechanism. If a thief damages any locking mechanism, it is going to cost you money to have it cut off and replace... but it did it job. Made stealing your Oliver and everything within. If it is ever recovered... it will be stripped of anything of value. At a Campground... lock it up. Others notice someone wandering with a spring steel nail remover in hand. This is the 99% most likely place for problems. (Yes... you can say you have never, ever... had a problem. Great. But you have not Rolled Over your Oliver, either. Takes a good alert experienced driver... 🙂 Between Grand Junction, Colorado and Ouray, Colorado is this roll over Airstream. The highway coming into Ouray from the South... is a real hum dinger.

Kim: Hopefully you have received from your Oliver sales person the locations of existing Oliver owners of both the Elite and Elite II near you. I really suggest that you visit both size trailers and talk to the owners so you can make an informed decision on the purchase of an Oliver and the options you want. Also if available in the trailers lay down on the cushions and also the KTT mattresses. You might prefer the mattresses option if you are living in the trailer for those 6 months (i prefer my mattresses as I had the cushions in the past). Just a couple more of my thoughts and opinions to share with you. From what you have stated it looks like you will actually be doing 2 types of camping. (1) Boondocking when you are not working and (2) when working staying in the Oliver. (1) During boondocking your ideas for options seem reasonable. (2) When you are working, you stated that you would be staying in the Oliver for up to 6 months. In that case you might want more of the comfort of being at a campground with electric and water. With electric hookup, you will not need to use a much propane for keeping your refrigerator cold and keeping your domestic hot water hot. Also, if you like cooking and baking having electricity will allow the use of the convection microwave without drawing down the battery capacity. While working in the summer and after a days work, you might want to have the AC unit option so that you are as cool as when you are working in the AC'ed facility. Also, I suggest you read on this forum the maintenance of the lithium batteries. They do not like temperatures that are too hot or too cold (below freezing) and need to be charged and discharged to specific levels. As far as what options you purchase, you might want to consider resale value of the Oliver (when and if that time comes) so you might want to include the AC unit to be installed. If it is the newer quieter unit that would be better. In that regard, let us know what price you are quoted on this new quieter AC as a lot of Oliver owner's may switch out their existing units. Good luck in your process and welcome to the Oliver family.

The temperature dropped to 24F last night. Temperatures recorded: Outside temp 34 25 Top of rear tire 35.4 27 Basement temp 48.9 39.6 Bathroom cabinet temp 62.5 57.9 Nightstand temp 72 63.2

Reading all you have to say your already on your way. Your plan is straightforward. You’ll have some hiccups along the way we al do it never ends but it’s all good. Good luck you got this.

Pretty simply, actually. We treat the trailer, as likely you do, as a hard sided tent. We minimize our impact. We live on solar. We pretty much live the same, at home. Solar powered home. Solar powered boat. At home, we collect rainwater, and filter it for use everywhere. As I think you do, we believe in treading as lightly as possible on our planet. We try to use the fewest resources possible. Mess up as little as possible. Leave a very small footprint, if we can . I don't love the desert, like you apparently do. More power to you. Room for everyone. I love trees,mountains and water. Green and blue are my favorite colors. 😁 well, I like all the colors of the ocean...and the mountains. Last year, we actually counted, and 152 days, camping in our 2008 Oliver. It takes some thinking and planning, as you know. Some years more, some less, probably. Is what it is. Happy camping.

Kim - Welcome to the Oliver Forum! A number of years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to share a few beers and a couple of hot dogs with a traveling nurse in the little town of Meeteetse, WY. At that time I had never heard of traveling nurses but thought that it was a wonderful idea. Given that you state that you are very new to the RV world and perhaps even new to camping in general, have you considered renting an RV first? This would give you a chance to really get a better view of what is involved without making the full commitment and spending a bunch of money. Yes, renting is rather expensive, but, buying an RV and the equipment that goes along with it only to find out that its not really the thing you had in mind is a bunch more expensive - both in time, frustration and money. We are here to help! Good luck! Bill

Interesting stuff. Just out of curiosity are all your posts just re-postings of a blog somewhere?

Sorry... five letters. The 'n' was added when it was returned by the thief, making it six letters. 🙂

If you want to carry fewer tools, the wheel lug wrench that OTT provided me is also a 1/2” breaker bar. I just carry an inexpensive 1 1/16” socket to remove the drain plug.

For those possessing a bit of 'Trust' and a bit of 'Skepticism / Scepticism' of fellow man... is why insurance companies exist. The Insurance Industry covers that Middle Ground of making one whole and the other, the premium payer, more whole. Spelling differs depending on what kind of Skeptic or Sceptic hemisphere you are from. So can you... Insurance using a Magic Marker. A Camp Thief will avoid any item(s) with a NAME, permanently printed onto an object of some value... if the name is not the same as his. You cannot sell a lot of items at a Garage Sale in town, if everything has different names. You can not identify your folding chair without positive identification. Even if you are sitting on the chair and recognize the big dent on the side from a strong wind tossing it onto the side of a large rock. Spell your last name correctly. Print so anyone can read the letters. The Greek Alphabet and Roman may not agree in North America. Make it so the name you apply is visible. You can use DINGO as long as you can remember that everything was marked DINGO and have at least one photograph as an example. It can be your last name, like Smith...? Or Jones? Maybe Ford? We had a gift when we purchased our First Travel Trailer. Two pink Flamingos. When our friends were going to meet us later in the day at an Off the Grid campsite in NW Colorado, we planted one Pink Flamingo just off the road, for the turn to the campsite. A car slowed down, plucked our Flamingo out of the ground and drove off. We saw the dust and the departure of the vehicle and Flamingo. The second Flamingo had our NAME on both sides... written in black magic marker. Problem Solved. We do not wear Jewelry when Off the Grid or camping or fishing or rock climbing or rock hunting or.... you are catching on. DON'T or avoid wearing jewelry Off the Grid. I have a metal detector. I find what you will lose. An old Tent Camping site with some rusted tin cans was the first sign. I looked to see where I would place a tent for afternoon shade and morning Sun. Took out my metal detector. Something detected at aluminum. It was a 14k gold woman's size wedding band in Nowhere Utah. That was 12 years ago. Still have the ring... in a small carton in a drawer at home. Do not swim with rings or a necklace in a lake or swimming beach. As metal detectors can be put onto a FLOAT of styrofoam and lost objects are easily discovered under one to five feet of water. Ignore these thoughts if you will. If you lose something.... valuable that should have been stowed away safely... bring a metal detector. I do. I have even found Paper Currency while metal detecting... it is interesting what you can find when looking. Safe and Wise are four letters. So is Lost. Important letters. Stolen... five letters. Be SMART... another five letters. ...and Happy Campers you will be.

Sunrise on BLM land near Congress, AZ Charlie.

For Duke or Chris (or both)? 😇

One of many wildlife warning signs in southern British Columbia. Interesting single lane bridge, with steel grating deck (don't look down): This is the second Hagwilget bridge, the first was a little rickety and fell down ;): Wildlife warning on a popular foot trail in Prince Rupert (coastal, very much brown bear country). The two elderly joggers we encountered ran by with their un-leashed dog and said, "We run this loop every day and in six years they haven't bothered us. They just turn and run." Yeah, right. We had bear spray and talked loudly. John Davies Spokane WA

I prefer my trips to Silverton via the D&SNG Railroad. The views are nearing as good as The Million Dollar Highway and as the designated driver, I actually get to see them and leave that driving to the engineer in the striped cap! Mossey

Entering Zion from the east requires driving through this tunnel. Last month we purposely drove south to Hurricane, UT and then up into Zion to miss this tunnel. The next day we drove the highway without the trailer and it was well worth the time. The tunnel was one way traffic, so waits are normal depending on which way you are driving and which lane has been stopped. Large trailers have to go down the middle of the road due to the rounded sides of the tunnel. It’s 1.1 miles long if I remember right. Mike

Get the air conditioner, you will eventually regret any other decision. Since the air conditioner is standard equipment you may end up with one in a box and, as Bill says, you're most likely not going to get any credit for it not being installed.

We saw our first Oliver at the Bluebonnet rally in the spring of 2015. We drove over for an afternoon (40 minutes from home), got a great orientation from Steve Creed from Fort Worth, TX. Mike

It depends on the size of the clam and size of the picnic table. Our 6 sided clam will easily go over a 6ft table.

Just messin' with you.

I know for years off shore sailors relied on wind generation to charge batteries. Most have over time migrated to solar. The reasons are improving and more cost effective solar systems especially with the advent of lithium batteries. The wind generators were noisy, expensive, and if the wind blew too hard had to either have a mechanism to slow down or stop the blades. They also needed maintenance and were not as reliable with significantly more moving parts. I am not saying it can't be done, and the turbine technology has improved. It seems solar is a simpler and perhaps more cost effective solution. I guess you would really have to do the math. Good luck with your choices.

There's a couple on YouTube that does traveling nursing from a travel trailer. Might have some good insights for you. https://youtube.com/c/NoOrdinaryPath

That is an interesting idea, but why not make it a permanent installation? The small generators by their very nature are not very efficient, and I believe the smaller blades are much noisier. Where is your property, and is there enough exposure to mount fixed solar panels and a battery pack instead? I know a fair bit about solar, but next to nothing about wind power…. I think the latter with all its mechanical parts would be a long term maintenance headache. John Davies Spokane WA

I use a 1/2" ratchet, a short extension, and a socket, with some Teflon tape. No need for the heavy tools.

Although it's certainly not a prerequisite, I do think tent camping experience helps you to avoid carrying extra stuff, manage power and water, and, truly appreciate the extra comfort of a trailer. We treat our Ollie Elite like a,warm, dry tent on wheels, and it has served us well for 14 seasons. The smaller Elite is snug, but I can cook, use the bathroom, and shower inside when I want to. And, oh, so much more comfy than a tent in cooler temps. I remember frost inside my tent in the 20s and 30s and wishing I didn't have to get out of my sleeping bag, in a tent. Now in shoulder season, I just reach over, kick up the furnace, and life is really good! At my age, my arms are "too short" to push off the ground and an airmattress, easily. There are still times i wouldn't mind enjoying the simplicity of tent camping, though. Still our daughter's camping mode of choice.

Tent camping…. I took my camping partner tent camping once right after we got married. We laugh about it now, but didn’t then. After that trip it took 40 years to talk her into looking at a trailer, initially aluminum but ultimately fiberglass. Now she’s an experienced, enthusiastic camper. Mike

Yes. We’ve done it multiple times. A year or so ago we were at Pinnacles National Park and it dropped below freezing at about 10pm and was 19 when we woke up. I didn’t warm up until later in the afternoon. At Zion a couple of weeks ago each night got into the 20s and didn’t get above freezing until late morning due to the mountains shading Watchman campground. Mike

J & F - Be sure to send that shot to Matt Duncan as he might use it in some Oliver advertising. Very nice capture of the sunset reflection. Did that stop sign help in slowing the sunset?🙂

Sea Rim State Park, Texas this past weekend. The beach with lows in the high 20's - trying to learn how much propane we use to keep warm! Great facilities and rangers. Short walk to beach on which camping is also allowed (we're not there yet!).

It's a transformer!

I don’t see an air conditioning unit but if it has one it’s too loud.

No - that is the EV power boost, v-8 diesel, atomic wind powered version. 🤣

The refrigerator's too small. 😁

Winter camping at Zion National Park. No crowds. It was about 60 degrees this afternoon, short sleeves in the sun. Scenery is spectacular. We’re at Watchman campground.

I'd second Overland's suggestion of self sealing silicone tape. I always have a couple of rolls in the Ollie as it can be used for (very) temporary repairs of water pipes, electrical issues, grip tape, etc. Bill

Another route, as an alternative to electrical tape which I don’t like to use for anything exposed to the elements, is self sealing silicone tape, like this. It’s great stuff to have on hand regardless. Personally, electrical tape to me is sort of like a pair of pliers: versatile, but there’s nothing you can use it for that another tool can’t do better. Of course, I have a drawer full of pliers that I use all the time. I also have a few rolls of electrical tape, but I can’t remember when I last used any.

Don't forget to add antifreeze to the sinks and shower drains. Hard to blow them out. We do the blow out first, twice. Then we use the antifreeze. When taking off in the real cold weather, we do not de-winterize until south of the Mason Dixon line. We carry a case of water in the tow vehicle, and transfer it to the Oliver when the furnace is turned on. We use RV antifreeze to flush with. We usually have 3 extra gallons in the closet as it seems harder to find once out of Maine...

This is how I did it. Cheap faucet line from Ace and the cut-off bottom from a antifreeze jug. No squirt, splash or mess to clean up.