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Hello fellow coffee enthusiast! We wanted to share with those of you who like to camp off grid or find yourself often without shore power how we make copious amount of coffee with no battery impact. We drink A LOT of coffee and for fear of an intervention we will just leave it at a lot, so we needed to come up with a way to make a large amount of GOOD coffee. We started with a large French press. It was a water consumer when trying to clean and we were spending a lot of time making coffee instead of enjoying our time enjoying the scenery. Pour over was the next option but it too took a lot of “preparing” time UNTIL we found the melitta 60 oz carafe and pour over basket. We have a traditional percolating camping coffee pot. But is used for boiling water and only use it to make coffee in an emergency. It was hard to be consistent with taste and strength and keeping warm without “burning” it was an issue. I have attached pictures of our system. Hope this helps our fellow boondocking coffee drinking camping enthusiasts. Finding joy in every moment,

Or, if you have a dog - or dogs - you can clean & refill their water bowl while waiting on hot water to reach the faucet.

Just read all the replies! You guys are really awesome! But I gotta go to bed. Really tired. On my next day off I’ll write. Just wanted to thank everyone very much!

Well temps on Southeast New Mexico have moderated. Mid 50s today. Thank you all for help. I finished flushing our systems and fresh water tank today. I thought I would share how we made out. Evening temps over the last few days were 18, 9, 5, and 21 last night. Corresponding day time highs 42, 29, 27, 51. I don't know if the precautions I described earlier in this thread were necessary but we had no issues! The furnace ran a lot. I do believe placing the installation inside the outside basement door helped keep some cold drafts out. The basement was a comfortable temperature with the nightstand door open and a small 3 inch fan set just inside the door on low speed. Oliver service department said we would be fine just running the propane furnace. We definitely faired better than our neighbors at the campground. Most had some frozen pipes. No one seamed to have broken pipes. Again thanks to the forum members for all of your help and ideas. The next few days look like day time highs on the 50s and low 60s with nights mid 20s to low 30s. We will just disconnect water at night! I hope this might help others and build confidence in the Ollie's capabilities. Off to a Harvest Host winery in Deming tomorrow. We want to leave early to see White Sands. Then to AZ and Kartchner Caverns and Tombstone. Travel safely!

Hi all - Kevin and Rebecca Dunn here. We are scheduled to pick up Legacy Elite I Hull #1030 on February 23rd. After much consideration we have landed on the name "Reset", to be pulled by "Blue Moose" our 2022 Subaru Ascent. We are based in Duncanville, Tx - just south of Dallas on US 67. This will be our second fiberglass trailer. We started with Happier Camper HC1 # 48 "Shadow" and have had some wonderful adventures traveling to Colorado and on to California as well as visiting many of the Texas State Parks. Shadow has moved to some very good friends and will be reappearing as "Peggy Sue" soon, complete with Pegasus wings. Moving up to the LE I will give us the opportunity to broaden our camping options outside of just State Parks and other locations with facilities. I have been listening to the great advice and ideas on the forum for the last several months as we got closer to our delivery date, and greatly appreciate the community that is here. All the new systems on an Oliver can be a bit intimidating, especially when our pickup date could occur in inclement winter weather. We have our reservations already for the Oliver meetup in May and hope to meet many of you there. Looking forward to being a part of the Oliver owner's community.

My dashcam(s) have a couple of things built in so that battery drainage isn't a problem. First, there is a low battery cut off so that when/if the dashcam senses a low vehicle battery it will shut itself off. Second, when the vehicle is off and the dashcam hasn't detected either movement or noise for a set period of time (in minutes) it will shut itself off. However, it will continue to monitor for sound or vibration and turn itself back on record mode when disturbed. Bill

Timely topic for us. Within the last month we’ve bought a camp percolator, primarily as a space saver for camping. However, to our surprise, it has greatly improved the taste of our morning coffee. So we’ve freed up counter space in our home kitchen and are looking forward to using on the road. It takes a little more time, but the coffee is worth the time.

Thanks for sharing John. That’s quite a story. Glad that no one was injured. Stuff can be replaced. Hard to believe how much bad luck can happen within a short time on one trip. Things like this are the reason I’m adding a dash camera before we head out on our next trip in the early spring.

The obstruction under the fridge is a gas barrier. That entire compartment is supposed to be completely blocked from the rest of the cabin, in case there is a propane leak. OTH there is no reason you can’t cut an access hole in the panel. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome Kevin and Rebecca! We have friends in Duncanville, small world. Texas state parks are a never ending adventure, tall pines in the east, sandy beaches on the coast, desert canyons in the panhandle, mountains in the west and rolling hills here in Texas Hill Country. Look forward to meeting you at the rally. Mike

We camped in Kartchner Caverns a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy Cochise County (Tombstone, Bisbee, Sierra Vista). We lived there for many years. Our site last month at Kartchner Caverns…

That looks like exactly what we do with the same pots. We have the same percolator pot that we use to heat water then pour over into an insulated carafe. On days we’re on the move, the insulated carafe goes into the truck for refills as we drive! Mike

Omg, @ShallowGal. Those two cute travelers can drink a lot (and obviously, wear a lot) of water. Our dogs sure bring a lot of joy to the journey, don't they? Sherry

It always bothered me especially when getting ready to use the shower the amount of cold water coming out of the faucet and heading to the grey water tank. So when Overland put up a post back on January 3 titled Truma Comfort Plus via Modification, it got me thinking. I went out to the Oliver and tested actually how long and how much water was being used before getting hot water to the faucet. My results were 14 seconds and a volume of one quart and I thought that's not that bad. But then why does it bother me when I'm standing there waiting and then I think about how I'm just transferring my fresh water to the grey water tank and how many gallons go this way during a camping trip. So for the next week the subject was percolating in my mind and I came up with some ideas and settled on what I thought would be feasible solution. I installed a normally closed solenoid operated stainless steel water valve. I made a bracket out of stainless steel that I attached to the valve and then utilized the four bolts that were protruding through the front of the camper that help secure the cover for the propane tanks. I installed a tee in the hot water supply line just in front of the faucet and run 1/2" pex between it and the valve. Next I ran 1/2" line following the black tank drain pipe towards the back of the trailer and crossing over to the curb side and then teeing in to the line that fills the fresh water tank. Next I planed on putting a switch to operate the valve next to the switch that is mounted on the vanity towel rack that operates the water pump. I wanted to avoid standing there and holding the switch so I found a programmable multi function time delay relay module UCTRONICS model U6030 to allow me to accomplish this. This module is inexpensive about $12.99 but is very flexible ,it has 18 programmable delay modes with two settable timers. The static current is just 5.5 mA. I wanted this module to only be powered up when the water pump was turn on so I brought power from the water pump relay, this way both switches activated the module. This module also needs to have a 12 volt power supply to operate the water valve, so I ran a wire from a unused slot in the fuse box under the dinette, the valve draws 1 1/2 amps. I was a little worried about getting the module programmed for my needs, we all know how Chinese instructions are poor due to the language translations, but it went really well. IMG_1387.MOV I mounted the module in a 4"x4" waterproof box and put that under the front dinette seat,that way I had access to it in case I need to change programming. The last picture is of the vanity and the switches for the water pump and the water diverter valve. I used a waterproof switch I had and I plan on replacing it with a smaller easier to push model. I'm happy with the way it works, flip the water pump on then push the other switch and release, you hear the water pump start and run for 15 seconds, it will shut off and you have hot water at the faucet.

I just went out and measured. I just layed the tape measure at a point as close as I could to the back bumper, then did the same for the hitch. More exact would have been to crawl under the trailer with the tape measure attached to either the hitch or bumper but I’m not crawling under the trailer tonight! I don’t know if Oliver has these measurements on their web page anywhere. 79” back bumper to rear axle centerline, +/- an inch or so. 168” end of hitch to front axle centerline, +/- an inch or so. Mike

We have a tankless water heater at home, but for our trailer we opted not the get the Truma, main reason we very seldom use the shower in the trailer and use the campgrounds facilities. We have not had a situation come up that we needed more hot water then what the standard water heater could supply for our needs. trainman

Melitta Thermos Filter Cone into good ole Stanley Thermos. Makes great coffee and very little mess. for a single cup I use the Aeropress

Hey Mossey I originally tried to run the line up the curb side but ran in to a obstruction about by the door, figured it had to be some kind of support for the floor. I tried going from both ways but had to abandon it. Starting from the bathroom and running it down along side the drain pipe for the black tank work out really well and once clearing the end of the grey tank it is wide open to cross over to the curb side. The plumbing part of the job went really fast compared to the wiring side of the job. To be honest I never checked out going back to where the fresh water line comes into the trailer. Here are some pictures of where I tee into the fresh water fill line a short distance before the tank.

We use a budget version of the same, last ten or 12 years. We use an old stainless carafe from a dead home coffee maker, and the bigger #4 filter size pourover cone. We used the tiny #2 for a couple years, straight into the mug. Still use it (actually a collapsible silicon version which i still carry when we rent campers outside the USA) I love the coffee. So does Paul. I think he'd be happy if I replaced our more expensive home coffee maker with the carafe, cone, and tea kettle. It's the very best. But, at home, he's usually up first, and makes our coffee. Camping, he still gets up first, but takes the dog for a walk, while I get dressed and make coffee. Life is a bit different, at camp, but it's simply wonderful, for us. I'm counting the days to camping season, and camping coffee. The trailer smells so good when coffee is brewing!

Overland and I had a discussion about using the SHOWERMI$ER that Steph and Dud B posted a link to on January 1st, to create a Truma AquaGo Comfort Plus. I reached out to him because he is the only person I now of the has the Comfort Plus. He then posted about adding the tee inside of the Truma to recirculate the cold water back to the water heater, where the SHOWERMI$ER routed it back to the tank. Either method required a return pipe to work and I was still leaning towards Overland’s idea of just using a manual shower diverter which would definitely be better looking than the SHOWERMI$ER. And "BOOM", you jumped in with a different and excellent twist. One thought that I had was to connect the return to the fresh water fill line near the check valve on the street side if I couldn’t route it back on the curb side to the fill line. Did you give any consideration to connecting to the fill line on the street side instead of the curb side? And could you share a picture of your connection to the fill line? Mossey

Nothing like a great cup of coffee!

I'll add another welcome to the Family! Even though Texas is on the large side there is a bunch more that you can do with that Oliver of yours. I picked up my Oliver during the second week of February (2016) and driving over the mountains - I live east in the mountains of North Carolina - the temperatures hovered right at the freezing mark. Obviously this made driving a bit on the sketchy side because I never knew if a bridge or roadway was going to be icy or not. However, we got there and the delivery day was raining hard all day, through the night and into the next day. However, other than a dirty brand new Oliver its a bunch better than ice or snow. The temps warmed to a reasonable 55 - 57 degrees (more "normal" for Hohenwald at that time of year) and the rain stopped so touring the Natchez Trace while testing the Oliver was good. Bill

Welcome to the forum and the Oliver family.

I'd say, depends on your target market. Folks like us would rather buy and choose our own tires. My daughter was thrilled when I complained about one curb scraped tire on her late model used jeep, and got the dealer to replace the full set, at no additional cost. $1000 out of pocket to a young person, vs picky older folks like many of us, with discretionary income, are two different markets. In your case, I'd probably price it including a new set of tires, advertise it with the good but older tires, and be prepared to drop the price $1k to cover a new set.

Yep - me either. Remember, while the standard water heater "only" has six gallons of water, any "new" water that is added to the tank is being heater as it comes in (depending on the pre-set sensor on the heater). So, as you use hot water it is being replaced by cold water which is then heated. The only problem with this is if you use up the water in the tank faster than the heater can heat up the new water coming in. This is possible by two people taking back to back showers while using a fairly hot shower or in other similar situations. Bill

Since Oliver trailers are on the upper value of many other trailers and there buyers are probably going to buy a trailer that is in very good working condition and reedy to go. I would sell mine with probably 60/70% tread still on the tires, this does two things, gives the appearance of less use of the trailer and the owner keeps the trailer in very good condition. I realize the question was, would you buy a trailers that needed new tires, my though is if the tires are worn out, what else does it need. trainman

Cowboy coffee can be very good or very bad. The longer you have been out on the trail, the more that you (and those around you) smell like campfires, horses, horse poop, saddle sweat, human sweat, etc., the better the coffee usually tastes.☺️

I too installed a dash cam - to include a rear camera - about two years ago. I did this for the obvious reasons above and for, perhaps, the not so obvious. Fairly often the places I am out West are well off the beaten path and it is generally fairly obvious that I'm fishing and/or hiking which would mean that I will not return to the truck in the near future. Certainly I realize that there are not people out there that are looking for a truck out in the middle of nowhere to break into - but. Having said this - dashcams have been used in legal proceedings to both help and hurt the case of the owner of the camera. Bill

Being a retired Body Shop Mgr. for some 30 years for a large DFW Chevrolet Dealer I have pretty much seen it all over time. We always tried to help the customer as much as we could, stranded people away home is very uncomfortable displaced feeling. So insurance companies do help there insured better them others, if it's liability claim you best do what you have to do and get your money back latter in the settlement. trainman

I been looking to order a new Jeep Wrangler as a TOY just to have around the house to add to the collection, but my dealer where I purchased my other trucks, etc., can not give me a delivery time. They say 20-30 weeks if lucky, I personally don't buy into that, so I will pass at this time on ordering one. I have found the same on other vehicles like a Polaris Ranger and a Kubota tractor, they just can't give me a delivery date within two, or three months. All being said, if you have a good tow vehicle I would stick with it until the avaibility becomes available, I don't see throwing good money away just to to make you feel better, my wife always ask me when I purchase a new vehicle, am I happy now and my answer is always, "for a day or two". trainman

Hi, and a special welcome to another LE 1! We've enjoyed 14 seasons of adventures with our sturdy 2008. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we've enjoyed ours! PS, love the name you've chosen. Camping definitely resets our priorities.

@Liana i found a series of videos on YouTube from Missouri wind and solar. Unlike Northern Arizona wind and solar, I've not purchased anything from them. I slogged through parts of this video below. He's not an engaging speaker, but I think he might be a good starting point for some research.

I wouldn't. Propane tanks, even "empty" ones, should only be carried in a properly vented area. Propane is heavier than air, and if leaked, it collects in the lowest area. We actually rarely carry an extra tank. Propane lasts a long time for us, even the 20 lb tanks, unless it's really cold, and we have to run the furnace a lot. The stove and refrigerator use minimal amounts.

"I'd carry an extra old one, from your grill, or a garage sale, in a milk crate to keep it upright, in the truck bed." We will be towing with a Ford Expedition, so no truck bed. Can an extra 20 pound tank be put into a milk crate and stored in the basement storage area? We're leaning towards the tongue storage box, but won't have to finalize options until August. I was figuring on using that box storage area for chocks, levelers and the things that push against both tires to stabilize the trailer, basically for things needed for set-up. I don't know if a tank would fit along with everything else.

But wait a minute! My Ollie is the only RV I have ever owned, which also makes it the best RV I have ever owned! So maybe I’ll just keep it, warts and all. well done. Well stated. Reflects the feelings of the majority of us owners that are out there. To us our Oliver is like a hammer to a carpenter. A tool to get the job done. Not an object that has become a central reason for our very existence. Again, "Well Done".

If you'll be mostly in California, I'd omit the 30 lb tanks, unless you are truly "buff." My daughter can lift them out, and back, I'm sure. She's tough. Not me, anymore. And, a lot of places won't fill portable tanks "in place." I can lift 20 lb tanks, empty or full, over the ledge, and I'm short. They're also the common exchange size. I wouldn't want to trade a brand new tank at blue rhino. I'd carry an extra old one, from your grill, or a garage sale, in a milk crate to keep it upright, in the truck bed. Blue rhino takes anything.

Yes, shorter trailers react to steering input faster and are easier to jackknife than longer trailers. I find our FD's 27' command trailer easier to back than our little boat trailer.

As one who takes delivery of an Elite II in September, I add my voice to the chorus quoted above. I have been driving a full-sized SUV or pickup towing my raft trailer for decades. Backing a trailer took me a long time to "get." And, backing looking over your shoulder is very different than backing using side mirrors. There are blind spots in most tow vehicles that make it impossible to see your trailer at certain angles. A rear view camera mounted on the back of your trailer is extremely useful for backing, but that, too, is a somewhat different skill set that takes time to develop. I recommend you review, several times, Oliver's excellent video showing how to hook up a tow vehicle. As shown in the video, be sure to cross the safety chains. This creates a "cradle" for the trailer tongue to drop onto (instead of the road) should the coupler come loose from the hitch ball. How do I know? Well.......... Towing an Oliver presents new issues even for me, as I have never owned a trailer with its own brakes. Those brakes should be burnished right after delivery, and before you have to make an emergency stop. And, your tow vehicle must have an installed trailer brake controller with 7-pin connector to communicate with the electric brakes on the Oliver. The "gain" on the trailer brake controller should be adjusted once you take delivery on your Ollie, and before you hit the road. This is not a comprehensive list of things you must learn and skills you must develop to safely tow an Oliver trailer. Which is why I concur that it is wise to work up the "trailering" learning curve long before you pick up a tow vehicle "somewhere near Tennessee" on your way to take delivery of your Ollie.

Have you ever towed anything before? Driven a full sized truck? I would like to repeat and emphasize what FrankC said: Without a doubt, it would be prudent for you to learn to tow a trailer in both directions - backing while maneuvering especially is VERY tricky - long before you arrive in TN. Rent a U-haul or travel trailer, borrow a truck. Practice practice! We have had more than one new Ollie owner who discovered that RV life and handling a truck and trailer is NOT as simple and personally rewarding as you imagine it to be! It did not turn out well in some cases…. Much emotional heartache, wailing and gnashing of teeth, appeals for help and financial loss was the end result. It does not have to end this way. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1978-nature039s-head-composting-toilet-installation-in-an-oliver-big-thread/ John Davies Spokane WA

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

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.

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

That's good advice, @FrankC. When my sister and her husband first started looking at trailers, they had their hearts set on a tab. I found one for rent near our camping property in Asheville, they rented it for a long weekend, and discovered that they loved camping, but not the tab. Two goals accomplished, in long weekend, dry camping with us in WNC . I have a friend whose sister is a travel nurse. One of my cousins is a travel nurse. Bless you all for moving to the area of greatest need. My friend's sister and her husband full time in a travel trailer. it works for them. But, Frank's idea of renting a few times would help you see if the small quarters could work for you. Do you have a place you can use as a home base, with storage? Or, are you keeping a home elsewhere?

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

I feel all of your pain, and your wife's. Even our Sunshine skyway bridge is always a "suck it up, buttercup" moment for me, as I approach the crest. Can't see anything, til you're at the top, like you're going to launch. I will say, once you get into the big (great) room in Carlsbad, it's anything but claustrophobic, unlike a lot of caves (and tunnels.) It's magnificent. I'm truly glad I swallowed my temerity, and went. I dislike narrow, high roads. Ledges make me dizzy-- even balconies in some theaters. Hate tunnels. Side story: first time in Norway, my father's cousin and his son picked us up at the train station. Took us through the then longest road tunnel in the world (Aurland tunnel), then over the top of the old Aurland snow road. Lots of scary ledges. I made it. We've done it many times since. I've lived. And, it's amazingly beautiful. Stegestein overlook is a modern wonder. Best views from any bathroom, in the world! (Newer. Wasnt there first few trips.) If I can do it, you can do it, too. When I'm driving, I just follow the pavement and traffic . Paul can look down and around. I can't. Is what it is. I seldom look around unless we're stopped. I'm ok if I just follow the road.

It has been three hours and nobody has spoken up. I have never camped in those temperatures. I will say this: if your plumbing actually freezes hard, you are WAY past the point where you can do anything about it, except to hope for the best. You can’t drain your tanks and you can’t get anitifreeze to flow through jammed check valves and plugged lines. In your shoes, I would do a complete winterize now, and then don't stress. Otherwise you might be OK, or you might not be OK, but regardless, you are going to really worry about it. Once your rig is safely winterized, if the weather turns extremely nasty, you can find a Motel 6 for a couple of days, and turn off all the systems in the Ollie. (be sure to bring in any freezable liquids.) There is the saying - there are bold pilots and old pilots, but there are no old bold pilots. Now is the time to do this, while you have full hookups. Later, en route in worsening weather, it will be much harder. Read this: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5185-extreme-weather/ Stay safe, stay warm. John Davies Spokane WA

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.

Now that’s a veteran RVer.

Susan, to conserve water, I carry two small dishpans. One to wash, one to rinse. Stack dishes to air dry on a rack. Sherry