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I suspect you will face a larger challenge in wiping the smile off your face(s) from taking over 30 days making your way home in your new Oliver. If I were in your position I would merely enjoy your travels and get your plates and title when you finally get home. Enjoy!

We recently stayed at a combination of campgrounds where there was no water hookup. With the NH toilet we did not have to use fresh tank water for flushing thus stretching our water supply. We can easily see this "light" boondocking (no water hookup) in our future as well as full boon docking when we head out west. We carry a spare pee jug. It gets emptied in restroom toilets or dump stations, whichever is more convenient. There are many articles on safe disposal of urine when boondocking. In our one year thus far, we have not cleaned out the solids hopper. To dump it, we use 13 gallon trash bags and toss it in regular trash. The main benefits of the NH are the saving of water and not having to deal with sewage (formed by mixing urine with feces) from the "stinky slinky". There is not much smell in the hopper once the poop is mixed with the medium. The NH exhaust system pumps the remaining smell outside. Also, you'll never have to deal with a stuck black tank valve with a full tank. The main disadvantages are separately dealing with the liquid (almost daily for us) and solids (every 2 weeks, although it could go longer). You will still need a dump station for gray water. I drain and rinse the bottle, and then start it off with an ounce+ of white vinegar which gets swished around. I use either sphagnum peat moss or coco coir in the hopper. Having done both, I prefer the peat because it comes ready to use, where the coco coir comes in bricks that have to be hydrated. Two full one gallon ziploc bags contain enough of either type for one fill. I also add diatomaceous earth (bug killer) and Gnatrol WDG (for gnat larvae that might be present in the bricks). Emptying the solids is a matter of removing (and replacing) the NH, using disposable gloves and a kitty litter scooper to break up the medium, stretching the bag over the hopper, inverting it to do the dump, removing and tying off the bag, and adding new medium. This whole operation takes about 10-15 minutes. Most of the time spent emptying the liquid is transporting it to the toilet. Dumping is 30 seconds and rinsing is less than a minute. It goes quicker each time you do it. We don't put any TP in the hopper. All of it goes into a lined stainless steel barrel with lid that fits perfectly next to the NH. Having said all of this, we are happy with the NH. It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't (but it's definitely more work than a flush toilet).

I just did some calculations based on CRM's 2015 Optional Upgrades and Add-Ons list. I added to the 2015 base price the cost of the items that I believe were optional in 2015 but are now standard. They include: (1) $1800 for fiber granite countertops; (2) $200 for reading lights; (3) $500 for 4 (as opposed to only 2) wet cell lead acid batteries and (4) $75 each for additional outlet (I think there are 3 in a 2022 Elite I, so I added $150). With a $48,500 base price in 2015, the total for what is now the "base" 2022 Elite II was $51,500. Adjusted for inflation from 2015 to 2022, the result is $61,148. The base price of the 2022 Elite II we have on order is $65,000. So, Oliver has increased the price, after adjustment for inflation, by $3852. That is a "real" increase, after inflation, of about 7.5%. In my view, a 7.5% increase is a moderate response by Oliver to a hot RV market. After working through that interesting exercise, we are still comfortable that our 2022 Elite II is a sensible purchase, and will be a good long-term value.

Hello from Hull 275, an Oliver Ellite ll 2017. I have been wanting to replace the Dometic air conditioner because my wife HATES the noise even when using earplugs. So I went to last week to D&N RV service located in Guntersville and asked to order me the Houghton H3400 caravan air conditioner. They placed the order and 3 days later they called me to tell me that it had arrived. Today, Monday August 23, I took the trailer at 8 am and they had it installed by 1 pm. This unit is a game changer, it is so quiet that my wife and I can have a conversation and watch tv within the horrendous noise we used to have with the Dometic unit. The remote control is great as I can have it on the nightstand and change the temperature without getting up. It doesn’t need the soft start as it has a ramps up without it. The only drawback was that they could not drain it with the drain that the Dometic use that drains the water down below the bottom of the camper but I will be installing a gutter so it doesn’t run down the window. Best ever. By the way the RV tech is name Brandon and he has won twice the National Championship of RV Techs. This was his first time installing this type of unit and he loves the unit. So it you are in the Guntersville area and want to have them exchange your unit, give them a visit.

I agree with John, it depends on the cop. I think as long as you have all the paperwork you should be ok. When we sold our Airstream the seller towed it from Michigan to Iowa without any plate or temporary paper and had no problems. I thinks it’s more common then not.

I bought ours during covad. It took 2 months to get tagged. At the time the state realized the difficulties in getting into the DMV

I'd probably check on your home state regulations on how long you have to obtain a registration and plate without having to pay a penalty or fine for late registration. Where do you live? Some states allow you to register your trailer and get your plate, pay the sales tax, via mail, or via an authorized representative who could FedEx your plate to you, and you could stay on the road without worrying. Some other states require the trailer to be brought in to verify the vin.

I used my TST on my pop up trailer and it worked great. In November I will use it on the Oliver when we pick it up.

I think it is entirely up to what state you are in and the mood of the cop who bothers to pull you over. Don’t speed or do anything foolish and you won’t get stopped. Probably. When we picked up “Mouse” I noticed that there was not a temporary tag with all the paperwork, Anita said the worker who usually does that was not in the office. Which sounded a little odd. So with nothing on the back the Ollie, we drove about 4000 miles over four weeks and never had a problem. I had all the paperwork close at hand in the truck, just in case. Don’t worry about it. But cross your fingers for luck. https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/traffic/rules-of-the-road/article252969398.html John Davies Spokane WA

I believe the USS R. Feathers has already sailed. I hope you can find a trailer that meets your needs at a price point you can afford.

No ruffled feathers. You should definitely choose what you think is best for you and yours. Every trailer today is a large investment. To me, the most important thing is to get out and camp. Not just sit around a fire ring in the backyard, and poke around the internet. I hope you enjoy whatever you buy. Still enjoying mine, 15 seasons in. Happy camping.

Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs. OK so this is only a partial make ahead breakfast, but it certainly saves you carrying around a bunch of eggs that could spell disaster if they cracked all over your cooler or refrigerator! If you love eggs around the campfire, there is a solution. Simply whisk your eggs at home and pour them in a plastic bottle. That way you can store them in your cooler/refrigerator and pour them straight into a hot pan.

We toured with Phil, Phil has been with Oliver for many years and knew the answers to everything. I tried to trip him up him on things, but he always knew where I was going, our personality clicked and the tour was great with how we got along. trainman

I did call KTT and spoke to one of the owners. The issue is not supply, the issue is that Oliver is not ordering them. After speaking to Oliver, they said there were shipping issues e.g. because of the way they are packaged some are getting damaged in shipping and the other mattresses (Tochta) comes rolled up in a compressed bag. We didn’t like them either and took them off our list as well. If you want the KTT, like we do, call Dick at KTT. He said he would sell two mattresses for $1,400 plus freight to your house. We will be going that route. Brian

The very first LE2's in 2009 had a base of $42,999 which in today's dollars would be approximately 60k. So about 13.5k increase in base model cost over inflation. If base equipment from back then is compared to 2023 that number will obviously drop much further. 2009 Elite II Brochure

Thanks for the frozen corn on the cob tips!! I had no idea this was possible. I too grew up on a farm until I was about 12. Grandma canned everything, though. I don’t recall a freezer other than what was in the fridge.

Ollie in the wild at Endless Caverns RV resort near New Market, Va. An overnighter here on our way to the great north woods! Water and electric only with a dump station. Not a bad place but could use an infusion of cash to spruce it up a bit. Picnic tables were old and built for kids or midgets. 😅 We did not take the cavern tour as we were just overnighting and needed to travel on.

I think a number of models have gone to composite. But it doesn't solve other issues I've seen on airforums, like the front end separation on certain models. Definitely, avoid those. No possibility for front end separation on a molded fiberglass hull. Oliver floor is fiberglass. But. If you want AS, go for it. We camp too often in hail country to consider even a vintage model to have fun with remodeling (which we love to do.) I've said it many times, everyone has different goals, needs, and camping styles. It's hard to sort it out. Took us better part of a year.

I concur. I also recommend that you verify whether the particular Airstream model you are considering has a plywood or a composite subfloor. I understand that Airstream is now installing composite subfloors in some, but not all, new models. Then, if the model you like comes with a plywood subfloor, Google "Airstream subfloor replacement" and watch the multiple Youtube videos that come up in response to that search. The Airstream model we evaluated, before committing to buy an Oliver, came with a plywood subfloor.

Spend some time over on Airforums to get a feel for initial quality issues and reliability. We personally like Airstreams, they are an iconic part of American camping history. If it weren’t for Oliver we’d probably be in one. Good luck on your decision. There is a forum member here @BoondockingAirstreamwho owns both an Oliver and an Airstream. He’s pretty active on the Airforums (Ray Elklund over there), maybe he could give you some insight. Mike

I don't carry a crock pot, nor an insta pot, since we rarely have hookups, but I do love campfire cooking. Our freezer in the truckfridge is very tiny, so my method of flat packing really helps. I do the same with burger patties. Make the patties, wax paper under and above, spray one side and season. Vacpac, flat freeze. Accompaniment for any red meat, or even pork chops, is often campfire roasted onion. Take as little off the onion as possible, top and bottom, with a sharp knife. Score lightly and remove the husk and thin first layer. Set the onion on its now flat bottom, on the cutting board, create 6 or 8 segments, not quite through. Open up just a bit, add butter or olive oil in the center. Add a bit of balsamic vinegar, if you have it. Wrap twice with foil, tightly. Cook in the early coals, tucked into the side of the fire, as you prepare everything else. It's done when you've turned it a few times, and it's soft. (Using long tongs, obviously. ) if it's done early, you can always set it on a hot rock while everything else cooks. Depending on the type of wood, and heat of the coals, 20 to 35 minutes. I buy whole pork tenderloins at Costco when on sale, and cut my own boneless chops. Marinade and freeze, flat pack. (Cilantro lime and Italian dressing are favorites for pork.) They continue to marinade as they thaw. Vac packed, they never leak.

Search doesn't do much usually, but in this case it gets a bunch of hits: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q=TPMS&quick=1 https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2482-review-tire-traker-tt-500-tpms/ After more than four years I still like it. I "flick" each transmitter in the morning before I leave camp to wake them up, that way the monitor will show the current cold pressure, not the hot pressure from the last time it was on. This is not possible with internal automotive type sensors. They will show you the correct pressure as you drive away, after a minute or so. Be sure to add one to the spare tire also. Install a short spare tire extension air hose and you won't have to remove the tire to add air. Definitely buy a TPMS, you will be much less stressed on the road, especially when you are far from services. John Davies Spokane WA

The big dedicated shower space in rvs for a dry bath, for us, has always been just inefficient movable storage. Clothes hamper, jacket drying, mop and bucket, shoe bin. Move it out to shower, move it back in, later. A ton of wasted space. Totally ok without it. Efficiency of a wet bath smaller footprint is great, for us.

Then I guess you would also like a wet pool!😉 Mossey

I have a small Ninja 7-way cooker. One simple thing I like to do is put a roast in it, pour a can of cream of mushroom soup and a packet of dry onion dip mix onto the roast, and slow cook it on low for 8 hours. So easy and delicious. Set it in the morning, enjoy the day, come back to the camper, and you'll have a yummy roast.

We keep it simple when camping. One of my favorites is burgers. Fire up the Blackstone grill, throw on some bacon, then add sliced onions. Put the burgers on. The aroma never fails to arouse hunger in neighboring campers. Put bacon on the burger, add some cheddar cheese, onions on top. A glass of red wine tops it off. Now I need to go camping. Mike

As far as the price increases, I don't think Oliver is jacking stuff up, or gouging. Fiberglass is a petroleum product. Raw materials have doubled. I posted a chart somewhere last year. But, you can look for yourself. Everything else has gone up as well. Salaries, insurance, you name it. The Oliver family is an honorable family, imo. During the last downturn, they kept virtually everyone in the plant employed, in other roles, even though they had to close the trailer line. They never let us "orphan" owners down, if we needed help, parts, repairs. Someone always helped. I'm a small town, country girl by upbringing, and that just speaks volumes to me. You don't find that a lot. By all means, shop around. Everything else has gone up, too. My elite 1, in 2008, was probably slightly more than half the price of today's elite 1. I get that. But, what's included in a base trailer today is phenomenal. I really wish they'd roll it back a bit. Include fewer items that should, imo, be options. Many people don't need, or even want, what's in the base package. And, some non-techie folks shouldn't want it. Just my opinion. Happy to still camp in my 15th season, 2008 Elite 1. If our daughter wants it, it will be hers, when we're gone. Hopefully, decades from now. We'll see what life brings. For now, all is good.

Let me see - wind, rain, hail, sand, dirt, bugs, gloom of night, harsh sun, tree sap, repeat (not necessarily in that order) - what could go wrong? "harsh chemicals" - define please. For what its worth, I don't usually consider anything that I can leave my unprotected hand in for an hour unduly "harsh". But, then again, you should see my hands 😁. "power washer" - do they mean that poor pathetic electric power washer or the 5,000 psi job that will take your skin off? In any case - is it ever wise to use a power washer of virtually any sort on electrical equipment? I wash my solar panels with the same stuff I use for the rest of the Ollie and for my cars and for my truck. I don't see any difference. But, then again, my eyes are getting to be a lot like my hands 😇. Bill

Call recpro to confirm, but the low profile 13. 5 unit shows 9" height, like my smaller 9.5. This would likely shave 2 or 3 inches from your dometic height, but may be wider and/or a bit longer .

Shrimp, pineapple, onions, snow peas, and broccoli with a home made teriyaki sauce. (This was last night)