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Ok, I'll chime in here on my experience with a lower-end, less expensive electric cooler. After reading through the reviews, I bought a Massimo CX40 cooler from Costco in April. I paid only $270 for it with and $80 off promo. I knew it wasn't the build quality of a Dometic or Iceco but it's like one-third of the cost and the reviews were good. I've used it on 4 trips and it's been great. It plugs in to the 120v outlet in the bed of my truck during travel. It has bluetooth and I can monitor and control the temps with the app on my phone. It cools down very quickly. It's just the right size for fitting under my tonau cover in the truck bed and I can then move it to the dinette seat in my LEII and transfer food back and forth to the refrigerator. I've also plugged it into the 12V in the trailer and found that it's pretty efficient (especially if it's already been running in my truck and fully cold inside). I've kept it running set to 36 degrees on 12V in the trailer while having good sun exposure for the solar and it's been no sweat at all over a 3 day trip. It's kinda cheap looking compared to the $800-$1000 units and may not have the same quality of insulation - but honestly it's worked really well so far. I figure that if something goes wrong I can easily retrun it to Costco. It appears Costco is out of stock on the CX40 and only has the larger CX50 right now at their regular price. If you want to go electric but spend less, it's worth a look when it comes back in stock especially when Costco adds an $80 promo discount every few months. https://massimoelectric.com/e-koolers/cx40/ https://www.costco.com/massimo-cx50-12v-portable-e-kooler.product.100566509.html

Looking for a pair of wings. Bonus if they are white fiberglass. Extra bonus if they have 12v red lamps on the tips. Have seen these on vintage and retro trailers and I’m going to figure out how to put them on my LEII. I’ll be the first. Everyone will be jealous. I bet Oliver will even make them standard. Or a least an option. edited to add: don’t tell my wife. It’s really her Oliver. It’s going to be a surprise.

The clam won’t keep you dry in a good rain. We find ours especially useful in cold weather. We put the panels on and set up the fire pit (propane) and it provides a warm outside room. Mike

No wings, but this: John Davies Spokane WA

I love your idea. Let us know how you come out and provide pics please. You got me thinking and had these not been sold out I would have bought a pair for the upper, rear, side corners of my Ollie (imagine the fun driving at night around Halloween). https://www.amazon.com/Gerson-Halloween-Skeleton-Hands-Suction/dp/B013H7RCE4

I have been running my stock Michelin LT tires at about 50 lbs. I will add that at 60-65 mph my pressure does increase 3-5 lbs. after 10 minutes of drive time. The thing I would like to mention, especially for new TPMS users is the effect of sunshine on tire temperatures. For example, yesterday while driving north out of Florida, the curbside tires were running about 4 degrees warmer than the street side. And of course that changes in the afternoon when the sun shines on the street side. Mossey

No way I'd attach a sun shade to our Girard awning. Seems way too flimsy. And I wouldn't disable the automatic retraction, either. But you could. Each awning has a separate power switch on the main control panel.

The Sport model of the Clam has "windows" - one section of screen on each wall can be zipped open and rolled up for more airflow. That helps.

Just a quick report... I have had no issues with my Diamondback SE leaking. Even after severe downpours both while parked and while driving the bed remained dry. Functionally, the DB suits our camping style very well. I can now access everything in our bed while camping without having to climb into it. Because I have an F250 and am about 5'9", I sometimes have to use a portable foldable 8" step to reach things. Our 9'x12' ground mat, Clam screen house, and other things are stored all the way forward to the bulkhead and in the center (side-to-side) of the bed, and I can still get them out and repack them from the ground. On our latest 5-week long trip, I have not had to climb into the bed, and in our previous 5-week trip I only had to climb in one time. The latter was probably because the DB was new to me and I was just getting used to it.

I loved the old Shasta, and their wings. Saw some newer versions a few years back at an rv show. Here's a link (a decade old) to a guy who made/makes them. http://nastyshasty.blogspot.com/2012/03/wings-wings-wings.html?m=1

When we bought our fridge/freezer in 2016, there were very few choices, and all of them expensive. The "in" fridge was the ARB50 at $850 plus $150 shipping. We were visiting the Conqueror trailer importer in our home town of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and he was swapping out the National Luna 90 Twin fridge that came in the trailer for another combination fridge/freezer. At the time, the NL 90T retailed for $2700, and we got one from him for $1000. That's a lot today, but a steal six years ago. National Luna is what is in UN vehicles, and what the Red Cross uses to transport organs in Africa and other remote areas. They have since designed their own more efficient version of the previously used Danfoss compressor, and reduced the price by about $1000. If you want the best available, check them out at the sole US importer, Equipt1.com Their custom service is second to none, and owner Paul May goes out of his way to accommodate your needs, often at his own expense. Mine has been running in the back of my black Toyota 4Runner and now black Toyota Land Cruiser for 24 hours a day, March through Christmas since early 2016. We've not had a single regret. https://www.equipt1.com/collections/fridges

I bought a DOMETIC CFX3 75-Liter Dual Zone Portable Refrigerator and Freezer about three years ago. It has been used on every trip we’ve been on since then. When not traveling, it comes into the house and provides additional cooling and freezing space. As a result, it has essentially run constantly since we purchased it. At home it is plugged into the wall but in the truck it runs on solar augmented 12 volt DC off its own separate battery. We have also successfully run it on a 500 watt Jackery. It has been absolutely bulletproof and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It easily and dependably maintains the temperature you set down to at least -10 degrees F. Ice cream will remain rock solid. This model is slightly above your stated price range but I shopped around and found it under $1K with free shipping.

Would like to hear from owners that have purchased portable refrigerators that they use while camping. We hope to go on some extended trips next year and I'd like to be able to have a little more food kept consistently cold than will fit in our trailer refrigerator. I've done a little reading on them and the price range is pretty broad. I'd like to spend $1k or less, if possible, and get something decent. I already have a well made and very large cooler but I also feel like I've spent a fortune on ice keeping the contents cold while traveling. And if we're far away from places that sell ice, I'm out of luck.

We did the same trip this summer. I installed 3m clear vinyl on front lower panels of the Ollie. They got pitted and had several small holes. It was impossible to clean them. I pulled them off at home and no damage to the trailer. Suffered one rock crack in the windshield that I had fixed and a couple rock scratches. Averaged 15.1 mpg on F250 power stroke over 10,500 miles. Oliver towed really well and no need for the antisway hitch. The main problem we had was the Truma water heater went out on day three. Despite extensive discussions with both Oliver and Truma, I was unable to get it fixed. I did get a new circuit board sent to a campground and that did not fix it. Neither did a new propane regulator. I recently took it into a Truma authorized service facility here in Southern California and they had to replace the water heater, it was a total loss. We did splash showers using a pot of hot water. It actually worked well and saved on water use and grey tank capacity. Overall a great trip. The Yukon and Alaska are beautiful and impressive. It was truly an adventure.

I have not yet used my brand new Clam, but FYI the early versions did not have a rain flap at the top, the new ones do, each one overlaps the side panel by about three inches and is secured by velcro. I do not expect much water leakage, and if there is I doubt ir will affect the usability. Except for the big issue of trying to get out the door with a waterfall pouring off that opening..,😳 I only bought three side panels and my Clam has five plus the door. If I use it much in cold weather I will buy another set of three. Note to self: have a brolly inside the Clam when it is raining. John Davies Spokane WA

You might try a local High School Voc./Tech. office. The one here has some kids that do some really good fab. work I've seen, especially their painting! I'm going to hit them up on making me a custom tongue box. Sorry, but I couldn't resist this! I hope nobody takes offense. "I don't know but I've been told... Navy wings are made of gold... I don't know but it's been said... Air Force wings are made of lead..."

We were out in our Clam during a protracted downpour last week. There were a few drops leaking from a couple of the seams on the outer edge of the roof, and a few more snuck around our side panels, but we stayed dry in the middle.

Woke up to a new earwig song after reading this post last night. Silver wings shining in the sunlight . . .

Mike at Oliver gave me some easy instructions on how to access the bolts...Easy fix!!!

That teardrop red light is #goals also. How sweet these photos are. 🙂 Good luck surprising your wife!

This is pretty similar to what my friend made. Weave some lacing, and good to go. That frame could allow you to use some landscape timber spikes, if you drilled some holes, or wrapped it with webbing straps and tent stakes, to anchor it in the wind. Still adjustable to the sun. The grommets are for securing the panels. Most people leave an airspace beneath the panels so they can dissipate some heat. But, some boat owners "stitch" the panels to a canvas Bimini, with a washer type plastic beneath. Solar panels don't work as well, overheated, and flex panels don't last as long either, without some air space. We used flex panels on our boat, hard Bimini. They're already showing some wear, 5 years in. But, they work. And keep the battery banks charged. We could not use rigid panels in that application, practically. https://gnomadhome.com/pvc-solar-mount/

I Love the vintage wings, too, on vintage trailers. Could you have some made as graphics? Or, I guess you could add them with vhb tape...if fiberglass. Or 3d printed plastic. Our local library prints small projects. Just a thought.

Yep, I've been setting my air pressure to 60psi in my Elite1 (stock LT tires) for highway driving with no ill effect. After reading all this, I may air down to 50-55psi for wash-boarded gravel roads where my speed is much slower, maybe even lower? I think ultimate tire pressure used is a decision one makes based on vehicle weight, speed, and road conditions. Certainly, all the pressures listed in the charts are for normal highway driving and that is a safe and reasonable starting point. Dave

After a lot of deliberation about weight, size and cost we went with the F40C4TMP. We've used it in multiple settings for nearly a year now and it has performed better than expected. For us it has been a great compliment for the camper, truck, car and house. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D3T3CJ2/

Have been using two Dometic CFX35w, one as fridge and one as freezer, for past three seasons. Work great and draw very little energy

I've had the Iceco VL75Pro for about a year. Works great, has the danfoss compressor and I paid about $870 bucks with a coupon. I have a similar setup to Steve with solar to charge a battery in the truck bed that then powers the fridge. With partial sun it will run indefinitely.

I discovered the Truma portable refrigerators/freezers at the Quartzsite RV show in January this year. I took advantage of the show special and bought one...the C44. It works well and I recommend it. Truma Cooler Portable Fridges and Freezers

We like our Clam, too. One of our favorites is our sunshade that slides into our Fiamma awning.

What is that one favorite camping accessory that you don’t really need but prefer not to camp without? Mine is our Clam screen room. It goes up so fast and easy and I enjoy being able to be “outside” without being a human buffet for mosquitos and flys! We’ve had our Clam for 2 years and it’s held up great through all types of weather.

I got a portable solar panel (aka blanket/suitcase) to hook up to the external Zamp port. The price was good, so I thought I'd try it. https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-783-0100-01-Portable-Charging-Kit-100W/dp/B07QYCHG6V/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y0HK1F42H1U1&keywords=xantrex+solar+flex+portable+kit&qid=1661499580&sprefix=xantrex+solar+flex+portable+kit%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-3 Hooked it up today, seemed to work fine. The top connection in the port is the positive, so I made sure to connect the SAE connector correctly. This panel comes wired correctly, so I didn't need an adapter to reverse polarity. I turned off the rooftop panels then checked the Lithionics app, which didn't show the batteries getting any juice from the portable panel. Don't know why. The controller showed 5.0A, not very much. It's really light and easy to hook up but I'm not sure if it will give me enough juice to make it worthwhile. In truth, I haven't had a problem with AC/DC while boondocking. I might run it down to 60% at night, but the next day it'll charge back up to 85% or 80%.

Yes and no. IF you add an LED light bar for your turn and brake lights (see the lower pic) it would be fine, but it is a pretty dirty area back there. The other end of the bag is a lot skinnier. The bag will work if you have the receiver option, or build your own rack, but you cannot strap it to the bumper itself and use your waste hose too…. John Davies Spokane WS

Thanks for the link! Yea, I don't think the awning would support any weight without poles, from what we saw at the factory. Just looking at various options. I'm thinking the Clam might fit strapped to the top of the rear bumper, but I'll need to wait until March to find out. Gonna be a looooong winter's wait!

I am not using cable to connect my TV to the router. I am using WiFi. My setup is very simple. Starlink provides WiFi access to TV and phones. For Netflix, I am using Netflix app in the TV itself to stream. For anything else, I am using my iPhone and connect it to the existing HDMI port in the back of the TV. This way, I can also get audio out to all speakers if I select "Optical" audio input at the Furrion. Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps.

We have the 12.5 by 12.5 pavilion clam and love it. It has been through several down pours and not allowed any rain inside. As noted my biggest complaint is it can get warm, but that has not been too big of an issue even in 90+ degree heat.

We bought a Dometic CC 40 Portable for $524.99 two years ago right before we picked up our Ollie. It's no frills AC or DC and has worked great. It seems to be a good size for us. Coupled with the Ollie fridge, we've had plenty of room for everything without having to buy ice. I can even manage to lift it on the back of the truck tailgate when it's full of drinks still... barely. 🙂 I use it a lot even when I'm not camping. Definitely love not buying ice, so whatever you end up with you will be happy with that!

I’m going to say maybe on the top rain-flap. Last weekend I went shopping and bought a second clam brand screen tent. We already have a Pavilion model. It’s huge and not all that convenient to set up, move, or store. Super nice if we stay someplace for a week or so. It has room for the picnic table, a couple of chairs, and keeps the dogs confined. The rain panels are built in (they roll down and Velcro on place) with the Pavilion model. With the latest purchase I went with their Traveler model, their smallest screen tent. It’s 20# and I’ve read it’ll fit in the Oliver’s closet. I have to tie the Pavilion to the roof of our Land Cruiser. The Traveler is offered in two colors, brown or green. While trying to determine if there were any other differences I studied the boxes closely. The photo on the brown tent’s box clearly showed a rain flap, the green one clearly did not. I did not study the tents themselves, only the photos on the boxes. I vaguely remember this also being true a few years ago when shopping for our original Clam screen tent. The brown ones had rain flaps, the green ones did not. Early in this thread others commented about heat inside a Clam screen tent being a problem. I agree with that. It can get hot. When I was looking at Clam tents last week the retailer had a new model demo Clam tent set up with a screen ceiling. Not sure about the durability, but it sure was bright and cool inside with the screen ceiling. I think it’s a good idea. It was a medium sized version, so not what I was looking for. hth, Ken

We do not have the rain tarp that you can purchase for the top of the Clam but we do have the side panels. We’ve had it in some pretty heavy rain and very little rain got inside except a few drops near the corner seams.

Thank you! That is sure good to hear!

That's good news! When you have done the work can you please share your experience, perhaps with photos?

We love our Clam also, but it's rather new and we've only used it on one trip thus far. Can anyone tell me about their experience when it rains? I understand the roof panel is just water resistant. I was considering a tarp placed over the top on those occasions rather instead of taking the Clam down.

I can’t speak to the automatic retracting. The Fiamma has support legs that must be used. If the automatic awning doesn’t have support legs there would be a lot of downward pressure on the awning from the sunscreen. Mike

Good idea, divide the weight, separate fridge and freeze plus add redundancy. Something for me to seriously consider before going to a larger unit.

Our style of camping is still a little primitive compared to what it will be when our Oliver is ready. 🙂 We too really enjoy the benefits of the CLAM shelter, since we don't really have any indoor space in the trailer. Our biggest complaint is how hot to gets inside due to limited airflow with the fine screen material. If you ask Deb, she'd probably say the changing room with CleanWaster folding toilet for the middle of the night needs. One that's really been handy, and probably will still be in the Oliver with its limited storage, is a pair of GCI Pico folding arm chairs. Much more comfortable than cheap bag chairs, and roomier than our Helinox Sunset chairs that are always in the Cruiser. They're sorta like directors chairs, but they fold up the size of a brief case. Pricy, but very convenient (wow! pricier than I thought. They were $89 when we bought ours last March) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N71DDXW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

@AZ Wonderer I’ve been looking at electric coolers/refrigerators, it’s on my want list! We have a Yeti and I love it but would like to do away with ice.

I installed the exact set last week in hull 414. I will provide one caution: It is possible to "over compress" the inner and outer frames when seating the male and female serrated tabs when re-assembling. If you do that, you end up forcing the inner frame to push us against the glass on the inside that will warp it slightly. If that happens, the tightly fitted shade will not fit properly. (You can guess how I know this). Only compress the frames to the point where the edges just "touch the glass. If however, you end up "gorilla-izing" the job and go too far, simply use the shims previously used to separate the frames to release tension on the affected portion. Easy-Peasy. Just a lesson learned the hard way. HOBO

Let’s make very sure that everyone is aware that yours has a single axle, with 5000 pound GVWR, and those all need much more air (at their maximum towing weight) than the tandem axle model does. I would be running 60 to 65 with LT tires…. This thread is for LE2 tires. 😁 John Davies Spokane WA

We went to Shelby often, nice little town. We especially liked the old red barn (Used in the Hillshire Farms ads) that is now a winery and events venue. Thank you for the offer to assist, I might need it. Brian

That is a valid concern, but easily fixed for very little cash: Driving any trailer into tight spots is super easy from the front, as long as there is physical room for the bigger one at the parking area. However the Elite does have a number of other advantages over the larger trailer, especially for boondocking and those small National Park and forest service campgrounds. Watling Engineers Front Towbar Demonstration John Davies Spokane WA

I finished the roof mount over the weekend. Luckily, it was super easy than I thought. The 2 holes of the Starlink short wall mount fit perfectly into the existing awning screws on my Girard. I am not very tall, 5'4", and need a ladder or climb the rear bumper to connect/disconnect the dish. I always take the dish downs when towing. Question: should I be worried about galvanic corrosion. I don't know what kind of metal the mount is but the awning bracket looks like a stainless steel? The installation manual, Short_Wall_Mount_Guide_Rectangular.pdf.pdf, doesn't say much about the mount itself.

Not a busy morning and had my Ollie setting in the driveway. Here you go. Had it up in twenty mph wind but would still not go more than that. Straps seem to hold the awning down well. Not they circle over top of the awing.