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My favorite campground accessory, (partner per se,) is my husband. Next, my friends that we camp with. We don't carry a lot of stuff, but travel a lot of miles. 2nd most important is my tea kettle. Not for nothing, but if you're new to camping, please don't buy a truckbed full of stuff for your new trailer. What you need depends on your camping style. If you don't even know what that is, wait. And buy it later. My rule has been not to buy it, unless we needed it at least twice or three times. Our 2008 came with many things that we never, or rarely used. We bought some things that we never, or rarely use. I carry three good knives, a sharpener, 2 cutting boards,, a wok pan, a skillet. And a small pot, with a lid. I know that sounds spare, but I'm a previous restaurant owner, and I can do most things without anything else, and we don't have a microwave. Trust me, you don't have to carry the contents of a home kitchen to enjoy good healthy meals. I could see a clam, if you have electric awning. We like sitting out in the rain, if it's not too heavy. Life is good, camping. Just, don't get carried away. Too complicated =less fun.

The setting will vary based on road and trailer conditions (paved roads vs. dirt/gravel, dry vs. wet roads, trailer tanks empty or full). I’m towing our Elite II with an F-250 with the trailer brake controller gain typically set anywhere from 4.0 to 6.0 depending on road conditions and trailer loading. If it’s wet roads and the trailer tanks are empty, I’ll use a lower gain setting to prevent the trailer brakes from locking up when braking hard. If it’s dry paved roads and the trailer tanks are near full (that’s another 500 lbs. of weight) I’ll set the gain higher. There are plenty of videos on YouTube about how to adjust the trailer brake gain setting for your specific towing situation. You’ll have to experiment a bit for your truck/trailer combination, and also get comfortable using the little finger paddles on the trailer brake controller so you know how to use them when needed.

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.

One handy accessory that I made is a bag to hold plastic grocery bags to use for trash. It hangs from a hook that we installed high up in the closet.

I really strive to keep my posts positive and I LOVE my Ollie, but continuing to see posts like this still stirs up negative feelings for me. This was also my very first problem to solve on our first camping trip after picking up our Ollie in 2020. It was aggravating that I ended up having to call Oliver Service after more than an hour of fiddling around with the fridge. Even more aggravating that Oliver told me that all is normal due to how things are electrically connected to the inverter. Embarrassed that it was such a simple issue, it was the first time I realized and mentioned to Oliver that the electrical diagrams for my trailer were MISSING from my owners manual! I was told then they were no longer being made available. Many owners of 2020+ Ollies have asked for electrical diagrams and the answers given by Oliver always vary and never make much sense. I love my Ollie and I think Oliver is an outstanding company all around, but I have already spent WAY too much time tracing wires and trying to figure out what is connected to what. Another silly example is the time I wasted trying to figure out why my TV wasn't charging my batteries while driving. Another call to Oliver resulted in a simple answer that it wasn't connected when you order the Lithium package. I have several others and I'm sure I will have several more. I've spent WAY too much time making tweaks to the 2019 electrical diagrams so I actually have a partial one. I dread having any type of electrical issue that I can't fix and have to take to a specialist. Guess what they are going to ask for first? I wish I didn't keep get these feelings of anger whenever I have any type of electrical issue or feelings of fear that I'll get one I can't figure out. Ok, I've vented on this topic again. Unfortunately I don't think this is going to go away. Guess I'll try not to read posts that have silly electrical issues new owners are trying to figure out without a diagram. 🙂

Ours does fit in the back of our short bed truck on an angle but most often (because the truck is loaded) we just set it on the floor along the aisle inside the camper.

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.

That's what happened to me. After I passed Technician they asked if I wanted to try the General test. I figured, "why not," and passed.

We have the Luminoodle string lights, and I added the optional dimmer. I hate bright lights around camp, and especially the folks in campgrounds that leave them on all night. Might as well camp at Walmart. 😁 With the squaredrop, we hang a string inside the outhouse tent for those middle of the night excursions. We won’t need to do that once our Oliver is ready!! inside our Clam, we use either Luci inflatable lights at the lowest setting, or, more likely, citronella candles. @Katjo that’s not my bag holder. I was just noting that we use one of my old tube socks. 😉 Steve

I'm certain I haven't used them in my all white tent for reading.😂 I also don't think we've ever used them in the clam but will try that next time because I think they would work well there. We usually hang them from trees as extra lighting and keep them on when our outside trailer lights and lanterns are turned off. They give off more light, though, than I expected and are bright enough that they could be used for task lighting in a pinch (albeit not comparable to any lantern we have).

That looks a lot more elegant than mine, made from an old tube sock with the toes worn through. 😂

Just an update in case anyone else runs into this issue - several owners in the Oliver Trailer Owners group on Facebook came to my quick aid and the fridge is working well!! After looking to see that the propane was indeed working by turning on the stove and letting it run (I learned from Craig Short that if the flame is blue there is still plenty of LP in the tank, but if it runs yellow it is getting low - helpful tip!), I turned the fridge off for a few minutes. When I turned it back on, the propane caught and the fridge was quickly back in business. This may be obvious to more experienced owners, but I'll share here for other newbies like myself: the fridge outlet does not work on the inverter, so the AC only works when you're plugged into shore power. I thought, incorrectly, that if I turned the inverter on I could run the fridge on AC power. Learned something new, complete with the diagram from the manual (also sent by Craig Short) that shows the fridge is not on an inverted outlet.

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

Ahhhh!!! *That* KenB, from MUD! No wonder the handle sounded so familiar in my time here! Hi from "Slow Paddler" 👋

Though I’ve owned my own ham radio receivers since Junior High School, I didn’t have a license until three years ago. My wife and I went on a group Land Cruiser 4x4 trip in the Colorado mountains around Ouray that required 2M communication, so I got my Technician and a hand held Kenwood radio. FRS only reaches so far. I should have taken the General test at the same time. An engineering undergrad degree and 20 years of teaching high school shop class made the Technician exam pretty painless. That was the end of my recent radio experience, so you could say that I’m not very active. Thanks for the kind words. Ken KE0VTG

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

Here’s a link to a previous post explaining a good way to support that flimsy self-supporting awning, and some reasons for doing it. Support Poles for Awning I’ve got a set of the Carefree poles from a previous trailer, but haven’t used them yet with my automatic Girard. @Mike & Carol’s sun shade looks like a terrific accessory I’d like to have.

My klos travel guitar, although we have been thinking about a screen room.

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

This isn't a full HOW TO install them, there are plenty of videos you can watch. Here's one: ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsEjREGiBj0 ... The most important thing is prep, you must get ALL the old junk and wax off or the adhesive won't stick well. I started with isopropyl alcohol, then followed up with 3M Adhesive Cleaner, with an old clean tee shirt. One big problem I had was with the rounded corners, they would not lie flat. This was indoors at 78 degrees F. I used a heat gun on LOW to warm the plastic, then pressed it down hard, and held it for a few seconds while it cooled. I then warmed the entire length and worked it hard against the gelcoat with a plastic tool and my fingers. The 3M VHB adhesive is heat activated and it set up well, and there are no worries of the gutters lifting, there is no need to tape everything down for days, as some people have done. I am not sure why I waited so long to do this mod, it isn't very difficult. However, I ran out of material and was unable to complete the rear window, so I am waiting on another 10 foot section. When I measured, I did not plan on running the gutters so far down the window frames.... I bought a 25 foot roll. Drat. Large windows 3 @ 76" = 19.0 feet Bathroom window 42" = 3.5 feet Fridge upper vent 21"= 1.75 feet Rear hatch 68" = 5.7 feet TOTAL 359" = 30 feet MINIMUM, buy this: ... Esssentials UW05004 Polar White 50' EZE RV Gutter John Davies Spokane WA

I would like to try it, but after watching all the YouTube videos on Gladiator towing I don't think I would do it. Now let me say here the Gladiator will do it, but from what I have seen the engine RPM's will have to run at a much higher rate on the V6 gas engine, yes the diesel would do a great job, but for my use the diesel is out. Higher engine RPM's and engine noise level will be higher thus the wife and I just don't see it working for us. Would like to hear from someone who is doing this and see what you have to say about you experiences with Gladiator. trainman

The inReach keeps trying if it can’t connect to send or receive a message, but the tracking, not so much. I had an old SPOT that I used when riding my dual sport bike, in case I crashed and ended up unconscious in a ditch, my wife would have some clue as to my location. In open terrain it would send one track point every ten minutes, regular as a clock. When in dense woods and valleys, sometimes there would be four or five missed track points. But that device was not as smart as the inReach. And the inReach plans were way more affordable a few years ago. The newest SPOTs have two way communication like the inReach, and flexible plans too. I have never used one. https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services/spot-x John Davies Spokane WA

jdmmtx, 100 lumens seems really low, do you use the lights inside the Clam? I am guessing you can’t read by them (like the pic of the guy in his all white tent or bed sheet 😬 holding a book) but do they give enough illumination in that bigger space? I already have a pop open LED lantern for the middle, maybe the string lights would be helpful around the perimeter of the ceiling? John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JGSHYWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Pre-made Breakfast Burritos. You can choose from a variety of ingredients, adding as many or as few as you want depending on your taste. You can tailor-make each burrito. Make-ahead prep time: 30 minutes. Serves: As many as you require. Armed with your flour tortillas, here are some ingredients you can add to your breakfast burritos: Eggs (scrambled) Bacon Sausage Chicken Ham Pepper Onion Mushrooms Black beans Potato Tomato Hash brown Cilantro Cheese Method: Simply cook-up all the ingredients you choose from the list, roll up in flour tortilla’s and wrap them tightly in tin foil. They are perfectly fine to be stored in the freezer before transferring to your cooler. Re-heat by placing the foiled burritos on a grill over the fire or next to hot coals. Heat for 10-15 minutes, turning over once. They may need longer depending on how hot the coals are. Last but not least, strip back the foil and you’re good to go! Use-by: You can freeze burritos for 3 months. Top tip: If you have made different burritos for different people, use a marker pen to write their names on the foil so you know who’s is who’s.

This is what we do now as well. We took a chance and purchased a knock-off from Aldi (Gardenline brand for around $125) and have been completely pleased but it is a seasonal item for them and they seem to sell out quickly so you have to pay attention to be able to get one. Another favorite would be our Luci solar string lights. They store nicely and can go anywhere without needing an extension cord.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2978-2020-jeep-gladiator-30-turbodiesel-tow-rating/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6130-towing-with-a-jeep-gladiator/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6991-jeep-gladiator-ecodiesel/ Maybe a mod can combine these threads into a Gladiator Towing thread so everything is in one spot….. John Davies Spokane WA

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!

That’s really nice! It looks like it has the Velcro tabs if you wanted to add the rain tarp to the top if needed. Thank you for the photo.

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 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

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.

@Steve and Deb I’ve heard other people say their Clam gets hot inside too but we’ve never felt hot in ours. We always get a great breeze through it. In fact, we have a fan we bought for it but we’ve never used it. We’ve not been in super hot temperature though, 90 at the hottest but mostly temperatures in the 80s.

It looks like it has a bolt rope slot in the bottom, so it should work. (Assuming the G2000 is the current model offered by Oliver.) And looking the wiring, it looks possible to add a toggle to the hot side of the switch to disable. Seems doable if I ever wanted a sunshade. The Clam is great, but it sure gets hot inside!

Probably a silly question; to override the automatic retracting in much more than a mild wind, is there a power switch to disable it? Or simply pull the fuse? I'd prefer a manual awning, but that's no longer an option; both are fully automatic.

It attaches to the awning’s Keder rail, there are two in our Fiamma manual awning. It’s two piece, the smaller slides in to the awning then the large panel just zips on to the smaller. I don’t think it would work on an automatic awning. On our manual awning we are able to withstand pretty high winds with the sunscreen attached and the support poles tied down. We got it at a booth at the Quartzsite Big Tent show 4 or 5 years ago. They have them on Amazon for about the same price we paid back then. It provides good shade and privacy. Mike

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

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.

The main take away I got from your story is that you were paying attention to what was going on around you, formed and acted on a contingency plan. Without having done so, things would have worked out differently. Perhaps with a much poorer outcome. No doubt, your former military training and good common sense played a big part here.

I carry my 2-meter handset with me. NOAA broadcast local weather reports in the 162.xxx MHz range. Since I already have the radio and a license why not? Plus it broadcast too, which could come in handy. Although a license from the FCC is required for broadcasting they make exceptions for emergency use.

I am commenting from past experience and future desire, there are two really good fiberglass canopy brands, Leer and ARE, I have used a Leer and I felt it was adequate, but no more than that. To avoid long term hassles, you have to spec the canopy so cleaning the back of the truck cab isn’t a nightmare, and so you can get good ventilation. They all leak dust and water, so you need to use weatherproof containers or covers. None of them hold up well on rough washboard roads…… check the warranty to see if that would be considered abuse. Few are rated to carry much on a roof rack, the Leer can be ordered with factory installed rails and a thicker roof structure. In an alternate future I would have a Power Wagon with a Go Fast Camper on it, so I could boondock a couple of nights in the rooftop tent when exploring the back country, while “Mouse” is safely parked at a more developed base camp campground. The last I heard, GFC was backlogged forever, but recently they have been hiring and working extra shifts to meet the demand. https://gofastcampers.com/ John Davies Spokane WA

I went from owning three Toyota V8 4Runners to a Tundra. I knew that I had to have secure and dry storage since I was used to a lift gate. I studied tonneaus pretty intensively. I ended up with a BAK Revolver X4 rolling cover. I absolutely love it and it rolls easily, weighs only about 70#, can handle about 400# of evenly distributed weight on top and also locks for security. It's been flawless and looks really nice.

It’s a Leitner rack, there are drawbacks but it’s versatile.

We have a locking aluminum toolbox below the bedrails at the front of the 8' bed with a TruXedo soft tonneau cover over the top. Gives us some locked storage but full use of the rest of the bed.

What is that structure -- I like it!

Your neighborhood is requiring a bed cover for your truck? I’m as progressive as it gets but I know the three types of bad governments: dictatorships, church committees, and HOAs. Regardless, how covered is covered? Do solar panels count?

I've had two of THESE tonneau covers - I don't really need the extra "tall" storage but I do need to carry a motorcycle in the bed. This cover is one of the only ones that can be folded right up to the rear window allowing full use of the bed. While not perfect, they do keep things more than reasonably dry, are easy to fold, are fairly hard to break in to, and keep things out of sight. I'd buy a third when the time comes. Good luck! Bill