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Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Butte Lake campground, dry camp. Lots of spots after Labor day but 6 mile gravel washboard road into it. Lots of trails to hike 🥾.

Very tragic indeed. This rather shook me up for a day or so when I first became aware of it. The incident and the news reports were shared on the Super Duty Tremor forum as many of us actively participate in recovery assistance with our trucks. Several mistakes were made and the consequences were devastating and life changing for many people. If you need to call for help in a situation you can't get out of, even if they are experienced, be in charge. It's your vehicle and your life that's at stake regardless of the level of experience of the good Samaritan. If it doesn't look right stop the process and reevaluate, you may not get a second chance.

A very sad story. Sometimes I think I over-prepare for emergencies on the road, but then I see a story like this. I’ve been carrying a Rhino tow strap and a Curt D-ring shackle for minor towing emergency recovery situations that may never come up (stuck in snow, etc.). Haven’t had any need to use them yet, but that article is an eye opener. And even with this stuff I carry (rated to about 10,000 lbs working load) there are situations that are still best left to a professional recovery service. Prayers for that family.

OLIVER OWNERS: If you own any vehicle recovery gear, or could find yourself stuck, PLEASE take a moment and read this post. Thank you, GJ In pursuit of mountain top hang glider and paragliding launches, I have spent much of my adult life enjoying fire and remote unpaved adventures. I pride myself in trying to be a helpful Good Samaritan. More than a few times I have stopped and helped a fellow off-roader who had become stuck. I carry a 15,000 # rated tow strap that I have attached to my trailer ball on many occasions. After watching the below referenced video, it is apparent that my confidence in my recovery gear exceeds by a wide margin the actual safety ratings of my gear. The below info came from a recently posted by Colorado 4X4 Rescue and Recovery, Inc. that Good Samaritans should review. It involves an incident not all that different from what many of us have done many times. Sadly for Mr. Ryan Woods, a 43 year old Arizona off-roader, was killed by a Good Sam’s confidence in his recovery gear and/or lack of understanding of its limitations and/or how to properly use it. I commend Ryan’s wife for allowing Colorado Rescue and Recovery to produce the video analysis of the incident that resulted in the death of her young husband. (Pictures from video) The Good Samaritan apparently had looped their tow strap over their truck’s trailer ball and ran the tow strap to the tow hooks (Apparently below the cow catcher in the mud) of this Super Duty Ford. According to the video, the Good Samaritan’s truck was using an “Anderson Style” drop hitch and 2” receiver such as this one. In this case, the hitch failed at the truck receiver. But, as the video advises, there are several other potential failure points that could have resulted in the fatality. In this incident, It appears that the entire hitch assembly aft of the truck became a missile that killed Mr. Woods. It could have been the ball itself, or the shank pin, or the tow strap, or the tow hook(s) on the stuck vehicle. I think that the central point of the video is that all elements of a vehicle recovery system need to have the necessary ratings for the task involved. One of the video reviewers (Mr. Jeffrey Coomb) stated: “I'm guilty of using my tow hitch to recover trucks and trailers. I think for me it's a case of you don't know what you don't know, and when you find out, it's too late. I'm glad I found this video and really appreciate Ryan's wife for allowing you to use their story to educate others on the dangers. I am very sorry for her loss, but incredible that she see's the possibility to help others despite her grief. Quite a woman! I'm ordering the right tools ASAP. Please be aware that your trailer hitch ball and receiver may be significant failure point. Personally, I will also be taking a re-look at my recovery gear and for certain stop using my hitch as the pull point when using it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb3BkeeXlIo

Clark Canyon Reservoir, Montana. Beaverhead Campground, Dry camp, covered picnic table and free.

Collier Memorial State Park, Oregon. Full hookups and short walk to a logging museum.

Yes Terrific This tablet spell check gets me all of the time. Thanks for the link. We are looking at Northern Lite 10-2. We found a nice used one locally that was used 2 times. Hopefully it is around when I get the truck delivery date.

I appreciate all the marketing info you have been generating recently. 95% of it most owners would agree with. However, saying the the OE2 is the best FAMILY trailer I suspect would be considered n the other 5% group.

We just returned home from an amazing 8 days at Huntington Beach SP only 247 miles away from our home. Located right on the Atlantic Ocean with 3 miles of beach front and no high rises hotels or homes ever yay! Our weather the entire time was stellar! We took our bicycles and rode every path on the park. There are plenty of alligators 🐊 and we spotted a few while out riding in the lake and swampy areas. We are mountain campers, but we need a beach fix this will be our go to SP. The staff at this park really worked hard to get it back up and running after Ian blew through at high tide. It’s amazing what the park staff and volunteers got accomplished cleaning up in a very short turnaround . Our site was less than a 5 min walk to the beach. I even cheffed up some fresh blackened shrimp. 🍤 A very memorable stay! 😊

Here’s our favorite campsite at COE Bandit’s Roost campground Wilkesboro, NC, site # 28. This site is hard to get, someone must have canceled, allowing us to camp on it earlier this week. It’s been 70’s during the day and upper 40’s at night. The Blue Ridge Parkway is not too far away for a day drive, too. 🙂 Blue Ridge Parkway NC

Been planning for a travel trailer for several years getting ready for retirement. We finally purchased the new tow vehicle last year and got it paid for. We finally settled on the Oliver LE II and decided to place the order this week. We have a build schedule of March and deliver around the middle of April. We can't wait to begin this chapter of our lives and start exploring all the places we've only dreamed of till now. We aren't new to camping, nor are we inexperienced with travel trailers. We had a 34' Jayco Eagle with a super slide back in the late 90s. Sold it by around 2002 and haven't owned a camper since. We started researching brands about three years ago, watching tons of YouTube channels about full timing and all the other RV topics that are there for the watching. We started narrowing down the brands and models we like last year and the Olivers were at the top of the list. We did take the factory tour about a year and a half ago and were blown away. We are both semi retired right now, meaning my wife works part time for social outlet and fun money at a local farm market, and I work for myself at my own pace when I feel like it. We have several hobbies we enjoy and I'm also in the middle of remodeling our downsizer retirement home in the country in preparation for full retirement soon. We have two dogs, Border Terriers, at home. We have one married son and one grandson a year old. Part of our RV life will include spending extended periods in Texas with our son's family and enjoying our grandson as much as possible. We look forward to becoming seasoned Ollie owners and participating and getting to know the greater Oliver family.

We love that park and we are looking forward to taking our new Ollie down there. It was not a good fit for a 30’ Airstream with a 22’ truck! Shrimp looks good too! Brian

THere are a few things you can do to address this problem. On the mount assembly: 1. The hinge bolt should be just tight enough to hold the TV in any position and require some force to change the angle. 2. The gold anodized latching bar should likewise be tight enough that it doesn't spin freely, but not so tight that it can't be turned with two fingers. 3. When pushing the TV up to the stored position, conclude with a downward pull to fully seat the latch. Lastly, for insurance, find some foam packing material or pool noodles and cut some pieces to wedge between the TV back and overhead cabinet. These will keep the latch under tension and cushion any TV wobble.

Ours is folded up while driving, not down. In fact, it’s been folded up for several years since we don’t really watch TV while camping anymore. I should just remove it. Mike

Great info and such a sad story. A well intentioned samaritan that will live with this incident forever let alone the loss to the stuck driver's family. Really makes you think about how to help someone and how to receive help!! Great lessons here.

We don't own an Ollie yet but we actually saw yours! We were staying in an Airbnb and scouting the area and saw your beautiful Oliver. We are hoping that when we go back we will be staying in an Ollie!

Great way to help protect those areas. This season, I've unscrewed the exterior shower head , brought into the inner shell and put the head back on. Also pulled the cold and hot knobs so now there is a deeper space behind the little door to the shower to add a layer of closed cell foam. We used reflectex on our battery compartment as well and it made a huge difference. Used two layers of that stuff on both the garage and battery doors.

Hopefully you meant to say "terrific"?😊

I bought a box of five 30 amp slow fuses at NAPA auto parts for around $7. They did not have them the first time I inquired but two weeks later they had that one pack, which I think they ordered after I talked to them the first time.

I just ordered a2023 F350 swd Lariat long bed with a 6.7 diesel. It looks like the same color red as yours. My Tundra is 15 years years old and still in great shape. All we have ever done is regular maintenance, tires, brakes, batteries and fluid changes. We purchased an Elite II in October of 2019 with the plan of doing a couple of longer trips over the winter months to get away from Maine cold winter weather. Our plan was to do those trips and sell the Ollie. We completed the 2nd big trip of 4 months last spring. We quickly sold the trailer in the spring. The Ollie was great and trouble free. However we decided we miss our camping adventures so we decided we wanted to try truck camper thus the HD truck order. Hopefully it will arrive by spring. If not for truck camping we would just keep the Tundra. Good luck with your Ollie and enjoy your adventures. It was terrified for us.

Thanks! It is kind of my dream truck. The one it replaces and we still own and use daily is an 05 F150 Lariat 4x4. It's been a great truck and has done it all. About five years ago I started planning for the next and possibly last new truck purchase, so I wanted it to be special. Late in 2017 I heard they were coming out with the Tremor package and also a new 7.3L old school push-rod big block, coupled to a new 10 speed gear box. I couldn't wait to see what they were developing. I decided to let the first year of the new engine go by in 2020, you know to get the kinks out. By January of 2021 I couldn't hold back any longer. Ordered in January and she rolled into the dealership on April 2nd. It's been a great experience right from the beginning. She is a gas hog, but what can you expect from and off road heavy hauler with a big gas engine. But she's a sweet ride. Can't wait to hitch up the Ollie and head out for our maiden voyage. 😉

Our son and family live in Durango. We visited for a week in January two years ago. Night time temperatures in the middle teens. Furnace did fine. We were not winterized and we had no freeze issues. Mike

This article is a fairly short read. Thanks for the links and info. It is indeed a tragedy. https://www.co4x4rnr.org/breaking-down-the-deadly-az-incident/

I think that they were able to pack so many functional features into 7 feet width is the best feature of all. A little turn I can see my tires, and marker lights. Going down the road everything looks like a normal drive, until I look in the rearview mirror. Then all of a sudden there is a big white object tailgating me.

Not a great pic but this is that "wall" covered.

While you're at it and if you have any material left over - simply go under the dinette and/or beds and place another layer over the water heater (assuming the Suburban), and then any other area that you can reach. Also, while you're in the basement, a layer on that little "wall" between the basement and the interior where the backside of the shower is located could use some. Bill

Just added Reflectix to my basement and outside shower doors. Battery door next.

I am coming to the good and knowledgeable people of this forum for feedback. We sold our 2019 Ollie Elite 2 twin in the spring of 2022. We enjoyed the Ollie very much and it worked very well for us. We went on 2 long trips and a couple of 3 to 5 day excursions. We were new at camping. Our longest trip was Maine to Florida to Lane Mead, Grand Canyon and back via Zion, Moab, route 66 and home. The other long trip Maine to Florida. We were out 45 days and needed to return early from that trip at the onset of Covid. Our initial plan was to do these 2 big trips and sell the camper because we stay in Maine in the summer and go boating. Well turns out that we miss camping and are considering getting another camper. Always wanting to try something different we are thinking of trying truck camping. We don't anticipate the long 4 month trips again but some of a couple of weeks in the shoulder seasons and winter. I am looking for feedback from those who might have tried truck camping. Pros and Cons. We wouldn't be doing extreme off road camping more likely roads you could take the Ollie on if prepared. I will admit towing for me was not relaxing. We realize we would need a more capable truck than our half ton tundra. Would look for a 1 ton 8ft bed. We have done some preliminary shopping based on research and are leaning toward a Northern Lite 10-2 model. It feels almost as large as our Ollie inside and it is a 2 piece fiberglass camper. It is advertised as a 4 season camper. We don't want slides. When we told the different dealers we had an Ollie they all pointed us to Northern Lite. (No Big Foot in our area) We also looked at Lance and NuCamp Cirrus. We saw Artic Fox and some others. I think the Northern Lite 10-2 has as much or possibly more interior storage as our Ollie and has some exterior storage too. The quality seemed as close to the Ollie as any of its competitors. Some th I be we liked better than the Ollie other areas the Ollie clearly shined. No need to carry a ladder! We did like our Ollie for the brightness, construction, and reliability but the opportunity to try something different is intriguing. You may commence the laughing and/or stoning!!!

Try THIS for making reservations and getting more info on Lake Guntersville State Park. Around $30/night is the camping fee and I believe that there is a $5.00 fee for online reservations - but - you can always call them instead. If I were you - I'd call them and be sure to mention that you are with the Oliver Rally. There are sites that have been reserved for Oliver owners and hopefully all of them are not gone at this point. Another Forum member has one of those F-350's but I believe that his is diesel and a Tremor versus the King Ranch. Certainly more than enough truck to get the job done. Bill

John makes a very good point. During the wait for your Ollie you should view as many videos as you can - some more than once. Visit the Oliver University often. Read what you can here on the Forum and ask questions about anything that is not clear to you. Add all of this to those projects that you already have going on and you will most likely find that all of a sudden you are sitting in Hohenwald and trying to absorb all the information they will give you. Enjoy the process! Bill

Thank you for the welcome. We're looking forward very much to the annual rally. Having followed the previous rallies, it just looks like a great time with soon to be friends.

We are very excited too, and have a lot to do between now and delivery day. I'd like to build a covered parking space next to our garage before then. But I'm also trying to finish the remodel of our new to us home so that we can enjoy a lot more free time and lower budget during retirement. All this will make the wait go very fast I'm sure.

Congrats on your order! Before you know it you’ll be on your way to Hohenwald to pick up your new Oliver. If you can attend a rally you will meet a bunch of Oliver owners. It seems that we run into fellow owners quite often all over the US. Look forward to meeting you. Mike

Spotted an E II on I-81 southbound in VA MM 9 yesterday Monday at 3:50 PM. Li’l Ollie E I was northbound headed to Hungry Mother SP for 3 days. Hear the crickets and bagpipe in the distance! IMG_6501.MOV

We’re heading north to Kansas City for a few days before we head to Tennessee. First stop on our escape from Texas is a nice COE campground near Gordonville on Lake Texoma, Juniper Point Campground. Nice concrete pads on the lake. Very pleasant overnight stay on our way north!

Mike - yes it is! We especially like the Ouray Brewery. Where are you going in TN? If you are up near LBL (Land Between the Lakes), let me know. We are about 10 miles from Paris Landing State Park and really enjoy LBL. The have a drive-through Bison and Elk preserve which is amazing. Also, plenty of NFS and COE camping. Safe Travels. Brian

Nice shot! Always nice to meet other Ollie owners while camping and on the road, maybe next time! Don't think we're going back to Doughton Park this year, but plan to next spring! It's only a 1/4 tank of gas (up the mountain) from home! Air Bellows Gap on the way home:

Fritz, that lone tree and the big Carolina deep blue sky is amazing. Thanks. I wondered what it would look like in b/w. Totally different mood. Much more stark. And lonely. Love your photo.

We have the newer lighter weight cover from Calmark which we purchased from Oliver last summer. It is easier for two people naturally with ladders to install the cover. It’s not difficult but it is not a quick on and quick off procedure either, there are some gymnastics involved 😅. We always install the cover on the curb side and sit it on the awning and unravel it from this point. Others may have a magical way, but this worked for us. We used it last winter for the first time when we winterized and stored our Ollie here at our home. We used foam pool noodles on the sharp angled corners to reduce wear and tear on the cover. Corners such as the solar panels, rear bumper, entry steps. We had no visible signs of scratching or marring of our Ollies finish at all. Naturally without a cover you will begin to see some dulling or oxidation of the gel coat and you will reeeeally need to stay ahead of that with waxing and buffing. With the price tag of new Olivers creeping up year after year, we opted to take the best possible care of our Ollies finish. That said and here is another option to the Calmark cover- Last Friday, July 29th after a lot of previous research, planning, and due diligence we had a custom built “RV port” or as we call it an “Ollie Hangar” built on our property in our backyard area and are very happy with the results. We used a local Mt Airy, North Carolina company called - steelbuidlingsandstructures.com This NC company is an engineered certified steel structure builder which meets and exceeds our State and County’s code requirements for wind and snow. It does exactly what we intend it to do- keep our Ollie out of the UV, and elements. The crew installed it in a day and a half so we feel it is well worth the investment for us. We also like the convenience of taking off in the winter months without wrestling with the cover standing on ladders and all the gymnastics that goes with it. This structure is fully covered by our homeowners policy, note - some policies do not cover out buildings. We have 30 amp shore power so no issues with battery maintenance. Just another option. “Ollie Hangar” located on Blueberry Hill Demenions - 13X25X11H “Back Stage” as we like to call it. 😅 Our home LED motion sensor lights put a lamp on our path for a few minutes when we walk out to the hangar.

Excellent video! Makes me smile!!!! Beautiful campground and lake view!

Many people mistakenly attempt to lighten tongue weight by loading their trailer toward the rear. This is a recipe for sway. Stay with Oliver's tongue loading recommendations and you will be very unlikely to see any issues, however, if you heavily loat the aft end of the trailer your potential for severe sway increases greatly.

I’ve noticed in the latest rounds of factory photos that Oliver has switched to Reflectix style insulation, which is sort of like a foil bubble wrap, rather than the thinner foil backed foam that they were using before. I’d think that it should be more effective. I’ve been adding a layer or two of reflectix in the lower hull myself, over time as I do other things. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get into the upper hull, but with some work you can access much of the lower hull. We’ll see if it makes any difference. One place I’m glad to get the extra insulation is around the beds beneath the windows. It’s actually quite easy to stuff two layers of reflectix in there from below, and I’m hoping that it will keep those walls warm at night and eliminate the condensation if you happen to sleep up against them. So far, I’ve added extra insulation behind the bath vanity, extending somewhat into the closet and bath floor, all of the curb side from the fridge back, then all along the back and forward on the street side to the pantry. The insulation goes from about the belly band down to the floor and underneath the plumbing in all those areas.