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We will be launching a branded store in the upcoming months. Our obstacle is finding the right partner (supplier) that can offer quality merchandise and dropship for us. We really don't want to inventory apparel here. We have tried a few vendors and one is promising but not happy with the embroidery yet. We are just getting our Rewards Program finalized and will be launched probably tomorrow. Once that project is underway, we can get back to our store project!

all really great stuff. thanks to everyone. we got a break in the weather mid-morning and decided to pack up and head for home. the wind was our biggest concern. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was reasonable. This made us feel a lot better about our decision to travel. Lots of small slides, standing water and raging rivers but we have just arrived at home.... and lots of down trees and the power is out here. One more night in the trailer will more comfortable than our home... glad to be home after 7 weeks. thanks all

I now carry a small waste tote (empty) in the bed of my truck. But, with an RV I owned prior to seeing the light and getting my Ollie I constructed a storage rack for this tote which I attached to the rear bumper via two slightly larger square steel tubes such that the rack could be inserted into those two tubes and secured with four pins. I think that a similar system could be used with the Oliver but I've never had enough interest to work on it.

Glad to hear you're home in one piece. Hopefully the power will be restored soon, but you still have a nice trailer to hole up inside of.

I’ve studied how others have done it, and through trial and error, we all come up with what works best for us. We dry camp most of the time. The only time a I use a campground restroom is to dump my Natures Head pee bottle. The way we do it is not everyone’s cup of tea. No wrong answers, except maybe putting a full tote of waste in the back of your truck.

I can see using an anti-corrosion spray on the ferrous metal which makes up the axle framework. That makes sense. I was referring to the 6061 aluminum trailer frame. I built and own a 35" sailboat with a 6061 mast, boom and other components and, after 40 years living in saltwater, there is essentially no corrosion on any of the aluminum parts (the mast and boom is painted with AwlGrip). I spent the last 30 + years of my professional life as a sales manager with an aluminum extruder where we annually punched many millions of pounds of extrustions of all types using many different alloys including 6061 - it is remarkable stuff. The one compound I do use religiously is an anti-galling gel on fasteners. You must also protect against contact with dis-similar metals ... mounting say a bronze winch directly against an aluminum mast or boom is a sure route to serious corrosion of the aluminum. I am not against the use of waxes on gelcoat. It does help with aestetics and can extend the number of years your Oliver will have that brand-new look. My point was that a good gelcoat will put up with a lot of abuse and can be brought back to as-new appearance with surprisingly little effort. Take care of your Oliver but don't be afraid to use it ... they are tough little trailers and built to be used and enjoyed.

I got a Rewards folder almost eight months ago. And have not heard more about it until today, and that is that it might be coming. I have not had a referral in almost two years, where I used to get a couple a month? I still wear branded merchandise that I got at a campground more than eight years ago. It is still recognised everywhere I go in the state. (It is getting thin in places). Here I am, watching it snow outside, thinking it might be nice to order some new "stuff" for the coming season. The choices out there are actually pretty plentiful. Maybe Perfect Stitch in Norway, Maine has something with a state logo, or something that matches my decal on front?

After I posted this I contacted my sales rep. Within an hour he replied with our Hull # (1351) and a build sheet with our VIN. We had seen the same thing on the registration form. We will now be able to register as owners! Cheers, Brian

We live and travel mostly in coastal environments. Do quite a lot of winter trailering too. The stuff they put on roads nowadays is murder on vehicles. I used to have a film lighting business and had a number of trucks. Historically, rust related problems ran me thousands of dollars. Did some homework and found that plow guys often undercoated their gear with Fluid Film as did maintenance folks working on bridges in marine environments . It's a natural based fluid, sprayed on undercarriage (with options of spraying into rocker panels, etc...) which acts as a penetrant and lubricant. Used if for years on work and personal trucks and absolutely swear by it. Lots of folks apply every year. I used to clean my vehicles, coat with fluid film, repeat again the following year then do every other or 3rd year depending on how much use the vehicle sees. Commercial applications at garages is about $20/running foot but, if you have a compressor, you can buy the kit to do it yourself. A garage should discount as there is only frame to do on our trailers as opposed to the entirety of an average vehicle. Stuff goes on like viscous fluid then absorbs dust and firms up a bit. I used to go right from garage to drive on a dirt road. Turns into a brown, rubbery coating. You can leave entirely alone till next application or spray with low pressure but will wash off with high pressure and soap. I put on a 5 year old box truck which I had another 10 years with absolutely no new rust growth. You hit rusty spots with a wire brush - lightly - apply the film and that's it. Unlike standard undercoating, will not trap moisture and cause further rust creep. Penetrates into nooks and crannies really well. There is overspray which gets on exterior of vehicle but is easily cleaned with a hose and whatever cleaning soap you use. Have to be careful not to get on brakes. I always had the tech steer clear of them and I would follow up with canned spray Fluid Film which you can get at auto stores/amazon to hit spots they missed. I have not applied to my entire Oliver undercarriage yet but have done the axles, trays that LP tanks sit on, base of the tanks themselves and suspension bits. Our trailers have so little metal in undercarriage that it would probably be easiest and certainly less $ to just buy a few cans and apply by hand. Will do a test by coating a cross member under the Oliver and checking progress in the fall before doing the whole frame. My f150 is just a year old so will wait till the fall before having it done. Some folks say it's best to wait for a bit of corrosion before applying so there is something for the film to stick to.

Steph and Dud B mentioned earlier in this post they were going to try using a rear rack on the Ollie bumper hitch. I assume that would work well, the empty tote is relatively lightweight.

It’s always empty when it’s in the basket.. And it’s only used for gray water, I have a Natures Head toilet It’s not difficult at all for me to fill it up from rear of trailer, and roll it over and hook it to my bumper hitch. I don’t usually wait until it’s full. Its much easier than taking my trailer to the dump station every several days. We are currently on Day 6 dry camping, no hookups, showers for both of us every night. I’ve had to take the tote it to dump station once, probably go again tomorrow, trailer stays parked. See my post in this thread from May 14 if you are interested in why and how I use it.

It’s removable for cleaning the window tracks and weep holes. It’s easily pushed back into place.

Hello, That looks like the removable weather striping. You just push and seat it back in place. You remove it when you clean the window track and weep holes. Steve

Wax, wax, wax. And, did I say, wax? Bill

Sounds like advice from and old motorcycle rider to me! And in the right circumstance this advice certainly applies here. Bill

My trailer is in storage about 500 miles from home, so I can’t provide any detail pics until I get back to it in a few months. I did find a few pics that might help. I installed this while enroute on a camping trip, it was easy. Initially I got common plated steel bolts at the nearest Home Depot, they didn’t have them in s/s in the correct lengths. I ordered the s/s locknuts, bolts and washers and replaced later.

Since we have a Nature Head compost toilet we only dump grey, we have a 28 (which is way too big) and a 15 gallon tote which we love. We haven’t found a good place to put it so it just goes in the back bed of the truck. There are some great suggestions in this feed, thanks for sharing them.

Hopefully before camping season starts (those of us that winterize) we can get some branded apparel. Would love some tees, sweatshirt, hoodies and hats.

We did do that, but later in the season we put the tote on top of our Diamondback tonneau cover and used the space in the rear cargo carrier for a ground bike rack (for parking bikes at the campsite).

But, but, but?

I would not paint any aluminum part unless you have extensive experience with aluminum coatings. Coatings which will work are expensive and difficult to apply. Rattle can sprays from your local hardware store will shortly fail. Go to any marina and you will find uncoated 6061 aluminum masts, booms, etc. living very happily in a marine environment The surface will oxidize over time which provides a degree of protection. If you find yourself up to your frame in saltwater give the trailer a good hosing off in fresh water. After a winter of road salts it is good to do the same. Otherwise, don't worry about it. Waxing the hull is a good idea but even left unprotected modern gel coats are extremely durable and will easily outlast anyone old enough to be able to afford an Oliver 🙂

I had to ask, as nothing was provided by Oliver. I too had seen other people with later orders than mine already getting their VIN and hull number. When the registration opened for the May rally, I tried registering, but it required a hull number. I wrote to Matt and asked how to proceed; either waiting until closer to the event, or register as a non-owner. That's when he found our hull number for me. Still no VIN, but I won't really need it until time to get insurance. Good luck Steve

@ScubaRxI dont know what model his is but he assured me it was within his limits so probably the 6400. They've already taken it out camping twice and remarked about how well it towed with the Anderson. Im excited to get home from work so i can finally take it out myself.

We love to Storm watch off the Oregon coast. No Leaks so far. I just hate walking in 1-2" of water standing around the curb side of the trailer, then end up dragging wet muddy junk in the camper. Moisture inside is also an issue. Between days of 100% rain, and wet clothes and shoes, It takes constant work to keep condensation off the walls. The wind storms will still buffet the trailer, but nothing that moved the trailer. I worry more about limbs falling on the Oli and crushing the Oli and us.

Mike might be onto something here. Take a real close look at the joint I've circled in the picture. The vertical separator piece is notched to provide relief for the frame. It looks like this joint may not be put together correctly and the separator is pushing the frame channel apart. If so, open a service ticket and include a close up shot of this area.

I remove ours 2 or 3 times a year for cleaning. No issues with it staying in place. I wonder if your window might have a gap that’s too big. Mike

That’s odd. Might be either a defective piece of weatherstripping or the window frame may be deformed a bit too wide. I’d try swapping that piece of weatherstripping with the piece from another window to see if the problem follows the weatherstripping or the window.

As Mike stated "slow down and pay attention!" for sure. When I-70 towing across Wyoming in the summer, we just about always encounter thunder boomers. When I see the first one, I turn on my rear view camera to be better aware of any approaching high speed idiots coming up from behind. The thunder boomers there tend to set up on alternating sides of the interstate about every ten miles. When their broadside gust fronts hit us, I have found it much less of a "white knuckle" event by also "going slower, paying attention, and practicing active driving. Broadside, those gust fronts can easily move our loaded F-150 and Ollie sideways a few feet or more. In traffic you have no choice but to fight it and to stay in your lane. This is when having a TV rated for 1/3 more than being towed, a properly loaded Oliver Trailer, and our Anderson combine to provide peace of mind. That said, when the road is disserted and if you are anticipating the arrival of the next cumulonimbus gust front based upon which side of the road it is on. Once I clear an encounter, I will move into the lane towards where I can see the next thunderboomer developing. When you have a 95% probability of being able to anticipate a gust front's direction, you can relax just a bit. When it hits, I know the traffic situation around us, and if clear, I can safely act to somewhat depower the gust front by drifting with it into the vacant down wind adjacent lane. This is what I meant by active driving when it is safe to do so. GJ

As to water penetration, we have recently weathered some heavy rain in the Carolinas with surprisingly (to me) good results. There is a lot of condensation in the trailer, but I am finding that is more due to temperature differentials and humidity than water penetration, and we have so far managed to deal with it by airing out the trailer when weather permits. One other thought (gleaned from running cattle in the Sierra Nevada): stay away from the tall Valley Oaks if you can. They shed a lot of wood, more than other oaks, with heavy wind and rain, and their branches can be quite large and heavy. There is some good advice in this thread about dealing with high winds. Thanks, all.

You should be okay. We just endured a night of wind gusts at 50 mph with rain and sleet a few days ago in New Mexico. The trailer was rocking but we were warm and cozy. No leaks. Covered in snow in the morning and still no leaks as it melted. Mike

Liana, til you get it all sorted out, and your trailer tanks are approaching full, you could line the Ollie toilet with a wag bag, and use the camper toilet like you do the one outside. Certainly safer if there's a mountain lion prowling your property.

No need to lift or carry a full tote tank to empty it. We have the Camco 15 gallon tote and it’s worked well on the few times we’ve needed it at campgrounds that weren’t full hookup sites. The tank comes with a hitch attachment to hook to the ball on the tow vehicle to drive it (slowly) to the campground dump station. Sewer hose, connectors and rinse hose also included as well.

Liana, the portable tanks are mainly used to slowly transport contents from your trailer to a campground dumpstation. Some people just roll them along, pulling behind them as they walk, some tanks are made to attach to the ball of the truck and be slowly towed. If you don't have a septic system at your camping property, you probably want to look at some alternative methods for handling waste, like a composting toilet, luggable loo, wag bags, etc. for long term camping without moving the trailer. Or, perhaps that rv park you mentioned before as being nearby has a honey wagon service that would come by your spot and pump out your black tank, for a fee?

Thank's John let us know how you like it after a season of use!

I was just messing with you. Although we don't own one, I've watched others use them and I agree it is much easier to use than moving the trailer. I saw a lady trying to drag a full one out of the back of her truck and it hit the ground and split open. This was out from Quartzsite and not on a slab of concrete. It made quite a mess that couldn't be cleaned up with a hose.