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A beautiful day at David Crockett State Park!

Thanks Mike, I will call Phil on Monday. Need to start pricing insurance…need a VIN. I spent much of my childhood in the late 1950s-1960s on the Box S Ranch in the small Post Office town of Kerrville. The old ranch is now a subdivision. I have a 70 x 25 foot driveway six blocks from downtown Steamboat. The camp fees and electric are free for Ollie owners. However the home toilet flushes are expensive. Steve😆

Just pretend you’re driving the Subaru! Mossey

Years ago, our friend Chuck talked about his plans to (maybe) make window awnings from solar panels. This company is planning to go bigger, and better. A flexible solar awning that can supply 1200 watts when deployed.... Novel idea. Create shade, and use the sun to create power. Wonder how well it will hold up? https://www.rvnews.com/xponent-power-partners-to-produce-solar-awning/

Hello Oliver World I have spent the last three summer and shoulder seasons either tent camping out of my Land Cruiser or towing the pictured UEV 490, a South African overland camper. This setup has allowed me to cross many “gatekeepers” in search of remote camping locations. These solo excursions have been awe inspiring and on a more recent trip, harrowing. But alas, a greater power has intervened. My wife and a neighboring doctor friend has commanded this 74 year old kid return from the abyss to a civilized camping life. Today, I sold my beloved 490. I will toast her tonight with some Tennessee whiskey. In a couple of weeks, I will begin a 1,400 mile trek to Howenwald to attend an egg hatching on April 24th. SPOILER ALERT: I have never been within 50 feet of an Oliver. Yes I hear you. “The guy must be an idiot”. My defense: 20 years of camping in fiberglass eggshell Bigfoot campers, five months of perusing u-tube videos and the Oliver forums. As any IH8MUD member or Oliver forum member knows, if it passes the John Davies Seal of Aproval, it must be gold. The purpose of this posting, is to apologize in advance for the heavy load I will no doubt become to the Oliver family. I am more intimidated by the technological advances of this camper than some of my gatekeeper crossings. If alarm bells go off the first night, I will retreat with sleeping bag to my Land Cruiser and fall fast asleep in the fetal position. Deal with the educational curve the next day. For the record, I will not blame John if he blocks me. Looking forward to safe camping with both my family and the Oliver family. Steve Corzette

Fishing line - with a "sawing" action slowly (like anyone could really do this sort of stuff fast) move the line down the back of the 3M. Once whatever it is that was stuck with the 3M is off then you can use adhesive remover to get the rest off. Bill

Another Oliver owner taught me this. You're about to merge or change lanes, activate your blinker, assume the attitude that you're not asking for permission but rather you're indicating your intentions, don't try this with anything bigger than you.

tripmushrv - I quickly scanned your through checklist and my eye caught a couple of items you might want to think about: 1 - your reference 3-1 to use the Andersen WDH you really do not have to be "straight". It is easy to reconnect the Andersen as long as you back up at the same angle or orientation as you were when you disconnected. When I'm at a campground that has a gravel or dirt drive area, I simply find a stick and make a mark in the dirt right by both the front and rear tires. That way when it comes time to re-attach all I have to do is put those tires in the same place and the Andersen goes back on just the way it came off. 2 - your reference 5-9 I'd have to look it up but I believe that Oliver reduced the torque value to between 100 and 110 foot pounds. Certainly is a through list - nice work! Bill

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I have been updating my checklist as I learn more. Attached is the newest version. Again, if you see any issues, please let me know. And if you are interested in it, just move on to the next post. Thanks! Check List (for everything!) - April 2023.docx

Just let the pups hang out the window and with those eyes they will melt the heart of even the nastiest driver - no problem.🤩 Bill

Me too! My worst anxiety inducing situation is merging onto busy interstates. "Please let me in, please let me in, please ..." is my prayer. Chris (not Duke)

We found a good deal with good sams, 15 years ago, and have used them ever since. We get credit for layup , once a year, which is nice. Check a few. We got a good deal for our boats, with progressive, this year.

Beer fridge it will go! LOL

Campground Reservations FYI for anyone planning to head to Canada. Canada National Parks is updating their reservation system. If you have ever had an account with them you will need to set up a new account starting March 3rd. The good news is for this year it is not too late to make reservations. The system is doing a staggered roll out. Reservations for this year open at different times based upon Provence and Park. For example Jasper National Park opens March 16th and Banff National Park March 23rd. Leave it to the Canadians to do it in a civilized fashion. Instead of midnight, the reservations open at 8 AM in the time zone of the park.

5 years ago I did the same thing with 3M VHB Heavy Duty Mounting tape (Amazon.com). I very carefully leveled the dispenser over the kitchen counter area with my six inch level and it has been in place faithfully after many miles. That was my first effort not to use screws and mounting an item in Ollie. About a year later, I was sitting at the dinette and noticed that the dispenser was tilted. First thought was "Drats that VHB tape is slipping". Tried to push it back "level" again. Nope. That tape is tenaciously adhered. Problem is that when I installed the dispenser, Ollie was not level. DUHHHHHH... (Picture Homer Simpson with Ice Cream Cone on forehead.) RECOMMENDATION: Don't use very much of that tape. Really! One little strip is all you need for your kitchen paper towel or magnetic cooking utensil or knife holder. QUESTION: Anybody have any thoughts how to remove a VERY WELL adhered dispenser without creating a giant divot in the inner hull? GJ

Sadly we had already returned home in NC when I saw this. We have done the Marsh Walk but not the Riverwalk. We love Myrtle Beach, so odds are we'll get another chance. Thanks for the suggestions!

I have seen the Alabama fan at the rally, but I can’t put a name to the trailer either. Maybe the mystery will be solved next month. Mossey

Steve, I am glad to hear you are safe and happy with the new camper. I have been “ghosting” you for months. Your commentary has been very helpful in my option decisions. I had similar considerations of the Kimberley line years ago. We came to the same conclusion. Stay safe and happy travels. Steve

You should call your sales rep, I think your number should be available by now. Your delivery is on my birthday so I’m sure it will be a good day! I haven’t heard of any recent supply chain delays, you should be on time. We have friends in Steamboat Springs, we’re usually there in July when our grandson (in Durango) goes to the hockey camp there. Nice town! Mike

Have you used it yet? We have. Many times. We use it for port, vent, window, and hatch bedding. It's pretty awesome stuff. Keep it in the fridge til you're ready to use. Lasts a long time, ( maybe forever?) in the garage fridge. We "seal" the outside edges a day after cleanup with a plastic knife and mineral spirits, with a good caulk, to eliminate any uv degradation, and help with dirt collection. Butyl has been around a long time. Modern butyl is modified so it doesn't "ooze" like the old days in heat. Don't skimp. Don't stretch it. It's flexible for curves, so ideal for hatches and vents, etc. It looks old school, because it pretty much is, but also tried and true. Dicor is a trusted brand.

Sea Captains was very good. FWIW, I add my endorsement.

Just joined. We like to camp in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. We own an Oliver Elite 2017. Anyone in Tennessee here? TTYL

Congratulations and welcome to the family, Great group of people here. Safe travels.

Welcome to the Oliver family and the forum. We are happy to help with any questions you may have! Patriot🇺🇸

Well, I put the new CO detector in, and for being the much less expensive color, it totally matches my #110 setup; maybe even better than the white one.

Dicor is not a "bad" brand. Have you asked Oliver Service what they use? If you talk "sweet" enough - perhaps they would send you enough to do the door? Bill

At first when I read your response, I was sad face due to bike damage and trip interruptions. Then I was happy face when it was close to home and no damage to others property or person. What many of us, my self included, lacking was a full understanding how ROUGH the trailer contents inside the trailer in the attic or even on the bed at the aft of Ollie is while traveling. My eye opener came when I put my paraglider on the bed at back. I somehow bounced it off there and onto the floor. And it had been fully wedged in. When I place it at the front end of the bed, it travels quite nicely. Further back past the spare tire is true war zone as far as damage to things and stresses forced upon the cargo, tire or bikes back there. Owners contemplating putting anything back there should take a look at the massive amount of metal that keeps the spare tire in place. That was not designed by accident. Our spare tire weighs about the same as an E-bike. But with two and several feet of lever arm.... Let's just say that it would not have a chance on a trip to Alaska or for that matter just about anywhere off road. For grins I Googled Travel Trailer Bike rack Fails and a few others below. From RV Net Forum: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27780211/print/true.cfm Some interesting fails. That said, I found one solutions that as an engineer I really liked, but for sure would add a couple of gas shocks to take the load off when loading/unloading: GJ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ And to round this out with a video for the youngsters try this one: GJ

That’s a good idea. It does have to be thin like this so it might work. Thank you

I am not an engineer, but your comments make perfect sense and it would seem that it's not a good idea. We had a bike rack fail. Lucky for us it was 1/4 mile from home after a 4000+ mile trip. We were going slow so no damage to cars behind us. I want an over engineered rack and want to error on the side of caution. John

We're heading up to Alaska this summer - 2023. Here's the map of our route. I see Costco's in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Prince George BC. Any tips on Diesel along the routes we show below? Craig - Hull 505

Just discovered a couple that are new Oliver owners that just switched from Airstream. And they have a Youtube channel they will documenting/sharing their Olliey adventures through. Of course this just adds to our anticipation after watching. Don't know if they are on the forum but felt it would be nice to share their story here.

Thanks, I'll try that. We'll try that as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

I will admit I’m the worst passenger when we are towing! Even though it’s been a few years that we’ve had a camper (still newbies) I’m never relaxed on travel day until we reach our destination. I think I say SLOW DOWN a million times to my husband every trip even though he’s not speeding (I do this even when we aren’t towing..lol) I worry more about the crazy drivers around us then us towing the camper. However, the Oliver tows beautifully even when trucks pass us by.

I've only been towing an Ollie for 5 years so more experienced owners may want to chime in, but in my opinion the answer seems to be "it depends". I'll explain... The Oliver is a smooth, nicely rounded trailer and is *generally* very well behaved on the highway... *assuming* a bunch of things like: properly sized & inflated tires, no excessive speeds, properly sized and equipped tow vehicle, load-leveling Anderson hitch (if indicated by your tow vehicle/trailer combination), neither trailer or tow vehicle are overloaded or excessively top-heavy, etc. That said, heavy traffic, bad weather, rough or slippery road conditions or cross-winds require more caution. Heavy cross-winds or extremely gusty winds can be dangerous on their own, and even more so if a large truck passing from either direction either adds to the "gust velocity" that the tow vehicle or trailer are exposed to, or temporarily shields you from the gusty winds and then you become rapidly "exposed" again after they pass. Slow down, stay focused on your surroundings and maintain a good grip on the wheel. If it gets too bad, find a safe spot to pull over until its safe to continue.

Requested pictures with gear. I may take John's idea about a cargo net for travel day.

Your closet upgrade is fantastic! I'm thinking it's begging for a nice secure wine rack! Ha! Heck -- a few bungie cords over the top of the bottles... Might work?

I agree and it is all good advice. I spent hours and hours on this forum agonizing over whether my tow vehicle could tow the LE II safely. In the end, the many wise and experienced members of this forum convinced me that I could do so while staying within all limits as specified in my owners manual and placard on the door pillar. The wise advice of J.D. actually gave me the confidence to pull the trigger and I am grateful. I have been frowned upon in this forum more than once for my choice of tow vehicle but nobody on the forum has ever accused me of being a terrible danger to my family and everyone else on the road. Should the mystery owners of the subject Kia ever identify themselves, I suspect this is what they might say….. "Our very low mileage KIA (with tow package) is rated to tow 5,500 lbs with the Anderson hitch and 550 lbs tongue weight. It has a cargo capacity of 1,325 lbs. We spent a lot of time on this forum and paid particularly close attention to J.D.'s posts about towing with his Land Cruiser 200. We noted that the wheelbase on the KIA is a few inches longer, and the front and rear track width are the same but the KIA has a lower center of gravity and the distance between the rear axle and the receiver is shorter on the Kia than the Land Cruiser. Our tow package came with auto leveling rear shocks that allow us to always tow flat which increases safety without affecting rear suspension performance the way aftermarket air bags can. We then noted that J. D. successfully travels with a tongue weight under 500 lbs and thought that if we followed all the guidance on the forum, we wouldn't be putting ourselves and others on the road in danger. We are empty nesters with a small 20 lb dog. The combined weight of my wife and I and the dog is 325 lbs, our hitch weight typically 520 lbs (with half full fresh water tank), and the Oliver loaded with provisions is 5300 lbs and we carry less than 200 lbs of cargo in the car. So total actual payload is typically 300 lbs below the limit and gross trailer weight is 200 lbs below limit. Engine performance is definitely marginal on long grades but we have no trouble maintaining over 50 MPH climbing over the Siskyou pass on a hot day. We bought and use a tongue scale and occasionally weigh on commercial Cat scales to make sure we don't get careless or complacent. We have thoroughly enjoyed our Oliver in the brief time we have owned it, and had no idea what a danger we have been to others on the road. Now we are confused. Where did we go wrong?"

At least it didn't have this problem............🙄

I'm sure that some of you already know, but, Airstream did (at one time) make fiberglass (laminated) campers. These pictures are of a 1992 model that is currently owned by a couple that are interested in moving up to an Oliver. Interestingly, while this Airstream has laminated fiberglass sides, the roof is aluminum. Bill

So after reading other peoples post I decided to see if I was accurate on what I had said. My wife accuses me of being a fisherman and exaggerating so I pulled my travel logs out and she was right once again. But I wasn't that far off. On the way down it was all flat highway driving straight through from MA to TN non stop. Stopping only to stretch legs use the bathrooms and get Fuel. We stopped 2 times for fuel and averaged 28.2 gallons on the way down. On the way back with the trailer we stopped for Fuel 6 times and averaged 18.86 MPG but it was also a lot of twisty mountain roads and a lot of stop and go traffic through NY city. So all and all the mileage was pretty good. Bill

I actually averaged 99 MPG pulling Ollie!- -Drum roll Drum roll Drum roll Drum roll Oh, did I mention I was going down the TFL Ike Gauntlet in Colorado! :GJ .

I have respect for the elegant and creative solutions on these mods. I have given my voice on prior mods to the trailer bumper rack system. I spent 20 years as an executive and partner at Yakima Racks and can speak from experience. There is a good reason for the factory set weight limit. The length of the back half of the fulcrum (trailer axles to the trailer bumper) is many times greater than from the axles of any TV to its bumper. Not to mention the forward distance from trailer axles to the bulldog hitch. Consider these distances and the vertical distance the bulldog hitch instantly travels up and down when your rig encounters dips, rises, steep driveways and potholes. The results of these encounters are nothing less than absolute violence at the trailer bumper. The forces applied at the trailer bumper are magnitudes greater than almost all receiver hitch systems are designed to withstand. Of the many receiver hitch mounted bike systems Yakima produces, only one is approved to withstand the extreme forces of being mounted to an RV bumper. I cannot judge your mods and if they will withstand the test of time. The test of time being constant vibration, sudden jolts, and that once in the life compression or frost heave that rocks your rig like never before. The scope of actual experience of trailer bumper systems within Oliver users is very small as there are 1,200 +/- trailers on the road compared to the well more than a million Yakima systems on the road. I can only advise to operate with an abundance of caution when modifying your bumper system and or exceeding the factory load limit.

Nice work! However it would have been an ideal time to install this! This is one of my top (5) favorite mods that I am really glad I did. You will see there are no screws used to secure the frame on the new model Ollies just a small clip to insert. Also the newer frames come with the sealant already attached to the frame. A thanks to @topgun2 for suggesting this mod!

Well, got around to installing the DMX-1 Step underlayment and very happy with the results. Lays flat right from the roll and was easy to cut and fit. About $30 worth of materials and (I think) it will perform better than Hypervent. Time will tell..

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.

Our current checklist: RV Quick Checklist 1 tires checked 2 Rearview camera on 3 Bathroom drain closed (in) 4 Shower curtain secured 5 Bathroom cabinet shut 6 Bathroom window closed 7 Bathroom vent closed 8 bathroom items secured 9 bathroom door closed 10 Check ladder secure points 11 Awning switches off 12 Awning remote stored 13 Microwave tray secure 14 fan in fridge 15 fridge doors locked 16 fridge on 12v 17 Sink cover stored 18 Stove off 19 cooktop cover closed 20 pots/pans/dishes 21 furnace/AC off 22 Marine fan stowed 23 roof vent closed/fan off 24 Remotes stored 25 TVs secured 26 antenna booster off 27 AC alarm off 28 Gas water heater off 29 water pump off 30 Xantrex setting #28 to 5 (storage) or 25 (camping) or 15 (generator) 31 weather radio off 32 thermometer stored 33 doors/drawers/windows closed 34 blinds closed 35 Cabin lights off 36 LP gas off 37 Electric water heater off/on 38 sewer hose secured 39 Install repeater 40 tire covers off 41 leveling jacks up 42 water/elec./TV/sewer d/c 43 Close tailgate 44 bikes secured 45 Wheel step removed 46 Ball hitch pinned and locked 47 parking brake set 48 Chains on 49 breakaway cable 50 Tongue jack up 51 vehicle lights checked 52 wheel chocks out 53 Linx levelers stored 54 door mat stored 55 doors/compartments locked 56 steps retracted 57 trailer brakes checked 58 trailer transponder in 59 radiator clear 60 washer fluid checked 61 ATF checked 62 brake fluid checked 63 coolant checked

Thanks for all the input, I get the picture lol FYI, I’m attaching pics of the rack I purchased, it’s the MARVOWARE bike rack from Amazon…..Great rack, very solid etc, just needs a 2” receiver……I have it attached with a 1.25” to 2” receiver adapter and it sticks out too far plus, I would never haul the bikes with this set up!!!……the pics are for Information only and the adapter will NOT be used. The reason for my post, I needed to see what others have done! Lol I hear the term punch out the existing 1.25” Oliver receiver and turn it into a 2” receiver!!! How and/or who has done this and how do you punch out the 1.25” to make it into a 2” receiver!? I should have read about this before purchasing the MARVOWARE rack and went with a USA 1up….too late! Lol 🤷🏼‍♂️Thanks for any additional info on the punch out of the 1.25” Oliver existing receiver?

Meow, meow. Meow meow meow. Purrrrrrr. 😽

Camp pillows that tickled my funny bone...