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I wanted to improve the sound quality in our trailer so I bought a couple of JBL Charge 5 speakers after reading lots of reviews. The speakers are small and both will easily fit in any of the overhead compartments. I bought these so that we could use them while camping but I can also use them while working on projects in my garage and around our home both inside and out. About 2 minutes to pair them to my phone and they were up and running. We enjoy listening to music considerably more than watching TV while camping...at a reasonable volume level of course 🙂 The sound quality is really quite impressive and the volume at the 50% setting is more than ample. Reasonably priced IMHO to boot. https://www.crutchfield.com/p_109CHRGE5G/JBL-Charge-5-Grey.html?tp=63331

I have a couple of the JBL Charge 3's for awhile now and love them. Great sound, you can link up an unlimited amount of them, and they can also be used as a battery bank to charge phones and other devices.

Our "real world" test was a success. After resetting the LBCO to 11.5V, as authorized by Jason Essary, we had no inverter shutdowns when boondocking (without shore power, of course) over the weekend. We used the Truma AC, a small 120V vacuum cleaner, a hairdryer and the microwave (one at a time, of course), at various SOC levels, with no inverter shutdowns. I learned from Jason Essary that the origin of the problem may be traceable to a new bus bar that Oliver began installing in late 2022, and then 2023 models, with the Truma AC. Apparently, the new bus bar reduces the DC voltage sensed by the inverter by enough to trigger a Low Battery Voltage Cutoff (LBCO) if the default setting of 12.0V is not lowered. In our case, resetting the LBCO to 11.5V eliminated the annoying inverter shutdowns. Jason advised that Lilthionics has approved the adjustment to an 11.5V LBCO for those with the new bus bar. I chalk this up to "growing pains" incorporating the new Truma components into the Oliver electrical system. To his credit, Jason Essary kept conducting tests, and working the problem, until he found the solution. So, contrary to the suggestion in the initial post in this thread, the solution to inverter LBCO shutdowns is NOT a hard reboot, but simply resetting the LBCO to 11.5V. I cannot explain why both the first and second hard reboot produced short-term results. Maybe one of you electric engineers can tackle that question. But for now, the LBCO reset appears to be working. Hope this helps anyone else with a late 2022 or 2023 model that is experiencing LBCO inverter shutdowns.

This should be considered a "work-around" rather than a "fix" and Oliver should come up with a permanent solution, which I'm sure they will. In my particular case, running a 1.5kW load, the voltage indicated by the Xantrex display was .5V lower than what was measured at that battery. This doesn't seem like much but it does cause a premature and unnecessary shutdown of the Xantrex, as many have experienced, since the Xantrex interprets the battery voltage being much lower than it actually is. Changing the LBCO to a lower value to compensate works however it doesn't change the fact that there is still a .5V drop across the wiring and associated circuit breaker. That doesn't sound like a big deal but what it equates to, in my case, is that running a 1.5kW load results in 60W ( conservatively ) being dissipated by the wiring on the DC input side of the Xantrex. That's power that's not being applied to the load and results in unnecessary heating of the wiring (although small). Ideally there would be no voltage drop between the battery and the Xantrex, in reality there will be some, nothings perfect, but .5V is excessive. Having said all that the "work-around" will work, as I've been using that method for a while with good results, and my heavy electrical loads are usually temporary.

Thanks for all your articles and advice. Always bringing up questions we all think but do not ask and then providing some answers to make us all think.. Enjoy your new adventures!

Well, that's another "potential " problem, not one anyone is likely to face with quality lifepo4 batteries, but it could happen. Fighting a lifepo4 fire is different from a traditional fire, from what I have read. Not unique to Olivers. Many manufacturers now offer a lithium upgrade. And, many owners have done their own upgrade, hopefully to a reliable source. Someday, near in the future, we'll likely see a requirement for a lithium hazard symbol. Everywhere. For now, my home is powered by solar and lithium, and one car. Tesla markings on the outside of our home, at the transfer switch, should help firefighters, hopefully, if ever needed.

We use the cube style boxes from kleenex expressions tissues for our grocery bags. They get stored in the upper cabinets at the back curved section of the roof line. I start the summer with three full ones and add used ones every shopping visit. GJ

I just requested info from Jason on the springs, and he confirmed the 9150014-02, 1750 lb (each) 25.25 length. I've not used this vendor, but found these online. http://www.dexterpartsonline.com/product/9150014-02

We've been bringing this stuff along ever since our trip from NM to Key West in 2018. We were staying a few nights in Grassy Key and the flying/biting bugs were awful - they gravitate toward me more than D, so I was already enjoying a couple weeks-worth of lumps. HA! Bought a couple cheapo box fans from WalMart and set them up on our "patio" to sit in front of... A local couple came by and said they liked our fan arrangement but to get some "Bug Soother" - so we did. For us it works great and we've got at least a couple spray bottles living in the bathroom overhead storage. D buys it by the gallon from Amazon... Haven't tried it in Alaska yet, seems like the go-to stuff up there is a high percentage DEET spray! Ugh...

The black flush line enters the trailer, makes a 90 degree turn and enters the side of the black tank. All of this is accessible from the rear dinette seat. I had to replace my backflow valve and it is mounted on the flush line just where it enters the tank. The only picture I can find right now is where the flush line enters the black tank. This is looking from above, the side of the trailer is at top, the side of the black tank on the right. We have a 7+ year old trailer, I don’t know if they’ve made any changes here.

It was quite painful to sell, but this was the correct move at this stage in my life. For privacy I won’t say who bought it, but he is a member and if he wants to announce it, that will be on his dime. I emptied out the RV bay for the first time in six years, washed the floor using a push broom and Dawn detergent, and lots of water, and moved my LC200 over to that spot. I now have a vast area to park a vehicle or do workshop type projects, and my wife now has a big corner dedicated to gardening, with two big workbenches, power, light and pegboard. A happy wife is a happy me… Plus I have even more room for my indoor 10 meter airgun range. We will continue to travel and explore the back country at times, but we will stay primarily in motels or B&Bs. But if we encounter a splendid isolated pull-off overlooking a great vista, we can pop the Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon and rough it for a few nights. It takes about a minute to crank up, and three minutes to put back down. It is pretty darn crude compared to an Ollie, but it is a simply stunning tent. I was really afraid that there would be a big mpg hit from the tent, like with the Yakima RocketBox Carbonite Low, but I was delighted to discover that I got 16 mpgs going to the dealer with bare round bars, and 17 coming back, and no noise at all at 72 mph. That is good mileage for a Land Cruiser with LT tires, they are gas hogs. It’s way better than the 10-12 I got towing “Mouse” at 62 mph. I may install wimpy Geolander AT G015 tires after our next big trip, they will save 52 (!) pounds of rotating mass and I expect to gain another couple of mpgs. They are great “tweener” tires for an Outback, RAV4 or LC200 that isn’t doing lots of rocky stuff. I have had two sets already on other vehicles and I am impressed. We plan to attend the Total Solar Eclipse rally in Fredericksburg next April, but we will be forced to sleep in the ground due to stupid CG rules. If anyone wants a dirt cheap big heavy Eureka! tent and fly in fine condition, come by and talk to me on Tuesday morning after the crowds have departed. After the eclipse, we will head home via the Utah parks and hopefully spend a few nights on the delightful White Rim Road in Canyonlands NP. I will continue to hang out here on the forum, but my posting will be dramatically reduced. The members here feel very much like family, I can’t just go away. John Davies Spokane WA

The leaf springs are the same all around the trailer, side to side and front to back. The 4LF means four leaf ( four leaves on the leaf spring pack). There are other leaf spring packs with less leaves and some with more. The correct ones for the 3,500 pound axles have 4 leaves (1,750 pounds capacity per leaf spring pack x 2 per axle.

I respect your opinion on this. If the fire is in the Battery Box, inside is logical. So long as every occupant of the trailer knows where it is. On the other hand some believe that if there is a fire situtation, get all occupants out NOW and away from the trailer. Then once the family and pets are safe, kill the power source at the batteries or some other outside accessible location. Looking for a master switch hidden under the beds or in a closet somewhere is not time efficient. However fire fighters will go to the battery box and either cut the 4/0 cable or use the red master switch. That likely will be their first action once finding the buring trailer. Regardless, your comment begs having clearly visable signage that "Emergency Battery Switch Here" would be advisable for all locations where the switch is located. Personally I show my guests our 350 amp rated Blue Seas master switch as part of our trailer tour. GJ

Looked at the dexter stock number and it has a "LF" in it. For our LE2 are eachof the 8 springs exactly alike or does the LF indicate a left front spring and that we need to order our a LR, RF and RR? Just want to know for my cheat sheet. GJ

I got a message from them last week. They are back in ND but are still trying to get the correct springs.

Tom, a 0.5 volt drop is indeed excessive and indicates a mechanical problem. Loose or corroded terminal, bad crimp, internal fault… you should fix it and not dismiss it. This is how fires start. John Davies Spokane WA

@MAX Burner We bought the (5) sided clam. It fit perfectly length wise in the short bed Tundra Crewmax we previously owned. We found it more than adequate for two people and a small table. We also purchased the window covers to block out the sun. Clams are great in the fall, but can get a pretty steamy in the dog days of summer. Back to the magic carpet posts! 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

We’ve had two C-Gear Original Sand-Free Mats since 2017 (10x10) and 2019 (8x11) in orange/teal. The square one fits perfectly in our six-sided CLAM enclosure. They worked great in the teardrop, where it is too east to transfer dirt and grass inside. Now they’re perfect for the Oliver. They dry fast, fold relatively small, and work as advertised. They do tend to gum up with clay mud, but a good hosing off at home easily cleans them. I don’t know if it is still the case, as I don’t see it on their web site, but both of ours were made in the USA. The company started out making landing mats for military helicopters is sandy locations.

We used to roll out a huge PVC mat I think it was like 8x10😳. Wrestling and cleaning this large mat became more trouble than we were interested in dealing with. So we opted to go a with a much smaller 4x6 PVC mat and lay a rubber mat that actually drains water through the bottom. The porous heavier rubber mat lays on top which keeps the pvc mat in place should a breeze kick up. I picked up two of the small PVC mats at Wally World for $20 a piece on an end cap. One as a back up should we need to replace the old one. The new smaller mat works perfect, has held up great and is super easy to manage and clean (hose off) and take up very little room in the bed of the Beast. My attempt to make set up and break down of camp a little more user friendly. The huge PVC mat goes in the donation stack. Small door mats matter!!! 😂 Patriot🇺🇸

I'm all about overkill, but a combination of two surge protectors (Surge/Only Portable at the pedestal and a Surge/EMS inside of your RV) will not interfere with each other, and will basically double your Joules of surge and spike voltage protection. And the inexpensive (under $100) portable Surge/Only protector on the pedestal becomes the sacrificial element that can be destroyed by a really big lightning hit in the area, or stolen by a thief looking to liberate you from your more expensive Surge/EMS protector.

Yes - it is the Lower Sunshine Reservoir. The Lower is easier to get in and out of as compared to the Upper and it is less crowded. No ticks - ever. Yes, I normally leave the Meeteetse area and then head up to Cody. Laundry and re-stocking are my basic activities in Cody since I've done just about all of the tourist stuff in years passed. Bill Lower Sunshine Reservoir GPS - N44.093283 W 108.991420. Also note that there is an RV dump located in Meeteetse at GPS N 44.157200 W108.873819 And, there is a pit toilet right at the water by the boat ramp just outside the upper right side of the picture above.

Thanks to everyone!! Yes, I plan on using the Watchdog EMS right at the Hookups and connect the 30 amp power cord to that for added protection.... I have seen where doing that was recommended Please let me know if that is overkill!! I am definitely moving up to a larger truck, I was hoping the chevy 1500 would work for now while I am still working. We will be weekend camping mostly until then.

By the way....truck pricing is nuts right now!!!!

I have been following the discussion on this topic and just want to restate that with a mod done to the furnace duct system and zero changes to the water piping and adding no extra insulation I have tested in sub zero temperatures for two and half days with water system not winterized and experience no adverse affects. I have read about many different mods to accomplish the goals of a four season camper and the troubles to hit that goal. I will admit that I have not had the opportunity to do further testing such as how it would do traveling with the furnace on, or if parked and experiencing very windy conditions. I think the initial test show very promising results and the mods to the duct system were not that difficult to do. I know this is relying on the heating system functioning but even a house up in Minnesota relies on the furnace working to avoid plumbing freeze ups. I did my mods not so much to camp in the winter but to have a bench mark of what it could withstand if I got caught in a cold snap while out camping. Here is a link to a how to for anybody that is trying to get the Oliver ready for winter camping. Here are some temperatures in different locations in the camper during testing.

My wife and I purchased our 2020 E2 based, to a certain degree, on our enthusiasm for cold weather adventuring. We took a number of trips over the 21/22 winter season to check out limits and capacities. All were trips between 3 and 7 days, in northern New England with night time temps in the range of roughly 30-0 degrees Fahrenheit. We would note nightly exterior temps, kept the overnight cabin interior set to 60 and rotated 3 digital temp sensors around what we found to be the most vulnerable areas to cold we found (and could get to) between the shells that housed water lines and tanks: 1) under front dinette seat, under street side bed by the exterior shower, 2) the pex lines to exterior shower passing through the faux wall at very rear of basement and 3) the battery box. We could not get to but are curious about the cabinet housing containing the bathroom sink. Playing it safe, we kept the trailer winterized for the entire time relying on containerized water and our composting toilet. All of our sites were boondocky, with no shore power hookups so we relied entirely on the LP furnace and solar/lithiums. We found that the stock trailer could manage to keep all the areas listed from dipping below freezing down to 25 (exterior temp). The lines behind the faux wall and exterior shower would hover in the low 30s at that temp. We realized those pex lines will, realistically speaking, need to be always kept winterized by adding cut offs as heating the basement area would be an inefficient waster of LP. Side note that we asked Jason if that could be done during our build and he informed us that the shop could not find anywhere with enough space to add them. We're open to suggestions. A simple set of tweaks including adding two layers of Reflectix to cover the interior of both the basement and battery compartment doors got us down to 20 with similar results. Next project was more involved. The temperature difference between the areas under and wall along side the curbside bed versus the street side bed was resulting in heavy condensation on the streetside wall and window which would soak that bed. We also found that the battery compartment was dropping down into the 30s at exterior temps in the high teens. While there is a matte heater pad below the batteries, it seemed to us that the compartment was too cold to reflect the lithiums themselves being warm enough to run efficiently and we noticed anecdotally an increased need for more charging assist - be it solar or generator. Could haver been the drain of the heat pad or the lithiums running less efficiently in the cold (as validated by the manufacturer) but which one did not matter. We felt adding heat to the box would be of benefit. Our fix was to re-route some heating vent. We capped the rearward 4" vent and re-ran that line through the gap behind the water tank from the furnace to the street side, past the inverter, under the battery box to a new vent we placed as a mirror image to the existing one below the drawers in the galley. One vent grate is pointed fore and the other aft. Here we used semi rigid vent tube specifically because it sheds so much heat, allowing the areas it runs through to warm. Where the tube ran past electronics, we would shield the hot tube in a layer of reflectix. Measuring with an infrared thermometer, the reflextix surface was cooler than the surface of the OEM flexi vent tubing and quite cool to the touch. The heat exiting the new vent would run about 10 degrees warmer than the one on the other side of the isle even though it is a further distance from the source. We expected an increase in output from the vent in the bathroom but did not notice much of a change. As the bathroom is a bit of a "dead end" with air being forced in but nowhere for it to exit, we added a 4" eyebrow vent at the floor level below the towel rack to allow for circulation and share some heat passively with another problem cold area - under the front dinette seat. While there are no pex lines run there, there are drain pipes and tanks and it would otherwise fall to freezing if outside temps were in the teens. Not very scientific but the furnace did not sound like it was under further strain or seem to run more frequently given similar temps. Our rate of LP consumption is roughly the same now as it was before alterations which, in single degree night time temps, consumes a 30lb tank in just over 2 days. Not very good. To increase efficiency, we cut two layers of "double bubble"reflectix and taped the edges with silver foil vent tape - as suggested in a previous post. They fit tightly inside all windows and are held in place by closing the shade. Bought a camco 14" soft material vent cover which bunjied over the Maxair (when not cooking) and cut a piece of 2" open cell foam to fit the window in the door. Covered it with a layer of reflectix and taped the edges. This is held firmly in place by the screen door. As all including the fan cover have refectix sides facing inward, the add ons look good enough - not jury rigged. Our takeaway is that these tweaks have bought us 20 degrees of leeway so we have squeaked by to zero. The batteries box is running much warmer but the other areas are more iffy. There is less condensation around the streetside bed but the exterior shower, for it's entire run, will need to be somehow shut off and winterizede or will be subject to freezing. Someone had suggested cutting a block of memory foam to put in the box with the exterior shower nozzle and knobs which may work but would not help with the tubing behind the faux wall. As to factory options that would have really helped: The exterior shower really needs cut offs or could have had it's lines run through a heated area of the belly and it would be super helpful to insulate the basement walls, basement door and shower door. The walls of the trailer REALLY transmit a lot of cold into the interior. A layer of spray on insulation foam would have gone a long way to help with that. I am also eyeballing the sealed belly and thinking a layer of sprayed on insulation could really help there as well. Am going to contact an HVAC place to get some feedback on options there. Also looking for doable suggestions. We love our Oliver and appreciate the incredible quality of the build. We also realize that there are very few folks looking to use theirs in frigid conditions. We're hoping that those of you that do, pipe in with further feedback and refinement to increase both capacity and efficiency in these sort of conditions.

I have had a few questions regarding 4-Season camping with the Oliver and wanted to make a post so it would be available for everyone. What is 4-Season camping? It simply means that the Oliver is capable of being used through all 4-seasons. It does not mean that it will necessarily have no freeze issues in certain areas during certain climates. This is no different than a house. Here in Tennessee we recently saw sub-zero temperatures and many people had their water lines freeze and burst causing lots of damage. Does that mean that their house is not capable of being used during the winter? No, it simply means that in certain temperatures you may need to make arrangements to combat the temperature. In the past I have had my water lines freeze that were located on an exterior wall of my house so this time when they said we would see sub-zero temperatures I placed a space heater on that wall area to help keep it warmer and the next morning I had no freeze damage. Below is an average winter temperature for the United States however this is just an average and when temperatures go below the average especially when going into the low single digits or below zero, whether in a camper or a house you may have to perform steps to ensure freeze damage does not occur.

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

"I'm guessing that you didn't have much (as in none) of a problem with bugs - mosquitos have always been a big problem for me in that area 😬." Easy to spot the mosquitoes at that time of the year with their parkas on. They fly slower too. Great time to camp. 😂

No problems with bugs at these temps. Last year, during the early October bow season, my two sons hunted and tent camped the same area. Again, no bugs but when they returned to their tent following a day of hunting, the tent had been torn down by a bear. Needles to say, their hunt was cut short as they quickly packed up and skedaddled back to their truck. They were much more comfortable this year, camping with me in our new Oliver...my days of tent camping, during any season, are over now that we have the Oliver!

I think most of us are very conservative about exposing our plumbing to cold temperatures. Personally, I'd be at DEFCON 2 if I saw 33 degrees near a water line. However, hitting 32 isn't necessarily going to mean damage. The compartment might be 32 but the water in the lines is still 35. The water may have room to expand by draining into a tank. PEX plumbing is more tolerant of freezing than PVC. I imagine there's some wiggle room. What I'd really like to know is, has anyone experienced plumbing damage in their Ollie from freezing, what was damaged, and under what conditions did it happen? In other words, what are the real world limits to what our Ollies can take? Not that I'd want to go there...

This is really great stuff. Its one thing to deal with night time temps dropping into the 20s when day time temps recover well above freezing. Its a whole different ball of wax when those day time temps stay in the 30s or below.. Its interesting reading about how you folks are managing those conditions.

Hull 806..LE2.....a repost of our low temp camping experience. I have no problem considering the Ollie a 4 season trailer but I know I have to monitor the temps and always have to have a back up plan (or three) if "oops" happens (bold below). >>>>>>>>>>>>> We camped in Wyoming with lows around 15 degrees for a week, not winterized, with no problem. Altitude was about 7,000 feet. I have three SensorPush HT1 Wireless Thermometers to monitor the temps. Sensor # 1 was located in the cabin attached to the rear most driver side reading light. Sensor # 2 was located between hulls under the passenger side bed near the tail lights & water lines. Sensor # 3 was located between hulls under the driver side bed next to the shower outlet. On the outside of Ollie, I removed the shower head and pulled the water line inside the hull and reconnected the shower head. I set the furnace to mid/upper 50's and monitored all three temps....adjusting as desired. The driver side had the largest variance to the cabin temperature.....about 15 degrees. I have two 30 lb propane tanks. We were boondocking. After 5 or 6 days with ice/snow cloud cover....the batteries got down to about 50% SOC. At that point, I used the generator to recharge....not risking the furnace fan operation. We consumed one tank of propane and promptly got it refilled. (This was a portion of a five week western trip..we had been running the refrig on propane so we did not consume the whole tank in this one week). I also carried a Caframo heater and anti-freeze/pump ..... just in case. We operated the water system/hot water heater as normal. We did have to deal with condensation. (((BTW...I have move one of the sensors to inside of the refrigerator. We adjust the temp setting according to the readings. Early on in our experience we were having veggies and eggs freeze because we did not monitor and adjust....now, not an issue.))) Steve

Your primary hazard when using the furnace is indeed CO poisoning (from a stress crack in the combustion chamber, which is impossible to predict). You are putting a lot of faith in the two Oliver installed “yes/ no” CO detectors. The one under the galley isn’t going to be helpful, CO is lighter than air. The combo smoke/ CO unit below the attic is good, if it works. I recommend this digital CO detector as a failsafe, it will show you trends, for example, the current level (should be very close to zero, but up to 50 is acceptable in the short term) and the highest reading since last reset. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6780-how-to-replace-the-propane-co-detector-with-a-gas-only-one-and-a-digital-co-detector/ I have three of these, one in the trailer up high, one in the RV bay, one inside the house (because I have gas appliances and heating). The Rv bay unit shows elevated levels briefly when I have run a car in the attached garage, it has never actually got to an alarm level. Those who camp in milder weather should crack a rear window and open the bath vent half way and not stress too much. If you are running electric heat, there is no worry at all about carbon monoxide death…. Which I understand is quite nasty, but OTH it is quite hard on your family and friends. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include: Breathing problems, including no breathing, shortness of breath, or rapid breathing Chest pain (may occur suddenly in people with angina) Coma Confusion Convulsions Dizziness Drowsiness Fainting Fatigue General weakness and achiness Headache Hyperactivity Impaired judgment Irritability Low blood pressure Muscle weakness Rapid or abnormal heartbeat Shock Nausea and vomiting Unconsciousness John Davies Spokane WA

For the sake of efficiency, we sleep with everything buttoned up. If you run your hands past the edges of window sliders, past the seam between panels on the bathroom window, around the edges of the door, etc... there are plenty of minor leakage points. We feel these minor porosity is healthy and would prevent mold much the same with a modern house. During the days we run the Maxair when cooking and, as necessary, pull the reflectix inserts in the windows to allow the heat "cook away" moisture buldup per condensation on on the glass. We also carry a small mountain of micro fiber hand cloths to wipe away moisture from the glass, bathroom and galley. Super absorbant and easy to clean. Our safety backups is the monitor/alarm to warn of of C02 buildup. The smoke alarm has gone off while cooking items that really produce smoke but the alarms have not gone off otherwise.

Thanks for the very informative post. It is particularly useful to know that the "stock" trailer will protect the water systems from freezing down to 25 F, and that you burned about 15 lbs. (3+ gallons) of propane per day when nighttime lows were in single digits. Please forgive me if this is a dumb question. But, if you kept all water systems winterized the entire time, using only containerized water and your composting toilet, what would it matter if the external shower was exposed to freezing temps? The winterizing process should have filled all of your Pex lines with RV antifreeze. What am I missing?

Fully charged batteries. Full propane tanks. Good blankets. A small air compressor, and a couple jugs of rv pink stuff antifreeze, just in case. An escape plan if the campground road isn't typically plowed. (Some roads aren't. I'd check.)

@MarkV and I just returned home from one of our first trips in Olivia (hull #953), this one 10 nights of boondocking/dry camping in the Pike National Forest at around 7500 feet. TLDR: we had an absolutely spectacular time camping and mountain biking with a pile of our friends. Olivia's systems performed nearly flawlessly, and we could have stayed off-grid for at least 10 more days. Some notables from this trip: 1. SOLAR/BATTERY: We have the platinum package - 630 Ah lithionics, 340 W solar, 3000W inverter- coupled with an external 200W Renogy Solar Suitcase. This system performed flawlessly, although we did have an issue with the portable suitcase -- its output is 20A, but the inline fuse at the Ollie's solar port is 10A. Based on the wire guage sizes along the entire portable system (10) we made the decision that a 20A fuse would be just fine, since the wires are rated up to 30A and the total input into the batteries would never exceed the maximum recommended by Lithionics. Even in the brightest direct sun, the Renogy never put out more than 17-18A. Success, but I do intend to call Oliver and discuss with service. We did not skimp on our electrical useage -- baked cookies and a couple of meals in the convection microwave, toast in the toaster every morning, made at least 3 meals in the InstantPot, frothed hot milk every morning, held 2 "boondock refill sessions" where we ran the water pump for what seemed like forever, 24/7 fan use, and kept the fridge on DC during travel. We even ran the air conditioner for 2-3 hours on 3 of the the hottest days. Even though our first few days were partly-to-mostly cloudy and our camping spot didn't get direct sun until noon, our batteries never dropped below 75%, and the solar managed to bring them back to 100% FULL twice on sunny days. Based on this first data point, I'd estimate that we could camp indefinitely with occasional full-sun days, and at least two weeks in cloudy conditions. 2. WATER: We are very water-wise while camping, but 10 days is a long time. We started with 30 gallons of fresh (forgot to turn the HW bypass before we left, so didn't have that extra 5) and 15 gallons of drinking water in jerry cans. Our son and friend brought us 10 gallons of fresh mid-trip. We also used our Lifesaver Pressurized Jerrycan to purify another 5-8 gallons of creek water and used 6 gallons of creek water to do 2 loads of laundry in our Scrubba bag. Our miserly ways included doing dishes just once a day at night in a basin in the kitchen sink, then using that water to put out our campfire rather than putting it in the gray tank; showering just twice during the week, and sponge bathing the other days. While we did have to use the boondock port twice to add about 15-20 gallons of water, we ended the trip with around 4-5 gallons in the fresh tank and the grey tank at about 60% full. We could have gone another 5-7 days easily, but we might have run out of food first! 🙂 The only thing I want to change for our next big boondock trip is the addition of a "touch" faucet at the kitchen sink. The stock faucet is nice, but very tricky to get the very low flow I prefer for rinsing dishes. The touch would allow you to set the flow once and forget it. We love the one we have at home, and my BIL is visiting for a month and loves projects, so.... If anyone has attempted a touch faucet in their Oliver and has advice/warnings, we'd love to hear them! 3. ALTITUDE: While we expected to have issues with our refrigerator on propane at 7500 feet (it's "rated" to 4500, with a recommendation to run on DC above that altitude), the fridge performed remarkably well on 100% propane. It did seem to need a bit of babying with regards to temp setting, though, having to turn it down at night and up during the heat of the day. (Anyone know why Norcold doesn't just install a thermostat instead of a 1-9 setting? Hate that "feature"!) While we might have been able to get away with running on DC full time if the sun was full every day, 10 days is probably just a bit too long to run it 24/7. Where we DID have issues with altitude was with the Suburban water heater. Apparently, this must be "derated" 4% for every 1000 feet above 4500. We'll be taking advantage of Google and Oliver this week to figure out what needs to be done, but the water heater was not happy at 7500 feet. It would sputter, stop, sputter, run, sputter, stop, run. And eventually we would get hot water. Clearly, we need to figure this out since 99% of our camping is above 4500 feet. 4. ENVIRONMENT: I remember long ago, before ordering an Oliver, that someone on the forums pointed out that the Oliver is very well-insulated and it likely wouldn't be necessary to run the A/C while we left the dogs inside to go riding. It's true! When we left for our rides in the morning, temps in the Oliver were around 65 degrees. We closed all windows tight, and when we returned 2-3 hours later, inside temps were at most 73 even when the outside temp was in the 80s. It helped that we parked in a spot where Olivia didn't get sun until around noon. Given how well the battery/solar package worked for us, if we're camped in a sunnier spot, I won't hesitate to close everything up and set the A/C to come on at 75 degrees, just in case. 5. COMPOSTING TOILET: In short, love it. We wouldn't have been able to dry camp 10 days with a conventional toilet. Given the altitude we were camping at, as well as the level of activity (2-4 hours of mountain biking every day), we consumed a LOT of water so we, well Mark, emptied the pee bucket every day and a half, but the solids container still has plenty of room. Solids did get a bit cloggy, probably due to too much moisture (I over-did it) and too much TP. Next time, I'll adjust the coir/water ratio and we'll put ALL TP into a waste bin. 6. CONNECTIVITY: I am pleased to report that our CradlePoint system with both AT&T and Verizon sim cards failed to produce any signal at all at our campsite. 🙂 Seriously. That made me very happy. Had we known that Starlink was going to go mobile this summer, we might have gone that route instead of CradlePoint, but....then we would have had internet in a place that we have always said is better enjoyed "unplugged". 7. FOOD: We don't believe in "roughing it" when we camp, and why should you when you own an Oliver? We ate like kings while out for 10 days. Our setup includes the InstantPot as well as a two-burner camp chef stove with the optional griddle and grill. While we did run out of fresh veggies after 7 days, we still did all right. A sampling of our favorites: Organic Chicken Flautas (Costco) with avocado and poached eggs (made in the microwave) Garlic Parmesan White Beans (themediterraneandish.com) Steak and Grain Bowl - NY strip, pearled barley, grilled onions and mushrooms, roasted brocolli, avocado InstantPot Oatmeal - steel cut oats, dried apples, mashed bananan, spices, maple syrup, toasted nuts InstantPot Honey Chipotle Tacos (cooking.NYTimes.com) Turkey melts: flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, apple, bacon, greens Seared Salmon with brown rice and sauteed spinach Beef Short Ribs with wine and tomatoes (pre-made at home, leftovers frozen for camping) And wine....plenty of wine. IMG_2135.MOV

The only place to NOT blow the compressed air is directly into the gas jet that JD showed in the picture above. Other than that simply blow all of the stuff out of there. A real telling area to direct the stream of air will be straight up the flue - if you get a small shower of particles back down, you just might have found the "problem". Bill

Great report, I am glad the Ollie worked so well. What solar port is on your trailer? If it is the round Furrion one, that connector is only rated for 10 amps, which is why the 10 amp fuse is there. The wires are plenty large. So if you have that round connector you are grossly overloading it with 18 amps. If you have a different brand, it may be rated higher. I haven't ever had any issues with water heater or furnace at 7500 feet. You should check and adjust your gas supply pressure to be sure there isn't a problem there, before swapping jets around. For the gas check you need a special tool or have an RV tech do it. If the gas supply is in spec, then you can proceed with the following. FYI it is about a two minute job to swap out the gas jet in the Suburban water heater for a smaller one. It simply clips in place. Since it obviously was having issues, try a smaller jet, ask your local RV shop what they recommender for the size. A larger number stamped on the brass jet is a SMALLER hole. You don't need to pay somebody to do this! Put the original back in when you get back to say 5000 feet. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3243-how-to-service-and-inspect-your-suburban-hot-water-heater-gas-system/ John Davies Spokane WA

Hull 244, LE II. 2017 Approx 30,000 miles on the trailer. Bearings first repacked at 9,100 miles. Repacked a second time at 22,000 miles. After another ~8,000 miles I decided to inspect and repack them again. The pics below are the outer bearing from the L (streetside) forward wheel. I carry an infra red temperature ‘gun’ and regularly monitor the wheel temps near the hub when on extended trips. There was no indication of that wheel having elevated temps. I also carry spare bearing sets and tools to change them on the road. I changed out all 8 sets of roller bearings and races yesterday and today. This outer bearing and race was the only pair that was damaged. Carry spare bearings.

Its $99 a year if you want the nationwide plan. If you just want to dabble for a while, you can play the free trial game. Its pretty easy to put your account on hold and just keep trying out each states free trial. If you travel a lot or even a little really, the $99 a year plan is a no brainer in my opinion. If you're just traveling a month at a time or less, its $15. It works on Iphones and android, beyond that I have no clue.

That is a very fine app But if you plan to travel extensively it gets rather pricey at $30 per year, per state. How many states do you subscribe to? GAIA Premium does have Hunting Maps (along with dozens of other types, like private and public boundaries, historic topo, geologic rocks, National Parks, forest fires, air quality, etc - a few of these layers are lame and for novelty use only IMHO) , but I have no comment on their hunting boundary detail since I am not a hunter and don’t use those layers. You get access to the entire USA data, you select the particular areas to download. https://blog.gaiagps.com/how-to-go-hunting-with-gaia-gps/ I have around 30 gb of downloaded maps, as well as 1000+ personal waypoints, and lots of routes. They all sync with my GAIA website home page so I can’t lose them. Hopefully... John Davies Spokane WA

Hi Mike, yes, the main advantage of such apps is that you can download maps when you are at home using high speed wifi, so when you are in the boonies, the data is already there and ready for use, there is no need whatsoever for a cell signal with its expensive cellular data. Cellular driven nav apps like Google Maps work OK when you can connect. When the phone goes dead you need to have other map data to use. If you are using a tablet like an iPad, it must have a cell chip, otherwise the gps tracking doesn’t function. OTH, Pocket Earth has Wikipedia data (links) that you can download. When in cellular range you can click an icon and get an immediate summary of the point of interest. It saves time since you don’t have open up a browser and search for it. John Davies Spokane WA

When boondocking, I use three plastic dishwashing tubs to wash and rinse dishes, and one to use to bathe and wash my hair . Use that one also to soak my feet each evening. Believe it or not, you sleep better after soaking and cleaning your feet! Even better if you use Epsom or magnesium salts in the soak water. An old nurses trick I used in my hospital days for restless and uncomfortable patients. Heat water on stove and mix with cold from five gallon containers, easier to lift and store, to get best temps for bathing with a washcloth. I love the composting toilet. Under 32 degrees or when driving in cold weather, I keep the tanks empty and winterized. I use biodegradable soaps. Dr Bronners best for multiple uses. Honda 2000 generator and portable jump start pack as backup for using small electric heater and keeping electronics and smartphones charged.

I was typing my last post while you added yours in :) Great picture :) I see that you also have the Truma, so don't forget to turn the switch down to Winter mode at night also. I know that it says that Truma's Winter Mode is set to come on and keep the water temp above 37° but to me, from what I have been hearing at night myself, is that it just comes on regardless of the temp outside and circulates the hot water thru the water heater for protection. It's been dropping to a low of 38° here at night and I have it set to Winter mode, and it comes on and circulates the water all night, even when it's above 40°. So I think that it simply comes on and circulates at preset times, which is fine, but we will dial this in as winter here continues. Usually we have snow by now, but this year it has been incredibly warm here and hasn't hit freezing temps yet. Tomorrow we are heading south to Death Valley National Park, so no more cold weather for awhile :) Reed

We were at the Bristlecone Pines campground in CA at about 8,500 ft. Got all set up late in the day and I got a campfire going. Then it started to snow. Beautiful. I sat outside in the snow and just marveled at the quiet and the beauty. Poking at the fire and moving closer to stay warm. A libation offered some distraction from the gathering cold and darkness. Liye decided to move inside. Eventually, I moved in too. But looked out the window at the orange glow and fog of snowflakes. Again, totally quiet and we were the only ones there. Miles from anywhere and anyone. The heater clicked on and off during the night and as I noticed it, I also noticed how snug we were. Snow makes the dark forest even quieter. Morning brought the chance to see how much snow we got and start a new adventure going on up to the 10,000 ft level to marvel at the 5,000 year old trees. Bristlecone Pines. One of my favorite places. Through coring and other tree ring methods we can look back 12,000 years with a recorded history. All of this from trees growing in a dolomite soil that was previously a sea bottom. Now, that ancient "sea bottom" is at 10,000 ft elevation. Such are the wonders of the Sierra Nevada Range and plate tectonics. Fun to ponder on a quiet night, camped in the snow with a warm fire crackling. The idea is to lean into it, experience it, marvel at what it is. Try to grasp the enormous amount of time that has passed to form this scene. Living trees that I can reach out and touch, that were alive when the pyramids were being built. But more than that, soil that formed as a sea bed and is now here! Without our beautiful little trailer, we could never come here and have a comfortable winter visit.

Winter Camping is an awesome experience. I'd have to say, all our experience is likely different from newer trailers, as we have less insulation. I try to capture grey water, even with pink stuff in the tank. We've camped in Canada where the site services are turned off, but the comfort station is heated,so we can still dump dishwashing liquid, and use their showers, etc. We're so accustomed to camping without any service, that I typically heat dishwater in a tea kettle, and capture the water in a dishpan. That method saves a lot of water, and makes disposal easy in cold weather camping. It's all captured. I also heat water for bird baths in a kettle. You can get clean without a full shower, for a limited time, without using the grey tank. It's hair washing that gets tough. Sherry

Been there, and I have no plans to return: The horizon is way too close. The rivers and streams are sluggish, unattractive and full of brown muck. There are too many people. There are too many big rigs crammed onto the main roads, going too fast. The air is thick and wet. There are too many biting bugs. The weather is violent and unpredictable. The camping opportunities are limited, commercialized, and way too expensive. The freeways and bridges are rough and decayed. It is so darned FLAT. There is a very cool train museum in downtown Omaha, gas is really cheap, and uhmmm, that's about it for me. I was born in Iowa and grew up in St Louis and Nashville. I got out of that part of the country in 1981 and have no regrets about leaving, nor any plans to travel east of Denver any time in my lifetime.... I picked up Mouse in May and nothing I experienced during the 21 day trip did anything to change my mind. Bah humbug. Come out west for a visit. You need to add a few Rockie Mountain states to your travel map. ;) John Davies Spokane WA

This is so cool, we are located in a great big empty field at the end of a dead end dirt road, half a mile from the downwind end of the runway, we can hear the band playing, and we are kicked back in our recliners, under the shade of the awning, with the spotting scope and binoculars handy. I have the generator ready in case it gets blistering hot and we need to run the AC, but right now there is a light breeze and it is about 80 degrees. Also have earplugs but I suspect they will not be needed, since most of the afterburner stuff will be further away. The show starts in half an hour. Pics to follow, I hope to get a pic of Mouse with looping smoke trails above. Or maybe a Thunderbird doing a knife edge turn.... I love this trailer. We are learning that we don't have to camp overnight to enjoy using it as a mobile club house. We will head out late afternoon and be home in 20 minutes. Woohoo! John Davies Spokane WA