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The Oliver checked all the boxes. Before buying, while shopping, I asked my self the following about various trailers: 1. How's this thing gonna do off road? How's the clearance, suspension, tires, etc? 2. How's this thing gonna tow? Aerodynamic? Good tracking? Too big or too small? 3. How's this thing gonna do with upkeep? Will screws pop out? Will things fall off? Will parts of the trailer de-laminate? 4. What's the deal with the manufacturer? Will they stand by their product? Will they answer my phone calls? How's their quality control? 5. How well can I boondock? How are the water tanks, propane system, solar generation, etc? 6. Is it pretty? After renting a Jayco and an Airstream, and kicking the tires on a lot of other trailers, the only thing I could find that had the right answers to the questions above was Oliver.

January 11-15 Deb and I were at the Eggs ‘n S’mores Rally near Live Oak, Florida, with 237 other fiberglass trailers. Then on the 15th we moved to Salt Springs Recreation Area in Ocala National Forest. We’ll be here until the 20th. Tomorrow we’re taking a glass bottom boat tour at Silver Springs State Park.

OK, so I’ve been around town trying to get a definitive issue to blame this on, the weather presented some challenges since most folks around here aren’t used to temps in the teens. I got the tires off the ground, checked freeplay, spinning, looked at shock, etc. Checked with a level. Took to to an RV tech, he said shock is worn but still functional, recommended replacing soon. Bearings were okay. He thought tire balance may be an issue, also recommended a higher TP since these are LT tires and not trailer tires. I have them set at 50psi, so I will up that on this next trip. The Discount Tire guys said it could have been a missing weight causing a balance issue and they also recommended raising TP to at least 60psi. They did find a nail in the tire, right in the middle between treads that wasn’t very visible until the wheel was removed. So the bad tire is gone. We’re going to Arizona Monday. When we return I’m going to replace all the shocks and bearings. After 100K miles I think it would be prudent, probably should have done it earlier. I’ll be watching that tire, I do have a IR heat sensor which I haven’t used much, but will as we travel next week. Mike

Two great check lists. My only comment is that I rated this Forum very high in my list. Think about the potential for such a forum as a measuring tool of customer satisfaction and the type of people that buy their products. In this rating world, OTT is so far ahead of every body else in the Universe. GJ

I did that as a kid! Don't remember exactly how old I was but I do remember that they had to restrain me from jumping in. I wanted to catch a couple of all those fish that I saw. 😃 Hope you have as much fun as I remember having. Bill

We only had the shower door and one side of the curved under sink cabinet fall off while traveling . Thankfully, no damage done, and easy repairs. It’s interesting that most of the SOB trailers go downhill from that mark. 😳

I ended up taking the rails and nightstand off. I ordered a custom mattress from Tochta to fit the space. Made a wood platform to span the middle and use the area underneath for storage and the dog bed. John

He posted the same, with various manufacturer's names, in other forums. I'm just like, hey, I'm good, 16 years later. Pick what you want, listen to whining on other websites. Our trailers are easily "upgraded" as we have done. My February 2008 looks like new. Easy to maintain . Double hull gives incredible strength, plus warmth. Molded furniture means no lrot. Back in 2007/2008 we looked at everything. Seriously. Hull #12, checking in. Happy campers, for 16, going on 17 seasons. Done.

Sure does look like Charly knows when to let Dad do all the work, but, still keep an eye on him just to make sure that he does it correctly.😊 Bill

Living in Central Arizona we are surrounded by so many great day trips! Less than an hour to Jerome and Cottonwood, 1 1/4 hours to Sedona, 2 to the Grand Canyon. Check out Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area, even better (2nd largest canyon in Arzona) just 90 minutes, just past Williams. Just to name a few! We're here for 3 nights, at $14 a night or $7 with the Lifetime Senior pass. Where can you get 3 nights in a most beautiful canyon for $21. No hookups, but a dump station and a separate freshwater station. 85 miles and 2 hours from our home. Burro Creek Campground | Bureau of Land Management (blm.gov) NO cell service though. Starlink would be great to have here. Also, no TV or even radio reception in the canyon. At just under 2000' elevation, winter is the season here. Low mid 30's last night and at 1:40 PM it's now 62 (a cloudy day today, otherwise it be 70+). It's too hot in the summer here. Half the sites were empty, many of them listed FF on recreation.gov. I'm thinking if you could get service here, this place would be fully booked. Stopped for lunch at LUCHIA’S RESTAURANT - 136 Photos & 97 Reviews - 15797 S Hwy 93, Wikieup, Arizona - New American - Restaurant Reviews - Phone Number - Yelp Highly recommended on any Phoenix to Vegas trip, quick stop on the Hwy 93 just north of Wikieup, AZ. They have guest Wi-Fi. Much more re our trip when we get back home this weekend, as we plan to spend our remaining time offline! Note in the first pick Charley is busy watching Dad setup camp.

Great! NC is the first loser! And, I so want NC to finish first given that this IS the southern part of the US.😇

Well you were right! Just came out of a two-day ‘Arctic blast’ across Texas. ‘Payback’ indeed, thinking all of my Northern Oliver comrades purposefully left their freezer doors open in retribution of my comments!

That's a great report @jd1923 - so the Dongle is getting you a stronger/better BT signal. Awesome. The Victron Dongle sounds like a "must have" item to add to the monitoring suite! Going over to Amazon now... HA!

For those campers that may not know about BLM LTVAs (Long-Term Visitor Area), they were established in 1983 on public lands managed by the BLM throughout the Sonoran Desert of southern AZ and CA. The LTVA program allows visitors to camp for as long as 7 months between 15SEP to 15APR. Special permits are purchased at BLM kiosks at the LTVAs. A 14-day permit is $40, 28-day permits are $80, while a 7-month permit is $180. Payment must be cash only - exact amount. Unfortunately, Golden Eagle, Golden Age, America the Beautiful, and military passes do not apply to LTVA permit fees. Campers who wish to stay on the desert outside of an LTVA may camp in one location on underdeveloped public lands for up to 14 days in any 28-day period at no charge. After 14 days, short-term campers must move to a new site outside of a 25-mile radius of their original campsite. Short-term camping in the Quartzsite area is limited, but there are 5 designated LTVAs here. The LTVAs have various levels of dry camping - some have vault toilets, some have showers, some have potable water. There are limited waste water dump sites. All have dumpsters for bagged garbage. Since only minimum facilities are available at most of the LTVAs, campers must have self-contained rigs. This means rigs that have permanently affixed wastewater holding tanks of 10-gallon minimum capacity. So, how is the Casa Blanca behaving on the LTVA? Well, "sort of" as expected, it's been performing famously here on our 4th day on at La Posa West, about a half-mile south of "The Q". My only issue was totally "self-induced". Arrived at La Posa Saturday mid-afternoon with 100% SOC from a combination of solar and DC/DC charging during a 2.5 hour enroute drive from PHX. After a good sleep on night-1, checked the SOC at around 0530 Sunday AM and found it at an unusually low level at 36%. Racking my mind trying to figure out what the heck was consuming all the power from the BBs overnight, it occurred to me to check the Dometic fridge status. Sure enough, it was in the "DC" mode... Can't believe it escaped my checklist item to switch to "GAS" mode on arrival day. Lesson learned, for sure - the DC mode is extremely inefficient in this model of Dometic fridge. Don't get me wrong, its a good mode to use when under tow as the 27-28A from the TV smart alternator can handle the load from the fridge and still charge the BBs. So, it took Sunday and Monday to get the SOC back up to 100%. No biggie - the Honda GENSET still never saw the light of day and stayed in the back of the TV. With 340W roof-mounted solar modules and the Renogy 200W portable module the BBs were receiving a max of 310W during those two recharge days. The BBs were got to 100% SOC by mid-afternoon yesterday. Winter being winter, obviously brings low sun angles and short days. Campers should consider this when boondocking during this time of year. Just because you may have 540W of "solar modules capacity" does not mean that's what you'll get. Our roof-mounted modules are flat, as we have yet to install legs to adjust them for a more optimum angle to the sun - so they're kicking out only about 190W at mid-day this time of year at this latitude. Interestingly, the Renogy portable module needed to be propped-up to a steeper position in the early morning hours to achieve optimum angle to the sun. By doing so we got an extra 1.3A: If it wasn't for the "wall-to-wall" sunshine conditions here at The Q during the past couple days, the Honda would have been called upon to top-off the BBs! Notwithstanding the fridge brain-fart, it was a good feeling to wake up this morning to a 93% SOC. The BBs are expected to be topped off by mid-morning, maybe even before the pot of Black Rifle is "Winchester." This morning's main drill was topping off the fresh water tank. After switching the valves to "Boondock" mode: 6 gallons of fresh water was pumped into Casa Blanca in less than 3 minutes time, taking the fresh tank from 50 to 75%: Now it's heading to Q to refill the container, less than a 5 minute drive from the campsite. But first - a quick egg scramble for breakfast.... More later!

An interesting map that shows power outages across the nation. As I type, Oregon leads the field because of ice and wind events in Western Oregon. North Carolina, you’re in second place. Click on your state to see the numbers. https://poweroutage.us

"Rule of thumb" Anytime you observe an increase in tire temp exceeding 10 degrees (F) you should seek and answer as to what might be causing it. If you can't find and "easy" answer - such as bright sun on that side versus the other side of the trailer, or exceedingly hot pavement (this is particularly found with newly laid black top) - then you should seriously think about adding air to your tires. By adding air you will reduce the "squirm" of the rubber and cords inside the tire as it goes down the road. In turn, this reduction should result in a cooler tire. Hope this helps! Bill p.s. I normally "only" add 5 psi at a time in these situations which happen rarely.

I would use the 30 amp cord to the Ollie and use an adapter at your garage outlet. Do you have a EMS or a polarity tester that you can plug into your garage outlet to confirm that it is wired correct? What is the amperage of your 120 volt source in your garage? If it is only 10 amp that may be the problem. What do you mean the "Ollie made popping noises"? What was making the noise. Was it the EMS in the attic? Did you look at the readings on the EMS in the attic when it was making the popping noises?

While I think that it is unlikely - Another possible reason for that tire going bad when the other three (bought at the same time) look fine - that tire was defective in the first place. Again, I believe that this possibility is well down the list of possible issues and that the guys at discount tire might have mentioned it if it was apparently a defective tire - but, it is at least something to think about and add to the list. Bill p.s. If you have a Harbor Freight nearby, they have temp monitors fairly cheap. I've had one of theirs for several years now and it hasn't missed a beat. Like this one for $24.99.

@Mike and Carol - Just FYI: We keep this one: in the TV's center console and make a habit of checking hub and drum temps at fill-up stops. Just really looking for anomalies and deltas in temps from wheel to wheel. In any case have safe travels next week, Mike and Carol! Cheers from Quartzsite!

We lived in Sierra Vista/Fort Huachuca for many years. Love that part of Arizona! Mike

Thanks for the detailed response, much appreciated! I read where the Dongle could be connected to most Victron devices, except for GX. My Cerbo has three VE.Direct ports, but if what I read is correct that is not an option. My SmartShunt 500 A only has one VE.Direct port, which will be encumbered with the Cerbo cable connection when installed. I have a Renogy DC-DC. I think I may have a problem if Option 1 is not viable. Good luck with your install and improved BT monitoring performance! Again, thanks!

Dead Horse: great location near Jerome, AZ... Jerome reminds me of Bisbee, AZ not far from Tombstone - may stay there on the way back to NM. Safe travels @Mike and Carol! Cheers!

Very cool. Suggest they add a category of "0 - 5,000" out, it would make for a more interesting view and add a lot more color to the map...IMO. That's why we've got a NG whole-house standby genset at our place...

Great check list of criteria!

Since we rarely carry bikes, I'd say oooh, tiny dog on the hunt. Me? I'd never want an expensive bike up in front of my truck. Period. Covered,or uncovered. For many reasons. Expensive bikes on a front hitch, not in my wheelhouse. Other opinions may vary. Front hitch for backing trailer into odd situations, absolutely .

Here is my experience with this in 2023. Received a recall notice for our Suburban propane cooktop, contact any Suburban dealer for a replacement. Cooktop caused fires and needed to be replaced. After contacting many Suburban (RV) dealers near me, no one wanted to help because I did not buy RV through them. Contacted Escape (manufacture of RV) and explained my situation. They shipped a different brand (Dometic) to my house and I installed.

Excellent work, Art. (@MAX Burner) Are you already in Q ? We’ll be there in a few days. Hope to see you there.

I have asked this question before, and no one has ever answered. I am not sure if that is because no one knew the answer or just weren’t interested enough to reply. Why not use a front receiver that can be bought for any full-size pick up for barely over $100 and carry the bikes there? They will all support up to 500 pounds and they are all 2 inch receivers so any bike rack would work. In addition, the front receiver has multiple other uses. I actually don’t see how anyone gets by without having a front receiver.

Burro Creek is a nice spot, we driven in but just to check it out. It’s on our list of places that are convenient and nice. Thanks for sharing! Is that a black and white springer spaniel looking out your door?

Awesome looking set-up, JD! Sweet!

So, our 22" Black Stone came with a carrying case, 1lb-LPG Bottle adapter, and the black screw-on adapter for the larger LPG bottles (in our case, the 30#er's). However, not liking to carry around a ton of 1# Coleman gas bottles and really wanting to use one of the 2 OTT QD LPG valves - yesterday I fashioned our 10-foot LPG hose from another grill to allow us to cook on the BS with regulated gas supplied by the twin 30# tanks. The 10-foot hose is configured with the OTT QD fitting on one end and 1/2" fitting on the other end for another type of grill. The mod was straight forward: 1. Cut off the 1/2" fitting on the 10' hose: 2. Sacrificing the 1lb bottle adapter, the stainless steel feed tube was cut just past the 90-degree bend: 3. Using a fine file, chamfered the end of the tube and with some LPG-friendly silicone lube, inserted it about an inch into the open end of the 10' tube, secured splice with a hose clamp. After checking for leaks with soapy water - connected to the BS and fired it up. Very convenient mod. FYI: The 10-foot section rolls up and stows under the BS hood. Now on to the next meal... Cheers!

The Quikrstuff Mach 2 is an awesome rack - double rack version for $1100, not bad...

There is a small hole next to the USB port for RESET. Insert a pin and hod for a few seconds, the Furrion wi reset. Yes, prior Bluetooth connections wi be gone, but it is easy to reconnect.

That is exactly what I did.

DAY-5: Another beautiful Sun Rise at "The Q":

We cover the 10 choice requirements in our blog here: https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/how-did-we-choose-an-oliver-travel-trailer

First time we saw an Oliver Legacy Elite was before the Legacy Elite 2 was available. We loved the looks of the interior and exterior of the Legacy Elite and wanted to eventually buy one. One of our previous campers had a wood floor that eventually started to rot from a previous water leak. When we were in the market for a Ollie or Airstream, the Airstream was only available with a wood floor (at that time) and Ollie was built with inner and outer fiberglass hulls. We decided to buy an Oliver. Found a used 2015 LE2 for sale during 2016. Since purchasing Ollie we fixed leaks from porch lights and rear Oliver sign. Also had a PEX pipe to leak in the basement. After fixing these leaks, we don't have to worry about having a wood floor that will rot. Camping with Ollie has been a wonderful way to explore and stay at places around the USA we always wanted to visit. Two things learned since buying our LE2, Ollie has gained value above the used purchase price and has wonderful towing manners. Best way I can explain it is Ollie is very pleasant to camp with.

My experience with this. When I went to order a 2024 model in January, my info was given to the dealer in my network. After speaking with dealer, I decided to order and pickup 'Direct' through Oliver. I really didn't want a 3rd party (dealer) to communicate with. I wanted the whole Oliver experience, from communicating with the Oliver Team, driving to TN, factory tour, and staying @ Camp Oliver for any post sales issues. I did this with our Escape in Canada and liked the process. Thanks Oliver for not pushing me to order from a dealer.

Quality Durability Easy towing Maneuverability, especially in tight campgrounds Service Department Owner network Family owned Annual Oliver sponsored rally This forum Mike

We had our first Ollie sighting on Saturday. There's a dude here from MT with his new OTT - Hull number 14xx. He stopped by the campsite yesterday afternoon and we went through an hour or so of introducing him to many of the mods to Casa Blanca.

@Jason Foster I believe I'm starting to get your sense of humor!

Last night I posted re an experience we had, a good old memory. I meant to finish with one more line. Wishing your daughter has the most wonderful experience on her adventure!

Glad to know yet another member of this "club". I've always guessed that there are a fair number of us as owners of a camper that is not afraid of getting away from those crowds. Yes, Glacier can be absolutely wonderful (as can be most of the other more popular National Parks to certainly include Yellowstone) but they can be terribly crowded. As you mention - planning is the key in order to navigate in and around these crowds and still see the more popular spots AND really enjoy those spots in these Parks that are rarely seen by the "crowds". Bill

Every trailer Oliver built starting Hull #001 has used that same distribution center. The door has always opened the the "wrong way". Our 2008 Elite and now our 2014 Elite II both have the same issues. For those owners that are not constantly updating electrical wiring and modifying circuits, like Sherry, it amounts to very very few trips down under the table. MY 16 Oliver seasons have found me under the dinette hundreds of times. As an aside, for those of us who actually have a need to access that area, be it often or hardly ever, it's much easier to work in that area if you just break down the table and set it aside.

Jason, my guess is that there are more forces put on an attached bike rack that starts about 7 feet from the center of the rear axle of a travel trailer. I am not an engineer, but just thinking through the force transmitted from the tv movement at the hitch to the trailer and then 23 feet from that point to the start of the bike rack hitch point and the extra 2-2.5 feet of the bike rack, there must be some substantial forces to deal with. Best to keep the bike weight as low as possible. I remember the formula f=ma. Force equals mass times acceleration. John

We are SOOooo thankful there's no more "popped rivet patrol" duty. We were tired of replacing popped interior rivets in the AS...! Talking about things falling off - we met a young couple at an AS rally in Pagosa Springs years ago. After having just collected their brand new 31' AS from the factory, about halfway to Pagosa they stopped for the day and discovered the entire aft overhead storage cabinet decided to release and crash down on the rear couch/dinette area. Tore up the upholstery bad, the quality check just wasn't there. It took several of us to man-handle the cabinet from inside and get it into their TV truck bed so they could "somewhat" enjoy their first rally. AS sent a truck out before the end of the rally to bring the rig back to their "mothership" to attend to damages... Whew!

Update for those of you with the SmartShunt. On our road trip yesterday, 85 miles from home to Burro Creek Campground, I connected while driving the whole way on the main page showing V and A. When clicking on details for the shunt, no-go the connection timed out. Doing the same with the dongle, it connected quickly every time, full details page after taking another 1-2 seconds to read data. And right now, I only have mine taped to the batteries. I'd say worth the extra $40 + tax.