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I’m not planning on doing any serious winter camping, but just in case I get caught in a cold front, this is my attempt at improving the insulation behind the garage.

Why Facebook when this great forum is OTT sponsored and has years of history? I never had a FB account, Chris had one early and closed it when they became outwardly political. Sorry, we're not looking there. Love the lakes region of central Texas. We had a restaurant on RR 620 by Lake Travis and for years we attended juniors' tennis tournaments at the Horseshoe Bay Resort! Marble Falls is a great little town too. Mike understands many of us will not get campsites there. Are there other nearby park locations?

We missed this post on FaceBook since we don’t do much there. I’m glad someone organized a Texas rally, just wish it would have been shared here as well. Maybe a FaceBook user could cut and paste the information here for non-FB folks? Inks Lake is popular and difficult to get into depending on the time of year. Mike

If you are looking to buy a new Oliver Travel Trailer here are some things to consider. With the implementation of the new dealer network you now have several new options available to you that previously did not exist when you could only go to Hohenwald to buy a trailer. There are two ways to approach the first step. If you live a long way from Hohenwald and don’t want to have to drive that far to see the trailers you should check the Link on the Oliver page that will show you where all the current dealers that will be selling Oliver’s are located. There are currently 18 different locations spread across the United States. There are future plans to add new dealers here and in Canada. With the information on the locations of the dealers, if one is close to you and you want to do business with them that is perfectly fine. If one is no closer to you than Hohenwald you may choose to contact the sales team there. When contacting Hohenwald a member of the sales team will take your personal information and work with you to get you the exact trailer you want in the shortest time possible. They can take an order from you and get you into a queue to have the trailer of your dreams built for you. The current wait time after ordering is around four months. If you live in a state that does not have any dealers, they will see if there is a trailer already built and available at one of their dealers. If so, you could have your new trailer in a matter of days rather than months. Even if there is not one that is just like you desire, if a dealer has a trailer on order that is still early in its build, Oliver will work with that dealer to attempt to have the build altered to be what you want. Doing it this way will still get you a trailer much quicker than starting your build from scratch. If you live in a state that has dealers, Oliver’s agreement with those dealers is that you will be referred to them. Another option that was not previously available to you is that if you already own an RV of some sort and want to trade it in, many of the dealers might be able to do that whereas in Hohenwald, that was not and will not ever be an option. You can also buy a trailer through a dealer, do all the paperwork there and still pick it up in Hohenwald if you want to. And, as always, you are free to buy a trailer and take delivery in Hohenwald if you so choose. Both of these options are a good choice if you want to do a plant tour prior to pickup. At some relatively near future point (certainly this year) their plan is to have all sales conducted through the dealer network. The rumor that they will stop working on trailers older than two years or out of warranty is patently false. Service will continue to be done in Hohenwald. The rumor was started by a fired service employee. He and his wife propagated this rumor as well as other false information about the Oliver TT after he was terminated. It was posted both here and on the various FB pages. He has been terminated there as well and the false statements have been removed. As always, the Oliver sales staff will still be available to assist you and the dealers with any questions and issues. If none of this works for you, my suggestion is to take the list of dealers from the website and call each of them and tell them what you are looking for to see if they have one is stock that would suit your needs.

Indeed! I don't think it did much, but any is better than none. John

Until late 2022, I agree. But, once Oliver started offering the Truma Varioheat option on Elite IIs, a return air vent in the bath was added. Then, Oliver began installing return air vents in the top and bottom of the closet area. I call this attention to "the benefits of proper return air placement."

Amarillo TX at Oasis RV Park. Picture from yesterday morning (Amarillo by morning?) 74 forecast for this afternoon...gotta love it! John

Made a few cable crimps today, in between a full day of working on the TV. More pics to follow after the TV new battery installation. The first one shows the 4/0 cable and lug on a length of cable I purchased recently (looks way better after the heat shrink). I'm not installing 4/0 cable soon but wanted to work the new tool 🤣! The 4/0 die when crimped did not hold the 4/0 cable. It will depend on the lug, its thickness, etc. and often you will use one size smaller to finish. Got all my truck battery terminals fixed today. The second pic shows a 2 AWG cable that will connect TV battery to the power panel (the fuse panel that delivers 12VDC to ALL vehicle circuits). The OEM cable is 4 AWG, but I had a length of 2 AWG in a parts drawer, so I made this second cable! Love working on this stuff!

My interest in this mod is two fold. First, to create more even heat distribution within the cabin area. Second, to keep the basement above freezing as we like to camp in the early Spring and Fall. I think Oliver has overlooked the benefits of proper return air placement and what it can do to increase cabin comfort and durability of the plumbing systems between the hulls. As for between the hulls, yes, there is reflectix insulation on the floor of the outer hull, but it is also mostly an unconditioned dead air space and it gets cold down there! Especially the rear corners where there is a lot of vulnerable plumbing. The beauty of placing the return air ducts far from the furnace is that it turns this under floor space into a giant plenum where conditioned cabin air flows from the return grilles back to the furnace warming the entire area, not to mention more evenly heating the cabin itself. My test showed a dramatic increase in temperature below by moving the vents further away from the furnace. There was definitely more air flow from the vent on the same side as the furnace. But that's not surprising and could be adjusted for if one was so inclined. Just remember that your furnace has a minimum cold air return volume requirement, it's in your owner's manual. I think if you have properly sized return air vents, then outside air being sucked in through the drainage scuppers wouldn't be a issue, but this needs to be tested. This is also a simple passive setup, no fans or other support needed for it to work. I will say that if I was out in extreme cold for long periods, I might need to employ other measures. Time will tell. Now that I have these sensors, I can keep track better of what's going on between the hulls. I'll also probably add a 4" return vent in the bathroom on the side of the vanity under the TP holder. Not a lot of flat wall real estate in the E1 to place a vent but I think I can just fit one in there. More testing to do, but may have to wait until next winter unless some Arctic blast hits us again. Cheers. Dave

I finally got around to purchasing some temperature sensors so I could experiment with different cold air return locations. The original 6x10 grille (45 cu. in. free air flow) was installed right next to the furnace in my front dinette seat (Elite 1). I never understood this decision and wonder if anyone knows why Oliver put it there. It is within inches of the furnace and two supply outlets. This is not desirable for even heating and does nothing to create air flow below between the hulls, which would help keep that area warmer in colder temps. My experiment showed much better results than I anticipated. First I sealed off the OEM return with tape. Then I cut two 6" holes in some cardboard and replaced those with the rear curb and street side fiberglass seat panels. I then placed sensors on the floor of the basement down with the plumbing on each side under those holes. I placed the third sensor under the sink. When I turned on the furnace, there was very positive intake through the 6" holes, which by the way, provide a bit more free air flow than the OEM grille (~56sq.in. for 2, 6" round versus 45 sq.in. for 6x10 OEM grille, which actually has 5x9" free air flow). I brought the interior temps up from 58* to 68* in about 10-15 minutes. You can see the temperature difference in the pic below; and this is with the return air holes cut in at seat level, not at floor level and as far to the rear as I would want them! I also noticed a big improvement in heat distribution throughout the trailer, although in our small elite1, heat was never a problem in the cabin. So, before I start cutting holes in my trailer, I ask if there is something I'm missing here, and why didn't Oliver do this to begin with. It seems like a very simple way to markedly improve the performance of an already stellar trailer. Any comments appreciated! Thanks. Dave

I don’t know the answer but I would rather test my batteries when I could be present, at least some of the time. It does get cloudy in Southern CA from time to time, I’d check the forecast! The fridge uses very little propane but can drain batteries in the right circumstances. Good luck! Mike

It reads to be a private meet for members of "Oliver Rolling Rally." Donna Gerould would have to post it here if she wants other Oliver owners involved.

I don't see any division between Facebook and the Forum. I enjoy both. On Facebook people post a lot of photos and trip reports. There is also more of a bond between people because they know who they are replying to. It is hard when nick names are used. I struggle with that, but it is what it is. Everyone has choices. In any event the info should help for those on the Forum that would like to attend

John, thanks for sharing the rally information. There are valid reasons people don’t want to use FB and I’ll just leave it at that. I just wouldn’t want to see a division between the FB owners and the Forum owners. Mike

@Mike and Carol - pretty tough to beat that view, eh, Mike? Spectacular in our book…,

Kim and I are planning on attending the solar eclipse event at Lady Bird Park. I think someone was keeping a list of who will be there; not sure if that’s happening now, but wanted to let everyone know we’ll be in site #55. 12 or 13 Oliver’s now? We haven’t been to an Oliver gathering for about 4 years and it’s always exciting when we see an Oliver, so this gathering should be a lot of fun. We look forward to meeting everyone. kim and David

Our Hull #1291 did not come with return air vents in the closet. I installed them, one top and one bottom. Our experience has been that before the addition of those vents, the closet stayed about 20 degrees colder than the main cabin when camping in cold weather and running the furnace with the closet door closed. After the vents were added, the closet temps stay just a degree or two below those in the main cabin. Convection of heated cabin air, between the bottom and top closet vents, explains the difference.

I'm presently in need of some new 4/0 cables. But, given that I only need as few as 2 or as many as 4, and have never needed cable crimpers of wire cutters in this size before, it is simply cheaper to purchase the cables ready made. However, THAT doesn't stop me from being VERY jealous. 🤑 Bill

That's one heck of a foot warmer! Looks a bit like the "donut" but maybe more like a "long John". 🤪 Bill

We stayed at Monte Bello during our last visit to Taos, what a great area to visit.

Where's Ollie? Well, the short story is D and her sister are enrolled for a weaving class in Taos today through Sunday. So we came up yesterday afternoon and are staying at Monte Bello park just north of Taos near the base of Wheeler Peak (13,161") NM's highest: Since the 2 "Knuckleheads" and I will be backcountry skiing to Williams Lake at some point, we decided to bring an extra POV for the 2-hour trip here from home which will give the girls flexibility in their to/from commute. We're the only party in the park - imbibing on some random adult beverages at sunset (above) and a Husky "Donut" (below): Yet the same room but different view - Wheeler Pk at sunrise: Morning coffee with 3 humans and 2 canines - cozy, but it doesn't feel crowded: 26F last night the furnace kept OTT occupants at a cozy 66F - screenshot of the Easy Touch App: Cheers, All - from Taos, NM!

Haha 6’2” and 220lbs, I was all scratched up from going in like a contortionist! Next project will be to relocate the one furnace duct from under the curb side bed to under the street side bed, and the return vent to the front dinette.

Tasmania has been great. Summer temperatures here in Hobart are between 70-75 every day with a breeze. I drove up north to the Bass Strait to meet a Facebook friend. Greener there. The Midlands was dry and warmer. Our son lives in Hobart and bought a house here. We're spending time with our granddaughter. Great times. Seven weeks this visit. We will be back. Driving on the left is easier than I imagined. Just look right when at a roundabout! John

Finally had the time to watch the 2nd video, another really nice one chock full of great features, details and quality not seen on the NA campers. The mechanical rooms alone are mind boggling. Both campers seem flush with quality and nice design, IMHO. Regarding China, it is worth pointing out many items stamped with made in USA are really foreign made parts assembled in the US, more than most people might realize. There certainly is a lot of cheaply made items from there but I have also experienced some state of the art products made in China. Not here to carry water for China by any means but they are capable of very high quality products at least some of the time. I have seen some of their road building engineering that would blow anyones mind. Regardless thanks for sharing the vids very interesting campers.

Steve, I'm sure that's true for most of the cheaper stickies, but Titanium Caravans and Zone RV are built in Australia.

Remember, those prices do not include shipping to the US, import fees, etc. Before ordering the Oliver, we were working with the sole US importer of Kimberley Kampers, which happened to be in my home town, and were looking at the mid-size Kimberly Kruiser S3. And this was just before COVID and the Suez Canal blockage. It was a $90k trailer with about $8k of shipping and other fees. Eight moths later, it was $15-20k in shipping, and due to supply chain problems, the price jumped to $140k. Out the door with taxes was going to end up north of $175k. For the small percentage of the time we'd use it off-road far enough to need its features (air suspension, water purification, solar out the wazoo) we couldn't remotely justify it over the Oliver. One of our previous forum members, @donthompson moved to the bigger Kimberley Kruiser T3. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6211-a-second-new-direction-kimberley-t3-kruiser/#comment-65745 Note that a lot of the Australian campers are being built in China these days. And then "assembled" in Australia (or in the US in the case of the Series Black, that used to come from Australia.) Buyer beware!

I was curious, too, @routlaw. I looked up the 19' zone Peregrine (first one.) It listed at $139k AUD, which at today's rate is around $90k USD. Pretty good price, imo, for all they got. We've had two wonderful camping trips in Australia. The variety of outstanding campers and features available there are amazing. But, they also have some run of the mill stickies available for those who don't or can't spend up. The base price includes solar and lithium, but other options can drive it up. Wait list (looks like sold only in Australia) is around 10 months. https://www.zonerv.com.au/off-road-caravans/peregrine/?hsCtaTracking=55468c5f-b426-4ed6-bad7-449500fda63d|2569a05d-413c-4476-b34e-6c897aded12e

I'm not @SeaDawg of course, but I can chime in @dewdev since my name was used. You just start typing the @ symbol followed by the name you want, and it will show up in a drop-down menu to select. The name is then tagged when used and the forum member will be notified which is a great feature.

Rivernerd, So is warm cabin air leaking in to the closet from around the door as a result of the reduced closet pressure from the returns in there? Or is one of the vents a supply? Just trying to figure your setup out. Don't see how two returns would warm the space. Glad it's working though! Dave

@jd1923 thanks so much for the offer! It will be a couple of weeks before I get another chance to go out to the storage yard to get any idea of exactly what I'll need. I'll let you know what is going on just as soon as I know. Bill

Thank you for posting this. I received my Faraday Mission Darkness Key fob Shields today. They work perfectly. Could not unlock the car. Could not start the car with the Fob in the pouch. I was able to fit my Rav4 Fob and 2 keys in the pouch.

Dave I would encourage you to check out the virtual tour videos, linked here, to see their placement. However this still doesn't make sense to me because the inside of the closet is mostly sealed. I am at a loss as to why they wouldn't have put a 4" inch vent in the bath, then one under the seats of the EII, and a 3rd at the side of the fridge. Also if you look at each different video the placement of these vents all slightly differ from one to the other. Maybe someone with the newer EII's or Elites can update and inform us.

@John Welte I am very jealous, some of the most beautiful beaches around Esperance, absolutely breathtaking, crystal clear water, and snowy white beaches! Being from Canada that’s about the only thing I can relate to…the “snowy white”!😜

@rich.dev this is very nice work! What's your secret on getting back there to do this? Are you just small and thin, or is there another way? My large frame can be a handicap at times, so sometimes i get my son to crawl into the hole! Again, very nice work, even though your avatar has you sitting comfortably in a lawn chair! 🤣

I understand though perhaps 60 degrees is too high a temp for the basement areas. I'd like it to be 45 degrees below overnight when we set the interior to 65. You wrote "Especially the rear corners where there is a lot of vulnerable plumbing." For sure, check out this picture. These are the Fresh, City and outdoor shower plumbing lines. In the worse possible location along the back outer wall and check out the large brass backflow preventers. The brass as a conductor will allow these lines to freeze more quickly. They should be better insulated, a 12V wire heat wrap added, or just heat the basement as you are doing! I have one of our Ruuvi temp sensors sitting down in this area.

No. We have the Lithium Pro Package, which includes 390 Ah capacity (3 Lithionics 130Ah). The Lithionics have Battery Management Systems (BMS) which will automatically turn them off if they reach about 10% State of Charge, protecting them from overdischage. For many years I used 12V deep cycle AGM batteries to power my CPAP machine on wilderness river trips. I had to monitor them closely to avoid discharge below 50%, to avoid damaging them. Now I use LiFePO4 batteries with built-in BMS on wilderness river trips. They are much lighter weight and yet provide a greater discharge range. That experience persuaded us to spend the extra $$$ on the Lithionics package for our Hull #1291.

I wish you had stopped by out at Dome Rock. It's not crowded there and there were several Oliver's camping.

You can do that with what you already have.

Will do. We are kind of regulars here:

Like having an older home where the only GFCI outlets we have are in the bathrooms. I ran 125' of 8 AWG burial cable, installed a 60A service panel in our shed, and a 10 AWG feed to a 30A outlet for our RV pad. Y'all should think about doing the same, being able to run A/C during summers, no cable overheating issues, etc. Often multiple GFCI outlets are run on the same household circuit which could be the cause. But basically, a GFCI outlet is not designed to feed a RV 30A power panel!

Our even older hull likely does not have the LI/LA switch either, though I have not yet looked to verify. Given this and looking towards 600 AH Epoch batteries for 2025, it may be time for us to upgrade the Xantrex 2KW Inverter to 3KW! You could spend $400 +/- with tax for the charger alone: Amazon.com : Victron Energy Phoenix Smart IP43 12-Volt 30 AMP 120-240VAC, (1+1) Output Battery Charger with Bluetooth : Sports & Outdoors Or you could also trade-up to a 3KW inverter/charger for $1,100. Amazon.com: Victron Energy MultiPlus-II 120V, 3000VA 12-Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter and 120 amp Battery Charger : Automotive Hmmm, so many choices today!

@Nancy_D, we have a Norcold 3-way refrigerator and use it to freeze the blue freezer bricks. We typically use 6 bricks, in 2 groups of three and rotate the groups as needed to refreeze them. Typically this is a daily rotation. We have added supplemental fans mounted at the rear of our Norcold refrigerator, which make a significant improvement in the cooling capabilities of the Norcold refrigerator, especially when outdoor temperatures are high. If you encounter problems with you refrigerator, I recommend use considering the Beech Lane Refrigerator Fans The freezer bricks always refreeze overnight. I don't know exactly how long they take to refreeze, which will vary somewhat depending on the outside temperature and activity opening the door.

Thanks for the link... my PD converter does not have the LI/LA switch. I could replace it with one that does. I've been debating whether it makes sense to move the converter out of the fuse/breaker panel to a separate device. This *might* be something like a Victron Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger so that I could control & monitor converter-based charging activity with the Victron app. Apologies for the thread creep...

That's a good question @mossemi - As a safety feature, the ball valve on the QD can only be opened if the spring-loaded collar is in its extended (normal) position. If the collar is pushed "back", it allows the user to insert the male connection of the LPG hose. When the connection is correct, the collar springs to its normal position allowing the user to open the ball valve. When disconnecting, the valve must be closed in order to push the collar "back" and pull out the male end of the LPG hose, therefore, not allowing a disconnect with the valve open. But since you ask... I'm curious.... I'm going to go check right now. STANDBY 10 min. later: ....OK, I'm back. After opening the ball valve and squirting soapy water into the female QD there wasn't any bubbles observed from a leaky QD fitting. But, now that you've brought this up, we're going to add it to our periodic maintenance procedure! We've always checked the QD with the LPG hose connected and gas valve open, but never without a hose connected. Good Call! Cheers!

When out in the wild, if you need to run your batteries less than 50% (lead-acid, AGM or whatever), just use the power you need for the night. An occasional down to 40% or less will not kill your batteries. Please just ENJOY your travels! I have an old 1992 Lexus SC400, an amazing rear wheel drive luxury sports car, a DR HT, with a brand new battery. It is an old car, and sometimes if I or Chris do not close the doors completely, an interior light will be on overnight. I have often found this car, 2-3 days later, with the battery discharged down to 3V, DEAD! Then I charge it slowly over the next 1-2 days, and all is good! Drove it again today, even though this has occurred 4 times. We all get hung up on what is BEST, but your batteries will be fine! Just try to enjoy your outing, without the anxiety.

Agm, and fla batteries really do best when not fully discharged to 50 per cent limits, and fully charged daily. I think that's why our solar has given us "extra life" on both the boat and trailer batteries. Lithium is much more forgiving on deep discharge, and only occasionally brought back to 100 per cent. Lithium, in my experience, actually likes hanging out somewhere in the 75 to 80 per cent zone, which is a slow death for lead acid batteries. Different chemistry, different quirks.

I keep the Ollie outside in the winter here in Maine and the solar panels get sun most of the day (when the sun is out). The batteries are almost always at 100%. or close to it. If we get more than 3" of snow, I brush off the snow so the panels are always providing peak power. It seems that even with 3" of snow or ice on the panels, they are still providing some energy. When the sun is out, the panels warm up enough to melt the snow on the panels if it is not to deep on the panels. Even on cloudy days the panels are providing a small amount energy. Over the last 3 years of ownership, I have been very impressed with the solar panels on my Ollie. So much so that I am adding solar panels to the roof of my home.

Sunday 11FEB24, sunrise snap at Pancho Villa SP near Las Palomas, Old Mexico... ...walking the Knuckleheads at sunrise: Colder than anticipated last night - the Solo Stove came in handy: Cheers! A & D

We were fortunate to see a great pilot do an airshow with a Beech 18 a few years ago, with a serious smoke system. 🙂 A Lady that flew Beech 18 aircraft for years taught me how make taildragger landings in a Luscombe, still using her method today. 🙂