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Happy 4th of July to Everyone! Gunnison NF, Colorado -- dispersed camping with weather

Moose and Elk have been spotted by other people a week or so ago, but I haven't seen them yet. I watch, especially during morning and evening hours. Lots of deer including newborn spotted fawns. Lots of birds, though not as many raptors as I expected. I haven't had any issues with bugs -- I suspect because I'm perched on an open ridge overlooking the river, and the wind blows steadily. In the forest areas, it's a different story.

All of you were lots of help! I disappeared for awhile because, honestly, I needed to back up and learn some basics to even understand some of the terms y’all used. @Steve and MA, that was exactly the info I needed for our rooftop panels; I copied that to Renogy. @mossemi, I wasn’t able to easily access the specs for the rooftop panels without removing the panels - and I didn’t want to do that! @rich.dev, I, too, don’t know why Renogy thought they needed the specs of the rooftop panels.🤔 Their website did reveal, however, that it is no problem connecting two 100 watt suitcases and having the controller on only one. As @SeaDawg and many others have stated, yep, the polarity on our Zamp port was reversed, and we used an adapter. @jd1923, figuring all this out was quite a challenge, so thanks for the encouragement saying we have a GREAT setup. In the end, we have the option of using either one or both of our Renogy 100 watt suitcases. I am grateful to @Geronimo John who originally (on a different thread) suggested we purchase two 100w suitcases rather than one heavy and bulky 200w suitcase. Time to go boondock!

If you have not visited it already, tour Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. Breath taking!

Be sure to check road conditions -- Route 50 closed in sections (bridge work) and also some local flooding last week. I will keep my eyes peeled for Olivers on the road!

In our retrofit install of the tf130, we sealed both vents. (We had both.) We added insulation to the vents, and the sides of the cavity, still leaving an airgap around the fridge. Made sure we had more than 24 square inches of venting, to the interior. No more screening necessary to keep mud daubers out. We've never had an overtemp issue in ours. Normally run the fridge on 5 or so. But, we don't camp in 95 or 100+ degree weather, either. I leave that to younger, more heat tolerant folks. We do keep plenty of cold sink foods/beverages in the fridge. All fridges seem to work better when loaded, vs empty/lightly loaded. As someone else suggested, all the cold comes from the tiny freezer. I think the temp sensor is within the wall of the freezer, as well. There are some air slots at the back. Maybe move your fan from center to left, and try to draw more cool air from the freezer? You could also have a faulty thermostat. Isotherm sells a kit which includes a sensor in the fridge cavity, as well. Many boater use it. I think Overland installed it for his, maybe. I'll see what I find. The other suggestions of shading the fridge side are good. Wondering if you have a true 24 square inches of interior venting?

Thank you. I think I will wait to try that for a time when I have caulk on hand to repair -- but I've been curious about that space.

@Boudicca908Pry off the 4 plastic caps, remove the screws, cut the caulk around the insert using a plastic razor blade. If you intend to remove the insert be sure you have everything on hand to replace it. Keep in mind that the caulk will need to cure for a certain time before it can be wetted. I have taped a piece of plastic over the hole in order to use the shower before I replaced the insert.

There are 2 issues. First when you open the door, the cold drops out. You learn to know what you need, open, grab, and close,🙃 Fact of life. The small fan will be a benefit in either a compressor fridge or absorbsion fridge. It circulates air in the fridge, and will have "Zero" negative affect. In our truck camper, we built a shade to provide shade over the 2 vents. 2023 LE2 has one (1) vent and the 2024 LE2 has none as it vents to the interior. Earlier models have the absorbsion fridge and 2 vents. Suggest that you add 2 computer fans behind the upper vent screen if you have a LE2 2023 or earlier. Someone will have to assist with how to wire. The fan I installed in our truck camper behind the upper vent, along with the battery operated fan in the fridge made a huge difference. One learns to park to lessen the sum exposure to the curb side of the trailer. A shade over the vents all will help.

@jd1923, the op reports that he has an isotherm/dc danfoss compressor fridge. 2016s like yours had 3ways as original equipment. Have ypu upgraded yours? @DunnYet, we've never used a fan in our truckfridge (similar to your isotherm. Same interior, same compressor.) Try without it. Your isotherm vents to the interior of the trailer, not exterior. Is anything blocking interior venting? Any ice buildup in the shoebox freezer?

The GX550 is a beautiful vehicle. I would be hesitant to buy one right now as it's the same V35A engine (although slightly de-tuned) as the ones listed in the recall. 2024 Tundras aren't being recalled (yet), even though there are reports of engine failures in them as well. I'm sure there will be a fix, but I would wait until that fix is implemented at the factory. Really don't want a service tech at the dealer pulling and rebuilding a very complex twin-turbo V6. But maybe that's just me. I'm a huge Toyota/Lexus fan and a former Boeing employee. Both companies that I have (had) tremendous respect for have really let a lot of people down...

Exactly! They guide my 4 AM forays to check the plumbing and I sleep with my 👀 closed, so they do bother my sleeping habits.😉 Mossey

Got everything done today on the air fryer installation. I put quarter-round along the base and 3M 3350 to seal all the edges and seams. Found a decent piece of angle aluminum as a trim piece to make the bottom opening look better and remounted the faceplate.

You can find some that have a mounting plate => [Upgraded Version] 12V USB Outlet Qidoe 78W 3 Port USB C 12V Outlet Dual PD 30W & 18W USB A Port with Voltmeter Lengthened Aluminum Body Switch Waterproof USB Car Charger Socket for Car Boat Marine RV https://a.co/d/07mCzHx6 The most I have seen using the ones I installed to charge an iPad is 4.5 amp or around 52 watts. I really just wanted USB-C connections since everything has switched over to that and to be able to fast charge my phone, iPad, etc. Of course the MacBook can charge easily from 50w as well. But I am not an electrician and routinely do things that are above my experience level so I will be the first to say don’t do what I do without doing your own homework.

Each year prior to heading out to the Rockies to fish for a couple of months, I treat several changes of cloths with THIS STUFF. It lasts through washings and helps keep the bugs off for about 6 weeks. Have a great trip! Bill

They replace the existing socket. Check under your dinette seat and you can easily see what to do. I have a picture of mine (have not upgraded yet). You only need to pull two spade terminals (blue wire +) and then there is a threaded ring. To get to the one over the bed, you will have to pull the rubber liner in the cabinet. The picture shows the ones in our older hull have screws left and right. The ones Mike shows above do not have these. I may have to patch the screw holes or perhaps there is a trim ring on mine that could just stay. There are many models of these depending on your needs. The one @rideadeuce linked above has a 65W USB-C required for iPads. If you are only charging phones, 65W may be overkill (I do not know if extra wattage can hurt a phone). This one has two 20W USB-C posts and a USB3: Amazon.com: USB C Car Charger Socket – Newest 58W Lengthened RV USB Outlet 12V Socket Dual 20W PD3.0 USB-C and 18W QC3.0 Car USB Port with Button Power Switch for Boat Marine Motorcycle : Cell Phones & Accessories This is a most simple install. A good way to get started and soon you will do more complicated tasks!

I almost volunteered in that territory last summer, at Grand Portage National Monument. Almost... Once the park staff suggested "impenetrable clothing" to ward off the attack of mosquitoes, I decided to head elsewhere. That said, I have been to Duluth and along portions of Lake Superior and north of Ely in the Winter and it's spectacular. If you are near Duluth and enjoy birdwatching, there are numerous places to go, including: Hawk Ridge https://www.hawkridge.org/ Sax-Zim Bog https://saxzim.org/ Near Ely there is Voyageur Outward Bound School and they have sled dogs (you can see and hear them from the road, but they don't allow you to pet them.) Enjoy!

Our upper vent (2022 LE2) had a slot and a mobile RV guy said it should be sealed and he fixed it, and I confirmed with Oliver. The fan would be installed right on the backside of the Oliver cover. Don't have our trailer at home, so I can't check it. If you only have one awning, there is a switch for a street side awning that could be used for the fan (s).

@SeaDawg yes, we have the old style. I mentioned removing the add-on fan in an earlier post. @DunnYet, we have not heard back re what you may have tried? @topgun2 the fan you showed is what we suggested in removing such device. I like a fridge that runs on propane and will likely keep ours for a while. The freezer is large (I read the Isotherm freezer is teeny and that it has cycling issues on many online forums). It fits two of our jumbo ice cube trays, large cubes for special drinks, and it cools a new tray down every night. 😂

I used a mirror to locate them on the panel and then used my cell phone camera to take some pictures, lots of pictures in fact, until I got some that were readable and threw the bad ones away. Mossey

Check with Oliver, they had it on sale a few weeks ago.

We're home now but I ran ours overnight just to see. I only put a gallon of water in the bottom, and nothing in the freezer. I placed two RUUVi sensors, one in a basket in the freezer and another on the center shelf in the fridge. They read 12 and 47 F the next morning. Maybe this is common with RV fridges, and most people do not notice. Though my test was not valid without food and running longer. We traveled 3 weeks Apr-May, and it got water bottles pretty cold during the day while we were out and certainly cold when left overnight. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will measure temps next time out. Given you're still traveling and need a quick fix... Not being familiar with the Isotherm, does it have a small freezer in the top of the fridge like most models? What if you remove the freezer compartment door? And maybe the door shelf in front of it. The cool would sink to the bottom and the warmth from below would rise and perhaps signal the thermostat to keep the compressor running longer. You would lose a freezer but perhaps get a colder fridge. It might be worth a try, and you could always reinstall the parts later.

For anyone interested in purchasing one, Home Depot has the Maxxfan with LED on sale for $73 at the moment. MaxxFan Dome Plus with 12-Volt Fan and LED Light

If you look at my photo above, the wiring looks like automotive grade 14 AWG, though I have not measured it to be certain. 14 AWG wire has ampacity of 15A (16 AWG is 10A). 65W / 12 = 5.4A Given @rideadeuce has installed his and of course he has the Victron app, he could check amps before, then plug in an iPad and check the negative change in amps to verify actual usage numbers vs. theorical. I believe you'd be OK, but if 'twas me, I would upgrade the dinette area to the 65W and run new dedicated wiring to a dedicated fuse, since the fuse box is <2 FT away. Ampacity and voltage drop over cable length. The run to the overhead streetside bed is a long run and who knows if OTT has these outlets shared with anything else on the same run (wiring and fuse). There I would install the lesser wattage model for phones (20W) like the one I linked above, to be safer. We normally charge our laptops at the dinette anyway or via the 110V outlet at the nightstand and we charge our phones over the bed to be handy, so this arrangement works well for our usage.

This is our first time using the forum. I hope this response appears as we are replying to all. We appreciate your responses regarding the seat cushions. We impulsively moved forward with washing the smallest seat cushion to test out washing on delicate with cold water and letting it air dry. I have to say, the shrinkage was not too bad. However, as SeaDawg mentioned, it was rough getting the foam into the narrow opening of the cover. We feared we would damage the zipper, and then getting the cover to look nice and neat and not wonky was a challenge! The batting that raps around the foam is difficult to keep in tact. If we continue with this method of cleaning we will consider the plastic idea to slip the foam and batting into the cover. We are divided in how we should move forward. jd1923, thank you for the link for the sunbrella cushions. You certainly opened our eyes to having covers with a fabric such as sunbrella. As our Oliver ages, we may consider new cushions with a sunbrella type of fabric custom made for us. Since our Oliver is only a couple years old, we will consider the automotive upholstery cleaner, and see how that does. {We do not have offensive stains or anythihng, just want to freshen the cushions up.). Thank you for all your suggestions. You have been very helpful : )

This is my thought on the Oliver seat cushions. Our Oliver is 8+ years old and cleaning is not enough as the foam has lost its cushion. We also have the twin beds, so we're only talking the dinette. These are the best and most expensive I found on Amazon and btw Chris' nickname is Red! Amazon.com: RSH DECOR: Deep Seating Cushion with Pillow Back | 24” x 24” Seat | Sunbrella Performance Fabric | Water and Fade-Resistant | Outdoor Chair Cushion Set for Patio Furniture | Canvas Burgundy : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Thank for the additional information and pictures. I think you’re right, a good first project to build a little confidence.

Probably one of my favorite toys I picked up during my time In galveston. It was the year that there was a huge population explosion of the giant quarter sized mosquitos that have a pretty painful bite. I think 2017 or 18. Many of the hallways at the school were spotted with blood spots from students smacking mosquitos against the walls. They had to put up signs asking folks to avoid doing that.

Another mosquito magnet here. The campground at Watson Lake, Yukon Territory was the worse for mosquitoes. This was my setup. The older, dark green Thermacell I set on the right side of the steps going into the Oliver and never had a mosquito get inside. The Repel spray works great if you have to leave the Thermacell shield of protection to go for a walk or otherwise leave the campsite. The severity of the mosquitoes depends on the weather. When we went to Alaska in 2016 they weren’t that bad except in wet, rainy heavily wooded campgrounds, but it pays to be prepared.

We’re in Clear Lake near Galveston, I ‘m a mosquito magnet! We carry Thermacells, one handheld and three latern style. The handheld is kept near me and the laterns are positioned around the immediate camp. I have a dropper bottle containing Pyrethrin to recharge the scent pads, very cost efficient and very effective! I really don’t like to spray down with harsh insect repellant, but find the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus (Deet-Free) product pleasent for skin and clothing applications and effective. Inside the Oliver I hang a couple of bug zappers for the occasional pesty invaders. If anywhere for a length of time, the screened Clam is deployed. Although I don’t like using, sometimes there’s a need to sweep camp with Cutter Backyard Bug Control.

Thanks @rideadeuce I did find your build thread. Earlier I thought it was just about the Epoch install. It appears that yours and many other hulls have the Xantrex 2000 in the rear and mine was installed under the dinette. I only have the Blue Sky solar controller back there. If I can fit it up front it will make the wiring easier and shorter vs. new cable to the rear. Anyway, just a long-term plan for now...

Like a taxi way at the airport, blue and green 🤣

First step was to center the Emeril Air fryer. It needed to be raised about 3/4" or more, so I set it on two 2x4s with cutouts, hole drilled to hold the legs. This gave me the lift I need and a way to secure the oven. When I got the mount ready, I merely used some wood glue below and was able to then move the oven a little to get it exactly square. The next day after the glue had set, I added a couple wood screws to secure (the 2x4 in the rear was part of the original microwave installation).

There has been at least one owner (edit: more than a few owners) who forgot and left their black tank flush running. The water filled the black tank and then flowed over and filled the grey tank through the venting under the bathroom sink. The water then came back up through the shower drain, filled the shower pan, then flooded the cabin. If this has happened to a trailer I don’t see how you would ever completely eliminate the smell. I would ask the previous owner if this happened to your trailer. Read this thread https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3447-left-black-tank-clean-out-hose-on/

Good information,again. Nan, perhaps I didn’t introduce ourselves to you. We are only Oliver owner wannabes right now but are doing our research here on the forum to learn more about Oliver TT. Thank you so much for your kindness, though. And thanks for all the other great information, friends. I’m sure we only have a zillion more questions 🤣

We have purchased from this company in South Carolina. They make form fitted sheets and mattress covers for Olivers. Excellent products and customer service in our experience. We prefer memory foam mattresses vs coil spring. We originally had Southern mattresses and were not happy with the coil spring style mattresses. Everyone’s comfort level is different. Great deep Zzzzzz’s with our Casper cooling 11” memory foam mattresses. https://www.ablifestyles.net/sheet-sets/?network=x&device=t&keyword=&campaign=19268043787&adgroup=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADm2yp5IUbqU-hiEYgaI4Qm2qwD_C&gclid=CjwKCAjwm_SzBhAsEiwAXE2Cv6qkS8VRKHfzmMQQGyZGpqbWLO_TooMB62eODTcZUwuAvdAZR5C66xoCxKAQAvD_BwE

The bathroom sink, black tank and grey tank all share the same vent pipe, part of which is actually used as the drain pipe for the sink and shower drain. Your odor could be due to grey tank fumes coming up thru the shower or sink drains if the back flow preventer slide valve is open. Also check the tightness of the steel bands on the fernco connectors in that area.

High falls at Grand Portage State Park Grand Marais harbor

You may want to plan a night or two in Ely, MN. There are some nice campgrounds around there and you can always visit the Wolf Center and the Bear Center. The Soudan Underground Mine tour will take you about a 1/2 mile down for a unique tour. You may want to stop in Duluth and tour the lake freighter, the William A. Irvin. We usually take our out of town guests there and they love it. Some awesome state parks for hiking are along the way up the shore. Happy to answer any questions you may have since it's our home turf. Lots of other great ideas already given as well.

Mother Neff State Park is a nice little Texas State Park just south of Waco. The land was donated to the state of Texas by the mother of Governor Pat Neff 100 years or so ago. It was the first state park in Texas. We stop here often.

Made it through last night fairly "high and dry" - although there is a slight after-smell of wet huskies in the camper... Oh, well, it's how we roll. T-storms started again early this AM (0230) through about 0445. Nobody slept - coffee came early and prep for R&R operations with Dusten Bowden (18-year veteran of OTT). The Dexter Nev-R-Lubes swapped without even a hiccup... ABOVE: Removed and replaced the rear axle first then attacked the front... ABOVE: Note the size difference between the 12" and 10" drums... about 19% more braking surface area. ABOVE: Took about 3.5 hrs for the axle R&R, back on the road now and headed toward Nashville over the next several days. Had to stop for this pic - here's "3 hearty cheers" to Jim Oliver for designing what we consider the best TT for the money in the US RV market! Roll-on, regardless...

Found this little roadside park and free campground on iOverlander while driving across Kansas on US36. The sign in the park says overnights are welcome… and free, unless you need electricity, then it is $15/nt using the self-pay box. There is potable water available. While it is next to the highway, overnight was extremely quiet. Awoke to two deer grazing near the trailer and the sound of songbirds. Highly recommend this spot if you are on US36 near Kensington, KS. For a moment I felt transported back in time to the 1930s/40s when roadside camping on US highways was commonly practiced by Families making their was across the Country. US36 takes you past the geographic center-point of the US and not too far from the worlds largest ball of Sisal twine (my cat was pawing at the window to get out and try his best to play with it).

On the subject of finding places to stay, we've been extremely please with HipCamp, it's sort of the Air BnB of camping. You sign up for it, make a profile, then you get to rate the camping locations and they get to rate you. It can vary from an actual campground (rarely) to someone's driveway, or a field. We've stayed at a horse property, a farm that had a section of their pasture set aside for campers, there's a place outside of Hays KS that's 2500 acres on the Saline river with about 30 sites that are all about 500-1,000 feet apart from each other. Hookups vary too, from none to full hookups, prices vary as well, we've paid as little as $15/night up to $50 or more a night. The places are overall very clean and conducive to having a peaceful stay. We had tried boondockers.com, they were OK but we like HipCamp better. albert

We have used Campendium for years at no cost. Recently, Chris paid for an account for additional benefits. Last thing you need is a pass from some app/website to get into another! Looks like the common scheme to get new accounts by linking prospects to some other service. Like the 100s of reseller websites that sell your going through them to buy insurance!!! Buyer beware and stay away! OMG, this world could do without prostitutes and the marketing profession which is far WORSE! At least with the prostitute, you know what you are buying!

Custer state park SD is a beautiful park with several campgrounds and on the highway loop to Mt Rushmore. see pix of it in our blog here: https://4-ever-hitched.com/epic-adventure-2021

We’ve been up and down the Moki many times over the past 30 years. It’s not nearly as bad as a sharp stick in the eye.

Flathead Lake State Park, West Unit looking east at the Park: http://stateparks.mt.gov/west-shore/ EDIT 04/20/20: I misnamed this park and have corrected the description. The water is crystalline clear. There are no sites at water level, you have to hike down. John Davies Spokane WA

It is smart to check the park website as often as possible, the campgrounds fill up fast; Two Medicine Campground and vicinity: The lighting changes dramatically minute by minute, and the mountains are either shadowed or lit up brightly. It is really hard to get good pics due to the variations....

Glacier NP has problems handling all the visitors due to the short season, curtailed federal budget, and limited facilities. There are WAY too many people for the available parking, and Going To The Sun Road is dangerous enough without a bunch of clueless flatlanders in rental cars or too-wide dually pickup trucks with extended mirrors. In July 2019 Glacier had more visitors than Yellowstone. The chart above is interesting, Visitation was low until the 1930s. There was a small train stop, a rough dirt wagon track and tents at Two Medicine for visitors. In 1913 the Great Northern RR started upgrading the facilities at East Glacier, adding a huge hotel next to the station, a better road and small hotel at Two Medicine. They advertised and started bringing in increasingly large numbers of tourists before the effect of the 1930s recession hit, big time. Here is the inside of the great lodge (not my photo); Well into the Great Depression tourism was down and a forest fire broke out at Two Medicine, the employees heroically defended the small building, and then drove back to the train station and reported to headquarters that it was saved ... Who responded back "Why?" Things probably looked bleak to them at that time. The Going To The Sun Road had opened in 1933 and the south entrance became increasingly less popular. ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going-to-the-Sun_Road The big dip in the early 1940s is due to WW2; the railroads were carrying materiel and troops rather than tourists, who had no extra cash anyway. Our last visit here was in 1979, on the tail end of a big 5000- mile trip of exploration, which culminated in our moving to Seattle from Nashville TN. When we first went over Going To The Sun Road, the mountains were completely socked in by dense clouds. All we saw was the lower scree slopes. I don't recall any problems with an excessive number of visitors.... Forty years later, we got to see them naked and in their full glory. (The mountains, not the visitors.) ;) John Davies Spokane WA