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Picked up our Apex two weeks ago and have been in it every night - so far, so good. We planned to spend 3 weeks straight to learn and work out any bugs (very minimal issues so far) Pros - A dream to tow & bike mount has been solid/Eco flow display easier to learn that anticipated/battery re-charge amazingly fast/Houghton AC quiet and have ran all appliances (simultaneously) and some “faux” boondocking on the 48 volt DC system w/ no issues. It has been wonderful to arrive at the campsite with 98% battery every time. Overall love the attention to detail and quality of the design. Dinette cushions (backs) could be improved and wished they would have included the solar suitcase connection. Cons: Black/Gray tank indicators don't really warn you of a full tank, but the toilet gurgling and the shower backing up are sure indicators 🙂 I haven’t attempted filling the fresh water tank yet (to be honest I am intimidated by the multiple valves under the bed - wish they were labeled but thankful for the poster size diagrams on the compartment cover. Our background: Previous tent camper, then a Casita circa 2000s, and Airstream owner. So far impressed with the Oliver overall operation (Airstream could learn from Hohenwald orientation and pick up) and while tempted by the new Casita double axle trailer (significant price difference) the Apex is a well designed trailer and we have no regrets.

I live in Wisconsin and camp mostly in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. We think of ourselves as 3-season campers and based on our experience consider the Oliver a 3-season camper. So for us it works just fine because we value our plumbing and hot water while we are camping. To be more technical, from our experience and what I have read, the Oliver is good down to about 20 degrees F. If that is full winter for you, then it is 4-season. It is not for us, and we don't want to be camping when it is less than 20 degrees F, so all is good!

@Rivernerd Remove the drawers on the left side of the drawer stack under the kitchen sink. Look for a hatch plate in the bottom of the cavity. If you have one you should be able to remove the overflow tube to check for and remove any obstructions. The service dept cut that hole and installed the hatch in May 2018 when I suspected that the hose clamp on the through-hull fitting was loose. I have on my to-do list (still) to enlarge that opening to allow easier access to that area between the hulls. I think the factory started placing that access hatch in trailers built after that. Bill 2018 Hull 313

Yes, for sure anything prolonged at 32 degrees is 4 season and I'm not interested. For us the 4th season is - go south young man, go south - a little farther, perhaps. Now to be clear, we have spent a few nights in freezing temps at elevation (10,000) and all was fine and toasty. As we are outdoors folks, and generally the really cold temps preclude outdoors - usually. I'll take a south Fla beach, or the Texas gulf over the snow and cold any day. Waking up at 30 degrees, in a tent in Yellowstone was great. It's better in the Ollie, trust me.

Four season is a squishy topic as its not defined precisely. You can use a canvas tent four season (our boys did it in Korea in hard winters.) It just depends on how comfortable you want to be, and how much energy you have. I'll break it down Cabin heating. Most people focus on this; it just depends on how efficient you want it to be. The Oliver design (double hull with radiant barrier) is more optimized for the heat (desert) than the snow (mountains). But it handles both excellently. My last trip went from the hot desert to the snowy mountains in March, it just took some propane. If you want a more efficient trailer in snow the Bigfoot is probably the only one better, but you're just saving some propane and personally I found it a cramped trailer. Now which do you want to optimize? Actually for heat is better because you need power to cool it down, which is scarcer than propane (unless you have an electric truck bwahahaha 🙂). So I think the Ollie is an awesome choice as it optimizes on the most energy scarce side of cooling. But any small trailer with decent insulation I think is fine in very cold or hot conditions (not Airstreams! There's a reason why they have two AC's and you'd better have full hookups) Humidity This is the more important issue; humidity management is the critical issue. On the Bigfoot (for example), I think its merely OK. Just anecdotal but I followed a couple who had one on the East Coast and dealing with humidity was a big deal. The Oliver however deals with this extremely well. no wood, nothing that can get damaged for one thing. I took it to Lassen the first week it opened. We lived in a deep fog bank for a week. Thick - you couldn't see the rest of the campground at times and it was a cold humidity which is bad. But the condensation was absolutely not a problem. The windows watered up, but as they're the new flush mount its outside the gasket, I just opened in the morning and squeegeed off outside. In the cabinets all the clothes needed to be pulled off the walls - yes. But the condensation just dripped down into what must have been designed in on purpose which is a condensation trip 'tray'. Impressed the hell out of me, Oliver raises the cabinet bottoms with a (honeycomb probably) panel, with a channel along the sides. This means it just drips down and collects there, I would just go and soak it up once a day. Only other thing was keeping stuff off the closet walls. Anyhow when I got it back down it took a day to dry out 😅But there wasn't a single trace of humidity damage or anything inside. Conclusion IMO it truly is four season. No trailer is perfect for all conditions or use cases. The Ollie optimizes somewhat more for hot than cold, but the advantage of is it's cheaper/easier to heat a trailer than cool a trailer. In roasting hot conditions the walls are cool to the touch due to an air gap, no heat channeling and radiant barriers. For condensation (hot or cold) its probably best in the business.

@Skynyrd, there are several threads discussing this in the forum. Google "Oliver trailers forum Winter camping." There are weak spots in the plumbing that may or may not have been addressed with some of the changes in the more recent model years. Like @DanielBoondock says, any camper can be a winter camper if you want it to. I've seen Airstreams being used all winter here in CT. Full hookups, belly skirts, and lots and lots of propane. Not my cup of tea, though, and we also consider our Oliver a 3-season camper.

Eric B .. remove btm drawer under the plywood hatch i think is were the refig is the 120 v outlet is ..loose plug?

Wow, I’m really sorry this happened. I’ve heard of similar issues with other trailer brands when there’s little or no effective overflow outlet. That’s why most trailers are filled using a flex‑hose insert—to let air escape properly. With the direct connection on our trailers, it’s difficult to manually fill at the inlet and allow that air to escape. In your case, it sounds like the overflow tube may have been restricted, or the incoming water volume and pressure simply exceeded what the overflow tube could handle. Thanks for sharing this experience. And again, I’m sorry you had to deal with it.

Todd B - If you are still in the Teton area be sure to look up "Elk Ranch" road. It is located north of your campground, is on your right as you travel north and is easy to get into and out of even when towing your Ollie. Great views of the Tetons are available here without dealing with 5,000 of your closest friends. Also, Dornann's is a good place for a decent pizza - located just north of the airport. Safe travels! Bill

While camping this week I noticed a slight sidewall bulge on my streetside rear tire. I just replaced all my tow vehicle tires so was not excited about buying more tires right now, but a sidewall bulge is never a good thing. I have the Goodyear Endurance ST tires on my Oliver and with the trailer only 3 years old and less than 10,000 total miles on the trailer, I was disappointed in the tire longevity/durability. I have been running about 55 psi in the tires as a compromise on ride quality vs tread wear/mileage. I know some of you run even less pressure to save the springs, but lower pressures do stress the sidewalls more. I then looked closer and the date stamps on the tires are late 2021 so the tires are actually about 5 years old, not 3 and 5 years is about the life of a trailer tire. So despite low miles and inside storage, I am leaning toward replacing all 5 tires (including the spare) and increasing my running tire pressure some. I abhor the idea of changing a streetside tire along the road on a trip after a blow out. What would you do? And don't assume your tires are the same age as your trailer.

I fully agree with these comments but from where we live and travel, perhaps from an opposite point of view... Our 3 seasons are Fall-Winter-Spring. Summers we'd rather stay up here at 5400 ft because as soon as we drive an hour in most directions it's going to be hot. But this is also true: Summers here, even at elevation, I've measured our Oliver rooftop temps to 110F (Ruuvi sensor placed under shade of the solar panels). Inside cabin temps without A/C (windows cracked, MaxxFan and bath vent open), will be 20F cooler. We often run the A/C for the month of August while it's parked at home. Now that we have viable RV air conditioning, we're dabbling more into our 4th season, summer. Out west, elevation is a greater factor than being north or south. Summers we go up, like our July trip NW of Flagstaff at 7600 ft. We did use the A/C some afternoons. Winters we head down to The Valley, anywhere in SW AZ into CA is great winter travel, more than 1/4 million campers at Quartzsite! I would love to camp with our friend Steve and family up the the north central Midwest. We'd go for fall colors or during the spring, certainly not for their winters. 20F at dawn, we see that often. -20F all day long is not happenin'! Yep, I've read a few in our 3 years here. I've seen where the outdoor shower plumbing is removed and both battery and basement exterior access panels are fully insulated. I read another where the Oliver was used as a remote working vehicle where it was used as a dry cabin, all water removed, plumbing not used in a sub-zero climate. The double hull insulated, completely sealed underbelly, tanks within the hull, proper A/C and dual 30# LP tanks, if you want it to be 4-season it can be. But we're not camping in Phoenix summers or Minnesota winters.

I have boondocked at the foot of the Athabasca glacier and on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. I am NOT Bear Grylls. It’s that easy. I have also done weeklong stays in sub freezing weather, and triple digit heat with hookups. Even easier. YMMV, but Ollie is easy to use, safe and durable IMHO.

Very strange! The fresh tank expanded enough to bow the floor. It was holding pressure, for some period of time, long enough to after the fact use the kitchen faucet to release pressure. Water coming out of the overflow seems contrary to this occurrence. Overflow (must have) occurred only after enough pressure was built up to balloon the tank. 35 PSI was enough to balloon the tank but not burst the tank or tank plumbing. If the connection was 60 PSI, like our home plumbing, the tank would have expanded more and at some pressure point the tank would burst or blow off a connected fitting. Of course, this is not normal. Good news is since pressure held, the tank and plumbing should still be good, but keep your eye out for leaking. When our tank overflows, it pours out heavy, measured in GPM like the open hose! I'm always rushing to the shut-off asap, so not to waste much water. The overflow is the only way to know for sure you have a full (small) tank of precious fresh water. You could use a gallon counter at the hose. I've never trusted tank monitors, haven't used our SeeLevel display in at least 2 years. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, but personally I cannot see changing our simple fresh tank filling procedure. IMHO, your tank overflow needs repair or replacement vs. change of process for our community. Anything but waiting for tank overflow would be a once or twice weekly PITA. I would try a flexible scope up the overflow tube. Remove any screen in the path (replace with new) and debris. Is there some kind of nest up there? Our old hull has no access panels under the kitchen drawers (as Bill pictured above). Your newer hull likely does. It would be great if you can reach in and disconnect the hose clamp to the overflow! (Someday I'll likely cut a trench under both stacks of drawers to have such access and replace that awful ducting as far up as possible.) I hope you find the reason soon so that you can get back to life as usual! 😎 We'll be reading!

Amen!

I also like using 3M 4950 VHB tape for mounting to fiberglass. I tested several products and ended up preferring the tape. I used it to mount the solar panels on the roof of our Bigfoot camper, and it’s held strong for 18 years so far. I’ve been following your posts—and others—on the A/C upgrade and plan to tackle mine next spring. Right now, I’m leaning toward the Furrion Chill Cube, but I’ll keep researching over the winter and make a final decision in the spring. I may have questions for you then.

Our 2022 is new to us this year, and I shared the same initial confusion when looking at the water‑valve diagram. While it’s a great feature to have the valve positions shown based on the function you want, I also wanted to understand the actual start and end points of each line. So, I enhanced the diagram and placed a laminated copy under the bed next to the water pump. Below is that updated drawing. Please let me know if you spot any errors in it.

Love the name! Watch out for any bird like woman with a good vocal range

Hello Apex #2 from Apex #1, Hull #1738, 2Dreamin👋 Totally agree on the dinette cushion backs, it was annoying every time we got up from the dinette so I see a solution in our future. City water connection is on the curbside and Fresh water tank fill is on the street side. We got the compost toilet and are very happy with our decision, this was after months of contemplating it, then deciding not to do it and then changing our minds after talking with the Whitaker's at Denali National Park in Alaska earlier this summer. We did fill the fresh water tank to test out the pump and also testing out the pressure of the pump for the tankless hot water heater (THWH) and that worked great. To set our preferred THWH temperature, I hopped in the shower, turned on the faucet hot water only while DH was setting the temp to 107 which worked great for both of us actually. Using only the hot water side of the faucet eliminates cold spots with the tankless. The only time we experienced any issues was while at a campground that had 'low' water pressure which reduced how hot the water came out, the tankless also works on water pressure, this is where the fresh water pump came in handy. We find the EcoFlow to be a dream to manage, so much easier than our Airstream Interstate set-up, even after we had all the wiring ripped out, soft solar panels ripped off and an entire new battery system, inverter, etc and solar panels installed. We love the ease of operation with the EcoFlow. Enjoy your new Apex!!!!! Are you going to the rally? We are in site F20

I don't but I do check them regularly. Thanks for your suggestions - they make sense to me. Love your tag line by the way "die young - as late as possible".

Nice Job. Interesting revisit John E did an amazing job- I did JD's mod - and was really happy with the results, but honestly the biggest bang is between the TV and the Ollie. I have a bunch of ideas for this - being a bit of a Macgyver myself but having gotten out the scene for a few years - went to the back burner. As that will soon change, I will have to revisit. Again, good to see another take on the issue.

Townesw: Thanks for the tip. I neglected to mention that water was actually flowing from the overflow tube when the trailer shifted, yet the bowing/damage still happened. Our 2022 hull #1291 has a 1/4" plywood cover over a hole in the location you described. I plan to remove it and verify if there is an obstruction of the overflow tube. That said, I still plan to monitor the fresh tank sensor when filling, regardless of what I find!

I would replace the one, put the spare on opposite side of the same axle. Put the other two best on the other axle. The most visible worn tire in as spare. Unless the tires have been in full sun, in the desert (say Phoenix), generally good until 6 - just inspect them regularly. Now the caveat - if I was headed out on a long-term trip - months, and headed up to AK, and beyond, different story. Do you run tire pressure monitors?

When I first saw the title of your post I thought you were fighting the dreaded No-see-ums that get past the screens. I would second, or third, the recommendation to get CGI to do a ceramic coating for you. They really are experts and outstanding young men with an awesome work ethic. The two products that I got from them for after care are 1.) Ceraglo - soap to wash and 2.) Shine & Shield - to use after washing... it helps to keep the ceramic coating fresh. CGI will be at the rally and would be happy to inspect your trailer and give you a quote on ceramic coating. Scotty

I should have started by asking whether you have voltage at the batteries, and then whether you have voltage at the input side of the 60‑amp breaker. A voltmeter will help immensely. It could even be something simple—like lithium batteries that were accidentally switched off. On my trailer, a 4‑gauge cable runs directly from the batteries to the 60‑amp breaker, and that circuit is independent of the heavier‑gauge cable feeding the inverter. I can double‑check in the morning, but I’m fairly sure the wire going to the converter is connected before the 60‑amp breaker, which would mean the breaker isn’t the issue. I hope this doesn’t add to the confusion. Dean

Imelda, The 60‑amp circuit breaker under the street‑side bunk also supplies power to the jacks in my trailer. Do your jacks work? If they do, then move on to the converter—located under the dinette in my unit—and check the fuses there. If the jacks don’t work, the breaker is most likely the issue. Dean

Dean & Mary - Re Rallies: In a recent conversation with Aaron Wolters at Oliver he told me that he is working on and is interested in "regional rallies". If you would be interested in helping organize such a rally in your area, I'd suggest that you get in touch with Aaron. There are and have been a number of these regional rallies - the New England area, the Texas rally and the Florida rally all come to mind. Therefore, any organizer would not have to re-invent the wheel to get it done. Bill

Wrapping up a week in Grand Tetons. Gros Venture is the campground and the fall colors, even though we were a little late, delivered! Also, thought I would post some solar number as some of these days it was really pulling in some good numbers hitting almost 350w out of a 400w panels one day. Another 6 days discounted, running invert most the day with Starlink and laptop and even some small microwave use. Batteries are sitting at 70% still.

We live in the mountains about an hour from Denver off Highway 285. We hope to attend a big rally someday if one is held close to Colorado, and a smaller regional rally would definitely interest us as well. Thanks for checking out our signature line about the equipment upgrade. I’m still working on it and hope to have everything wrapped up soon. Once it’s finished, I’ll put together a full write‑up and share the process. And yes—I agree that an Oliver‑offered Victron upgrade would definitely appeal to buyers. Dean

Sounds like a great adventure! Welcome!! Mike

That Power Foam Turtle Wax bug remover gets high ratings. Once you get your ceramic coating done you will find that the bugs are a bunch easier to remove. CGI (that Patriot mentions above) has a product that will also aid in bug removal while enhancing and adding to the life of your coating - I believe that "Ceramic Shield" is the name. Bill

Pending your ceramic coating 🙂....a great / inexpensive option is Turtle Wax 50595 Power Foam Bug & Tar Remover. Interesting video here from Dallas Paint Correction. I am sure there are better products, but maybe not for the price and the foaming dwell time. As mentioned in the video, good for bugs horrible for tar. Citrol also works but is a harsh chemical. Just a thought!

A professional ceramic coating will allow those bugs to wash right off with a PH neutral car wash soap. We had our Oliver ceramic coated by CGI and they did an outstanding job. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Highly recommend! https://www.cgidetailing.com/

As a first step, i wash off with alot of sudsy soap water and sponge bath, letting it soak the bugs, then go bug and tar remover for the relatively few that persist.

What a beautiful start and the perfect name — Odyssey. Welcome to the Oliver family — see you at the Rally!

Bug and Tar Remover, then wash and re-wax.

I always have a kneeling pad and ground cover with me. They are from Mud River and were originally for the dog crates and a seat cover. Both are canvas on top and “water proof” on the bottom. Water proof is subjective. BTW, we are just 10 hull numbers apart.

Nice color!

We got lucky in that we had just sold a Class C, when I had said to Chris, "We need to find a travel trailer we like, something easy to tow and good on the backroads of Arizona!" Next day I opened prescott.craigslist.org and there she was, Hull #113. Where in Colorado? We travel through often, so perhaps we could meet up to buy that basket someday! Or come by Quartzsite the last week of Jan where about 10 of us Oliver owners get together. I've also got for sale 4 brand new Nev-R Lube hubs (complete with bearings and drums) and two sets of left-right brake assemblies (see pic), for those who like to travel with spare parts ready! Lastly, there's another current thread on the features of a 2027 or future Oliver! Take a look at Dean and Mary's signature under "After Market." Now that's a PLATINUM +++ Package! Why has OTT not considered/offered an integrated Victron package? We can look at the mods section to see that some 10+ owners have removed a working Xantrex inverter to replace it with a Victron Multiplus.

The Oliver Travel Trailer for Sale Facebook page is actually where I found and purchased my used 2022 Oliver Elite II. I really like the idea JD mentioned about having a dedicated used‑parts section. The Oliver Facebook page doesn’t allow used parts to be listed, and while Oliver parts can be posted on Facebook Marketplace, having a specific section or page just for Oliver accessories/parts would be a great addition. I have, for sale, the solid aluminum front basket you are looking for JD, but I am not interested in shipping it. I also have a working Xantrex 3,000 inverter, a Seabiscuit rear storage rack etc.... If only there was a place to list the used accessories.

Wyoming sunsets are glorious.

It took a couple days labor, but I take my time and enjoy the work! $50 in parts for both truck and trailer, you can't beat it. 😎

I hope this issue has not previously been addressed on the forum. I could not find anything on this topic with a search. So, here goes. I have always assumed that the fresh water tank in our 2022 Elite II could be filled until water flows out of the overflow tube underneath the fridge, regardless of the fresh water sensor reading. This approach is recommended on p. 61 of our 2022 Oliver Owners Manual: "fill until water starts to run from the freshwater overflow..." I have regularly done just that with no issues--until a few days ago. When filling the fresh water tank, the aisle floor bulged upward, the entire trailer shifted to the curb side binding the door, and then, with a loud CRACK, the backsplash on the sink side of the galley countertop separated by about 1/2" from the fiber granite countertop, because the corner of the countertop near the sink was sloping toward the curbside! After we recovered from the shock, my wife and I immediately ran fresh water (via the pump) into the gray water tank through the galley sink until the trailer shifted back into equilibrium. Fortunately, this enabled the aisle floor to level out again, the door to unbind, and the countertop to slowly rise up again to meet the backsplash, so the two once again line up. When we get home, I plan to re-caulk the joints that separated, and carefully inspect for any additional damage. So far, all appears to be "back to normal" while we continue our extended trip. Lesson learned: despite what is recommended in your Owners Manual, monitor the fresh water tank level when filling, and once the sensor reads close to 100%, SHUT OFF THE WATER! DON'T WAIT FOR WATER TO FLOW FROM THE OVERFLOW TUBE!