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I recently purchased a 2015 LE. I've been looking at Olivers for quite a while, so when hull #80 popped up 45 minutes away, I took that as a sign. As soon as my Pleasureway Class B and my house here in Florida sell, I will be both retired and homeless and ready to redo the best trip of my life. When I got out of the Coast Guard in the early 1970’s, a friend and I traveled the country for 6 months tent camping. I have no specific plans for my initial trip other than to hike, bike and fish until I feel the need to come back to Florida to see the kids. I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. I have thoroughly enjoyed your adventures and advice for a couple of years now.

Dwain, If you boil down the concerns to their most basic elements, it seems to be something like: If I continue with the routine I've always done, I'll be safe. If I stray from that routine, I'll be unsafe. It's the fear of the unknown and nothing more. Or, put another way, if I drive on the freeway, in the city, and go about my life (where there are X number of traffic deaths, X number of muggings, and X number of murders every year), I'll be safe. But if I take a risk and go out into the forest, where there is almost nobody around, I'll get robbed and killed for sure. Following that logic, why even go outside, or to the store, or on any kind of vacation? Or why vote for anyone other than who is feeding you the rhetoric of fear? If you long for a breath of fresh air, want to see the open spaces, listen to the quiet, or explore some natural wonders, you have to get out there and do it. And an Ollie is the perfect little cabin you can take with you to do it. I must say that wondering about these basic questions reveals that you are looking beyond the confines of the security trap. Good! Spending the night in the forest, or out in the desert, and just looking and wondering at the night sky, the sound of a breeze in the trees, or a babbling brook, will help you take stock in your life and the meaning of it. Making some new friends that are doing the same, will give you renewed confidence in humans. Hearing a coyote late at night, or watching bats swoop in for a drink from a pond as evening sets in, or hearing a bird screech, or poking at the campfire with it's quiet crackle and warmth, as you study the Milky Way, will reset your clock. And as you drift off to sleep, you'll know you've been changed. Your insecurities about being in a new place will melt as your fascination about it grows. But, of course, you must take more responsibility for your own safety by taking food, water and supplies, and a way to communicate as much as possible. As in being wherever you are, you should always be aware of your surroundings. Much of this comes down to addressing emotions with logic. Those two are incompatible and one cannot answer the other very well. But reason can bridge the gap. Curiosity can fuel desire. Desire and curiosity can lead to adventure. A taste of adventure can lead to more adventure. A desire for more adventure and good experiences can lead to acquiring an Ollie. An Ollie can lead to virtually unlimited adventure. None of this can occur without a bit of courage and curiosity. I say grab your courage by the tail and let it pull you out of the routine. Cautiously at first, if need be, at a rate the works for you. But grab that chance before it's too late. Or before fear of an imagined bogeyman keeps you hiding under the bed thinking you're safe. Find your adventure and relish it. We all have our demons, do they rule us, or do we live in spite of them? Step one: Get an Ollie and attend an organized Casita or Oliver rally. They are totally safe, fun and organized. You'll have chances to make lots of friends and get lots of ideas. Open house tours will give you a chance to meet others and look at their trailers. These are social events based around camping. Step two: Visit some State or National Parks with organized campgrounds. A safe, organized and a wonderful way to see natural wonders, like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. These are camping trips with no risk and easy access to resources. Step three: begin to visit some BLM lands in more secluded areas, if you wish. There is nothing wrong with steps one and two and they may be just fine forever. But you might want to get out farther, or find more seclusion. If so, Death Valley awaits. The National Forest lands await. Lakes, forests, deserts, hot springs, Bristlecone Pines, and all sorts of wonders can act as a backdrop to your escape and wonder. These are mainly boondocking trips where you are more on your own, but no too remote. Good examples are: an eclipse trip, a hot springs search, a place off the beaten path to wait for a campsite in Yosemite, a desire for solitude, an animal study of some kind, a gold panning trip. Or a trip to the east coast of Baja to fish and swim in peace. Or a few nights amongst the ruins of a ghost town as you ponder the past. Or simply a romantic getaway with your sweetie for a few days.

There’s no shame in leaving the Ollie to fend for itself for a night...

Dwain, since you are still in that initial research stage, check out truck campers. An Ollie with solar and composting toilet is a fantastic, comfy dry camping platform, but you are always hampered by the fact that your rig is 40 feet or more in length. That is always a big factor in driving unknown backroads..... will I have a way to turn around if the road stops at a closed gate or there is a washout or a downed tree? This is not something to brush aside, getting caught at the end of a long single lane road is no small matter and it can cause lots of stress. You can do a lot of research ahead of time using Google Earth, and you can ask your partner to get out and scope things on foot, but the bottom line is that it is always a PITA, either minor or huge, to tow a trailer anywhere. Ferries cost more, parking in cities is often impossible, you risk finding yourself blocked in if you do find a place to stop, storage is more of a problem. Sometimes you will come to a campground that you may not even be able to use due to lack of room to maneuver. Here is one of my favorites, Deception Pass State Park, WA, and I simply won’t go there with my Ollie. And there are lots of similar ones in the woods of the Pacific NW and along the Pacific coast. Trailers are just awkward, ALL the time. That is just the way things are. With a truck camper all those particular worries vanish, replaced by a different set of its own. For a couple with no animals traveling all over the country it makes a bunch of sense. If you want to tow a small boat or motorcycle trailer it or a small motorhome is the only choice. There are very few really good 4 season truck campers like Northern Lite, they cost less than an Ollie but you must have a dedicated very heavy duty pickup to carry the load. They are not put together as well, you have to go upscale considerably to an XP Camper for that, but there are always compromises you have to make. Just something else to think about. ... https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-tech/boondocking-101-water-tanks-power-and-propane/?singlepage=1 I strongly caution you to avoid all slideouts, they are usually huge nightmares starting the very first year. Finding any recent model RV without a slideout is difficult, they are in fashion because people like the big floor space and they are also idiots. Here you go.... https://northern-lite.com/Truck-Camper-SE-10-2EXSE-DB.php OTH there is NOTHING out there for less than about $125k plus the cost of a HD truck that compares to an Ollie for build quality, features, warranty and above all customer service. John Davies Spokane WA

John, Thanks for the idea - which I implemented. (See attached pic.) I used a 3/8 drill bit on about half of them until it broke, then completed the rest with a 5/16. A hose test just after completing the drilling process passed with flying colors. But that test was sterile, i.e., there was no "gunk" from overhanging trees on the roof which would flow and lodge within the holes. Alas, it's spring, so I've allowed said gunk to build - and indeed it gets lodged at the entrance to each hole. Yet, the water still drains off, albeit a bit slower than when the holes are completely clear. So, keeping up with the debris on the roof is (another) maintenance item. P.S. I plan to apply some Dicor lap sealant to the bracket as water will obviously get behind the bracket (and do bad things, especially in the winter). In fact, I've applied Dicor to all of the roof components.

The PW looks good in the driveway but I think it will tow much easier with the truck.?

Well, we finally retired and took ownership of our Oliver - The Pearl on April 15th! We love it! After three pleasant days at the pristine David Crockett State Park, we moved down the Natchez Trace to Tishomingo State Park in Mississippi. Our experience was enhanced by all the great advice and suggestions we received on The Forum - from hitches to drawer dividers! Thank you to all and we’re looking forward to meeting y’all at the rally.

Since driving back from TN to MA I can say that I definitely concluded (as much a s I would love to get the Gladiator for many reasons)...there is no way I would want less truck than my 5.7 L V8 Tundra. I am glad I did not have a chance to hedge my bet before driving home.

I did not order our Casita with the TV option mainly because the antenna in the Casita is useless and the TV is in the corner. I install this mount from Amazon, I believe it's the same mount Oliver is now using by looking there videos. https://www.amazon.com/Impact-Mounts-Folding-Ceiling-Bracket/dp/B00P5DQS0I/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=rv+tv+swing+down+mount&qid=1555815917&s=gateway&sr=8-13 I did use different hardware as the hardware supplied did meet my standards and I used large fender washers on the inside to help improve the mounting to the fiberglass, the Casita overhead panel is probably not as strong as the Oliver is. This is a nice quality TV mount, very pleased with it. trainman

After my microwave tried to escape from it's cabinet twice, I redesigned the cabinet to include a wine rack, utensil storage, key hooks and a smaller microwave that cannot get away. It also provides an additional work surface when open.

I'm loading up our trailer for the first trip of the season. This will be the twelfth season for the Target bathroom organizers that I use in the kitchen. Those suction cups have held up really well, but may have to replace the cups next year. We keep flashlights by the bed, and by the door, on velcro. Sherry