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No one freaking out down my way, maybe be going a little stir crazy, it was great to see the lighting issue corrected. Just reinforces the service when there is an issue. Just glad you guys and gals are out there when we do have issues!

Just to calm those that might be freaking out about their pending orders - Hull 529 made it across the country and several extended adventures -- including the one we are on now -- without any major issues. Just a minor trim issue with bottom left drawer that I need to call Jason's team to sort out (the trim pops up over the drawers catch if you aren't careful opening it). We did spend 2 days at Davy Crockett to shake everything out, and nothing went wrong other than the RVLock remote was INOP from the start. I disagree with many things Oliver does re: general design, but they are still head and shoulders above the competition - at least for our purposes.

We don’t like to camp in weather where we have to run the AC. Usually the AC is only used while we’re getting out of the Texas heat to somewhere cooler. Even in the Texas heat, we will go to sleep with the AC on, but sometime after midnight it goes off and the windows get opened with the fan going. My AC will start and run on my 2000W Champion. We don’t do it often. If it’s after dark, I would not want to disturb my boondocking neighbors with the low drone of my generator. The only reason we bring the generator is to charge batteries in the late fall/winter/early spring when the sun decides not to fully expose himself. Mike

I live in Minnesota and it does everything I’d like it to do around here. Twice I’ve taken the rig up and over the I70 pass west of Denver on trips out west. I had to downshift hard both going up and down. The motor spun fast and the brakes got hot, but it was all fine. The second experience was better than the first because I knew what to expect and had faith in the LC. Mine also has 33” tires and airbags. Though an E2 is still under the max bumper weight, I think it squats too much without airbags. Realistically I tow the E2 10% of the time and the other 90% of the time my ‘13 Land Cruiser is a daily driver or solo bird hunting rig. It always does 95-100% of what I ask it to do, regardless of the terrain. The last five percent it’d probably do, but I’m cautious about that last fraction when I’m by myself 10 miles down a two track logging road without a cell signal. So I turn around. Our Land Cruiser is all pinstriped up from the brush and driving narrow unimproved roads. I also need to pull both the bumpers and pop out two of the corners from dragging them in a ditch this past fall. I use the vehicle quite a bit for it’s intended use and am quite happy with it. Not happy enough to pay full retail, but I bought ours used. I’d probably buy another used one if this one was in an accident and was totaled, but it’d take me awhile to find the right one at the right price again. Other than three sets of tires (all season, all terrain, and snow) and rock sliders, mine is stock. Tundras and Sequoias have the same sized engine too. Several on the board are happy towing with newer Tundras. The Oliver brochure used to show towing with a Sequoia. And one early magazine article showed towing an E2 with a Tacoma, which is just silly. I also have a 1st gen Tundra and wouldn’t consider towing the Oliver with it as is. Too softly sprung and the shocks are shot. HTH, Ken

Nice low cost solution to the problem no over thinking needed. We did the same thing a couple times used closed cell Foam and low residue duck tape and as you said stayed on in the mud and rain of the trip for at least a 6 week period and didn't take off till i was south on the Cassiar Hwy into Washington State and put it on in Dawson as we started the Alcan. Held up to the big rocks because even mud flaps don't stop them all. Safe travels and enjoy the ride. Thanks Gary

Just looping back on this to confirm a fix until I can get a cap...popping the plug of the pigtail against my hand a half dozen times was enough to dislodge/dry the contacts in the plug and turn the lights out. It looks to me like the housing on the plug is fine but I went ahead and sealed it with silicon anyway. Thx for the advice folks. I probably should have known this one from working on wet, muddy, old dirt bikes. 😕

Still experimenting. Our cushions are a good bit firmer than what Oliver supplies, and we’ve found them to be great for sitting but a bit too firm for sleeping. They’re very comfortable with a thick zero degree sleeping bag used as a topper, but those are a bit bulky to store. I’ll probably just get some softer foam inserts for the bottom cushions...someday. I think what Oliver supplies is a little too soft, so something in between is what I’d like. You’ll notice in the photo that we had extra back cushions made. Those or some throw pillows are essential since otherwise you lean back too far. You could have back cushions made that are double thick, but we like having one layer of cushions in place when we sleep since the side walls can get cold at night.

AK - while I've seen ac cover that have a cinch rope at the bottom, I would not trust that to keep the cover in place while traveling down the road. ThomB87 - Probably no need to "cut off their food supply" once you get a cover. But, I did have a bird build a nest on the folded steps under my CalMark cover one year. Bill

When we had mattresses, it did just feel like sitting on the bed, so it was ok but not perfect. Once we swapped out our mattresses for cushions, however, that changed and it feels like true sitting area. It’s a little tight on the street side for two, since the leg of the table takes up some space, but it works. The curb side is fine for two. So I’d say it’s perfect for two or three, a little cozy for four, and doesn’t work at all for five or more. We haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use a camp chair in the aisle for someone, so long as the chair is tall enough. Heres a photo of how it looks now with the cushions:

If you decide that a full cover is not the way you want to go - you can always purchase a cover that is for the air conditioner only - for example - https://www.amazon.com/ADCO-3021-White-Conditioner-Cover/dp/B0002F68OU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=5UKZDJJFXALN&dchild=1&keywords=rv+air+conditioner+covers&qid=1585440273&sprefix=RV+air+conditioner%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1RjU3Uk9MSThOWUUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1NjQ1MDBKTjE2WTVNVUpJVjgmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDczODE3NDJPWTFES08wMEg0OUwmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl Just make sure that you get the correct size! Bill

It sounds like you've pretty much got it: You need a generator to run AC off the grid. Short answer is yes. If you opt for the MicroAir soft start, then you can run your AC off of a smaller generator or even your batteries for a very short time. You need two 2000w generators if you want to run AC and something else at the same time. It depends on what else you want to run, but I think most people's experience is that you can't run the AC and the Microwave together, for example. I think most just switch off the AC while they use the MW. Some parks won't let you run your generator at certain times. Is this common? Oh yes. So, no AC at night unless you are hooked up to power, Wondering if parks in the warmer climates let you run your generator at night if its 90 degrees? Correct. I can't say I've really paid attention if they have different summer hours. If you are hooked up to a 30 amp. are you using any of your battery power for other stuff. For practical purposes, no. If you are hooked up to 30 amp. and run your AC all night do your batteries get charged at the same time? Yes, the AC will only pull about half the available power when its compressor is running, and the surplus will go to the batteries and anything else you're running. Thinking with today's technology that much of the power identification is automatic but this is all new to me. Do you have to manually flip switches to tell system if its using solar, battery, or ...not sure what you call it, shore power, park power, grid power. The only thing that you'll have to manually turn on and off would be the inverter, which you'll use when not plugged in. But even that will be automatically bypassed when you plug in, so you don't have to worry about damaging anything if you forget to turn it off. Shore power is the right term - we're all sailors at heart, I guess. Can I get by with just one 2000w to run the AC with the soft start up? Yep, that's the main advantage of having the soft start.

The only thing I dislike about covers, is they are like wrestling with an elephant. Things you need are tall ladders and a wife that feel comfortable on one. My wife is considering the $15,000 wood cover option, so far we don't have a cover as of yet, but she is winning so far. trainman

Despite the faulty switch, our new Oliver is highest quality camper I've every been in. Many years ago we rented a couple RVs. They got us there and back again, but they were garbage. We've owned a Scamp trailer for 9-10 years, but we have completely outgrown it. That Scamp is a joy, but sadly we've put so many rough miles on it, is has basically rattled away into a bucket of parts. One foot into the Oliver made it clear to me that it is another step in quality above the Scamp. 99% of RVs out there are complete junk. And while I can't know that I won't stumble onto another problem, I can't wait to bounce down rough roads with such a solidly built trailer.

It is not much help - but I have offered rv space on my property to a few traveling Oliver owners. (just hit me up - we are in Mid TN.) Water and sewer, and with a little Macgyver-ing, 120 service. Any port in a storm - six foot rule - not with standing.

Lol, someone text this quote to Scott and Jason ASAP.