Mainiac

After picking ours up, we went south and poked around for a month or so. We went up some rough ' goat paths' , camped on mountain tops, traveled a lot of dirt rough roads, and even traveled rougher paved highways. For lack of initial load up room we left our collapsible ladder home. And then headed home to Maine. Turns out we never needed it. Checked our knobs at home and they are still tight. We could always back up the tow vehicle and use that for a ladder I guess if we ever needed it. We have left the ladder home since and have never regretted it. Have a safe trip home to Ma. and may the roughest part of your trip be paying the tolls for the extra two axles... P.S. I have found that if you really need a ladder, and fellow campers happen to have one, they are more than happy to lend it. They also will give you a helping hand. You can meet some wonderful people on the road and share some interesting stories around a campfire or picnic table. All they need is a friendly smile and a handshake...

You could also get a custom "Violet Quill" graphic with a flourish to mount on the front and rear. It could have an ink bottle to dip into that had ink to match your tow vehicle. The possibilities are endless. We had a custom graphic made local here, brought it with us at pick up and installed at a campsite. A great way to stand yours apart...

I was at the auto dealer for a recall issue. As I was waiting, I wandered the new truck lot. What I saw was a new equipped power company truck waiting delivery. What I happened to notice was the little sticker that said; "fire extinguisher inside". The 'bells' went off. What if driving and a trailer bearing got real hot, or there was an incident along side the road? We knew we probably wouldn't want to walk all around the tow vehicle to get into the Oliver, nor take the time to do so. We immediately added a spare extinguisher to the tow vehicle. Now to find a permanent mounting spot...

The thought that comes to mind - when you see a used Airstream for sale, it also usually says new floors. The floors are the foundation of the whole unit. New floors..

We are camping where the mountains meet the sea. We have arranged with two other camping friends to meet here, which is pretty central for all of us. As we prepare for a 'pot luck' type supper a thunder/lightning storm appears over the mountain. We decide to move inside. (Just in time). The Oliver provided plenty of dining space for six, and nobody seemed to be in a hurry to leave. By the way, the view over the cliff into town was amazing. (You can drive up to the top of Mt. Batte {which is small compared to other mountains}.).The little yacht tied up at the pier turned out to be 140' long when we went into town to look. The sailing yachts motoring through the crowded harbor of Camden was also something to see. We are sure there is/were other things going on that we couldn't see, as this is where they filmed Peyton Place for you older folks...

Pour a cup of hot water down the tank. Where the condensation forms is the propane level. They do have stick on gauges (magnetic) available at camping stores that us same principle.

No problems yet, but put me down for the 'approved' upgrade. Going to have to look at 'through the hull' fittings. Think live well fittings? Like the full port idea as well. Maybe another winter project...

We elected to go with a portable Progressive unit. We plug it into the power receptacle and know instantly whether or not everything is ok. No need to go inside. Once the unit reads ok, we can plug in our unit. Done.. It has a lifetime warranty. We do carry a lock with a cable (a pistol security lock) to secure the unit to the pedestal in case the bouncing lights requires someone to "borrow" it...

I have used the suction cup with great success. First I wipe the surface with denatured alcohol ( to remove any mold release agent) then put on the suction cup and tighten them down. Have never had one release on it's on yet. We have a spokesman certainly rack over the stove, a caddy in the bathroom, hook in the kitchen, and a double hook outside the bathroom door. Have used Command strips for light things...

Too bad, a DD214 should be a key to use those facilities...

Welcome aboard... Don't forget to get, if you don't already have, your National "geezer" pass. Heard the price is going way up later this year. It gives you half price, sometimes free, at attractions and camping fees at National Parks, Corp of Engineers, and BLM. One pass covers two. If you have questions do not be afraid to ask. There seems to be plenty of knowledgeable people on here, including Bill...

Good idea. You could use a chain saw file to dress the hole down for complete drainage, if needed. We have been camping in lots of rain lately, but haven't noticed it being a problem. Guess we were either wet already or just eager o get in and dry...

Funny. Glad we could help. A simple and quick fix, that just seems to work. An aside, I wonder how many high have been lost?

On the other side of the coin:: as someone that lived in a commercial campground, it was always something to see state and national campgrounds, with million dollar bathhouses. And to top it off, they only charged $3 to $9 a night and they have the best views and beaches. A commercial campground would find it hard to do that and keep the road graded. The state and federal are paved as well. Our tax dollars at work. And the competing government is the ones that licence and regulates. We do like to see the government parks are starting to be self supporting, as some are starting to show needed upkeep and maintenance. We stayed in 5 or 6 over the last month that were understaffed or on the honor system... That said, I also like to camp free, with full hook ups and concierge service...

Great video. Will have to check ours tomorrow. 91 in Maine and way too hot for us. Impressed by how well the Fantastic Fan works. We have not plugged into a power source since coming home from the Rally. We have gone down, rearranged cabinets, made tea, had lights and TV on, replaced screen in door, screen door guard, and cleaned, and restocked. The battery indicator usually indicates batteries are at 100%. And we are partially under an oak tree that doesn't get full sun until about noon. Rainy days are when we spent most of the time there. We even watched a movie. Never felt we were to low on power. I feel good about the system... C-paps no problem.

Thanks. I figured the bright purple cord would stand out enough to "remind" me to put the port cover back on. Also the plan was to have it where I knew where it was. "Where did you put the hatch" is no longer heard... Found three complete sets of 30/15-15/30 adapters when we got home and organized. Knew we had plenty...

Not sure what I could 'zoom' in on. Basically on the inside of the cover is a little nub sticking up, with a star shaped hole in it. That hole is designed to take a screw. We used a SS screw so it wouldn't rust. We made the, as you called it, leash out of some paracord (it was actually a piece of what looks like thin camping clothes line). We cut it on an angle and fed that through the crimp on electrical connector. We fed it through until there was a quarter inch sticking out the other end. We crimp a connector on both ends and then light (or melt) the cord so it doesn't pull out. One end goes on the cover, the other over a screw holding the port on. Another locking nut holds it on. The screw and nut are a little loose so that the connector can swivel. I can take a picture if you like, just what to focus on?

What we use is the suction hooks. You hold them firmly against the wall, screw down the knob. Done. Don't like them there, unscrew and move. They are available online, Bed Bath, Home Depot. Of course there are Command strips.

It went on today. Pictures to follow.

Had a pet paw the screen door in an attempt to join us. Oops. It did rip the screen. Solution (hopefully) is a guard. Looked at the RV catalogs and they wanted $80. Next step..build one. A piece of expanded mesh cut to size. Plastic edge with mitered corners. Edges "glued" on with silicone caulk. Now waiting for the caulk to 'cure'. About $25. Next step, mount to the door.

The custom nose art helps identity you when parked or closing at over 100 mph on the Interstate. It was real easy to put on. We did it at a campsite. The hardest part we had was deciding how big or wide we wanted it. We had 'Banana Banners' out of Bowdoinham, Maine make ours. Robin sized it, moved the graphics, packed it, gave us direction, and even the squeegee. She said she would ship. It was actually a lot easier to put the big nose piece on than it was the hull #. We had the hull # left off (and put inside) because we were not sure where we wanted it, and we were given a small copy of the nose art. It seems the new vinyl that she uses has small micro groves that let the air out. Especially important when putting on a curved hull. We had not a hint of bubbles on hers, but might still have a few small ones in the hull #. I am sure there are others out their that do it but we are extremely happy with her expertise and service.

We have hull #211. So far we have found no problems with the product, except the license plate light I think is out. It wasn't a problem as we traveled 4800 miles on our break-in cruise, as the temp tag was in the window. Now that it is registered we will have to look in to it. The only real problem (or opportunity) for the factory we have so far found was the color of the awning. It has what we had originally had ordered. BUT, we had put in a change order and none of it got transmitted to the production line. Jason said no problem, let us change it to the right color. When asked he said he would pull a couple of guys and they should have it done in about 3 2/2 hours. It had already started to rain and was supposed to get bad. We didn't want to set up in the rain. We also had reservations down the road later in the week. It a still irks me, but something I can live with. It seemed that I had to keep calling, checking on progress. Found too late that it was done early. Had told them when done call me. I would have picked up early. I was only called once to confirm my graphic choice, and yet that was clearly spelled out on all the orders. Seems almost like sales clerks are not following through, but that might not be fair..Some might be... S

I used a 4" port, as I was readily able to borrow a hole saw that is usually used for dryer vents. Also probably will put one on the starboard (curb) side for a gas line. We didn't like the idea of a gas line fitting being expose to road debris. So a flexible line with a shut off will be plumbed to that port. The connection from on the tanks are right there. I have to assume that is where the factory connects to as well. Start to finish project probably only took about an hour or so. Probably would have taken twice as long in the field. Still a well worth effort...

Our unit has the same latches as yours, and yes they are the 'new' 2017 style. We like the latches. They work great. What we are a little 'disappointed' with is how tight a fit the cover is to the hull. It is difficult to remove because the front jack is so close. Even a little more clearance between it and the leveling jack would be a big advantage. We are about to put a 4" "inspection port" into the cover. They are only about $12.95 at the marine hardware store. We didn't opt for that $80 option from the factory. We had planned to put larger hatches on the side so we could put our blocks in there, but the factory changed the configuration of the space. A large outlet box, for the leveling switches, is now wired direct into the hull. Also the size of the box precludes moving the gas tanks forward. The supporting structure for the tanks seems to be so much better than pictures we have seen of previous units.