Hikegsm
-
Posts
132 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
3
Posts posted by Hikegsm
-
-
We are scheduled to pickup our Oliver on Thursday morning next week. I know the first night will be at Fall Hollow. Should we plan on 2 nights there or is one sufficient?
Thanks,
Yvonne
-
Sounds like a great place. Dog friendly beach and no crowds! I will add it to our list of to dos!
Thanks,
Yvonne
-
We always have used little backpacking headlights when camping and even at home. It is not so much fun trying to chase a bear off your porch with a little headlight with weak batteries....yes, happens to us occasionally .. part of living in the mountains and forgetting to get a good handheld flashlight until you really need it NOW! I like your idea about mounting a flashlight by the door. Always know where it is and easily assessable. I will pass the link to my husband. Maybe we will be prepared next time. Thanks for the information ????
Yvonne
-
A good app to use for boondocking is “ultimate us public campgrounds” or the icon says UC. If you type in UC public, it’s the first thing that comes up. We use it all the time. It’s in the app store on your phone.
Thanks for the tip. Just got the app and looks great!
-
Another Ollie is born! Hope all goes smoothly and look forward to some baby pictures!
-
Hi Jason,
Welcome! Thanks for helping fix the forums! Love the increased speed, it is a big improvement. Glad you have joined the team!
Yvonne
-
1
-
-
Looks pretty nice! We have a couple little ones too. They are bed hounds as well. We hope they will be content to have their bed below the nightstand on the floor. One is small enough to fit okay on the bed with us but the other not so much. We will see soon I guess. Thanks for posting. You did a great job!
yvonne
-
1
-
-
When I ordered my Elite II in the fall of 2015, Oliver had just added the bike rack mount option. I ordered it and discovered later that most bike racks, mine included, are not intended to be used on the back of a travel trailer. In fact, such use voids the warranty. I discovered this after transporting my bike about 90 miles on my Saris bike rack on the back of the Ollie. I was a bit alarmed as I watched the movement of the rack and bike through my rear camera. I understand now why bike rack manufacturers say this is a “no-no”. I usually take my Bike Friday folding bike on camping trips so I can fold it and put the bike in a bag that travels in the back of my tow vehicle. However, I’d still like to use a rack if I can find something that works. I would also like to consider taking my Felt Bruhaul, an electric cargo bike on some camping trips. It has a long wheelbase and weighs 52 lbs. It obviously won’t fit in the tow vehicle and I don’t think I could maneuver it through the door of the Ollie even if I would want to try to transport it inside (and I don’t). I found this rack: https://store.lci1.com/jack-it-bike-carrier-retail-boxed. It looks intriguing. I could easily lift my Bike Friday and my wife’s to use this rack, but not the Bruhaul. Any ideas?
Not sure if you are aware but Oliver has redesigned their bike rack. It is a bar type not a hitch mount anymore and comes ready to go rack and all. We are getting one. We may be the first to get it. We have a pickup date of April 27. I will be sure to post pictures and tell you how it works.
Yvonne
-
2
-
-
Congratulations! Glad everything went smoothly and you enjoyed your trip so far. Safe travels and happy camping!
-
Congratulations and welcome! Love the color coordination!
Yvonne
-
Thanks Overland. I have looked at the Partner stoves. I like the looks of them. Shape stove. Looks like I would need to convert them to quick connect too. That's my problem. Not handy with tools. The Weber grill you are going with looks pretty sweet too. My better half will get final say on what we choose since he is the outdoor cook ????. I am only the indoor cook and the gatherer of information!
Yvonne
-
Thank you Mike & Carol and Overland. We are still on the fence regarding a stove/grill for our Ollie. Since we ordered the quick connect propane ports for front and rear of the trailer, I will probably try to convert a Coleman or just buy a camp chef. The size of the camp chef is what makes me hesitant to go that route.
Yvonne
-
We are still trying to decide on an outside stove. Historically we have carried a single burner backpacking stove but would like to have something with 2 burners. I have seen videos online about changing a Coleman over to use quick connect. Has anyone done it? Was it difficult? Are you happy with it?
Thanks,
Yvonne
-
Do you own a Partner Steel camping stove? These are actually hand-crafted stoves made of aluminum by a company in Idaho. They sell to a lot of outfitters. I’m looking at the 22″ 2-burner model. It doesn’t take up much space and it’s light: Dimensions – 22″ X 12″ x 3.5″; Weight – 17lbs. I’ve read lots of reviews and people love this stove. Unlike the Camp Chef stoves, it is a high-pressure stove so it works really well at higher altitudes, is more wind resistant, etc. The downside is the cost. I’d love to hear from any other Ollie owners who have used a Partner Steel stove.
We were leaning towards a camp chef stove since it is easy to use with the propane quick connect on our future Oliver. Will it not work at high altitude? I hate to show my ignorance but I thought low pressure meant it could work using the regulator on the camper with a quick connect.????
Yvonne
-
Yvonne- make sure you use your parking brake, there’s a recall, if you weren’t aware.
Try To Relax,
Thanks ! I did see that. Ours is not in the recall...at least not yet anyway! My Honda Ridgeline's airbags weren't in the recall either..until they were ????. That said I always set the parking brake , we live in the mountains and our driveway is a little steep. Better safe than Sorry!
Yvonne
-
Overland, Not sure about the F150 but we just bought a 2017 F250 Superduty and I love the way it drives. It really beats our 2007 V-8 Tundra 4×4. This is our first Ford and so far we couldn’t be more pleased. I would recommend giving them a try. We haven’t used it towing yet but our little Ollie should be done in less than a month now… Yvonne
Yvonne- make sure you use your parking brake, there’s a recall, if you weren’t aware.
-
I too spoke with Oliver today. I am very concerned. We travel on some rough dirt/rock forest service roads when camping. I asked Anita about the old drawer glides and the possibility of getting those. She said there had been problems with them and that was why they switched to these. She advised me not to get them. She did say they would be looking into other options. She is suppose to update me tomorrow on possibilities. Even though I think the soft close and open draws are very attractive and "high-end" I would prefer a drawer that can hold a reasonable amount of weight and remain securely closed during travel-- even on rough roads! I know Oliver would make it right if we were to experience a problem but I would rather have no problems and save myself a trip back to the factory. I will let you know what I find out tomorrow.
Yvonne
-
I have to agree with what’s been mentioned. I converted over my Honda generator to propane as I did not want to carry gas in the truck. The company I went with is GenConneX, this conversion is propane only, I am extremely happy with it, as I am not good about maintaining old gasoline that isn’t used enough. There is another company that does a tri-fuel conversion, I can’t remember the name, it is easy to find if you search the airstream forums, there are long discussions about them there.
We are interested in getting a small Honda generator and possibly converting to propane but can't find any local Honda dealers willing to do it. Did you buy the generator from GenConneX or do the conversion yourself? How much power do you lose with propane? How about at altitude? We routinely camp at 9-10,000 feet. Would a Honda 1000 be adequate for just keeping batteries topped on rainy/cloudy days? We don't use a ton of electricity and have ordered the 320watt solar panels. Would really love not to have to carry gas for the generator, especially since we ordered both propane quick connections for our Oliver ????.
Thanks,
<p style="text-align: left;">Yvonne</p>
-
"Then look up at the bathroom door… Nothing out of place with the towel behind as a cushion… We can’t figure out how the mirror cracked… The door was locked closed, nothing was out of place… Only the usual road bumps… And then we find the drawer open and a cracked mirror door…
Time to duct tape the mirror for today ????"
I am sorry the drawer issue is continuing. I have been looking at childproof drawer locks online but hope Oliver can come up with a better solution. I wonder if something could have hit your mirror the first time the drawers came out and weakened it. Sort of like a pebble hitting your windshield and not causing a running crack until later down the road....
Based on GreyGhost's experience, I guess I will be applying loctite to the upper cabinet screws. It is probably a good practice to apply Loctite to most screw in travel trailers anyway. I can't count all the "mystery" screws I have found on the floor in our campers through the years ????
Yvonne
-
1
-
-
Wow, was this due to the infamous Tundra/ Tacoma/ Sequoia frame rust problem? I am trying to understand how an entire rear axle could end up in the road. And how it could be repairable…. Disturbing pictures:
Hi John,
I am not very mechanical and my husband is not here to ask right now but I believe the U joint broke. I am unaware of rust issues. The rear wheel was damaged too. They had to order a new axile/drive train? not sure of the term from Toyota. Anyway, Toyota says " that never happens". Only 2 new ones were available in the entire U.S. so I guess it is rare. It was a very costly repair. It scared my husband enough to buy a new truck before we were really wanting too. We tend to agree with Buzzy, safety first!
Yvonne
-
Just my two cents worth...Up until this year, we have always owned and towed with a Toyota. We really didn't want a big truck and Toyotas are very reliable. We towed a Casita Liberty with one and most recently a Bigfoot 25B21FB with a Tundra. The Bigfoot's base weight is about the same as the Oliver Elite II. We towed without any problems for years..until last summer.
My husband was towing up Monarch pass in Colorado when the rear differential fell off the Tundra and into the road. The truck and camper started going backwards. Of course he was in a blind curve with no shoulder and a shear drop off. No cell phone service. Luckily, no one was hurt and many fine people stopped to help flag oncoming vehicles. Both camper and truck were towed on a flat bed truck to Gunnison where my husband camped in the parking lot for a week while the owner of the repair/tow shop ordered parts and repaired the vehicle. If you tow out West it is worth noting the lack of Toyota dealerships.. Anyway, we sold the Toyota and bought our first Ford. We are probably overpowered for towing the Oliver but that is okay. So far we love driving the F250. It drives almost as well as my Honda Ridgeline! ....And there are lots of Ford dealerships in the Rockies :-).
Yvonne
-
2
-
-
I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having with the drawer clousures. I had hoped to store some heavier items in the drawers and lighter things in the overhead compartments. Not sure where to store my new Magma pots (they are pretty heavy)...but I digress.
At home, we have what appears to be the same Blum drawer glides on our vanity. Even with the addition of extra screws, they do not look up to the abuse that they will be subjected to in our upcoming Western camping adventures. We have not had a problem in the Bigfoot with the drawers coming open but they have a different closure mechanism. We often travel for miles on very badly washboarded forest service roads, and even though the drawers have stayed closed, I have found the oven door in the floor at the end of one such road...
I guess I will call Jason on Monday and ask what can be done to secure the drawers for travel. I would really hate to bust a drawer and possible damage the interior of the trailer..especially on its maiden voyage. Anyway, thanks for the "heads-up" about the closures.
Yvonne
-
Overland,
Not sure about the F150 but we just bought a 2017 F250 Superduty and I love the way it drives. It really beats our 2007 V-8 Tundra 4x4. This is our first Ford and so far we couldn't be more pleased. I would recommend giving them a try. We haven't used it towing yet but our little Ollie should be done in less than a month now...
Yvonne
-
Thanks for your help! I did the search on the site but for some reason the pictures are missing... I spoke with Anita and she mentioned the flip-up mount for the television that they have installed at owners requests in the past. It is probably the same one Mike and Carol used. I am drop shipping it to the factory and they are going to install the TV over the nightstand. Many Thanks!????
Yvonne
Wall mounted flashlight or spotlight for night time excursions .....
in Ollie Modifications
Posted
The Petzel looks like a great light. Do you have to use the phone app or will it auto adjust without it?