alex k

A couple of comments: First: did someone say 167 days until delivery? It takes that long to make an Oliver? Second: I live on the West Coast. It is unlikely that I could pick up my Oliver from the factory. There are no dealers here yet. Does Oliver have a special punch list that they could do to test everything before it gets shipped 2000 mi to me? Or am I pretty much on my own and have to pick it up, in which case I don't think I can get one.

Suction cups are OK, but I always wonder about their longevity, especially with bumps. Does Oliver have any recommendations about alternatives to suction cups? How about adhesives? I also wouldn't want to drill into my fiberglass, but if that is the safest option....

Hilarious! I know you're just kidding. It reminds me of the "Home inspection nightmare" files on ThisOldHouse.Com You may want to give those a look one day, if you have such a twisted sense of humor.

Everyone has made very valid points. I think it comes down to what I would actually use a travel trailer for. What I won't be using it for: - Parking on a movie set between shots - Parking in a retirement community in Palm Springs - Entertaining Donald Trump, any celebrity, politician, or even my boss. - Lawn art - To impress the girls - To impress coworkers - As a "labor of love", polishing, washing, buffing What I would be using it for: - Exploring the 50 or so Washington State parks, the zillions of USFS campgrounds, nearby national parks - Weekend trips to the beach - Weekend tours through the Washington and Oregon wine countries - Maybe a trip to Alaska? Given all of that, is what I really want a snazzy but sensitive Airstream, or a practical, well built Oliver? So, I'm calling Oliver to discuss prices now. Thanks everyone.

Jerry, We leave Reno August 11th, and we will be in Seattle and Spokane. Northwoods, That means you should be coming near Portland, OR, right? When will that be?

Well, here's what I just Googled using the term "mobile satellite internet providers" http://www.groundcontrol.com/prod_ig2500_001.htm If you look at their products, they have at least two options. One is a mobile satellite internet device that can be moved from place to place, but takes several minutes to get a satellite fix at each location. The other is a device that keeps constant satellite contact IN A MOVING VEHICLE. (Pretty cool! But i'm sure not cheap!) That web page pretty much says it all. The one thing it didn't talk about was how much data a typical VOIP call uses. I found an estimate of 100Mb (megabytes = 1,000,000 bytes) per hour on one site. The HughesNet basic plan has a 370Mb limit. That means you could talk on VOIP for 3.7 hours a day on the basic HughesNet plan.

Up until a few years ago, my house had satellite internet because that's all there was besides dial-up. It is certainly not as fast as DSL or cable, but it's faster than dial up. The company that used to run it was called DirecPC and is now called HughesNet. I am almost certain that HughesNet is the ONLY service that uses two-way satellite communication. There are other services where you send your data to them over the phone lines, and they send their data to you over the satellite. That wouldn't work for you. There is a lag that separates individual events. For example, if you were to load the oliverforums.com site, there is a noticeable lag (I would say about 2 seconds, HughesNet says this "transmission latency" is about 1/2 second) before the page starts to load, but then it loads quickly. I would think that this added latency would be a bit noticeable with VOIP (voice-over-internet-protocol = internet telephone). A bit like talking long distance to Europe. Because HughesNet is a two-way satellite communication system, apparently the FCC says that is has to be professionally installed. AND, HughesNet only does permanent installations in homes, not in boats or RVs. There are companies that use the HughesNet system that do install them in boats and RVs and these go by the name of "mobile satellite internet systems." From what I found, these systems are priced more for the guy who can write off the system as a business expsense (or for those guys who own Airstreams or those fancy Class A's) -- $189 a month for a two-year contract. You might be able to recoup some of it by renting access to other campers over a WiFi system BUT all of the providers have a daily data limit (usually around 1 GB -- good enough for websites and email, but VOIP or downloading movies from NetFlix might take several days of data allocation). Maybe a satellite phone?

I am being torn between the practicality and light weight of an Oliver and the undeniable beauty of an Airstream (16 - 19 foot range). I have the money burning a hole in my pocket and a yearning for the open road. There are no dealers and no showings anywhere near me anytime soon, so all I have to judge by are the pictures posted by Oliver and Oliver users. Compared with having actually having been in an Airstream. I really do like the exterior look of the Oliver... it makes me think of low-maintenance in a good way. But.... the interior.... makes me think of low maintenance in a bad way. I don't know if it's true, but all the molded fiberglass makes me think of the inside of a large tub-surround, or worse yet, one of those Japanese public restrooms. I especially really don't like the way the seats and cabinets look like they are molded right up from the floor, without a toehole. Is that really the case? If your toes can't be in front of your center of gravity when you are standing at a counter, there goes the back (and mine doesn't need any help in that direction). If your heels can't be a bit behind your center of gravity when you stand up, there go your knees (and the old guy's knees are heading the same direction as his back). PLEASE correct me if my impressions are wrong, but all that white gel gloss looks... institutional. I am trying hard not to think of the interior of one of those cheesy stretch 1970's limos, or a Japanese public rest room. Or a tub-surround... and I really don't like fiberglass tub surrounds. (By the way, all that gel gloss must eventually see it's share of dulling, crazing and scratching, no?) To be fair, the interior of most of those Airstreams could be said to look like the interior of a cheesy 2000's stretch limo or a stainless-steel version of a public rest room. But in the Oliver, the impression is heightened by the "stripper pole" (yes, I read a lot of the posts here before asking my question), and by the smoked acrylic and chrome accent strips here and there. Not to mention the stuck-on looking smoke detector. My heart is telling me that the Airstream is something I'd buy for my own personal use, but the Oliver is something that would be great to rent out. The Airstream is something I'd like to live in, and the Oliver is something I wouldn't mind camping in. The Airstream is something I'd take on a road trip, but the Oliver is something I'd take on a hunting trip. The Airstream is something I wouldn't mind parking on my driveway, the Oliver is something I'd put in the pole barn. It's the story of my life: Motel 6, or the Sheraton? The pickup, or the Mercedes? The pound-dog or the pedigree? For you lucky few who already own an Oliver: can you help me find the middle? Is the style really as bad as my impressions? Can anything be done to make it look less plastic-y and institutional? Should I be so concerned about the esthetic and the style issues? Are the seats and cabinets really without toe holes?