bugeyedriver

So THATS how they do it! I've been wondering about the beautifully formed storage compartments found in the Oliver. Now I see all they do is take some super-duper heated plastic, strap it on a frame, latch it to the mother-of-all-suction-machines and throw the switch. POOF! Instantly formed cargo holds . . . whooda thunk it? 'See more at: http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... 20Trailer/

Hello Mountainborn, Good eye . . . yes, the dark spray on finish to the inside of my outer shell should be a ceramic insulation product called "LizardSkin". When I met with Jim Oliver, he told me of this great new cutting edge product they could apply to the interior of both fiberglass shells to reduce heat transfer as well as providing sound dampening. LizardSkin is used within the race care industry to stop heat transfer from the super-hot engine compartment from impairing the driver. It can be used in lieu of Thinsulate insulation. According to the LizardSkin manufacturer, the RV industry could benefit their customers through the use of this product: "Recreational Vehicle Manufacturers ... SSpray on LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation is in the process of changing the way major OEMs insulate motorhomes to dramatically reduce heat and noise. The advantages of LizardSkin® include : easy spray on application, outstanding thermal and noise control properties, light weight, modest installed thickness (about 0.040”), low installed cost, environmentally friendly composition and Class A Fire rating. In addition, leading RV dealers are beginning to offer LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation as a dealer-applied option on some new and pre-owned motorhomes. Fast clean up with soap & water helps make applying LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation a hassle-free experience. LizardSkin® Ceramic Insulation coating is recommended for application on engine compartment firewalls, floorpans, transmission tunnels, inside engine covers, under roofs and headliners and wherever engine, exhaust or solar heat gain are potential problems. Coating the exterior roof on RV’s is a very effective way to stop solar heat gain." So the Wonder-Egg's layers, from outside - in will be; Fiberglass / LizardSkin / Dead Airspace / LizardSkin / Fiberglass. With my double paned windows, I should be comfy cozy year round . . . More on this new product can be found at: http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/PS-LizSkin.html Just one more example of how Oliver Travel Trailers is willing to think outside of the box to give us the finest trailer imaginable!

Seven more 1st trimester photographs of the "Wonder-Egg" have been posted! (Thanks, Robert) It looks like some top outer shell action with holes cut and a few lower outer shell pictures showing the more or less naked shell and a more developed stage with holding tanks, plumbing, and some of the wiring showing up in view. Lots of fun seeing the early developmental process rolling right along! GO-BABY-GO!

Hi Chuck, . . .bugeyedriver here. The cell phone signal amplification system I've asked to have installed in my trailer can be found at: http://www.powerfulsignal.com/Gov/Wilso ... enter.html It will sniff out tiny cell phone signals on 800 or 1900 MHz and amplify it up to 3 watts in the trailer area. I talked with a technician at Powerful Signals who happens to own a Casita and is aware of the space available. I also touched base with a radio electrical engineer about the potential antenna oscillation problem. The fix will be squares of aliminum foil between the fiberglass shells above the interior antenna and below the topside antenna. Oliver Travel Trailers has gone along with my desires and will install the system as requested. (ya gotta luv 'em!) I'm willing to take the risk that it will work as anticipated. I'll be sure to report back and let everyone know how it functions. It will require me to head out on the backroads where I recieve no cell phone the normal way and "fire-up" the system. I realize this is not likely to work a million miles from anywhere in the middle of a bowl of mountains. You have to have some tiny bit of a signal to amplify, after all. However I anticipate it will greatly improve my coverage while out and about. Pete

We all have different journeys while selecting our trailer. Having just finished that quest myself, I'll share a bit of my thought process. I started from zero experience and my quest went something like this: 1st - What were my needs and how would I likely use the rv? I will mainly travel solo, with a small, 13 lb furry companion, Oscar. At times in the future we'll invite a grandchild along to share goodtimes with and build lasting memories. 2nd - Cost factor - what was my top limit? While I could to go up to the Airstream Bambi, I like to cosider my own personal cost effectiveness, or "bang for the buck" factor. I tend to be conservative in my spending patterns. I prefer function and quality over flash. So I was leaning towards an efficient, quality product that I could easily see myself in for 1 to 4 week sojourns. While cruising the internet on my quest I discovered the world of the Fiberglass Egg Campers and fell in love with the non-pretentious, friendly community of travelers that seem to get so much pleasure from their Egg-wanderings. I feel that Oscar and I will feel right at home. The frontal areas of the Eggs and the gw is smaller than the Bambi, so I thought they'd tow better. 3rd - Basic needs - Indoor cooking and shower = mandatory! A/C a must have as well. 4th - Weight limit - My TV is a new Tacoma Double Cab, short bed 2x4 with a towing package factory installed. Towing limit 6500 lb. Being one who prefers an extra margin of safety, I imposed my own weight limit of 4000 lb. So I saw myself mainly in the Casita - Oliver worlds. With the shower requirement, I felt a 13 footer would be too small for some of my longer anticipated trips. I eventually narrowed it down to the 17 foot models of the Casita or an Oliver. My initial favorite floorplan was the Casita FD with the captains chairs, but after realizing there would be no sleeping space for the grandchild, I settled on the Casita SD or Oliver with their similar floorplan and configuration flexibilities. I requested brochures from both companies . . . I spoke to reps from both companies . . . had positive thoughts for both companies. Both families desire to produce a great product their customers will enjoy for many years. 5th -But I needed to touch and feel before I bought. Casita put me in touch with a proud owner in my area and an Oliver happened to be passing by my home over the holidays and Jim Oliver invited me over to see his trailer. I liked both, but in the end I went with the Oliver even though more expensive, for the following reasons . . . 1- Non carpeted walls of the Oliver, while not as warm and cozy as the Casita, would be better for my granddaughter's respiratory ailments. 2- My prowess with making modifications to suit specific needs is minimal. I'd hate to have a nice trailer interior interrupted with my "workmanship" if you can call it that. 3 - Oliver offered a more extensive list of options, and on top of that, Jim said he'd even add more option if I had any. I had a unique list, and he has accomodated every item. 4- I felt my personal "bang-for-the-buck" matrix was maximized with Oliver. 6th - Company and brand longevity. Will they be there in the future? While Casita wins out in the "How long have you been making trailers?" contest; but Oliver Technologies has a long manufacturing history which leads me to belive they will no be a flash-in-the-pan rv maker. I deemed them tied in this area. ANYWAY..................that was my personal rv quest. I'll be picking up my "WONDER-EGG" on March 10th and bring it home to the Hill Country of Texas. I hope to be at the Bluebonnet Rally in Bandera, Tx early April so Oscar and I can start making new friends in the FGRV world.

The solar panel has arrived! See it at: http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... 20Trailer/ and a a special bonus feature, yuo get to see ROBERT's fuzzie mugshot! woohooo!

Robert et al . . . expectant daddy here, Well at this time, I look forward to meeting other Eggers at the 2008 Bluebonnet Casita Rally in Bandera, Apr 2-4 at the Skyline RV Ranch. I want to join the group of people who enjoy getting pleasure in all of the smaller things in life and have these awesome FG shells that happilly follow along as they visit and ponder the majesty of the large beautiful wonders they ecncounter along the way. You'll recognize me as the clueless newbie who asks such profound questions as "Now that I have my solar oven, where do I find a store that sells an extension cord long enough to reach that high?" I'll be traveling with my 13lb fuzzball, Oscar. See you there. Pete

[attachment=0]Wonder-Egg top-outter shell.jpg[/attachment] Well, here's the Wonder-Egg's top outter skin. I think she will be pulled out of line as they await the arrival of the solar panel and cell phone repeater 's external antenna. Then they wil spread it all out on top and take exact measurements before cutting the holes. It calls for moving the a/c and vent further aft than normal. This is like watching all those cool pictures we got to view during our granddaughter's gestaion . . but now we can still call up the "creator" and tweak the design. (just kidding, Robert, I won't do that to you. But on the other hand . . . heh,heh,heh)

Thanks, mountainborne, bugeyedriver here . . . been meaning to post a proud-papa pic since Robert infomed me of this forum. The one you show is the first in a cool series of production photos he is documunting for me while "The Wonder-Egg" is in production This will be a great quality validation to watch as a quality production line builds my Egg with some unique requests. Here are my additional requests that I asked Jim Oliver and the ever-so-capable Robert Partee if they could add: 1 - Two 30lb tanks 2 - Add swivel reading lamp under overhead cabinet between bed and dinette 3 - Direct Connect generator package 4 - Wall mounted thermostatic control unit 5 - Personalized mural and tire cover graphics 6 - Add 3 more 12v outlets 7 - Add interior egress handle (they have incorporated this as a standard) 8 - Relocation of rear plate and light so as not to interfere with graphics 9 - Ham Radio cable ready 10 - Generator rack with locking pin 11 - "SunRunner AM 100-22B" solar system with 45 degree tilting mounts (6ah capable) 12 - Cell phone signal amplification system All i've ever heard them say has been "Why, SURE! Anything else? To JIM and Robert and the production crew, all I can say is thanks for making this dream come true. Sincerely, Pete