Trainman

I looked at all three offered by the big three manufactures and went with the Ram 1500. It did get down to if I wanted to use the Anderson WDH or not, that is going with a 2500 over the 1500 model. It got down to a coin flip as both would be Hemi powered, but the 2500 has the larger Hemi. We went with the 1500 as towing the Oliver would handle the trailer just fine and within factory specs, but the Anderson would be needed. We opted for the 1500 as wife liked the lower height and the ride was more to her liking. All being said, if I had to do it over again I would probably go again with the 1500 over the 2500 as the 1500 tows the Oliver just fine and there is no shortage of power and handling with the 1500. Truck description below. trainman

This video pretty much says it all, I purchased mine from this seller, https://www.landmsupply.com/clam-quick-set-escape-1660-six-pack-screen-tent-green-9281 excellent service, I did purchase the side curtains, two sets of three each. I would buy some of the metal stakes from a sporting goods store, the plastic stakes are pretty much useless in hard and rocky grounds. trainman

Nice trailer, probably would have been something I might have been interested in 30-40 years ago. My camping style today is comfort on paved campsites with full hookups, what can I say, the Oliver spoiled me. trainman

I have no anti theft devices on our trailer other then a good insurance policy. My personal opinion on travel trailer theft for where I live and camp would be very low, if any. I should say here that I do own a Bull Dog hitch lock that I used on my utility trailer, but sold the trailer and now it sets in my shop on the shelf. I know many are obsessed with theft on what they own, but that's why I carry insurance and like I tell everyone if it gets stolen we can get another one. Everyone should do what works for them, that's what I do. trainman

We have the six sided Clam and for us it works better that one attached to the trailer, or some would call it a second room, or added living area. The size is plenty big enough for eight and a table, goes up and down quickly, and the price is right. We did used it more when we had the Casita, but with the Oliver we have only used it once in the last year. The main reason for the Clam was to protect us from the mosquitoes, etc., but so far they have not been where we have been camping, I guess we just lucked out on that. I got tired of taking it with us and we started calling ahead of where we would be camping and asking if the mosquitoes were bad, or not, thus leaving the Clam home if not needed. Also it great for setting around with our Little Red Campfire going and keeping us warn, get the model with the wind covers included, or purchase the wind covers for the base model, either works well. trainman

As I said in another post I'm not a big fan of all those electronics in our trailer, but at home we have it all. Camping we find ourselves not wanting to be connected that much, just our choice, we like the get away feeling. If the tow vehicle has satellite radio and we have our iPhone s we feel we can get the info we need most of the time. We use the laptop when service is available and that also works for us, we have not found we couldn't find out what is going on in the world, so for now, I will stay with what works for us. I sometimes wonder how 40 plus years ago we loaded up the trailer and went camping for two weeks and all we had was the truck radio and probably didn't listen to it too much. All I can really remember about those days was how much fun we had and all the place we visited, it still puts a smile on my face when I think about it. trainman

I pretty much agree with rallies being postponed for the time being, I think as far as going camping we will still be doing that as we have control over many things at campsites, cooking, distances between sites, and probably the smaller amount of people camping. One thing rallies do have is large groups of people in small spaces and this is what most of us seem to want to stay from which camping on our own we can somewhat control this. I don't like this anymore then most do, but probably for us older people it probably the better choice for the time being. trainman

Sorry, I removed this post as I see it has already been addressed on the forum. trainman

My personal feeling is anything under a 3/4 ton pickup needs a WDH for towing the Oliver. There are many vehicles that people are using for tow vehicles and not using a WDH, will they work, yes on paper they say they will work, but good towing sense says, get the WDH and add a good safety margin above and beyond the factory specs that are for your vehicle. trainman

Horse Stall Mats from Tractor Supply, I use these for everything, pickup bed mats, rear mats on my UTV, mat on one of my steel work bench for materials you don't want damaged, a mat to stand on for working comfort in the shop, etc. These are tough mats and I cut them with a box knife, it will take several cuts to complete the cut. They do come in two sizes and thickness, one is around $20 and the other is around $40, buy on sale if you can and they are heavy, so get help when moving. I have several cutoff pieces I use on different projects. trainman

Probably listed under the manufacture of the jack and it's model number, trailer manufactures change components all the time. I also see no one has given a good reason for needing these. trainman

We have the Little Red Campfire (similar to the Outland) and the regulator on the LP hose that came with it was also was the regulator for the LP fuel supply. I just purchased a 25ft. extension LP hose to use for the grill and campfire with quick disconnects and not use the LP hoses that came with the grille and campfire. I found that having two regulators in line (one being the trailer regulator) for the grill and the LRC caused a reduction in LP fuel flow. I eliminated both factory hoses with regulators and purchased a Needle Valve and put it in line for the LRC to adjust the flame and the grill adjust at the burner valves as normal. Now I'm using just the trailer LP regulator, my 25ft. extension LP hose with quick disconnects and both have there own control valves. You will need a couple of special fitting to hookup all of this as you have to get from a flair fitting on the LRC and the grill to a 1/4" MPT fitting, all purchased from Amazon. Home Depot and Lowes will not have the correct fittings from what I found and I'm pretty pipe fitting savvy. I also use another control ball valve (like on the trailer from the factory) at the end of my 25ft. extension hose, this way I can shutoff my LP supply at the appliance if I want to, this is not needed, but I like to have the option to do it. This may sound like it was a lot of work, well it wasn't and done with very few fittings and dollars. trainman

Mom and Pop works for us to, but I do most of the cooking outdoors and very little cooking is done indoors, only soups, stews, and sandwiches. We have a small portable LP grill that plugs into one of the trailers LP outlets. We just purchased the Blackstone small grill and will be giving it a try, I think it will even work a little better for all around cooking, we will see. On longer trips we may even take both grills with us, we have the room.

Just wondering why I would need those, my wife gets down on her hands and knees and put those pads under the jack as I push the jack button. trainman

I use the Anderson's, they work great. Just don't pack them away, there will be the first thing you will need when setting up the trailer. Mine Anderson's fit in a Home Depot orange bucket along with the Anderson wheel chocks, now you have a bucket for your camping needs to use. trainman

Hi jo79RI, keep asking those questions that's one way to learn, I will be curious on witch tow vehicle you decide to go with. Just get one with the Towing Package from the factory, you will be ready to go and you should have what you need. We do not have a backup camera for the trailer, just never thought I need one and have been towing for 50+ years, but being new to towing it can't hurt to have one. I would personally rather have the wife, or someone at the back of the trailer when backing, just can't backup and watch the camera, RV mirrors, where the front of the truck is going, and the wife giving me instructions. trainman

When we pickup up our 2019 the cable wires were crossed, thus they were miss marked. I just removed the inside panel in the garage and switched the coax cables. Not sure this is your problem, but our portable TV antenna would not work until the coax cables were correctly connected to the proper device. trainman

True, screwing plastic to plastic (PVC) can be hard to do at times, plastic just wants to be grabby and a little silicon will take care of that. trainman

For me is was easy a 1/2 crew cab pickup will do the job, just remember 1/2 tons will require a WDH and a 3/4 will not. I will say here from what I see at rallies, crew cab pickups are probably 75% of what is used as a tow vehicle. Personally I would not go with a mid-size pickup for towing, plus you will want to carry more then you think you will, and the back seat room is much smaller as well as the bed. 1/2 ton pickups will probably have the best rebates and there price in some cases will be less then a mid-size pickup. Just don't let a sales person talk you into something that is just ok. You might even try a county dealer, that is one that sells vehicles for towing (farming and ranching needs) they will most likely have a better selection of vehicles that can tow and there sales staff should know what works best for your needs. I went to a dealer that was 35 miles north of Ft. Worth and there stock was 75% towing trucks and priced to sell. I did go with a 4x4 as it will have a little heaver towing capacities, but not needs for towing an Oliver. trainman

Yes, it does come with a 25 ft. 30a power cord, just things you might also want and need at times. I carry an extra 25 ft. 30a power cord, you can run into situations where the 25 ft. cord may not reach the power box, it does happen at times, plus both 30a and 50a hookup adapter plugs. I would also get an extra 25 ft. water hose as the same thing can happen when when hooking up in some campsites. I also carry with me a gray water water hose, adapter, and a honey wagon, and I have used them all. The rule of thumb is, miss it twice, then consider buying it. trainman

I'm 6'1" and it works ok for me. trainman

Oliver says, that most of there new production models, customers are ordering the twin bed option. This is also true in Casita and Escape is to offer a twin model in there 21 footer, which customers have been asking for. Plus I like the center cabinet between the beds, we use it a lot for our electronic, etc. trainman

Insurance rates are pretty much set by your states insurance board, so don't expect your rates to be the same for your trailer and even the same insurance company by what other post on the forum. I don't know about your state, but in Texas just living in another county can make a big difference in your premium. We have Progressive on our home and autos, but just couldn't get that good of rate on our Oliver. Wife called an independent agent that she used when she worked, she recommended Foremost Ins., RV's are what they insure, rates were pretty much half of Progressive and others that I checked out. I checked out Foremost Ins. and all seemed to be a good company to deal with on both service and claims. It's amazing how much insurance rates change just living 60 miles south of the DFW area. trainman

I let everyone know I have changed to a direct LP hose from the trailers LP ports and not going thru two regulators as was my first setup. I did find that the Little Red Campfire did work ok mainly because we don't run it on full open, but our grill I could not get max LP flow thru two regulators, thus I changed my setup to direct flow from one regulator (the trailers regulator) to the appliance being used. trainman

John, I think for me it was just the easy of use over the cables, probably more of a hands on thing then anything else. That crisscross thing was probably my biggest dislike, plus the coiling action just seemed to be hassle to deal with. I guess I have always had chains on every trailer I've owned regardless of what kind it was, so at my old age why change now. Yes, I don't leave my chains on the ground, I just purchased some "S" hooks to hang the chain. trainman