earthdancer

Hi Alex K! We have a southwest theme to our Oliver so have put some white outline type pictographs on the sliding cupboard doors. We have a southwest type fabric and granite patterned floor to go with the theme. All kinds of stuff can be hung on the walls with good suction hooks! Not boring at all!!! The Oliver is narrower than the Airstream but with the extra and larger windows seems much larger! Regards, Chuck on Geris computer 'cause mines toast!!

Now all you need is a 4 wheel drive ! ! ! We'll be using Geris 4wd TrailBlazer more than my 2wd truck to get into those "off the beaten path" areas! A lot of parks will see the size of your Oliver and sometimes you have to remind them that you're paying as much for the sites and not stick you in a crummy corner the "SunBlockers" won't fit but check 'em 1st, sometimes they're the BEST! Chuck, still using Geris computer!

Congrats on your new Oliver!!! And to spend a night in the factory!!!!!Yoopeeeee!!!!! Why would you want company????????? And rallies are outside, FYI!! We had a glitch also but, unlike my previous trailers factory, we were close by and it was handled IMMEDIATLY! Thats why they do it that way!!! Ain't it great???? Now that there are 3 Floridian Olivers........ Congratulations, tumbleweed (on Geris computer as mine crashed)

Dang! Don't they know how many of us are waiting as "relatives" to the birth and delivery of their new baby?? Come on guys, give us some news !!!! Chuck and I are headed to Lake Kissimmee State Park in Lake Wales FL for a few days. We may or may not have internet access.... ya'll know how that goes! I look forward to some exciting news when we get back here! Cherie, let us know how the "stripper pole" worked the first night. Geri

Wow, this is a busy forum this morning..... as I promised just a few minutes ago, here are the photos of the Maxxair Vents Chuck had installed over the back windows on either side of the Oliver, not the back window that is used as an escape exit. We really love these a lot and use them all the time. If you have any technical questions..... save them for Chuck, I just take the pictures. LOL! Geri

Oh Carol Anne, I hope you do come, I'd love to meet you and your canine companion! We have every intention of being there. Geri and Chuck

"Also, since the window in the bath is not clear or double pane, why not just do without it? I suppose it's there to let in the natural light, but don't you have to turn on the light anyway?" Doug That window in the bathroom comes in really handy for sticking a hose through and putting that hose down in the toilet to really scour out the black water tanks and all the places in between. Best done after you have dumped out, and still in the dump mode, with the dump hose attached to the septic hole. If there is a faucet there at the dump station add your hose because it will give you a chance to rinse out the blank water tank well, before you get any buildup started. We don't do it every time we camp, but if we go for extended stays..... then we do. This window is perfectly positioned over the toilet for just such a cleaning. Geri

Doug, I will have Chuck post to this later, but he found some Max air vents that fit vertically on the back windows on either side of the bed. This allows us to open the windows, no rain plenty of ventilation. I will get a photo of them and post it later....... or if you are going to be at the RiverRalley, you can see them there. They attached them at the Oliver plant. Chuck took them up with us and they were on in less than 15 minutes. I think they look really good! Geri

We plan on bringing the 3 dogs, The Midget, Bobbie and Scottie. But the cat, Bonkers, will guard the house while we are gone. We can't quite figure out yet, where to put 3 dogs and a cat in a 17' fiberglass egg! The 4 get along well...... but.... I just can't visualize it happening in "Ollie'. We are considering renaming from "Ollie" to "Canine Castle" LOL! Geri

I really hope you get to meet Evon and Jim and tour an Oliver! It is better than you could have ever imagined! I promise! We love ours. Geri

Hi there! Chuck and I plan to be there, we just haven't made our reservations yet. I'll get Chuck on it this week! You can count on one Oliver for sure! I'm looking forward to my first ever rally! Geri

I love your graphics choice too! Geri

If you elect to tow with DC 12v on, make sure that when ya'll stop at Cracker Barrel for lunch, ya' UNPLUG the trailer as it will suck down car batteries very rapidly. Of course....Plug the trailer in when ya' leave. Chuck

Is there plans for a retrofit kit for the Elites ? ? Possibly with an extension to the extendable hitch ? Don't see how the stripper pole could be used in this option though ! But the disco ball could be placed on the satellite dome! A door could be cut thru the bath for easy spa access and a change room!! The only question would be......could it be used while movin' down the interstate ??????????? But a BRASS stripper pole....thats class!! Chuck n Geri

My Chevy TrailBlazer is 4x4 and even so, I get better gas mileage towing either the Casita or the Oliver than Chuck gets when we use his NON-4x4 Chevy Siverado! I love the idea of having 4x4 for exploring those unpredictable back country roads! Geri

Chuck and I always tow with our trailers on propane! Keeps everything nice and cold. Been doing this with my Casita over 2 years now with no problems. Geri

I think the best "dealer" Oliver can ask for is those of us who live with an Oliver every day and swear by it's excellence. The whole process from seeing them either on line or in person in a parking lot or in a magazine for the first time to finally going to the factory in beautiful Hoenwald TN to pick up your own personal Oliver is such a personal and satisfying experience that would be lost. Dealers are out for themselves, we have all bought cars, we know that and we all dread the thought of having to go through car lot dealers. We showed our Oliver 4 times this last trip, last time was in a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Lakeland FL. I feel as soon as Oliver turns it's product over to dealers to handle........ the magic will be gone, the prices will skyrocket, and the custom trailer days will be over. Bad Move !!!! Please Say It Ain't So !!! Geri

I just read a scary story in the Casita Club site that I want to share. This proves that the fiberglass built travel trailer is well built and well worth every penny. This is about a couple who were on the highway and ended up in the middle of a police chase after a drunk driver! Here is their story and the link. Be sure to read all the threads! Amazing story and it could happen to any of us! http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11083&pid=95301&start=0&&do=findComment&comment=95301 Geri

CarolAnne, Please don't compromise! (I am in a good place to compare Casita to Oliver. I have a Casita, Chuck has an Oliver.) If you do anything, just carefully consider all the "extras". If you start with the most basic of all the Oliver offerings, it's very near the price of the Casita. You will still have the double hull construction that Casita does not have. You will still have the electric jacks, that Casita does not offer. You will still have the molded in bathroom sink that Casita does not have. (Casita bathroom sink is a rivited unit) You will have the gauges that measure battery usage, black water 18.5 gallons, gray water 35.5 gallons and fresh water 32.5 gallon usage! Casita does not even offer this important tool as an add-on. You will have much more storage for all the liquids mentioned above than the Casita offers. (Check some of the posts by Chris - Technomadia - or exact gallon differences and you will be impressed!) All of these liquid tanks, all of your plumbing sits between the upper and lower shells, protected from severe cold winters and rough rocky roads! Oliver offers a self ignitiing hot water system that is soooooo easy to use,,,, the Casita does not offer this and I have spent many minutes cussing trying to get my hot water turned on in my Casita. The Oliver puts the shower water release pull thingee in the shower where you need it, not outside hidden way under the LP tanks which means another trip down on hands and knees to pull the lever. I finally took one of the suggestions from Lindy on the Casita Club and added an extension to the existing Casita handle so I could reach it more easily when needed, but what the heck were the folks at Casita thinking, putting this important handle OUTSIDE in the first place? If nothing else, contact mountainborn. I hear he is considering selling his and upgrading to solar and double paned windows! Do what you need to do, but don't settle for less in choosing your new travel trailer. You will end up spending that extra money in the long run, just adding on the things you wanted and would have gotten in an Oliver. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wish Oliver had been available when I bought my Casita. It would have been Oliver hands down! Geri

I love your Key West sunset Stuart! Great eye and thank goodness for auto exposure! I have finally given up my darkroom and now do everything digital ! Gotta love the versatility of Adobe Photoshop! My new darkroom is my computer! Geri

CarolAnne, I think you are making a wise decision with choosing the Oliver. When I bought my Casita, the Olivers weren't available yet. You will love how easy it sets up! 3 buttons to push and in less than 10 minutes you are set up and level! With the Casita, I have to hand crank down the pads first just to get them down, then around several more times to get it levelled! After 30 minutes I'm done, whether I'm level or not! My back is screaming and my knees are wobbly! Ok, I'm 61... not old as dirt but headed that way and I don't want to spend the valuable time I have left cussing during the set-up of my Casita! I still do a lot of solo camping, but love traveling with Chuck in his Oliver. Traveling in Chuck's Oliver has me convinced in so many ways that THIS is the trailer for solo women campers! If you saw Pete's Oliver, then you have an idea of what a jewel the Oliver really is. (Pete ain't 1/2 bad either! ) You really should go see his back up system and then YOU try backing up your tow vechicle to his trailer and see for yourself. Also, you should do a mock set up of his Oliver........ tell Pete to go chill out where he isn't looking over your shoulder and just try the jacks and leveling system yourself! It's so darned easy! I guess I should mention that my Casita didn't even come with the crank down pads. I added them because I just recently had both knees totally replaced and I can't get down on my hands and knees to use the only jack system Casita offers, I had to buy and pay to have welded them on. Now I have a whole new system, though it's much better than what comes on a Casita, its positively Stone Age compared to what Oliver offers as it's basic package. Geri

JJ and Sandie, There is one feature I would like to see. Maybe because I am the female 1/2 of this traveling duo, I find myself at the kitchen sink doing dishes more than Chuck. I don't like paper plates or disposables because I am trying to get myself weaned from the idea that it's cool to be a member of a throw away society. I love the shower spray faucet in the bathroom! I would love to have it in the kitchen also! I use my sprayer all the time at home, so when doing dishes in the Oliver, I find myself washing dishes in the kitchen sink, but them moving them to the bathroom sink to spray rinse them! I don't even know if it is a feature that is possible to add the the kitchen sink area, but it sure is one that would be appreciated by this dishwasher! Maybe it's a mod we could ask Robert about when he gets back from vacation to see if it could be retro-fitted to our Oliver. Chris and Cherie might be interested in thinking about it for their upcoming Oliver! That would mean 3 wash stations with sprayer faucets....... but what a time saver when doing dishes! I love everything about the Oliver! I guess sooner or later I'll have to sell my Casita and get one too. But I'm waiting for the underbelly storage drawers I saw at the factory last week! What a great feature that would be! It might be a year or two before that feature is offered, but it looked great! Chuck's Oliver has me convinced that Oliver is the way to go!

Hi UGUJoe! I was just curious to know if you got a chance to see an Oliver yet? Geri

Hi Sherry & Paul, I'm also curious about the fit of the empire cover. I have a Casita sitting under a canopy of pine trees and I really need to get her covered to protect from pine sap dropping down. If you are happy with the fit, I'm ready to order one. We are leaving tomorrow for Withlacoochee River Park in Dade City, FL. Anybody wanna come? Geri

Hi tigrrr, I was hoping one of the more technical experienced folks on this forum would have responded to your question, since they have not, I'll tell you what I know. (being the least technical person on the forum, don't expect to be wowed by big words!) Nothing is "stuffed into or sprayed " in between the shells of the Oliver. Oliver uses only the best insulation available, layers of thinsulate and lizard skin. I know from Chuck that Lizard skin is what Nascar engineers and drivers use to protect the drivers from the intense heat of the engine during racing. Oliver Technologies does not try to wow you with wall to wall-floor-to-ceiling carpeting as sufficient insulation! They use only the best and alto it might take 2 matches instead of one to warm the Oliver, know that the Oliver will retain that warmth for a very long time! Our experience is that with the double hull construction, double paned glass windows, and with all the water, black tanks, grey tanks, and plumbing enclosed in-between the bottom hulls to help prevent freezing, the Oliver is indeed as snug as you ever expected to be in a travel trailer. We spent several nights in the near freezing temps and the furnace in the Oliver kept us toasty and warm all night! No drafty windows anymore either! I have no idea what an egg-camper is........ if it's a brand name, it's one I'm not familiar with. Personally, I thought all of us with fiberglass egg travel trailers whether it was an Oliver, Scamp, Casita,,or Big Foot.......... I thought that all owners of such were called "egg campers"! But remember, I warned you that I am the least technical member of the forum! geri