WhatDa

I'd get the truma again, given the choice. Both options are going to waste the water from the heater to the faucet. I like pulling into camp and flicking the dial, and taking a shower. My wife likes taking really long showers. Sometimes we go for a walk and it's wash dog, wash wife, wash me. We can do that all back to back with the Truma. We never worry about turning it off or on. We just always have hot water - even in the middle of the night. Winterizing it is easy.

We use the Davy Crockett, it's small enough to carry around, runs on 12V or 120V. We used the tote to keep it in the SUV so any pellets or grease don't escape too far, will probably keep using the tote with the truck. I also have the thermal blanket for it, it helped with temperature stability and pellet usage. It is big enough inside to do a rack of Ribs or a modest brisket but small enough that finding a place to put it is easy. It can also be a little noisy so overnight smokes in a smallish campground can be harder. None of the pellet smokers will sear as good as hot grill, so we pan sear if searing is desired and then grill/smoke. The pellets you use are important, and sometimes expensive. We've had good luck with CookinPellets and Lumberjack. Generally look for ones that are 100% of what you want (ie 100% mesquite) and don't have other fillers in there. It doesn't smoke as well as my UDS smoker, but it does pretty well on its own. Great smoke ring on the brisket and flank steaks I did. Also was able to do enough pork butt for about 40 people with it (two or three batches).

For my wife, anything below 68 is freezing, even at night. So we burn more but it is extremely variable. I haven't weighed the tanks when we snow camped as we generally didn't do it long enough. I'd say Ken's number is still pretty on the nose. Where we can (ie electric hookups), we run a small space heater under the bed (King Layout) to stretch our propane tanks in the winter. Also note that propane (in general) has issues vaporizing with extreme cold and propane furnaces generally have trouble with altitude both from an efficiency and sometimes reliability (safety switches don't register enough airflow). Our 2019 worked fine at 7,000 feet with the Atwood furnace. I do wish the Mopeka app would let me plot my propane levels over time.

Also another note on the Truma - with daily showers for two and cooking (also eats some propane) we burn about 4lbs of propane a week (furnace is off). With 2x 30lbs propane tanks we're set for a while. When we run the furnace, the consumption jumps a bit more 🙂

Just a note the 2019-2020 Awnings are the same whether powered or not, with no vertical supports/ground supports (ie "Case Awning"). The only difference is the area you would stick the hand crank into has a motor, and the forward lip has a vibration sensor to detect wind and bring the awning in automatically for a save. So you are in the same boat whether powered or not as far as stability. If there were a greater difference, I could have been swayed to the crank options for stability or screen room compatibility. Like most things, I do wish the awnings were able to tie into some sort of home automation, so my actual weather station could bring them in before the wind starts blowing them enough that the sensors bring them in (added level of safety without having to set the sensitivity on the sensors so low that making the bed without the jacks down sets them off).

With the potential collapse of large sectors of the economy lots of big companies look to cut their R&D expenses. An electric SUV (in addition to the Mustang) is high risk. Maybe the Mach-E Mustang isn't doing so hot vs Tesla and they need to rethink their strategy? Except for those that want electric for the environment or driving characteristics, the savings for electric have nearly evaporated with the oil crash. Our Prius Prime gets ~20 miles on 7kWh of electricity. Supercharger costs 0.25$/kWh so that's $1.75 if I charged up up there (and could), or $0.70 if I fuel up at my outlet at 0.10$/kWh. So anywhere from 0.0875 to 0.035$/Mile. Fuel at $2.30/gallon and 60 MPG on "gas only" costs 0.038$/Mile. Only reason to plug in is just to avoid going to the pump. Even the 2500 at 20MPG with cheapo diesel at $1.40/gallon is 7 cents a mile - so it'd be cheaper for me to hit the truck stop in a 3/4 diesel than supercharge something like a Prius - so not sure an electric would stand a chance until prices go north of $3/gallon again.

We got: Solar package: no power in plenty of the best campgrounds (National Parks like yellowstone). Cheap Battery Upgrade: $$$ saved from more expensive system is going into Lithium batteries No Inverter: going for a nicer setup, whenever I have time Extra 30 amp connection: makes life a little easier in some campgrounds. FM Antenna: we watch movies on local storage or stream Backup Camera: It's a bit dated in resolution/etc, but having had a camera since pickup is great. WiFi Booster: we actually upgraded to a newer model of the wifi ranger (this may come standard). We've barely used it for WiFi boosting (campground wifi is usually slower than our LTE), but have the LTE upgrade installed externally. So we have an LTE modem mounted on our roof. I use the external wifi antenna to run Ring Cameras with a little more signal strength. I do wish they offered a system with more advanced LTE/WiFi capabilities - as 5G is around the corner. Cell Booster: we got it, messed with it a little. I've never been in a spot where we had cell from the booster but not from my phone. Probably because we use t-mobile that gets some better coverage from bands not supported by the booster. For remote communications I have an InReach that I use for the "still alive, weather sucks" communications to friends and family. This is the one option I would leave off if doing again, but you might be different. Fiber Granite: glad we did it, but now that Foy is doing table tops in gorgeous wood, I might have just purchased one of his. Convection Microwave: cookies in the woods are awesome, french fries are awesome, brownies are awesome, baked asparagus ... etc.... super happy with this. Just wish I didn't have to keep resetting the time everytime we lose power or move. Composting toilet: great option, zero regrets, do wish that we could switch urine to black tank at campgrounds and back to jug when we don't have a sewer line-but never dealing with a gross tank is probably a plus. Hypervent: I wouldn't describe it as hyper. Looking for something else under the bed that goes more airflow in case we do run into condensation or seep. I did use it in the closet to keep clothes off the wall where condensation is a problem (not get) KTT Mattress: we went with the "king" layout, skipped this. Put a piece of foam across the cushions and it sleeps well enough for us - and I have back problems. Shower Curtain Track: got it, don't use it. We just cover the toilet with a garbage bag to ensure no extra moisture intrudes Basement passthrough: we mostly go through the hatches to get stuff, but its an easy way to plumb some heat into the basement when it is really cold and you want to make sure all the plumbing gets a little extra heat. auto backflow valve: we got it, glad we did as it does clean up the bathroom aesthetic a little. Just wish they also installed one for the gray tank dump, so we wouldn't have to walk outside to dump during full hookup time. Andersen no sway: it was worth it with our navigator (F150 SUV), on the F250 we rented - we couldn't notice when we had the chains on or not. Front and rear propane: got it, haven't used it yet. Maybe someday? We have a pellet grill/smoker that we use for outside cooking. 30lbs propane tanks: got them, you could probably get 30 lbs propane tanks for less than the upgrade costs from Oliver, but glad we had them from the get-go when we hit unexpected severe weather. Truma: have it, like it, just wish they installed the "Comfort plus" instead of the comfort. When boondocking, it wastes too much fresh/gray tank if you wait for warm water. Regular hot water would do the same as it is the water in the line from the tank near the back to the faucet in the front that is wasted. Electric anti-freeze: wasn't available when we purchased, but I added it. Not sure how much of a benefit it is vs just pulling the easy drain before we hit the road. When we are stopped and actually running water we have propane on and that protects the truma as long as its on at least "eco" mode. Electric Key Lock: it's nice to not need the keys all the time. I just hope RVLock integrates with some home automation system at some point. No Storage basket: the trailer was already a little tongue heavy, so we avoided this to avoid extra weight there. Plenty of room in TV/trailer for everything we need. Where it would be useful: a generator or gas cans with an SUV where you don't want to smell fuel vapors. Bumper receiver: we like/use it for our bikes sometimes, but mostly our bikes end up inside the tow vehicle so they don't get all the road spray from the back of the trailer Dual power awnings: big fan of this option. If it's getting windy a quick tap of two buttons and I save the awnings and trailer. Auto retract worked as advertised when a freak microburst popped up. Having the awnings on both side is good for keeping mist/rain off the windows/tracks/weep holes and slightly helps keep indoor moisture under control. Not sure I would want to go out and crank both sides when weather changes late at night in the rain. Micro-air e-z start: we generally don't run the AC (loud), but we did use this option a couple times to get AC off the generator.

I only use the Generator for batteries when solar isn't enough, like winter in WA with tall tries and gloomy/snowy skies. During much of the year, we'd be better with solar panels mounted on the side of the trailer. We don't have an inverter: USB-C laptops charge off of DC power, DC TV, and DC conversion on the apple TV. So all we lose are the Microwave/Convection, AC, and dehumidifer. The dehumidifier is the one thing I want back for snow camping - followed by the micro/convection for some cookies.

We spent a little more time with the options. * Wife says she can see best out of the options in this order: GM HD, Ford Super Duty with adjustable pedals, and GM 1500s. I think she just likes driving a huge truck 🙂 * The highest payload for the 1500 (with tech+diesel) is in the Chevy LTZ - Found one with 1600lbs.. GMC only offers the diesel in the AT4 (100lbs less GVWR) and Denali (many heavy options, and often come fully loaded with ultimate package). * Between the Chevy and GM HD: we prefer the GM based on the front end look, the amber side markers (more visible in the PNW gloom), and the multipro tailgate is the easiest to use step out there. If we got a crazy deal on the Chevy, we'd probably be fine with that too. * GM HD trucks in the 2500 series are actually very usable. CCSB has a GVWR of 11,350 lbs (whereas most 3/4 tons top out at 10k). Our example was in the mid 3000s of payload with a Diesel. The 3500 CCSB is 12,100 lbs GVWR. So it does give some extra headroom, but it isn't as necessary as Ford/RAM where the 2500 diesels may be under 2000lbs of payload. * Within the GMC line (SLE->SLT->AT4->Denali) we like the AT4's appearance the best. In the HD line the AT4 doesn't actually have anything above the SLT X31 or Denali in terms of offroad prowess - same ride height, springs, hill descent, tires, etc... What the AT4 does have is a chrome delete which makes me a fan. Seems other people agree as the AT4 has no rebates, but the SLT and Denali do. End result? Denalis are cheaper than AT4s. * Generally we prefer lighter colored vehicles for visibility, but the AT4 does look good in black, but the white storm trooper look is also nice. But at this point, it's cheaper to buy a Denali and swap in the AT4 grill. But, since I am cheapo I'll probably just get an SLT+Tech+X31 and call it a day. When I find my first elk or deer, it'll be time to swap.

The HDPP F150 is quite the truck. It's not only XLT only, but XLT mid or below (501a). Thanks Ford. No 502a package means no blind spot monitor, no powerscope mirrors, no 360 camera (must have for wife), etc.. IF you don't care about those features, then it's probably the best 1/2 ton for towing. On the other hand, without those features I might just get a 2007 Chevy 3500 Duramax instead. Maybe the 2021 will come out with something I'd like...

For those that like SUVs, here's my review of the 2018 Navigator L (fancy Expedition MAX): I got fairly good gas mileage, 10-16 MPG depending on conditions. Towing with the Andersen was awesome, without the Andersen it felt more bouncy. Upside: 222" long - 18.5' fit in our garage great. For comparison the F150 (that it is based on) is 232" long (5.5' box) or 244" long (6.5 box super crew). I could press a few buttons, the seats fold automatically, and I can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in. Press buttons again and the rear seats fold up and I can take 8 people to town. The Navigator/Expedition are built on the F150 Frame but with independent rear suspension. The navigator adds some electronic damping. Probably the best riding vehicle I have been in. Seats were very comfortable (including a decent massage function that was good at preventing hot spots). Power: Navigator has the 450 HP version of the 3.5 Ecoboost. Power was never a problem. Generally the 27 gallon tank of the L/MAX (shorter version is 23 gallons) gets us to lunch and then our final camp ground. I like turbo engines because they are quieter than a naturally aspirated engine. I flew over passes without fatigue. It also had a 1500lbs payload, which beat the similarly equipped half tons I saw, plus it already came with a cap which would cost about 200lbs of payload there. Where it got scary: in South Dakota we had blizzard conditions with 40 mph quartering head winds. I had the "all season" Kumho tires that it comes stock with (my Blizzaks were on the other side of the South Dakota waiting for mounting for the Rockies and Cascades). The HD trucks were blowing by us, but not sure if that was the "sport all season tires" or the truck. There were also about a half dozen flipped over semis - to give in idea of how extreme conditions were. Basically it was the wrong time to be on the road, so once we found a place to overnight we stopped. Once we got the blizzaks, everything was great. Tech: adaptive cruise was great, heads up display nice to have. 360 camera was "OK", it was hard to really see how close things were. The newer GM cameras blow this out of the water. The blind spot monitor with trailer coverage was nice, it caught at least one person I didn't initially see that was driving in the dark/rain with no headlights on🤪. The pro-trailer assist was pretty garbage, it would lose the trailer, so we just used an intercom system between the wife and I and back up the trailer the old fashioned way. Why'd I sell? I had a very rare set of options (tech package, tow package, cargo package, and 8 person seating vs a console or captains chairs). Someone had to have it so they offered more than I bought it for. Other downside: Sticker on mine was something like $93k (I bought used for less). I can get a nicely outfitted HD diesel truck and a Tesla Model 3 for the same price. SUV vs Truck: This was my first SUV as I've had only trucks before. The small size was great in NYC, DC, etc... The downside is that I was much more willing to put stuff in the bed of my truck than my $93k SUV. While I could fit sheetrock, was that what I wanted to put it in? I could have used a utility trailer I guess. I never felt comfortable with propane or gasoline in the back of the SUV (drive with windows down), but throwing a generator and a gas can in the back of the truck is no problem. I Why I didn't get Toyota? The Tundra is an old platform, carries less, burns more gas, and Grade A- as long as you are fine with the price and find one with the tow package. I think the 2021 Suburban with the 3.0 Duramax and air suspension could be a pretty potent tow vehicle when it comes out and will probably eclipse the Navigator until it gets the 2021 F150 refresh parts.

For winter camping, the Oliver has a few things going for it that many others don't: small air volume and surface area (size) mean there is less to keep warm. No slides and good seals mean less air leakage. The insulation is better than any other camper I have been in, and while it could be better and some areas could use a better thermal break, we were able to keep warm with a 1200 watt heater in 11 degree weather with 40 MPH side winds when we got caught in a blizzard in South Dakota. Note that I would never camp like that by choice as going outside was pure misery. Note that was October, so I guess that is only "fall". There are a few things that can be done to make your winter experience more pleasant: dehumidifier - moisture will be an issue in any camper in cold enough temperatures, electronic drain actuator(s) - lets you dump tanks from inside - not letting freezing air into basement or you standing outside waiting for tank to drain), and a space heater for the inside (or with remote) and basement. The space heaters allow you to supplement/replace the propane heater. Propane becomes less viable at altitude/low temperature - plus if you have free electricity with your site - use that instead of paying for propane and having to stand outside to get your propane refilled. We weren't really prepared for the situation in South Dakota (forecast had been in the 30's to 40's up to a day before hand), so we used internal fresh water. For our winter trips this year we used a heated hose and punched a hole in a foam faucet cover for the RV side of the connection. I had to get some pipe insulation and heat trace to make sure the faucet side of the connection didn't freeze.

Rivian looks promising. What they and anyone who isn't Telsa lacks is a reliable distributed charging network. That and the R1T has a 4.5 foot bed which is pretty limiting vs the 6.5 foot bed in the CT and 1700lbs vs 3500lbs payload. I'll take the cybertruck.

We went back to back F250 to 2500 and it was a pretty remarkable difference. What really sold me was the steering just felt more precise and intuitive. The 2500 felt easier to hold a line through a sweeping curve than the 250. If anything the 2500 was closer to the Navigator than the 250 in steering. Maybe the Ford just needs an alignment? It's a rental with only 1200 miles on it though. With the Oliver on the back of the 250 it did ride better, but still not as good as the 2500 without the Oliver. I know the F150 has an update just around the corner and have seen the previews, but then just after that the Tundra has an update around the corner, and then the Cyber Truck comes out (I have an early reservation for that). There are rumors that the 2021 Silverado/Sierra will get the cockpit of the new Tahoe/Suburban with trailer blindspot, wireless carplay, and other stuff. If I hadn't sold the Lincoln I'd probably wait, but I don't want to miss a summer of travels only to have Ford be MIA/late/still under payload on the Diesel 150. The math on the Silverado LTZ+Tech we were looking at shows 600 lbs of payload left after us and the Oliver are attached so it would be workable. That still leaves up for guessing if the rear axle reserve would be enough and how the overall towing experience would differ between the two - the fact that I would never need to worry about weight or adjusting the chains on the Andersen does have its perks.

We rented an F250 XLT and test drove a 2500 and 1500 GMC Duramax. The GMC trucks both had much better turning radii and way better ride unladen than the ford. I got 16MPG on the 2500 and 21 MPG on the 1500 on our little test run of going down a freeway exit and back. That's not quite enough to make that difference enough to choose one vs the other. What really blew us both away, was the quality of the cameras in the GMC products vs the Ford cameras (both in the Navigator and F250). Wife decided that even without adjustable pedals she can see best out of the 2500, 1500, and then F250 in that order. Somehow these were all also easier to drive than the Navigator. So now it's really between the Chevrolet/GM 1500 or 2500/3500. Biggest discriminator is adaptive cruise is high on my list of things that kill the monotony on a long day. We'll see if any dealer desperate to make a deal at the end of the month, otherwise we'll see what GM throws on the table for May.

I spent enough time sleeping under a poncho, I'm OK with luxury! Plus most of the stuff I propose is not any more complex than what we already have, it's just a not the way that things have been done.

So I've narrowed down the challengers and their (discount) dealer advertised prices. Silverado 1500 Duramax 3.0 1500 +Tech - $45k - plus is it turns great mileage that the super duty could only hope for. Downside is pedals don't adjust. Which is why when I step to the 1 Ton trucks I head toward Ford. Adaptive Cruise control doesn't work as well as Ford's. This is probably the cheapest option to buy and run. 1600lbs payload isn't terrible for a 1/2 ton. I could pick this up and be back in a day. F350 XLT - $58k - For 2020 Ford adds all the safety goodies to the XLT. Never worry about payload. 2+ day trip or shipping F350 Lariat - $68k - Adds adaptive cruise, seat/pedal/mirror memory, leather seats, and automatic climate control. Not sure if it's worth the 10k or not. Right now I'm pretty torn between the baby duramax 1500 and the F350 XLT. 1500 is probably more than good enough and the F350 is 28% more money. I think I may just see what May brings as it looks like GM/RAM are moving much more product than Ford, so may have to play catch up with some incentives.

I guess I am thinking also of what trailers would need to do in this new future. More aerodynamic/lower rolling resistance. Or maybe motor home is where we go? With new emissions controls: Furnace, AC, hot water heater, and fridge all on the same high efficiency refrigerant heat pump loop (ie keeping your fridge cool and your hot water hot with the same loop) as burning propane goes away. Solar roof/awnings (maybe more gull-wing than rolling flexible panels).

While I am really enjoying my time at home with the family, this did get a chuckle:

Grohe thermostatic would be great. Are you looking at mounting the shower valve to the caddy itself? I've looked at that for a separate as I don't want to make anything extra to run into or hit my head on in there. We don't use the caddy for anything other than dryign the micro fiber we use to wipe down the interior of the shower.

On a more serious note, the double hull prevents them from getting up into the undercarriage, where most other trailers have some flimsy laminate or worse that they can get up into. Our terrier is kind of upset with the lack of vermin - she's usually pretty good at getting pet fees and our fees refunded at hotels by pointing out their critter problem.

I have their autoformer, which has made some saggy campground voltages usable. My only observation is that they outsource their app to an offshore country that may or may not be to your liking. Here is their privacy policy: https://www.privacypolicies.com/privacy/view/85a7abf571aa4f9d21d277074b742a1f Here are their permissions on their app: With all that combined, I'm not willing to install their app on my phone, maybe my standalone device that has none of my other data on it. So then I'm back to square 1. If I'm going to spend cash on the power system, I'd convert to 50A power to a charger, and then push all the feeds in the Oliver to come off two multiplus units. So it'd be 50A Surge suppressor->50A charger->DC system/batteries->Inverter(s)->all AC loads. Then I could run the microwave and AC at the same time, and wouldn't have to listen to my dehumidifier change speeds when the neighbor makes coffee. I'll eat a little bit in efficiency, but hopefully save in Microwave/fridge/AC longevity.

I was looking at duplicating overland's work, and came to the same conclusion he lists above, best to just replace the whole fixture. I just haven't gotten that far as I think I may do a few other things while in there...like maybe throwing in a valve to let the hot water go into the fresh water tank so I stop wasting fresh water and gray water waiting for warm water.

Not as of last summer...

Behind our truck, underway 🙂