Rivernerd

Our Hull #1291 did not come with return air vents in the closet. I installed them, one top and one bottom. Our experience has been that before the addition of those vents, the closet stayed about 20 degrees colder than the main cabin when camping in cold weather and running the furnace with the closet door closed. After the vents were added, the closet temps stay just a degree or two below those in the main cabin. Convection of heated cabin air, between the bottom and top closet vents, explains the difference.

Until late 2022, I agree. But, once Oliver started offering the Truma Varioheat option on Elite IIs, a return air vent in the bath was added. Then, Oliver began installing return air vents in the top and bottom of the closet area. I call this attention to "the benefits of proper return air placement."

No. We have the Lithium Pro Package, which includes 390 Ah capacity (3 Lithionics 130Ah). The Lithionics have Battery Management Systems (BMS) which will automatically turn them off if they reach about 10% State of Charge, protecting them from overdischage. For many years I used 12V deep cycle AGM batteries to power my CPAP machine on wilderness river trips. I had to monitor them closely to avoid discharge below 50%, to avoid damaging them. Now I use LiFePO4 batteries with built-in BMS on wilderness river trips. They are much lighter weight and yet provide a greater discharge range. That experience persuaded us to spend the extra $$$ on the Lithionics package for our Hull #1291.

I bought the Truma before we took delivery of Hull #1291 in November, 2022. It worked o.k., but required me to remove the cover of the "doghouse" each time I wanted to check propane levels. So, I invested in a pair of Mopeka tank sensors in 2023. They have worked well. So, I haven't used the Truma since!

Because we always carry a spare 20 lb. propane tank, we opted to forego the front and rear low-pressure propane connectors on our Hull #1291. We prefer to be able to position our propane camp stove quite a distance from the trailer anyway. Your report has confirmed that our choice was the right one for us.

Thanks for sharing. I have precisely the same light configuration on my ARE canopy on my Tundra tow vehicle that you do.

That works great, if you have both: (1) a 30A female to 15A male adapter and (2) a 15A receptacle on the pedestal.

See this thread: There are two views: (1) the EMS built into your Oliver is enough, and it's immune to theft and, the contrary group (2) double protection helps some of us sleep better at night, even at the risk of an external protector "growing legs." As noted in the above-referenced thread, I carry a Power Watchdog. It not only provides peace of mind, but it has detected bad wiring at more than one campground pedestal (by just not allowing power to get to the trailer). On the topic of "What are we forgetting": I recommend a quality 50-ft. 30A power cord. I bought ours in case we ended up having to park the trailer further from the pedestal than the stock Oliver 30A cord would reach. I have not yet needed it for that purpose. But, I use the stock Oliver 30A power cable to keep our Hull #1291 plugged in to the 30A receptacle in the shed where I park it. Last fall, I was glad to have that backup 50-footer stowed away in the "basement" of the Oliver when we arrived at our state park campsite, because I found I had absentmindedly left the shorter Oliver cable in the shed when I disconnected it from the shore power receptacle!

We took those same two items (a quality pressure regulator with gauge and an inline water filter) with us when taking delivery in November, 2022. We used them at every campground stop on the way back to Idaho. I put the pressure regulator on the "upstream" side, with the water filter immediately downstream of the regulator, then a short length of hose to connect to the city water inlet. FWIW, I noted that water pressure varied significantly at the places we camped.

Good to know!

Yes, and yes. Water quality and pressure vary widely from campground to campground.

We have the Truma Aquago water heater in our Hull #1291. I am impressed by its performance so far. That said, the $1K quote just to replace the plastic tank confirms my concern that Truma repairs are remarkably expensive. You can't buy parts, as all work must be done by an authorized Truma repair center. That is why I have determined that, should our Truma Aquago ever develop an issue that requires repair by a Truma service center, I will replace it with a RecPro or a Fogatti. Right now, the RecPro is $410: https://www.recpro.com/rv-tankless-water-heater-on-demand-hot-water-heater/ The Fogatti is $500: https://www.amazon.com/FOGATTI-Controller-InstaShower-Optimized-Performance/dp/B093Z6HQX4 Even if you need to hire a plumber to install a replacement tankless RV water heater, your total bill may not reach $1K. And, you will then have a brand new water heater. Going forward, I believe you can get parts for both the RecPro and the Fogatti, so anyone can do repairs.

Please report what is ultimately done to repair your Truma water heater, by whom, and what it cost. That will be good intel for others (like me) who own Truma water heaters. Good luck!

Wow! Ingenious design. Wish I could buy one to ease winter tire changes.

Where?

Unfortunately, "par for the course" for most insurance companies. I am a retired litigation attorney. 35 years representing insurance companies taught me to buy insurance for major risks (like home and auto), because such a loss could be devastating. But I avoid insuring minor risks, the consequences of which won't kill the budget (like roadside assistance, car repairs, extended warranties, etc.) Insurance claims managers are repeatedly schooled to "Just Say No" to claims if at all possible. When it comes to small claims (like a roadside assistance tow, for example), their mantra is "JUST SAY NO." They get downgraded or fired for allowing claims. They get promoted for saving $$$ at the expense of wasting your time (like calling a cheaper tow company far away from where you broke down, and letting you wait for hours). If I ever need help while on the road, I find the closest shop or tow service and pay "the freight." In the long run, it is cheaper, and less exasperating, than roadside assistance insurance. Even major loss insurance is highly profitable for the carriers. How do you think insurance companies can afford those expensive TV ads (think Allstate and State Farm)?

Our 2022 Elite II has the Truma Varioheat furnace. The Truma ducting is smaller, more substantial and, from what I can see in the photos, better installed. In addition to the mods detailed above, I recommend you consider adding a return air vent from the bath to the underside of the front dinette seat. Our Truma Varioheat system came with that additional return air vent. It really helps the flow of heated air.

Particularly now that we know the IRS has determined that "donations" are, in fact, deductible!

Interesting. A "donation" of a specified amount gets you a hardware device and a year of service. I do not recommend taking a charitable deduction for such a "donation" on your income taxes. EDIT 2/02/24: Given the IRS' determination of 501(c)(3) status, I stand corrected.

During our Idaho winters, we don't use our Lithionics batteries "at least every 3 months." I typically park the trailer in early November and don't use it again until April, sometimes May. That is 6+ months. We also get "extreme low temperatures" (below 14 degrees F) during that time period. It is not uncommon to get night time lows below 0 F. For these reasons, I leave the trailer connected to shore power during winter storage, as recommended in Lithionics Battery Storage Procedure Rev. 7-1, to ensure that there is sufficient power to keep our external battery heaters working. But, I disconnect shore power in early February (about now), run the batteries down to Reserve Voltage Cutoff (RVC), then re-connect shore power to charge the batteries back up. Lithionics Storage Procedure Rev.7-1.pdf

Lithionics, the manufacturer of the LiFePO4 batteries in our Elite II instructs to remove them from the trailer for winter storage if power is not available to keep the batteries charged in cold temps.

If you must store the trailer in a cold environment without access to power, then you should remove the battery from the battery box and store it in a temperature-controlled environment (like your home).

These are big improvements. I have had to replace batteries because, in the rush to get settled in camp after a long drive, I forgot to turn ours off! And, on ours there is no indication that it is on, other than the switch, which is hard to see.

Correct.

We are satisfied. As noted by others, it is quite useful when leveling the trailer side to side, as you can see on your phone in your tow vehicle how close to level you are. Then, of course, the front-to-back leveling is done after disconnecting the tow vehicle.