Mountainman198

I have been out camping in NM, SoCal and AZ since mid-Dec. Observations are as follows: AZ -While State Park campsite reservation systems have often shown no spots available, up to 1/3 of the campsites remain empty. Talking to camp hosts at several of the campgrounds they blame people who make reservations, pay and then don’t show. So no spots available but many spots empty. Frustrating! NM -State Park campgrounds continue to fill up in improved campgrounds with hookups. Where available, room remains in campsites without hookups -the “reserve, then no-show” behavior noticed in AZ does not appear to be impacting NM State Park campgrounds ability to fill the improved campsites SoCal -had no issues finding campsites in FCFS areas within Joshua Tree -had no issues finding campsites with hookups or without hookups along the I10 corridor General observation: AZ and NM seem to be about as busy as they were during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 Winter seasons. Even though the Canadians are back in full force, there does not seem to be a overload at State Park campgrounds or boondocking/BLM areas (including Quartzsite). This tells me that more people are parking their RVs and not coming out to camp this Winter. I just wish they would cancel their reservations so the rest of us can use the sites that sit empty.

The neighbors like to shortcut thru the yard when I am away

Don’t overlook the issue of maneuverability and width when visiting National Park campgrounds. I speak from experience of having gone into some campgrounds where the 8.5’ width and length of the other trailer I was considering (Bigfoot 25b25T) would have been a burden. The fact that the Ollie is 7’ wide and the wheels track close to that of the Tow Vehicle make for a very “sneaky” approach (as well as retreat if the need arises to back out of a twisty and narrow campground road). Sure, there are times I wish I had more room inside but ONLY when I am sitting inside the trailer. When towing down the road and finding a campsite I have never regretted the Oliver. I have camped in areas where I am certain I would not have been able to visit in the bigfoot. The right trailer for you is the one that gets you out camping. Best wishes in your decision

I realize this is overkill but I already had this for use outdoors and away from the trailer. I place it on the nightstand, floor or counter and you can charhe 3 each of usb and 110ac gizmos. i agree that having a couple usb ports on each side of the nightstand was/would be a great feature to have. https://www.amazon.com/EF-ECOFLOW-Portable-Multiple-Recharge/dp/B08T1KY8SG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=ecoflow+river&qid=1674411442&sr=8-3

If he doesn’t have it downloaded yet, the iOverlander app has proven extremely useful to me for finding boondocking spots (BLM land, National Forest campgrounds, State land and Wildlife preserves that allow camping.). There is no cost for the app and it shows not only boondocking sites but also established campgrounds, dump and water sites, truck stops and Walmarts etc

I know a lot of us travel with our pets. Would love to see pics of your pets in or near your Ollie. I’ll start

Bummer to have missed you two. Was there a week ago in site #18. Perhaps we will connect somewhere in AZ again. Safe travels

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hoping to meet even more Oliver Family on the road this Winter. image from Rockhound State Park (Deming, NM)

Classy!

I don't recall and I am not near it right now or I would be happy to snap a pic and send it. Give service a call and I am sure they will let you know. They have been very responsive.

Found this on casitaforum. Hope to be in the area and stop by for a few nights. Will also be in Q mid-Jan. Anyone else planning to be there?

Excellent work! I am so envious every time I see the aft storage pics of your early E2. I would love if they had found a way to keep that feature at least until I bought mine. I can think of so much stuff (crap) that I would store back there.

Congrats! The next best thing to delivery day is each morning you awaken inside your Ollie in a new and exciting location. Enjoy your travels and new experiences.

I carry a single burner induction cooktop for use when hooked up to electric. It stores in the drawer when not in use. Works great both inside and outdoors.

I have experience in the popup truck camper world. Both a soft side (Jayco) and hard side (Alaskan). The PITA of this type is that it stays on the truck and comes with you when ever you drive the truck. If I were in your shoes, I would look at something hardsided and fiberglass which you could unload at the campsite with electric jacks and stabilize for use while there and drive away in the truck when you wanted to day explore or sightsee. Both Bigfoot and Northern Lite are well made campers (likely there are others which would have this capability of functioning standalone off the truck). I recommend avoiding slideouts (I know I would). Camped next to a couple last Winter in a really nice, late model Arctic Fox truck camper with two slides. They loved their camper but hated the slides as they failed three times in two years. If you don't mind keeping the camper on the trailer, both Hallmark and Outfitter make nice popup truck campers with composite roofs. Nice thing about these campers is that they are lower profile while driving so you get better gas mileage and feel sidewinds less. Re: Bigfoot, the dealer in Henderson, CO (Trailer World) does a lot of business with people from other states and are a very low pressure, Family run business. I am in no way affiliated, just know of them and dealt with them when shopping for a trailer before settling on Oliver. They might be an option. Good luck

Assuming all windows are installed similarly as the bathroom window, the window is sealed on the outside by both butyl and caulk and secured to the hull by several screws from the inside which sandwich the hull between the inner and outer metal window frames. Once these screws are removed from the inside, the inner frame comes off easily. Best to have someone on the exterior holding the window in place as you remove the screws in case the butyl and caulk gives way and the window falls to the ground (mine was held tight by these two materials and necessitated the use of a plastic razor and a plastic putty knife on the exterior between the hull and frame to release the window from the hull). If I recall, I cleaned the hull opening first with a plastic razor blade, followed by a microfiber cloth with mineral spirits, followed by another cloth and alcohol. The butyl rope was applied fully encircling and around the underside of the window lip. When you place the new window in the opening the butyl compresses between the window frame and the hull, creating a hidden seal between the two. Careful tightening of the screws holding the inside window frame compresses the butyl and draws the exterior window frame to the hull. I used a dripless caulk gun and cut the nozzle very near the tip so it had a small, beveled opening. You only need a small bead of caulk around the window. Application did not require much caulk nor any smoothing. I suppose you could use blue masking tape both on the hull and window frame, exposing only the area you wished to have caulk applied, then use your finger to smooth, removing tape before caulk dried. If you are not used to caulking, I recommend practicing on the joint created by a couple of boards screwed together til you get the feel.

I concur. I just replaced my bathroom window under warranty (the issue was a Lippert issue and not due to Oliver production). Service sent me the new window, butyl rope and caulk. Mike patiently walked me through the steps of removal, surface prep and reinstallation. It went quite well and was very simple to both remove and install. I was quite nervous before I started. Now after having done it I wouldn't hesitate on performing the procedure.

As improbable as it would be since it would require expensive mold changes, I would enjoy 80" twins instead of the 75".

In case you are visual, like me.

6’6”. 250 lbs. I make it work. At 6’2” he should fit just right.

I have the smaller size. Fits fine https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UMBKD4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Very TRON! Love the effect of the mirrors

this is the rack I use. On their website they state that it IS rated for read of trailer use, so long as used in a 1.25" receiver and not with the adapter in a 2" receiver. https://letsgoaero.com/bikewing-2-nextgen-tilting-two-bike-rack/

Recommend The Collar and a ABUS Diskus lock for when connected. A lot of us use this and it prevents the simple override of the hitch latch noted above