dennis

This is a generic question. Probably been asked many times on this board. Feel free to direct me to a better thread. I'm hoping this one might be appropriate. We are considering a purchase of an LEII in about a year. Between now and then, we have to buy our first truck. I looking at all the standards (Ford F150, Ram 1500...), and I don't want to start a brand war (yet 🙂 ). What I need first is info on how to search for trucks that meet the necessary towing criteria. Auto trader doesn't seem to have anything searchable. And the dealer websites are notorious for misinformation. I want to search for trucks that meet 2 numbers: can tow 8,000 and can carry 2,000 in cargo. It's a waste of time for me to look at anything else, right? And even if my numbers are not perfect, there must be SOME set of numbers that are reasonable. And I don't know how to search for any of them online. Thanks for your time.

I don't want to kick the dog when it's down, but.... the shower interior, the floor, the subfloor, the support structure for the couches, the undercarriage barrier, the door, the step... It's not fair, really. It's cheaper than the Oliver for a reason. It's a VERY nice trailer, with some great attributes. If I weren't drunk on Oliver KoolAid, I'd be VERY happy to have one.

I hope this doesn't sound too ridiculous to all you old hands, but.... We toured what we thought was a near-as-good competitor to see their offerings that were just a tad bigger, so we could get a dry bath. INTECH has a couple of very pretty options, and they appear better than your typical stickie. But many of the build-material issues immediately resurfaced (maybe we never should have toured the Oliver 🃏). And the praise lavished here extolling the virtues of small started to sound more like us again. Bottom line, my wife is voting for the LEII again. 😀 I'm gonna see if we can spend a weekend in a small Airstream somewhere close and experience a few wetbaths first hand. Just in case that pendulum has one more swing left in it. 😕

Thanks for all the feedback. My wife noted that it seems to be all the guys replying. How do the wives vote?

My wife and I recently toured the LE2 near in Tampa. We are a year out from retirement and getting serious about purchasing something for multiple extended trips of a month or so per year. We loved the trailer and the Oliver staff. Except for the dry bath. (I know...That is another topic all to itself...) We have convinced ourselves the we "need" the next size up from LE2 to get what we want. Which leaves me with a puzzle. I'm convinced that where we are going (mostly national parks or similar) the bigger our footprint, the more limited our options when picking a park, a campground or the individual site within. But I think it's a smooth curve. Backpack is best. Car with a tent is next. Then teardrop. Etcetera, all the way up. Each step eliminates some options the previous setup offered. But my son thinks I'm naïve. He has trailering friends who advise that 25' is a magic number. South of it, most of the National Park System is your oyster. Anything bigger and you are suddenly limited to the Walmart-parking-lot in the largest and most sterile campgrounds (assuming they let you in the park at all). From all I've read, I'm pretty confident I'm right. But I was wondering if anyone here had an "expert" opinion. Thanks for your time. This is a great forum. (I've been "lurking" for quite some time 🙂 )

+1 One of my fondest memories of my father ... Parents + 5 kids in a station wagon...just drove in from east jesus for our yearly camping trip...everyone exhausted and ragged...we can see the campsite where we are about to set up our tent...some fancy dude with some giant trailer thing can't get out of the road...what else could go wrong... Dad gets out of the car and just goes all "Ain't life beautiful" on everyone who will listen. "No place I'd rather be!" I was 12 and Dad was cool. There may be no answer when you are the guy backing in. But there certainly is when you are the guy waiting.

Ft. DeSoto you say? This is us a couple of years ago. We were in our tent. Our son's inlaws in the fancy RV. Great memories all around.

I figured as much. 😁 As the next best alternative, my wife and I are planning on a week or so in an Airstream. They park it some place pretty, and we live out of it. Hopefully that teaches us what we need to know about ourselves and RVing.

Does anyone rent their Ollie (like or rvshare or outdoorsy...)?

I'm sure this has been discussed elsewhere. Just point, I'm happy to read up. But, 2 questions: 1) why have solar attached to the roof - seems like a driving negative, a structural negative, and difficult to upgrade as new tech arrives. why not just carry external solar? 2) how difficult/pricey is it to add solar later if you decide you want it?

Thanks for the feedback. The 30 lb propane seems like great addition. And we will take a serious look at the solar. I've never had it. So I figured I wouldn't miss it. But it seems to have a lot of loyal fans.

Not sure if I should start a new topic. Plz correct me if I'm violating etiquette. My wife and I are a couple of years from retirement. We are pretty sure we will buy an EliteII as soon as we have the time to use it. Yes, we are aware of the wait. The plan is to be on the road at least 3 months a year (more the first couple of years): Visit lots of National Parks; take day-hikes till we bleed; and stay till we can't stand it anymore. Then return home to play with the kids and recharge. We have camped and rv'd on vacations (2 weeks at a time) for years, but this will be a huge step up. I would like the trailer to be comfortable enough so we always find it inviting, but I'm not looking for a replacement for home (or even an air bnb for that matter). Why wouldn't I just buy the standard Ollie, with 0 upgrades, and celebrate my great luck?