SeaDawg

That's pretty much what came standard in our 2008, (though USB was 12v cigarette lighter plug in 2008, no usb) plus the outside curbside weather resistant outlet. And, the 110 outlet in our attic. And, microwave outlet in the cabinet . People over the years have added on, without too much difficulty. Since we've rarely had 110, we never bothered. You just have to remain cognizant of the circuits and amps, and not try to run everything off one circuit.

Adding an outlet isn't such a big deal. Talk to your sales representative, and see if service can add one for you at delivery, at the outside of the forward small dinette, off the one under the table. Obviously, can't do one in the eet bath.

Will Prowse posted this "basic" beginners video recently, on victron systems. Once set up properly, they're pretty bulletproof. For those whose eyes blur watching the video, I think you'll see why Oliver and others went with user friendly Zamp. Blue Victron gear is awesome. It can also be intimidating, depending on experience. And, I doubt any/many of us need the facility of the cerbogx. With some of the high tech marine systems, yes. For an Oliver, probably not. But, it is very cool... and a lot of capabilities. There are simpler victron installs than this, for sure. (Our boat install is not nearly as complicated. ) If we hadn't purchased a Xantrex inverter a year before we installed the solar on the sailboat, we surely would have gone with the Victron multiplex. And, even more of a bummer, our raymarine mfd screen (on the boat helm) and backbone communication system was the last version before victron integration. Sometimes, it doesn't pay to be too early... but, when you need it, you need it.

Good luck. Beautiful vehicle.

And, zamp equipment is installed on so many brands, finding a qualified service center should be easier for many people . Which Zamp controller does Oliver install with the solar package these days? If it's the 30 amp, and you added the 2 x 90 watt panels, you'd be slightly (30 watts) over the stated wattage capacity of the 30 amp controller.

Here's one recent thread to get you started

That's what I read, too. They, like we, use as little power as possible, while camping. After dark, a single LED light, interior, intermittent. When we actually need it. It's how we camp. Hard sided tent.

@ScubaRx, I think the new trailers have a 110 vizio, not 12v, like our trailers. Our 12v/110 fridge uses roughly 60 to 70 amp hours, per day, if that helps in your estimates. We get that overnight usage back from solar on decent days, and run fine throughout the day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Usual overnight consumption is 24 to 30 amp hours. We manage most of the time, in good weather, with solar, even with only 2 x 105 ah agm batteries, in good sun for the portables, because we also conserve power. But, the Honda 1000 comes in handy in rainy days, or cooler weather where we use the furnace. That furmace fan uses a lot of power.

Omg, @Mattnan, that boat's a beauty! Thank you for bringing it up to the 21st century, and beyond its previous glory. Our sailboat is similar vintage. Seaworthy as all get out. And, hey, we've got some sass, along with classic style, right? I admire all the folks who restore old homes, old boats, and old trailers. It's truly a labor of love.

Anyone been to a boat show lately? Everything in the fiberglass world has seen enormous increases. Much of it, because of huge increases in materials cost. We've been looking for a few years at a possible replacement for our 18' sport boat. This year, we had a few problems to repair. But replacement cost ( much more than twice what it was new) led us to repair it, instead. Hull is good, 3.0 mercruiser engine runs great. We'll fix the rest. Investing in a solid older boat is far easier than hunting down a new one, for us. Beyond inflation, take a look at fiberglass price increases. I know it's a big jump. It will scare some folks off to something else. Honestly, I don't know what else they could do, beyond scaling back some of the luxury "standard" items included in base price. I'm sure the pricing decisions were difficult for them, too. Everything has been so volatile this year.

Agreed. Every time someone unfamiliar with an Elite steps into ours, they're amazed at how many creature comforts of home are built into our tiny trailer. We have everything we need, in miniature, and nothing more. It's a complete tiny house on wheels, and a wonderful hard sided tent, that tracks behind our tow vehicles perfectly. No worries about tires scooting off into the ditch on a narrow mountain road. If the truck can do it, the trailer can, too. The other comment someone made last summer was, "you two must really love each other a lot, to get along in such a small space, for months at a time." While that's true, it's also true that every camper of any size lives bigger on the outside, which is where we spend most of our time. The interior can go from cozy to rather cramped, however, in several days in a row of inclement weather. But, it pretty much heats "with a candle," (or sporadic use of the furnace) in that cozy space. We have learned to respect our tiny bits of space, each, in those days, or we can always move on to better weather. As BoB suggested, more battery capacity would be great. The elite has a smaller battery tray than the II. Going lithium would fix that, I guess. And, im a bit quirky, I i know, but I'd love to see fewer standard features, frankly, in a great little boondocking trailer. We've used the ac only a handful of times, in 14 years, other than running and testing it in the driveway. We removed the microwave after it died from (I think) lack of use, and I love the additional storage in the microwave cavity. I personally wouldn't care for a power awning, either. Ditto on the fibergranite countertops. Heat duct to the bathroom? Nice, but it's easy to prop the door open at night. Increased solar? For sure. We now have 400 watts fixed in our sidemount configuration. If mold changes are in the offing, I'd suggest 8" longer, if the trailer could still work with a single axle. 6" to the bed, to make it a true queen, 2" to the entry. Wider? Not appealing to me, but maybe to others. A few inches taller, maybe, as interior height in ours is 6'1", in the walkway. Like trainman, I doubt we're really looking at mold changes, as that's ridiculously expensive, but who knows? I don't know what changes they're contemplating, but I'll look forward to seeing them.

Looks like you got it, Scotty.

? Do you mean, Victron?

And, I meant every single word. If you have the time, and we've had a lot, obviously, in 14 years. This has been the best, for us. I hope all of you can experience and enjoy even half of what we have. No matter which trailer you choose. My husband and I have spent many hours over the last few difficult years, reflecting. We've often said we'll never regret any of our traveling. We'd regret it more, if we had not gone. Whatever trailer/van/ motorhome/tent/truck camper you decide on, camping is the best way to see our, or any other, country. (We've also camped in many other countries, in rentals.) Our Ollie has made it easy to explore much of the USA and Canada, at our pace. It's truly our second home. Small, but comfy. Perfect for us. We'll keep on going, till we can't.

Actually, i wouldn't likely trade up. Even for $1. Yes, I'm one of the originals. Hull #12. This week is 14 years. Mine won't likely/hopefully be available for a very, very long time. If our daughter decides to sell it, after we are permanently 'camped,' it might go on the market. Hoping our daughter keeps the legacy boats and our trailer. Her decision. At that point, hey, up to her. We'll not be able to speak up, and she'll have to use her judgment. We love our little Elite. It's been our summer home (150 days a year) for 14 seasons, and hope for many more. My hope for improvement in the new model? Taller head height, so folks taller than us can enjoy what we enjoy. Maybe get the fridge a few inches off the floor. Maybe shed some weight. Other than that, it's the perfect trailer, imo. Perfect boondocking machine. Seriously. When we can't physically camp anymore, I will still keep it for our daughter. It's been paid for a long time ago, and we're way ahead in the value of memories. My trailer doesn't owe us a dime. We are owing it, imo. I suspect you may feel the same way. The trailer is "small." Our experience has been huge.

Your big truck helped keep you out of trouble, but whew! glad everything was ok, and you found a good shop. That's not always easy to do, on the road. I would also add, super kind of you to add this information. Lots of new folks don't know, and don't have your big truck. Thank you.

Oliver doesn't often post on the forum. When they do, its usually technical bulletins, rally info, or forum software updates.

@DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI, thanks. For those unfamiliar, here's a Campendium article on Water District camping/boondocking. https://go.campendium.com/free-camping-floridas-water-management/

Like Topgun2, we place the portable heater on the floor, not on a rug. We feel it does a better job than on the counter or table. I would not leave any portable heater running when not in the trailer.

That's great news.

In our 2008 Elite shorty, the manual thermostat is mounted in the small kitchen.

For those of you who love state park camping, especially because of the lands and ecosystems they help to preserve, here's an article from the Dyrt that provides a thumbnail on each of the 50+ Florida state parks that offer camping. (NOTE: we're a big water state, so some state parks offer only boatslips or walkin tent camping. This article discusses campsites.) Why is it so hard to find a campsite here? Florida is roughly 1/5 the size of Texas, with half as many state parks, and over 2/3 the population of Texas. Probably 1/4 of our land is protected wetlands. We're a straight shot south from Eastern Canada and New York state, via 95. So, we get a lot of winter visitors, and struggle happily to support them. We welcome and love tourism, because many of our businesses depend on it. But have just a bit of patience with us. Our traffic in season can be equally as frustrating to residents and visitors. My advice is to find campsites outside major metro areas, and drive in for visits to attractions and beaches in the tv. Our cities and beaches are really, really busy with visitors, and winter residents. We have a lot more to offer than just beaches. Our rivers, wetlands and springs can also be very beautiful. Some of our state parks are home to very old species, and vegetation not found anywhere else. Take it slow, follow some of the secondary highways, and you'll see some of Florida that many Florida residents never see . Many of those older and smaller fishing, railroad, and agricultural towns are awesome, and rich with history, but today struggle economically. "Seeing" Florida in 2 weeks is impossible. But, seeing even a part of it is very rewarding. https://thedyrt.com/magazine/local/florida-state-parks/amp/

If you have your heart set on that particular heater, I'm pretty sure the tan one sold at west marine is the Caframo, under their store label. I was in West marine a few days ago for a blower, but likely I'll be there again sometime this month. If there's a heater in stock, I'll turn it over and see if it says "made in Canada" on the label. If so, it would pretty much clinch the Caframo manufacture. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--portable-cabin-heater--7867500?cm_mmc=PS-_-Google-_-GSC>Brand%20(LIA)-_-7867500&product_id=7867500&creative=504872101344&device=m&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjc2QBhDgARIsAMc3SqQKPpqtlmXoe29Vy-RpmmBwQxBVhxAXZty_pZ6ZGzR6rA6XHrMGDK8aAllLEALw_wcB

The state parks are nice, but you can find some nice county facilities and, as Landrover said, some nice private parks, too. Don't count on staying in a walmart here. Many municipalities have ordinances against overnighting in parking lots. As Florida residents, we don't get a one month jump on reservations. Some counties do extend that privilege to their residents, though, as their county taxes support the parks. Florida state parks are supposed to cancel the remainder of a stay of a "no show," after checkout time of the first night's reserved stay. That site is then released to the public. Here's the link to reservations. Note that you can reserve for the first night, and entire stay in one site, 11 months before your arrival date. https://www.floridastateparks.org/reservation-information