SeaDawg

That sounds yummy, @BackofBeyond. Do you use a tripod or coals for the gumbo pot? I'm making gumbo this morning, but on the stove top. It's a slow, but very rewarding process.

Although it's certainly not a prerequisite, I do think tent camping experience helps you to avoid carrying extra stuff, manage power and water, and, truly appreciate the extra comfort of a trailer. We treat our Ollie Elite like a,warm, dry tent on wheels, and it has served us well for 14 seasons. The smaller Elite is snug, but I can cook, use the bathroom, and shower inside when I want to. And, oh, so much more comfy than a tent in cooler temps. I remember frost inside my tent in the 20s and 30s and wishing I didn't have to get out of my sleeping bag, in a tent. Now in shoulder season, I just reach over, kick up the furnace, and life is really good! At my age, my arms are "too short" to push off the ground and an airmattress, easily. There are still times i wouldn't mind enjoying the simplicity of tent camping, though. Still our daughter's camping mode of choice.

@Landrover, I know! I still love "hobo" dinners, made that way. (That's what we called them, back in the day. ) Great memories. Once in awhile,, when we have a group, I'll slice and dice, put stuff out, let folks pick a mix, help the newbies fold and seal, and away we go. It's also a great way to heat leftovers, when you don't have a microwave. A bit of leftover chicken or steak, sliced, with veggies and seasonings becomes campfire fajitas. Or, a fun facsimile thereof. I, too, love playing/cooking with fire.

Is this the dometic 9500?

I thought about this thread today. A bit of my camping cooking sometimes starts at home . Chicken tenderloins were on sale last week at the market, so I picked up a big package . I froze a few packets (vac packed, flat on a cookie sheet) of raw, for campfire or grill. I seasoned and cooked a few, for quick salads, or protein for tacos, burritos, jambalaya, etc on rainy days. I'll vacpack and freeze those, 2 up. 1 each is more than enough protein. I chopped all the veggies while those cooked, and I'll make gumbo and freeze a quart or two, tomorrow, and use up the rest of the chicken. My vac pac machine was pretty inexpensive, on Amazon, but it keeps my bulk purchases from freezer burning pretty well. I also use it to make up seasoned burger patties, seasoned steaks and chops, sometimes marinated meats. The advantage is, I know exactly what's in everything, and no unknown seasonings to mess with my allergies, less sodium, no added chemicals. Our tiny freezer in the Truckfridge only allows for so much frozen food, so I freeze flat, for stacking. You folks with the bigger freezers can hold more.

I can't be of much help with this, as we have a manual awning, different brand. Any of you with the same awning had a similar issue?

November in Hohenwald is often beautiful. It's in the edge of the Cumberland plateau. It may be chilly, but likely beautiful. I'd be more worried about campsites on the way home, than in Tennessee. But, many others have done the trek west in much colder months.

Maybe the setting button is the menu? Idk.

@John Welte, I think picking a Monday was a great idea. Camp three or four days around Hohenwald, try everything, learn all the new systems, and enjoy.

@mossemi, I saw her post on Facebook. She doesn't have a "tv" input, which is what I use for my mom's vizio with no cable box. Her choices are "watch free," hdmi1, hdmi2, and streaming. I'd personally start with watch free, since that's likely tv. Then work my way through the hdmi choices. She has no menu button, either, but channel scan probably comes up when you change input, using the left/right, up/down functions around the ok button. At least, I would think so. I took a screenshot of her fb photo of her remote. I rarely watch TV, but I'm the designated person to fix mom's when she messes up the buttons and settings, or settings are lost in a power outage. We have a similar Samsung remote, but it does have a menu button. Too complicated. So, any of you who actually have the newer smart vizio have any suggestions for these new owners? I think @mossemi and I have probably offered what we can... for what it's worth.

+1 on what Mike said. Over 10 years now.

The smallest microwave I've seen, recently, was a .7 cf at Walmart. If they'd had it in red then, I might just have bought one for the garage. Weighing in at 20 lbs, even if it doesn't fit in your cabinet, it wouldn't be difficult to move from the closet or pantry to a tabletop for use. Walmart also has a Galanz combination .9 cf microwave/air fryer, but it didn't have consistent reviews. (In all fairness, most combo products I've had do an ok job on both, at best. The exception I've found is a Ninja air fryer/toaster / roaster/ oven, but it's way too big to drag around the country.) You may get some other ideas from this thread, if you have a cabinet.

@DJM, if you would put your model and year in the signature or post, it would help you to get better advice. When you say "space provided," I think you may mean you have a storage compartment with wooden sides (which Oliver no longer offers, btw.) The storage box is much smaller than the microwave cavity, because the box squares up and cleans up the curved cavity. Would a small toaster oven meet your needs? Several people here carry one on their storage compartments. I assume they still have to pull it out to use it, at least partway, as the compartment doesn't allow for proper space for venting the heat. That would likely be true for a convection microwave, also.

That, and not carrying 6 gallons of water weight that can only be accessed by draining the heater, are probably the best arguments for boondocker use of a tankless. Most of the time, if I only need a bit of hot water, I heat it in a tea kettle on the cooktop. Zero cold water down the drain. I think we conserve quite a bit of water that way.

Just curious, but what do you have for options already? Do you usually stay in campgrounds with full hookups? If so, adding solar, other than maybe a portable suitcase panel, probably isn't necessary. The base Oliver is pretty well equipped.

@Landrover, I was reminded of your camera install by a recent thread. How has it worked out for you? Do you leave it installed, or remove it from the velcro mount before getting underway?

If you get there, don't ignore the northern Badlands. Many do. Teddy Roosevelt park is amazing. I actually like the northern badlands more than Southern.

So, a bit late for throwback Thursday. But, this is still a favorite. My husband and I have traveled so many places. I had tears in my eyes when our plane circled Norway for the first time, decades ago. We've camped on so many fun and exotic places, with, and without our Oliver. We've enjoyed camping in so many places, here, and abroad. And, sailing expeditions, as well. It's all about trust in each other, your vehicle, and what you are willing to risk, and, enjoy, together. Our life has always been about "will you go with me.," And, it's been a great travel. I only hope all of you can or have enjoyed the journeys, too.

It depends In our situation, with boondocking most of the time, I'd say no. Better to fire up the 6 gallon to warm shower temp, and call it done , If you camp with full hookups, its irrelevant. Get the truma.

Chaco looks beautiful. I looked at the Facebook page. About 30 posts in the last six months, of which 5 were road closures or warnings, and three or four were soliciting help. I see what you mean about the road, @Overland and boondocking airstream.

So, the falling iguanas warning has been issued again... Don't pick them up! Above 40 degrees, they come back to life. And can be aggressive. It's not been chamber of commerce weather in most of Florida this week.

The moving blankets would be my advice, too. Dark ones. Then, get a switch installed. I wonder why there isn't one? It's not often that we need it, but its still important to us.

Here's a shortcut to Oliver University. A wealth of knowledge is in there. Study as much as you can, and pickup lessons will make much more sense. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/oliver-university/ The lovely new campsites at Oliver have been discussed in a few threads. You should reserve a spot for your pickup date. Give your rep a call. Also, it's been very helpful for a lot of people to stay somewhere close to hohenwald a few nights after pickup. Test and use absolutely every system, in case you need to return to the factory for adjustments. Davy Crockett and a few other state parks are within a few hours' drive, and Tennessee parks are quite nice. Congratulations. Your wait is almost over.

Easily five days. I have stored food for two for much longer. A lot of produce doesn't require refrigeration. We often carry a cooler for drinks. Saves opening the door all the time.

@Mainiac, as a long time member, you can still edit your posts. The 24 hour limit is for newer members. This helps us, as moderators, with spammers. It helps keep our site sp@m free. We appreciate your understanding, and a pm to a mod will get the newer members' posts edited. We don't mind, as it's a relatively rare occurrence, anyway.