SeaDawg

Interesting. Doesn't look like a Houghton.

And yet, it won motortrend's truck of the year. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/rivian-r1t-named-motortrends-truck-of-the-year.html

That's interesting. I don't think I've seen anything about that before. Do you know what they're using, now?

2008. Because, it was the beginning. (And coincidentally, my trailer 😄) Every year is good, imo.

Me, too. @mossemi, have you tried 301? We've only taken it as far as south of Ocala, and then get back on the dreaded i75 to Tampa. I75 is usually pretty congested, but by the time we get to Ocala, we just want to "get home" and suck it up. Traffic lightens for awhile at the turnpike break, and stinks again later. But, we've found us 19 to be really awful the last 3 or 4 years, so we don't do that anymore. I think you're traveling from further east, so have better advice for @Boudicca908. We have to get west, so not so many choices. @Kirk Peterson, I apologize for the thread drift.

I, too, miss @Buzzy. I think all of you have given some great comparisons to look at. Beyond what you've mentioned, I'd note that the 2022 trailers will have the nevr lube axles, if that's important. If the 2017 has solar, it may be 320 watts vs 340, not a big deal. And, that earlier solar package will likely have a progressive dynamics charger/converter, plus a separate inverter, plus a separate transfer switch. New models will have the more fully featured, lighter xantrex xcpro. Whether that's a bonus, or a big deal, is truly debatable, based again on personal preference. We prefer separate pieces of equipment, many times. Others like an all in one. It's mostly personal preference, and what you're used to. And, it's a lot easier to stomach swapping electronics on older equipment than new, if you decide to update to lithium. I think the things that are expensive, and difficult to change, are most important. I'd say, axle, wiring harness, space for full sized spare, space for convection microwave (if that's your preference, not ours) might be important factors. And, the pickup tube refit, if not retrofitted. (Free, but only if you go to Hohenwald for service.) The rest can be fairly inconsequential, imo. Any buyer of a 2017 will surely realize the appliances and electronics are now 4 to 5 years old. And, batteries and tires. All those things can add up, eventually. Maybe later than sooner. Maybe sooner than later. Personally, I'd consider manual awnings to be a plus, but that's what we like, so, again, a personal choice. The majority of our appliances lasted ten years or more, and some we replaced by preference. Tires and batteries, well, that's another story. Add 4 tires, at least, to the purchase price, for safety.

For that health reason, and your inability to recharge underway, so probably deep cycling constantly, I can certainly understand your early replacement. I just wouldn't want Oliver owners to think that 3 years was the life span of agm batteries, for their trailers, if properly maintained/charged.

@Boudicca908, you do, indeed, have some stuff to do, but I'm sure you'll get it done. I think you said you're in SW Florida. As you're looking at campsites for the return "trek home," I'd suggest looking at the route from Hohenwald going through Dothan, Alabama, and then on, and compare. The traffic and scenery through Alabama, vs going through Atlanta (which we truly try to avoid) is much nicer, especially if you can drive through Birmingham on the weekend. The trip from Hohenwald to Tampa, for example, is about 6 miles and roughly 20 minutes longer via Alabama than via Atlanta, and much prettier, and less stressful, imo. More small towns, less true interstate, more limited highways, and we see a little bit of the beautiful farming country of the south. Plus, you can stop and see the Saturn rocket at the rest area near Huntsville. 😊 (Everyone tends to thinks first about Houston ground control and Cape Canaveral when they think of the space program, but Alabama folks were an integral part of getting us to the moon. And, five women who were Alabama space camp grads went on to become astronauts. ) Whatever you do, plan to spend several days near Hohenwald, to try absolutely everything. Leave a cushion in reservations if you need to have anything tweeked. You won't be disappointed camping in Tennessee in spring for a few days. My favorite seasons there are spring, and fall. Honestly, camping in Tennessee is wonderful, and if you have the time, explore several parks. Their state park system is a joy, imo. You should find plenty of availability in TN in late March/early April. Florida, not quite as easy.

I've always enjoyed Marimekko fabrics. Great start to make the interior "yours." Btw, love your screen name.

@ADKCamper, it's quite possible that your Elite windows could use a different weatherstripping. The only Elite owner that I remember replacing the weatherstripping is @Bshaffer. Her trailer, however, is a 2008, and I know the windows have changed since then. You might open a service ticket and see if Oliver can verify the proper product for you.

I don't know Foy, but I've admired the photos. I finally got to see some of Foy's beautiful hand crafted work when we camped with Mike D and his wife. The photos are beautiful. The product is even more beautiful in person. My grandfather and father were master woodworkers. Pretty sure I know quality when I see it. Foy's craft is truly amazing.

We've replaced the hose a few times over the last 14 years. We don't wait for a failure. Like tires, 4 or 5 years, change it out. Even the better ones. Our first "stock" hose was replaced within a year or so. Just didn't like the light weight. I have no idea what the stock hose is, these days.

I would change "must" to "may want to." At least, for many people. With a three way fridge, limiting power, we could camp for weeks on those lithium batteries, with even a few hours of sun each day. (Mind you, we have zero 110 appliances on board, and don't use ac, unless hooked to 110, which is seldom.) Oh, yeah, we can (and do) camp for weeks on agm batteries, with solar, but, so much easier it would be with that enormous capacity. The beauty of the lithium batteries is the depth of discharge allowed, and, the lack of requirements to fully recharge each day. Lead acid batteries live longest with daily recharge. Lithium is actually better with running way under 100 per cent. Our agm batteries last 4 to 7 years, generally. Other than those items, I agree with John. Understand not only with upper limit freedom, but the limits, and enjoy the bounty of electrons.

Ditto.

We don't have a backsplash in our smaller Elite. Instead, I added some storage bins, and picked up some color from my melmac dinnerware.

I gathered a few photos of backsplashes for you. You can see all the posts by doing a search on "backsplash."

Grace Jones has an amazing voice (and range), an amazing look, and she should be featured in the aarp mag. At 73, she shames people half her age. Disco queen, sure. But so much more. Who else got Andy Warhol as a host for her baby shower?

As do your lovely backsplashes and wood top for the lagun.

Bill, since you've had a few Garmin, would you say that the newer models are easier to use than the older ones? We've had several brands of GPS. None rv specific. Some better than others. Our newest one is now probably 5 years old, and probably do for replacement . I use my phone when possible, because it's so much easier than the Garmin interface, but we normally run a gps, also, as a backup for the many times that signal is lost.

I saw this on the Facebook group today We have so many great landscape photos posted here. Hope some of you will submit a photo or two.

Not that I know of. It's a beautiful toilet, as toilets go, with their Scandinavian clean design. Fairly similar in dimensions to the nature's head, but a little deeper, front to back, and weighs almost 3x as much. It uses a bunch of energy, but, can also incinerate "everything. " My high school friend, who lives in Sweden, has used one, so my only personal source of user info. Said it was great, but at a friend's hytte/cabin, where septic was not possible. Not regular use, for her, so no stats. I've looked at them many times over the years, as it's such a "clean" solution, reducing everything to a cup of ash, once a week, but a) it's super expensive (well over 4000 dollars) b) it uses a lot of energy (even the gas model). Based on their specs, I'd say over 1 pound of propane per day, for two people, would be my guesstimate. A wall mounted urinal for guys , piped to the black tank, could help with that consumption, as it would obviously take more power to reduce liquid to ash, than paper and poo.

So, are you ordering real leather cushions? At home, where humidity is controlled, we have leather sofas. On the boat, ultraleather in the main salon, crypton commercial fabric in the bunks, like the trailer. In the trailer, synthetic, tightly woven commercial fabric with crypton coating (anti-mildew, water/stain resistant) 14 years, and looking great. I may have to repair a few stitches, and one ykk zipper, this year I wouldn't do leather, or any natural fabric, in a trailer or boat, personally. @ScubaRx, I think, has real leather in the small dinette, and dogs. Maybe he'll chime in.

Yes, indeed. We have a 45 amp charger, now. And, we had an even lower amp charger, in days gone by. We don't have lithium batteries, don't even have an inverter, so no 110 appliances, thusly, we use less power than many people. And, we're ok with that. We camp. When it's cold, we put on another blanket, and keep the furnace on the lowest setting. We tend to use our Oliver like a hard sided tent. That's not the ultimate for everyone, but it works for us, and, we enjoy it. I'll be interested in your results, if you decide to carry a little 1000 watt, like us. It certainly won't suit those who want to run ac, or microwave, from a genset direct but it charges batteries, just fine, for us.

Not really, though not back in the day. A number of e rated choices in st tires, past few years.

We store food for two for easily two weeks and more in an elite. You'd have tons of empty space in a 2. See both. Decide what you're comfortable towing. Either is great for a single person. The lighter, smaller Elite opens up a larger universe of campsites, and tow vehicles. But the price is pretty steep for a little trailer. Making twin beds in an elite is tough. At least one will be narrow, at 24". We leave the rear/big dinette set up as a bed. The small dinette is fine for inside dining, when we hit ugly weather . We usually eat outside. Good luck in your decision.