SeaDawg

That was a very tragic incident. An epirb or gps spot emergency signal (charged) could have saved her life. Without electronics, knowing how to navigate, priceless, indeed.

@Minnesota Oli, and just the likelihood of being able to secure components, with today's broken supply chains, imo.

Thanks, John. I was snorting on this one. Our his and hers slide rules are archived in the office. I know I'd personally have to look up instructions for anything beyond basic math, this many years later. Yes, we still carry paper maps, in additionto gps and phones. But I also love technology, and what it adds to our trip enjoyment, and time saving. I'm with you there. As technology advances, we need to advance, as well.

The gains on an mppt controller vs pwm are somewhat minimal, on small solar arrays, like most olivers. There's been a lot of hand wringing on this in the past few years. Yes, you'll get a bit more. Is it worth the work and expense? Maybe. It really depends on personal camping style and needs. I suspect that for most people, the plug and play simplicity of the zamp systems is worth the bit of loss. Many, many new owners come from tent camping, or analog systems, or zero camping experience. For all of them, I'd say zamp is pretty much a great fit. For the experienced and more needy techies, victron or even blue sky may offer more flexibility, and some small gains. Even blue sky, with their great customer service, is far more complicated in changing settings. Victron could easily overwhelm new users. We have experience with both, btw.

If I were a manufacturer (who has to support the warranty) I'd follow the manufacturer installation instructions to the letter. Since some of us have gone rogue, and we're on our own, we chose a slightly different install method for our 2008, not outside normal bounds, but not per houghton. A neoprene gasket of good quality, instead of silicon caulk. We will see how it works out in the long run . I wouldn't encourage any manufacturer to depart from listed install instructions. Too risky. 4 bolts hold your ac on the roof. It's really important that you get it right. And keep it right. Imo. I don't really care that the condensate runs down the trailer roof and side, as we rarely use ac, anyway. Others might. I would truly have been fine with a second fan install, and would have saved a bunch of $$$, and still would have had more room for my bigger solar panels, which we also installed ourselves.

Welcome to the forum. Not a bad idea to post here, as well as contact the sales office, as you never know who might be camping up your way. We enjoyed our camping stays on Vancouver Island a number of years ago. Lucky you, to live up that way. Lots of great camping opportunities nearby.

Yes, it's a very small price, and actually no big deal. Most serial numbers have been easy to see, when/if we actuallyneeded them. Tradeoff for 14 seasons of great camping? Priceless, imo.

The most important thing to remember is to turn the water heater off, hours before winterizing. Especially standard water heater. We turned ours off day before when we had the 6 gallon.

Not complaining. Just noting that it hasn't been a consistent practice. I'm glad they've gone digital. Much better for inventory tracking, as well.

We didn't get a list with our 2008.

So, more than 6 months later, my free cover has arrived. (Probably only because I called to inquire.) A little over six months wait time. But, just in time to cover it up for the winter.😁

Hi, Lyn Hill, and welcome to the forum. A few more specifics will get you better answers,,and a range of opinions. Which trailer? E1 or E2? What year Yukon, engine, towing package, etc?

At a veterans day party last night, we had an interesting conversation with a couple who towed their new 5th wheel 6000 miles on its maiden voyage, from Florida to Quebec and back this year. They only stayed in a few state parks, because their trailer is so tall. They prefer Koa (which we don't), because of the amenities and level spots, lack of offending tree branches, etc. That gave me some heart, actually. Our smaller trailers fit in tinier spots, so maybe we only need to worry so much about the millenials, who tend to choise tent camping and/or buy littler trailers. 😁

I don't mind paying a bit more as an out of state camper. Maybe not double (yikes), but many states charge extra, or don't offer senior discounts for out of state campers. I don't get senior discount in Canada, either, nor do I expect to. My fees are the only way I'm supporting that spot I'm occupying. My tax dollars aren't supporting them, since state parks get little or no federal funding. State parks get twice as many visitors as National Parks. A lot of states have cut back funding from general taxes, and the only way they can pay their way is through fees. Frankly, it's always been really hard for a Florida resident to get a weekend site in the popular parks in the winter. They're booked way ahead by Northern visitors. Our camper sits through most winters. I wish our parks would charge a bit more for out of state plates, too.

I've seen photos of the black installed, and I agree with dewdev. I think it looks really sharp, and makes the windows look larger.

Interesting, as we've used agms for 6 or 7 years, at least, well maintained. Probably depends on manufacturer and owner maintenance. I would never discard agms after 3 years.

@Rivernerd please send an email to your rep. Oliver rarely monitors this forum. The forum is owners to owners. Not a factory space. Thank you.

Pretty shot! Glad you had a good stay.

@Zodd, I get it. Translation back and forth from 12v dc to 110 ac can be mind-boggling. Fwiw, when we switched from a laptop to tablets, we removed the inverter entirely. No need, and less to worry about. Everything we use on a daily basis is 12v. If we need 110, we'll, we'll go to a hookup. Or fire up the generator. Makes the math so much easier for my little brain. 😁

For summer 2020 through 2021, camping was about it for safe travel. Or sailing. That's all changing. Imo. Airports are seeing increased passenger numbers, hotels are once again booking, resorts are filling, and I personally think a lot of campers bought in the last few years will begin to languish in sideyards, or go up for sale, as their amateur owners discover they don't love camping, and return to the more lux travel arrangements they prefer. Saw a lot of Quebec and Ontario cars on i95 yesterday, but only a few campers. 😃 Well, maybe it's just my hope, but that's my vision. We've pretty much stuck to our camping property in NC the last two years, and it's been great, but we're ready to get back on the road, next season. I do have concerns about the many sites turned over to reservations systems. We never used to make reservations, anywhere. But, many places that were all first come, first served are now reservable. I'm still optimistic for the future, however. Someday, they'll have to pry the bulldog collar out of my very cold hands...😅 Btw, there was a billboard on i75 yesterday. "Choose Joy." It was advertising a radio station, but, hey, I'm adopting it as my new personal slogan.

@ZoddThe inverter is taking dc 12v to 120 for the typical user (microwave, keurig, ac.) Hence, 10x , for those 110 /120 appliances. In your case, the laptop is plugged into 110 or 120, but converts to a few amps dc, with its own charging brick. It will never use more than it needs, and not likely ever ! 80 amps. More like 1 to 5, max, dc. You will have some power loss, going dc battery to ac inverter back to dc plug/brick on your pc charger, but nowhere near 80 amps . Maybe 5 , imo. When we used a pc, 1000 watt inverter, and 110 to dc charger, on agm batteries, we barely noticed the loss. We did charge during the sunny part of the day, on solar. Take a look at your brick on the charger, and look at volts and amps. If I've done the mental math incorrectly, I'm sure someone will jump in and correct me.

That depends. My husband and I just finished almost 7 months in our Elite. It's tight, but doable, for a couple. (Yes, you really have to get along,,and respect the tiny individual spaces....) That said, it could be too small for even one person, depending on your needs. Everyone is different. Inclement weather indeed closes up the space. We're used to small spaces (boat) , so we can deal with it. Will you have a pet with you? How big? Our little dog (under 10 pounds), sleeps on a small dinette cushion. Rainy weather, Paul has the other small dinette seat, and I read and lounge on the bed. We manage with "zones ". If it's anywhere north of freezing, and not windy, we're both or one, likely to be outside. (We're both cold country kids.) It was in the 20s last week, several nights, and that drove us inside, of course. It's an interesting question, and I'd love to hear what others have to say. We've never felt the need for the bigger trailer, but maybe we're not the norm? Idk. We enjoy the small space, live as much outside as possible, and I mostly cook outside, as well. All the trailers live really big on the outside. On the upside, the little trailer opens up a bigger universe of tow vehicles, and fits in tinier campsites, if that's your choice. Often, water side and big view campsites are smaller, we've found. Not always, but often, in older/smaller campgrounds. There are a number of single owners of elites and elite ii on the forum. I hope they'll chime in. I personally think the elite is perfect for a solo traveler, with a small to medium pet. Or, well trained larger pet, who sleeps on the floor, or small dinette. Best of luck in your decisions. Do you already have an elite?

Mtkadan, are you going fullbtime in your trailer?

Bugeye driver had the front of his trailer color code matched, and vortex coating. It looks great.

To get credit for the batteries, it must be part of a pv system. That's our understanding. Check with your tax professional, of course.