SeaDawg

Well, tomorrow starts a new chapter in your lives. 14 seasons in ours, we feel we're only partway through the book. Happy motoring, and safe travels. We'll look forward to photos. 😃

Agreed. In a year or two, we'll likely need to replace our agms. The price difference between agms and lithium keeps diminishing. Paul wants to build his own. If battleborn is still dropping prices, I may push for that, just for the low hassle warranty. Most other bits and pieces are in place, but a few. Those would be needed, either way .

@Jim_Oker, yours is the perfect reason why people opt for bigger lithium batteries. Reduced range anxiety. I totally get that. I could go a week to 10 days, with no solar, with 600 ah of lithium. 5 or 6 days, with 400. The problem we face here, is many new owners with zero power management experience, and limited camping experience. I try to share my experience, as you do, too, and I thank you for that.

I agree with all that. When @Overland was first talking about 400 ah of lithium, and 600 + watts of solar, I was astounded.. in 2017. It's totally ok to order mega ah of battery power, if you'll actually use it. 340 watts of solar will not recharge it, for most folks. It depends on useage. I have 210 ah, agm, 400 watts fixed solar, 200 watts portable, 60 to 80 ah a day usage, so I sometimes have to add in generator power. I'm ok with that. But, I know what to expect, and I'm a power miser. If you want to camp, say 4 or 5 days, with just battery, and not worry, go for it, if your budget says go. Mine wouldn't, frankly. I carry a small genset, anyway, so why spend so much on battery power? 100 or 200 ah lithium would be lux for me. As far as b2b battery chargers, that's more tied to your truck/tv, and I'd never expect Oliver or any other manufacturer to deal with the intricacies of that. A b2b wouldn't even help us that much, with covid camping style. We run up. Stay 2 to 6 weeks, and never connect. The solar is our mainstay. If I were involved in trailer manufacturing, I wouldn't touch b2 b charging, honestly. Too much liability.

If you're getting odors, you may have a venting issue. A birds nest, leaves, etc, in the vent can cause odors to "back up." If your toilet holds clean water, even with the lid up, you probably shouldn't smell anything, imo, if venting is good and clear. In the meantime, close the lid after use. Pour just a little orange tank deodorizer in the bowl, along with the water, after each use. The orange stuff from Walmart is cheap. Rv toilet seals are not typically the same as home seals. It's a pipe to pipe connection. Proper venting is important. As is a proper clean valve seal within the toilet. We had an issue once in a rental delivery. I cleaned and lubricated the bowl toilet valve seal, and we were fine for the next 4000 miles.

I was not saying it was squirrelly all the time. Just different in tight spaces. Like trying to get between two trees, with less than 6" on each side, in a provincial park in Ontario.. that was a fun one. My friend enjoys hers, too. One of our first travel trailer trips together was to Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. It was a beautiful trip, and memories of a lifetime.

One of my best friends tows a Casita. In very tight spots, when we travel together, my husband has backed hers for her. The short aframe and relatively heavy tongue can get a bit squirelly on the Casita. You'll get used to the Oliver difference, easily. As far as the Tundra, we have a bunch of folks on here who love the Tundra. Search "tundra" and you'll see. I think Toyota fans/owners are a happy, loyal bunch. Me, I'm not so brand loyal . Every modern half ton is capable, imo.

You could always mock it up with cardboard.

Honestly, people get phobic about "wood." As mounting, wood/marine plywood is an excellent material. Holds fasteners well, everyone (mostly) has tools to work with it, and water resistance is built in. Lasts a really long time. What's not to love?

I'd recommend marine plywood.

Thanks, QuestionMark. That is excellent advice. "Read the serial number, take a photo with your phone, and call Dexter. " Things change over time. What works in the current Elite might be wrong in our older model. Or, a newer model.

Those clouds look like cotton candy. Lovely spot. Thanks for the info, and safe travels.

And, information for the newer smaller Elite I, with the 5200 axle

How about we just add some links to some of those threads?

We often leave Florida at 2 am, to avoid traffic. It's not fun, at 2, but gets us there.

Congratulations, and safe travels. Test every system before you leave. And I hope you enjoy your trailer as much as we've enjoyed our 2008, #12

I'd agree, by Oliver standards, yours should have been connected.

A friend is camping with us tomorrow with a really big lab. We'll see how it goes. I know from history, it's doable. Dogs and humans must adjust. Our dog is tiny.

Our 2008 le, shorty, is set up in bed mode, all the time. I'm really not sure where the pedestal leg is anymore, for the big dinette. As @ADKCamper said, we are totally ok with the smaller crawl-over bed but not everyone is. The tradeoffs for us are great. Again, everyone has different ideas,, and camping styles. I'm the one in the inside against the hull spot, so I can tell you, it's not a big deal for me. If that's not ok for you,, I'd look at the bigger le ii, and twin beds. Towing the smaller LE opens up a range of tow vehicles. Towing the bigger II requires a half ton, and Anderson, or bigger truck . Take your pick. We've camped in vans in Australia and lceland with beds in the 42 to 48 inch width bed, rentals in foreign countries. . Not my cup of tea, for permanent, but doable, for a month or so. In those cases, I took adventure over comfort. My Eite I offers both, imo. With a wider, better bed. Not a queen, more double or full, in the shorty. When I can no longer crawl over my husband on the rare occasion, I will reconsider.

@Mainiac, I know one of my friends has a "I ❤ my Casita" sticker in her back window. Not a bad idea. We see a lot of Olivers on the road when we're not towing.

How cold does it get where you are in the winter? Fla, sla, or lithium? Our trailer typically winters over in Florida, so we don't pull batteries. I doubt that I would consider it, outside really frigid zones, if I could plug the trailer in and keep temps at 32 or better. My opinion. I'm sure you'll hear others.

It's good to take your time. We went to rv shows, private sellers, and looked at well over 150 campers before we settled in our oliver, 14 years ago.

That "stranding" actually happened to my friend's brother. A neighbor heard his calls. Not a great situation.

We set our city water at 45, also, though we rarely use it.

100k is just barely broken in, imo, with a modern truck. 😃