SeaDawg

Is that an rpod awning? We helped my sister put hers up once, on her rpod. It was such a pain. She bought a popup shelter, to use instead.

This nordicware wok skillet has become my favorite cooking utensil. Small enough on the bottom for our little burners, heats evenly, cleans up easy,, and I use it almost every day, if we have poor weather. (Unfortunately, we've had a lot of rain, this summer.) I only carry this, a small 7 or 8" skillet, a small enamelled pot (1.5 quarts, i think) with two handles, and a lid, and a teapot. I've used it many times for sautéed veggies, making kale/collard/Swiss chard greens, jambalaya, heating sauce for pre-made pasta, heating 90 second microwaveable rice (no microwave for us), pad thai with precooked noodles, fried rice, etc. The one I have works on an induction burner, too. I bought mine at Costco. I stow it in the drawer we built beneath our dc fridge, upside down, along with a few other items.

Thanks for the photos and descriptions. It's really nice to see Oliver owners, out camping. We've seen an Oliver (or two) on the road, almost every trip this year. With our still limited numbers, I think that probably means that Oliver owners actually camp a lot! Sure looks like you two are enjoying yours!

FWIW, my sister-in-law is a little shorter than your wife, and she loves driving my brother's F150, even towing a trailer. The seats are really comfortable, and plenty of adjustments. His has the slideout running boards, which are really nice for her. I think the new f150s still have the adjustable pedals, which is a really nice feature for shorter people. My daily driver is a 2005 Silverado, and as much as I'd love to have a new truck, it will be very very hard to part with it someday. I really enjoy driving that truck. I love the greater visibility of a big truck windshield, and sitting up higher, so I can see further ahead than in a car or smaller suv. For whatever reason, I don't enjoy my husband's Ram nearly as much. I think it's the way the hood slopes away, and I am, of course, used to a different truck. Plus, I don't find the seats to be as comfortable as Ford or Chevy, for me. I just can't find a seat adjustment that keeps my left leg happy. He loves it, though. Good luck in your search.

We have the "charge wizard" pendant on our pd charger converter, but we don't have lithium. There is a way to manually adjust to any of the preprogrammed modes, with the pendant. It will revert to normal when it senses battery is at appropriate level. We've only used it a few times, to test it. I don't know how it would work, with lithium. In all likelihood, much the same. Not as sophisticated as being able to change settings from your phone, or a screen. Since you have a four year old trailer, your pd charger converter (like ours) will likely have to be upgraded with a board, or swapped out, if you decide to swap up to lithium. Add that into your estimates. When/if we swap up in the trailer, we'll likely go to victron gear, like we did on the boat, and several others have done here. You may want to look at the pros and cons, as well. Going all victron gives us a good communication stream, and information. Solid stuff, imo. There's a lot to think about, in making the change. I'd also take a long look at Battleborn, and possibly a few other brands, vs Lifeblue, if it were me.

The sales office can usually help you find someone willing to show their trailer, somewhere near you. It's a really nice sales force. They don't pressure or pester.

@taylor.coyote there have been many posts on this, over the years. Glad you got the situation resolved, before you head out to camp without services. I'd still probably lift the lids, and make sure ducting looks secure and attached. Have fun. Enjoy the adventure.

Link to one of our discussions on old maxxair louver vents, and new 3d printed replacement

@johnwen don't know where you are usually located, but I have to say how much I love the Dakotas. Other than the obligatory stop at Mt Rushmore, lots of people think it's a drive through. It's not, as you know, by now. The Dakota territory has so much beauty and charm. (And, often, wind!) The people are hospitable, little town campground are neat and clean. It's so different than much of the plains, especially in the west and east, but lots to see in between. . I've been missing my trips through, last few years, with the pandemic troubles. Best wishes to you, in your adventures in your Ollie.

@wolfdds, I bought a similar little fan at Lowe's, with a clip and/or stand last year. It's great. Can run on 12 v with the USB. It's not very powerful, but a little white noise, and a little breeze, makes a difference. Uses "almost" no power. Our dog likes it, too.

@johnwen plan to spend 3 to 5 days, if you can, testing every system. You don't have to stay near Hohenwald. Go explore some of the very beautiful parks in Tennessee and North Carolina, depending on season. Use every system, make sure they work, and that you know how to use them. User error is a big problem, with new systems. One of our cousins bought a new VERY expensive coach years ago, about the same time we bought our Oliver. Their warranty list was 100 items long. Ours was 2 items, and I can't even now remember what they were . I just remember the comparison, in our conversation, so I guess ours were minor. No matter where you are, Oliver will support you. Just easier if you can go back to the plant, and have a list, if necessary, early on.

The same curves that make the Ollies so aerodynamic send rain into the windows, unless you can provide another path. Eze rv gutters help. Not with wind driven rain, with sliders. Some of us old timers have the no longer made maxxair window vents. (I'll add a link) Our awning helps. In a torrential downpour, not so much. Wind? Can't leave the awning out. This is the same problem faced by every rv. Unless you have awning windows, and, trust me, they're not foolproof, either. Our 2008 has an awning escape window in the rear. It's pretty good at shedding rain, if we have not too much wind. We can still get wind driven rain, on really bad nights, but most of the time, it's ok . With wind, we resort to the bath window, and our hooded fantastic vent to keep airflow. We have the luxury of two of the old school maxxair side vents, as well. I never leave ourv unprotected slider open, in a rainstorm. Asking for trouble. Thank goodness for hooded vent fans. Or, ac, if you have power.

I liked the old xp, and so glad guys with good background brought it back. I still think it's a ton of money for a softside popup, in the bed area, where I would likely be (very) cold in some seasons. For me, that, and the "popup" shower, are big negatives. It is, however, a really nice camper. For a truck camper. Years ago,, we met owners of an xp at a carwash in Fairbanks, and hung out with them for an hour or so. We'd both done the arctic circle run, and spent a lot of time (and money,) getting the dirt off our campers. The inside of their xp was very thoughtfully designed, with hidden storage nooks everywhere. They had broken the diesel cooktop when a door fell open. Those hydraulic lifts are powerful crushers.

X yacht, 4.0? Nice. So, you don't need the gimballed stove anymore, either. Lol. One of our best friends, who camps and sails often with us, always has great comments on our trailer. (He's helped us on a few mods, like the ac replacement, when our 14 year old unit was reaching end of life. ) He's worked in the luxury yacht industry his whole life. Last trip, he asked me where the grab handles were from. He thought we'd added them, but they're original. Still look new. And, sleek. 14 seasons old. Our years of experience with well built fiberglass hulls is what drew us to Oliver, as well. Our sailboat is over 40 years old, and going strong.

John, it looks very nice. How do you hold down the oven when traveling, or is the lip enough? I ask, because our original microwave tried to jump out of the cavity on a long, steep windy road. It was prevented from committing suicide though, because of the threaded rod holding it down.

@John M Do you have a neutral ground plug? Photo is from Amazon, but you should be able to get one at any camping world or rv supply, or make one.

Do you mean the fan on the ac unit is running, or the heatstrip in your ac is running, along with the fan ? I don't have your dometic thermostat, but I've read other posts in the past about the ac fan running when the furnace runs. I don't recall the resolution, but I'll see if I can find it for you. That may be part of your problem. Edit to add: I also think I remember someone saying that the fan had to be turned off, before being set to auto, to eliminate the ac fan running along with the furnace, but I could be wrong. Better to check your thermostat manual .

Once the cushion covers are dry, wrapping the foam in very thin plastic, like dry cleaning covers, may help you slide them back into the covers. Also, bending the foam just a bit, side to side . The plastic should slide back off if its cut to just fit the cushion top bottom and one end, after the foam is back in place.

Looks like the Yukon gave your Aussie Stone Stampers the test...

There is another contender that I've talked about before, in this thread or another. The Coleman mach 10 NDQ is being offered in some winnebago vans, so some decent online mentions from reliable sources like James at fitrv, and technomadia. The ndq stands for non ducted quiet. I have not seen (or, at least don't remember seeing) db ratings. It's more affordable than the Houghton, I think, and definitely less than the Truma. You have to factor in the interior unit/adb, but its only $100 or so. (Houghton includes this. I think Truma does, as well.) The coleman can be purchased with their soft start already installed, which I would want, in a 13.5 kw unit. You may have to purchase heating unit, separately. I'm not sure. Theirs is lower profile, but still not small, like the smaller Houghton we bought. We really need that rooftop space for our unusual panel mounts to adjust. Honestly, we probably could have replaced our old dometic ac with a vent, since we use it so little. But, it's really nice to have it when cleaning in Florida heat and humidity, and on the odd occasion that we have a powered campsite. I've read posts on supply chain issues on those ac units, too. But you have time on your side . Winter is coming.

Welcome to the forum, Brad. The Hershey show should be fun, like our Tampa RV supershow. We go most years, just to poke around and see what's new in equipment. Truma is showcasing the new to USA aventa ac at Hershey. I'd love to hear a report from someone who has seen and heard it in person, though I'm sure you're going to look at new trailer models. We've never found anything to tempt us to change up our Oliver. Good luck with your decision. It's a process.

Geronimo John, that $2150 Australian dollars. About $1575 US. I don't think the Truma is available to us, yet. The Aussies always seem get the new gear before we do!

Ollie II with dark green or black and gold stripes, headed west on South Carolina I 26, mile marker 152 near the rest area, around 9:30 am.

@Geronimo John since you're probably heading back to Hawaii soon, I'd keep an eye out for new developments and reviews. Our houghton 9.5 is a great unit for our smaller Elite. We've not tested it in temps above the 90s. The older I get, the less I desire to test myself in those temps. There are many variables we haven't tested on our smaller Houghton, because we rarely need/use ac. I can tell you that it is very, very quiet., when I tested it at home in Florida Our install doesn't leak. That's about it. All summer, in the Appalachian mountains, it hasn't run. I've worn long pants and sleeves, all summer. I'm definitely not the person to ask about 100+ degree weather. Not my thing, and we'd be on the road, toward cooler temps, if that were in the forecast. It's about 60 here, north side of the mountain, southeast of asheville. Fall seems to be arriving early.

I am very sorry for your situation, but I do have some understanding. A year plus, in climate control, may be difficult to find. My sister has many sensitivity issues, like yours. She also bought a pre-owned, stored inside trailer,a different brand. It worked out ok. But, it was a crapshoot . There are unfortunately no guarantees for her , or you. It seems to be very "situational. " There is no way for mold to grow fiberglass, but it can grow on organic "dirt, and leavings." And, there is always a bit if fiberglass dust,, and the scent at first. Oliver is better than most, but no guarantees, with your sensitivity. The hull and gelcoat are fine. But other items outgas. Fabrics, wiring, plumbing. appliances. I wish I could say "fine," but I can't. Go to an Oliver rally, visit some trailers. See how you react. Then hunt down the trailer of your dreams, if you are ok . Best if luck, truly. If your class a works forcyou, and is in good shape, I'd keep it, honestly. Sherry