SeaDawg

I've been in those packs. We've delivered a number of rvs to Alaska, from Elkhart. I, too, feel fortunate that we could afford the investment in our Oliver. Especially after driving thousands of miles with the noise and drafts of the Thor and Forest River products . I carry a pack of foam pipe insulation cutoffs and tape, every time . Winnebago is in Iowa. Though they also build some class c units sort of comparable to Elkhart, their van products are far superior, imo. Like Oliver, that part of their business is smaller. But better . Vanlife people have demanded better, and they're (eventually) getting it. There have been a number of campers coming over from Australia,too. Things will change, eventually, when people are willing to pay for a more quiet and efficient ac, quiet and efficient furnace, water heaters like the Truma. And, longevity. Our daughter is a millennial. She saves up for quality. Thinks smaller rather than bigger might just be better. Quality vs disposable. I think her generation will demand better. I hope so.

Not just windstorm, but branches, etc. And, sun eventually crazed them. They look great, new. We had a few polycarbonate ports on our boat. Had 8ssues with crazing, and leaks. Have since replaced all of them with glass, years ago. No more problems. I looked into polycarbonate when we debated new windows vs removing our fogged 2008 hehr dual pane windows, and having them evacuated, cleaned, and resealed between the panes, and reinstalled. The repaired windows look great, don't fog, don't leak, and I'm very happy. Not to mention, half the price or better than new windows.

That's ok. 12 volt life is a learning curve for everyone. Your two 6v batteries are set up in series, so the voltage is x 2 (12 volt, nominal) and the amp hour rating remains the same. So, you have 220 ah of storage, of which you should not use more than 50 per cent, and I try to stay at 70 to 75 per cent remaining, to sustain battery life. (Less cycling, longer life.) About the same as my 12v agms, in parallel, though you have a slight edge. With my 2 x 105 12v, in parallel, volts stay the same, amp hours double. So, I have 210 ah, 105 actually useable, of which I try to use only 50 to 60, and recharge daily to the full capacity with the solar. On the boat, we use 6v x2 in series, then pairs in parallel, for the banks. 6v seems to give a longer life, a little more forgiving on deep cycling. I'm still exploring options for the trailer. Our 2008 battery compartment is pretty small for two 6v batteries, though I know at least one person managed it, years ago, with some modifications. Edit to add: looks like Overland beat me to the explanations. And, I agree. Lifeline is a great brand. Thanks, @LongStride

As more Americans demand better ac, etc., it will change, maybe even for Thor, too. The problem for a manufacturer whose trailer goes all over the country is servicing those more exotic units, and even sourcing them in the first place, reliably. Winnebago is using some interesting systems in their van campers. They're certainly not as big as Thor, but they've got a decent market share. (They use lithionics in some of their vans, and the new Coleman ndq ac, much more quiet. I think they also offer a hydronic heat system in some products. ) Forward thinking companies like Winnebago will help drive the service centers to stock those parts, too . When we installed the Houghton ac/recpro, I just crossed my fingers that we'd be able to get parts and service in the future. We'll see. We can take that chance as individuals. A manufacturer can't. The new generation of campers likes small, and quality. I think consumers will, indeed, drive the demand for the sapphire crystal. And, Olivers.

@LongStride how many amp hours of storage do you get with the 6v agms in today's package with the Elite? Our 2008 came originally equipped with 2 12v flooded batteries, group 27. We've moved up to agm, 2 group 31 12v, # 105 ah each.

That's interesting. My 2008 has a switch in the outdoor shower.

For those who don't know the song.

And , it's always possible that something isn't working properly. Please share a few more details, for more help

@source3 it doesn't look like a road for motorhome plus toad . But, it does look beautiful ! I'm sure you have adventures to share.

I'm really on the fence. I figure we have at least a year, maybe two, on our second set of two 12v , 105 ah agm batteries . I never worry about temperature, though perhaps I should. Would I love the extra storage of lithium? Sure. Absolutely. I wouldn't have to be a power miser, as I have traditionally done. What i love about agm is no maintenance, no temperature worries (mostly temperate, for us, only two weeks of nights below freezing, lots of warm/hot days). So, 9.5 weeks of camping this year, so far. No hookups. We have the self-imposed extraordinary circumstances of a dc/danfoss/secop fridge. Even with that load, and my puny two 105 ah batteries, we've only run the genset maybe 10 times, in the morning. We do have 400 watts of rooftop solar, an 200 watts portable. And, we've had a number of cloudy and rainy days. Next year, I'll start worrying about what to do. For now, we're good with our agm.

Pat, what's your TV? Does it have auto sway control? I don't have a dog in the hunt, because we don't have an Anderson, and our trucks are too old for auto sway control. BUT, if I had an Anderson, and a truck with antisway , and Anderson told me best to turn it off, that's what I'd do. Sounds like they might just fight each other, to the user's detriment?

When you stick your hand in the freezer section, does the bottom of the freezer feel cold? Getting any icing? All the 3 ways we've ever used, any brand, cool faster on gas. Electric is far slower.. And, cool faster if loaded with cold liquids (think prechilled or even frozen quarts and gallons of water, or chilled beverages.). Most 3way fridges will not cool down, and bring down warm beverages to cold , in less than 12 to 24 hours, in my experience. Tell us how you started. What you loaded. And, where are you now? Ambient temperature? All these things are factors .

I truly think most of the "composting" toilets should be labeled "waterless" toilets. At least the nature's head starts the process with the coir. Most of these seem to be designed in Europe, for use in dry cabins, or areas where septic installation is impossible or difficult. Where people actually do complete the composting process... I'll keep watching for more reviews. Thanks for this one!

Thanks, Mossemi! I'll take a look. Is this it? https://www.airforums.com/forums/f444/composting-toilet-215449.html Scroll to the bottom. Edit to add: Definitely not a "happy camper."

Then I can see why you are looking specifically at molded fiberglass hulls. Critters can't destroy what they can't access. There have been a number of threads here about mice, rodents, etc. I've not heard about rodent damage to an Oliver, ever. Screens are important, though in the fridge, furnace, and water heater vents. Those are the only places I can think of that they could gain entry. Young friends of mine discovered their big stick built extensively damaged by rodents last year. Many of those campers do not have a solid bottom, and can invite issues.

Welcome to the forum, Fred.

We're still using two Agm batteries. We almost never have electricity. You can buy nice replacement agm batteries several times for the price of the lithium. Unless you are crazy power consumers, 2 agms and solar should carry you through three days, and, with decent weather, a week. Carry a small genset as insurance. We think our best add-on ever was the original solar package. We have recently upgraded it from 200 watts to 400, but Oliver installed the first system, so the heavy lifting on wiring and brackets was mostly done by them. You could probably be fine with a couple hundred watts portable, for that matter, for shorter trips. But, it's kind of a pain to lug around and set up all the time. I set up our homemade "portables" when we're in a site for more than a few days. The generator is easier. For people who know they enjoy boondocking, I really think fixed solar is a best option.

There is at least one person on here who has pared down the weight of his elite II, so that he's under 5k, loaded his way for camping. Pretty sure our trailer is also lighter than originally equipped, as we've removed microwave and kingdome, and fridge and ac replacements are much lighter than original equipment.

Most trailers that have a combined grey and black are very small, and one tank is all there is space for. The now defunct Airstream Nest had only a small combined grey/black. It was originally designed for a cassette toilet, but market seemed to demand a regular rv toilet.

I'll agree, the Elite is a very pricey little trailer. Ours has basically paid for itself in 14 years of service and memories, but will you keep yours that long? (We obviously plan on keeping ours much longer!) And, will you use it enough to justify having it? These are questions only you can answer or predict. Ours is normally used at least 3 to 5 months a year. A number of Oliver owners had Casitas before. It's a good trailer, one has much the same floorplan as the Elite, but the cost difference is in accessories, carpeted walls, and lots of wood and particle board inside. A friend of mine has owned one now for over a decade. She's been able to store it inside most of its life, so that helps. My sister had an Rpod for a few years. Aluminum frame, one piece composite roof. A reasonably priced, easy tow trailer. Again, she was able to store it inside, so that was a big plus for her. They sold it because they were too busy with work to take the ling trips they'd hoped for. They're back to a big tent for weekends, until they can retire. My husband and I looked at literally over a hundred different trailers before we chose the Oliver. I don't know what you've seen so far, besides the two Oliver models. Good luck in your decision.

Let's think about it. Almost every major brand makes far better tires than the ply tires we used to have, back in the day. They're also much more expensive, so really, an investment. I like at tires because of the (usually) stronger sidewalls, and usually decent performance in rain, and performance on a variety of road surfaces. And, they look good on a truck. 🤣 Even at tires are engineered to be more quiet than they used to be, but you'll lose some tiny fraction of gas mileage because of their better road grip. (Maybe cost $40 or $50 a year more in fuel cost, for the average driver, from what I've read.) I can live with that. And, I can turn the radio volume up a notch for better tires. Most of us have developed a fondness for particular brands, after years of buying tires. Just make sure what you get exceeds the oem specs for load range, (definitely load range e for towing) definitely lt tires,, not p metric, and has the features for the weather you have to drive in. Tirerack used to test snow performance in Sweden. Don't know if they still do, but I think they're a pretty reliable source for testing and reviews. And, like I said, snow performance is not usually an issue for me. Where John lives, I'd buy winter tires. Where I live and usually drive, irrelevant. Where you live, maybe, maybe not. It all depends. Get a good tire, at a good place with good warranties. I like the nationwide distribution and repair options of Costco and SamsClub. That said, we buy our trailer tires at a local place that loves trailers. Neither Costco nor Sam's will bust , remount, and spin balance here, unless we take the wheels and tires off and take them in. That's just too much of a pain, for us, except for the small boat trailer. Maybe ok for others. I don't usually buy a 5th tire for my truck, and rotate through. Maybe my bad, but I just keep the best of the old set, and use it as a limp to shop spare if I have a flat, which is actually also rare these days. (My few flats in the last ten years have been a bolt or screw in the tire.)

Thats funny. I wish my outlets were on the aisle side, instead of under the dinette, in my 2008. I feel like I'm standing on my head to connect power cords, so rarely use them. We have 4 12v- over the stove, under the table, one beneath the attic, and one outside. 4 110s- one above the (abandoned) microwave , one under the small dinette, one on the side of the kitchen drawer cabinet, one outside. Maybe five. I think there is also one (abandoned) in the attic for the abandoned KingDome. We rarely have 110, but I do occasionally use the 12v plugs for charging phones. My sister's rpod had not a single 12v plug when she bought it. They're pretty easy to add, though. I like Patriots tiny solution.

Amazing, isn't it? Heavy spring, and plastic clips, and what appears to be nylon cord. At least it's heavier guage than what was in my LG dishwasher, and easier to replace... Same parts for Thermador and Gaggineau. Dishwasher was approximately 1k, on sale, six years ago. Cord, and plastic. Attached to spring, which also seats in a slot of, yup, plastic. Edit to add: while I was at my mom's today, helping her with her cell phone issues, Paul installed the springs and cords. Took maybe a half hour, total. Amazon one day delivery today, for the parts. So, dishwasher fixed. One icemaker of two now working. A lot of little things in one week ar home.. Pita.

This popped up today. Rivian's very cool camp kitchen, that slides out of a space between the cab and truckbed. The only thing that isn't cool is the price. I've read that it's going to be a $5k option. But, it does come complete with all dishes, pots and pans, and they throw in a coffee grinder...

My best guess. No solar. No continuous power.