SeaDawg

Varmintshooter, Glad you found a stopgap solution. Good luck with your decision, too. The important thing is, you're able to go camping while you work together on the "perfect choice." Happy travels!

I'm curious about your Tab 400 boondock, which is actually a pretty cool trailer. Did you have the Alde heat system? The Dometc coolcat ac? How did/do you like them, if so? Also, I've always wondered about the pullman/drop down sink in the bathroom. Was it great, or a bother? I've always thought the alde heat system would be a great addition. Nucamp kind of moved ahead on that front.

Well, I'm in Florida, from Minnesota, summers often in NC mountains. My little 9 lb dog would never qualify as a guard dog, but her hearing is better than mine. I get a little low growl when something, or, someone, is strange. Including deer, turkey, manatees, dolphin, bear. And, people. You should definitely pick a trailer that fits your needs . From your posts, you may, or may not, need to look beyond the two brands we are discussing here, so far. Sherry

I get that. The first class c motorhome I borrowed from my parents, almost 50 years ago, had a wet bath so tiny that I, at a whopping 5' 5" found it easier to sit down and shower than fight the walls. I got used to it in a hurry. I managed through an entire summer of adventures. (Worse, it was difficult to turn around, even brush teeth in the tiny floor space in front of the toilet.) Wireless cameras are pretty inexpensive these days. I'd look at mounting one on the front of our trailer if I felt the need. I don't, because of where we camp. Few things happen in the boonies. Our dog would probably hear someone before the camera alerted us, anyway.

We often keep the laundry basket, mop, broom, bucket, etc in the shower of the rvs we deliver to Alaska. A minute to unload, another to reload after showers. In our boat, the dry bath shower often doubles as a sail locker, plus mop and bucket. (Second head on the boat is a wet bath. We also added a handheld shower to the sink and toilet room of the big head, so it's basically a wet bath, as well.) Same deal. Probably the biggest selling point for me in dry bath. Lol. A bit of extra storage.

The airstream globetrotter 23fb is quite pretty. But, it would never work for me. We always seek out campsites with beautiful views, and some solitude. Back in the early days, I often posted photos showing the view from my big rear window, as most of those view campsites are back-in. The globetrotter 23fb devotes the best real estate in the trailer , the entire back end, to the bathroom. Which doesn't even have a tiny window to the view. What would be my view from the big front pano windows, lying in bed? The back of my truck. And that, only if I got up on my elbow, and twisted my neck around, because the twin beds are forced to orient to the wall between the salon and the bedroom by the little hanging cupboards at the foot of the bed. It's really my belief that as design is geared more to people who spend a lot of time in resort style parks. That's all good, and it's been obviously a successful market for them. I'm just not part of that market segment. Btw, "lipstick on a pig," that popular American phrase, has been used by many politicians over the past couple decades. But I don't think the late John McCain was one of them. I won't go into it further here, as we have a policy to avoid politics on our discussions. It keeps things oriented toward camping and trailers. 😉

The smaller Elite is more of a rare sighting in the used market, because there are far fewer of them. We have certainly enjoyed ours for the past 13 years. Great boondocking choice.

Susan, is the TV a Visio now? Is it still 12v, or must you use the inverter or shore power to watch tv?

Carl, here you go. These are pretty rough and quick, and dimensions may be slightly different in a newer Elite, but this will give you an idea. Btw, your cabinet doors, of course, are different (drop-down doors instead of sliders), so openings may be larger for you, too. I do think Oliver should post dimensions of the new gen Oliver Elite. I really like the Skubb dividers from ikea. I use them at home, too. And, color-coded packing cubes for clothes keep our stuff organized, while taking advantage of the odd shaped spaces of the cabinets.

It's pretty difficult to build a dry bath in the narrowed footprint of the Oliver. The tradeoff is for a solid reason, though. I'm good, with the trailer readily following the truck tires, on narrow roads. We can easily live with the relative confines of the smaller bath. The bath is minutes a day. The towing path is every trip, and especially helpful on narrow roads and steep dropoffs, so common for us.

Since I'm originally from tornado and hail country, Oliver was a natural choice. A number of years ago, our Ollie sat through a big hail storm in North Carolina. We were at dinner at a friend's home, came back to hailstones the size of steely marbles. Deep. Not a ding or dent. I look at Airstreams every year at the Tampa rv supershow. The outfitting and decor is lovely. I remember the George Nelson clock in one a few years ago. (I'm a big fan of George Nelson, Isamu Naguchi, Jens Risom, and honestly most things and designers mcm. You'd certainly know if you walked into my home...lol.) But, in my trailer, and my home, my concern is less about replaceable decor than durability and sustainability. For me, the Ollie is a big win on both.

That's funny. 😅

So, did you find anything, Susan??

The drawer system is indeed something that has changed, in the kitchen, as the furnace has been wisely moved out of the kitchen. Hopefully, someone with a newer Elite will read this and post. Sherry

I think I posted those crude measurements for someone else, a few months ago. I'll look, before I go measure again. My recommendation has always been IKEA Skubb dividers, and packing cubes. We keep the big dinette made up as a bed, full time, which gives us room for three (important) crates for extra bedding, coats, and clothing, under the bed. No quite sure where the table leg is for the big dinette table, as we haven't used it in ten years. Sherry

We are all wishing you well. Take a night off, or, two, to breathe and relax and recharge. This is a really big change, but many others have done it. You're as capable as most, even if it's all new. None of this is rocket science . I would also like to add my sympathies for the loss of your brother. And, for the deteriorating health of your mom. You'll be fine, eventually. Keep your head up and clear. You have friends here that you've never (personally) met. Sherry

Btw, part of my mother's family lives in Wisconsin, and great grandparents emigrated to Wisconsin. You live in a camping paradise, imo. A varied, and beautiful landscape. I'm sure you will enjoy your camping explorations, as we have, camping in your beautiful state.

Welcome to the group! We normally fill our tanks at a Tractor Supply, or other supplier that charges by the pound instead of "flat rate fill." 20 lb tanks are easier to handle. Tractor supply attendants will not lift the tanks out for you. A spare is easy to carry in the truck bed, if necessary. (Always contained/strapped to insure it stays upright.) We camp in shoulder season, not winter, if we can avoid it. 🙂 I've never really spent much time monitoring our propane usage, as we refill when one bottle empties. In an Elite with just 2 batteries, usually without hookups, I'm more concerned about 12v to run the power greedy furnace fan. If you have 110, you can easily supplement the furnace with a small electric heater. If you normally camp at serviced campgrounds, with electric hookups, I certainly don't see much advantage to lithium. Nor full solar. Your suitcase solar, with 4 batteries, will probably give you enough power to manage a long weekend, or a week, if you can conserve power. I do love agm for many reasons, including cold weather, and no real maintenance. Will you be parking your trailer at home? (Many of us here cannot.) If you are, and can keep the fla batteries plugged into a charger, so they remain fully charged, and are willing to do the appropriate checks and maintenance, flooded is fine. And included. As I said, we don't have hookups most of the time. We make our power from the sun. So, our situation is very different. Good luck with your decisions. It's really difficult these days, with all the available options.

You can buy a hitch pin lock at Tractor supply in Hohenwald if you don't find it before you leave. It may turn up. We have one milk crate in the back where we keep all the setup items. (Blocks, chocks, locks, water hose and filter.) You will also find organizing easier when you actually get to use your Oliver, and see how all the pieces fit.

I didn't find any moisture in the attic this time, but we've had to reseal it every three or four years, as it has indeed leaked in the past. Since the lens had hairline, probably surface cracks, it seemed to be the right time to replace it, rather than reseal this year and replace next.

I didn't find one, either. If you need some measurements, I can try to help. I don't think they've done many changes to the Elite hull over the years.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Judging from many questions on the forum, you are not alone in buying a trailer without towing experience.

It will all make a lot more sense when you see the system put together. You can try your hitch lock without the hitch. Run it through the holes in the "square thingy," your truck's "receiver, to make sure it's long enough, and whether it's the right diameter for the hole drilled in your receiver.

You may still want to purchase the Reese ball lock, or something like it, for use when you are camped. Most of us do. It's one more key to carry, but one more lock to make your trailer a slightly less attractive target. The ball bearing John suggested is a good idea, and no key. But it's not readily visible, and would drop out if the lock on the bulldog collar were defeated.

I found this site, with several types of tonneau covers that work with toolboxes. Even Diamondback makes one. Pricey, though. https://www.autoanything.com/tonneau-covers/20A50299A1.aspx