SeaDawg

Jo, from some of your other comments on other threads, I'm guessing you boaters. We are , too. And, weve camped in tents, vans, and a variety of motorhomes. The Oliver ( and we have the little one), is both big and small enough for everything we want to do on two week to three month trips. Cozy and warm on crummy weather days, it lives really big on the outside. Inside, we have everything we need, in a compact floorplan. It's been a great 12 years traveling with our Ollie in the US and Canada.. Looking forward to the next 12. I would say, if you plan to camp in buggy areas for extended periods, a good quick deploy screen room would be nice. Sherry

The ac in pretty much every rv we've ever used is "noisy". They're all roof mounted, so the vibration travels. I don't think the ac in the oliver is any noisier than it is in the rvs we deliver to alaska. Though the location of the ac, over the bed, may make it seem so. Some people call it good white noise for sleeping. We rarely use ac, as we don't camp where we have electricity to run it. The furnace is more important to me than ac. 🙃 Sherry

Looks like Lucas and Joie had a great time. Glad you did, too. Happy travels! Sherry

Mike, I saw a Nexgrill today at Costco, about the same size as the Weber q1000, but two 304 stainless burners, shielded by horsehoe shaped covers, piezo ignition, cast aluminum body. Cast iron grates, which weren't super heavy, but probably close to the weight of the Weber's. So, theoretically, two zones, 6500 btu each, much higher btu than the q1000. $129 in my store, $139 delivered, including shipping from costco. Com. Recent reviews were overall good, even from Weber owners. Older reviews complained about the unshielded burners, and food sticking to the grates, primarily. I suspect they've made some changes to the product, at least for Costco. With Costco's generous return policy, I don't think I'd be afraid to give it a try. I didn't look, but I'd guess it's made in China. Or elsewhere offshore. Anyone bought a Nexgrill Fortress portable grill recently? Sherry

As to the question about lines at the dump station, that's usually worst on Sunday, around checkout, when weekend campers are leaving . And other days, around checkout time is lighter than Sunday, but busier than early morning. Leaving on a weekday, early, is pretty much golden. And, seriously, no one has ever, ever honked or acted impatient, that I've seen. Honestly, if in doubt, someone behind you will probably help you. Just ask. My mother in law told me that when she and poppy flew to California and picked up their Dolphin camper in the 70s, they were surprised at how helpful fellow campers were, as they knew "zero,". I don't think much has changed. We're all pretty willing to help.

Hi, Nan. I want to find a way to do the lagun mount in the small dinette, that won't be in the way, and will allow me to use the small dinette tabletop as a standup , counterheight, foldout top for prep and work. I think i may have figured it out. The issue is the small space, and no access for backing plate and bolts on an older trailer on the street side. Our south side compartment is chock full of electronics,chargers, etc.. I may be able to mount it on the north side, outboard, and still have room for our legs under the table. We keep the big dinette set up as a bed. The small dinette is our only indoor table. Maybe, Another few mornings of coffee in the trailer, thinking and sketching, will get me there. And then, time . This year, we're upgrading 200 watts of solar on the trailer to 400, and adding 600 watts solar and a hardtop bimini to the boat. We've exhausted time, mostly on the boat, with solar and a dozen other repairs and upgrades to our 40 year old fiberglass boat. And, weve had dozens of northern houseguests-friends and family- very welcome visitors who have interrupted the processes, but we wouldn't have it any other way. I'll look forward to your photos of Foy's table top. He does such beautiful work! We're so fortunate to have him in our group. Sherry

We keep a dozen or so lengths of 2 x 6 lumber in a milk crate in the bed of the truck. Along with our chocks.

The Oliver has wonderful electric jacks, at the tongue, and stabilizer jacks on each side at the rear. Many of us use Andersons, or lengths of 2 x 6, to drive onto to keep the wheels on solid ground if the site is off level. (Which is many/most sites). Many of us also use some spare 2 x 6 stacked chunks, or maybe 6 x 6 chunks, , or purchased plastic bits, to shorten the throw of the electric jacks. Saves battery, saves some time setting up and leaving. Sherry

If you're totally new to the dumping procedure, you might try a suggestion I've made to a few friends. Spend your first few nights at a full hookup site. Get set up, rest a bit, then fill both tanks at least halfway with clean water. Then, try dumping for the first time, at your own site, and at your leisure. We've camped the first few nights with a few new owners ( my sister, neighbors) of different brands, and this has been very helpful to them. Trying out your new dumping procedure with clean water is a bit wasteful, but a heck of a lot lesss intimidating. Should you fail to get the hose on right, oh well. It's all clean, anyway. Jo, full hookups means you have water, sewer, and electric at your site. So, you can dump where you are parked. Newer owners, is the black tank rinse feature standard now?

We won't be at the rally (another Alaska delivery), but we do spend a fair bit of time in western NC. Hope we'll catch up one day. Congratulations . Sherry

Welcome, and hope you find your dream trailer. Found ours 12 years ago, (2008 Oliver Elite), and haven't changed our minds. The Elite is big enough, and small enough, for all we love to do. Sherry Ps, Do you still have horses?

I'm actually surprised at the number if people in rvs who have chaged out to nature's head and other composting toilets. They make so much sense on boats, where pumpout can be difficult to find, and awkward. Jo, you can change out later, if you find the rv dump system isn't to your liking , or doesn't meet your needs. It's not that hard, as I've read. We still have the standard toilet and dump system, 12 years in. I'm totally onboard with the nature's head, but til something breaks, we'll stay with what we already own and have. I've seen the nature's head, at shows, love the simplicity, and ine day, I'm sure one of the heads on the boat, at least, will be converted. Dumping isn't rocket science, nor is it as bad as Robin Williams made it look. If this is your first rv, take a bit of time to discover your camping style, and what works for you. Ditto on the portable rhino/ blue boy. We've never felt the need for one, in 12 years of camping without hookups.

Mattnan, your table is beautiful ! Great installation, and your local craftsman is just that--a true craftsman. The bookmatched grain is so lovely. What finish did he/you use on the tabletop? Does he usually work on boats? Thanks for the photos. I think I'll go sit in the trailer to finish my coffee, and try to figure out how we could do this in the small dinette area, someday. (Sigh) Sherry

I saw a blurb on the new Ft Knox channel lock, to prevent a thief from swapping couplers by locking up the bolts. 🙃 i wonder if it would fit the Oliver tongue?

Thanks. I saw the honda 3000, and immediately thought of the heftier 3000is. I've never physically seen a handi 3000i. Looking at the specs, it's pretty comparable in weight to the Yamaha 2400, and quite capable. . And, the generator you already own is often better than buying something else. I agree with john davies, though, as far as carrying it on the tongue. We carry our genset in the truck bed. Too much temptation out in the public view. And, no need for extra weight on our tongue.

Curious. Why do you want such a big and heavy generator? 125 lbs extra on the tongue? I suspect a Yamaha 2400 , 50 lbs lighter, or a Honda 2200, 70 plus pounds lighter, could do the job. But, we need to know your needs. Maybe you want to go to the spring rally and see how others manage their ac/generator/ recharging needs. We've lived happily for 12 years with a honda 1000, but it won't run ac or a microwave. (Don't use ac, and no longer have a microwave) . The Honda 1000 keeps our batteries charged when the solar can't. Sherry

Patriot, thanks for bringing up this post. Definitely worth rereading. Glacier is an amazing visit .

I doubt it will happen at pickup, or in the first severalyears. Our first leak at the light was 6 or 7 years in, as i recall Stuff happens. Hulls flex, over the miles. Leaks around lites/ ports happen on our 40 plus year old sailboat, usually at the smallest, tightest radiuses, earlier. The added issue with the third tail light on the Oliver is no real eyebrow, on our older elite. Maybe next year, when we update some of the eyebrow/ rv gutter material, we'll add a little strip above. So far, so good. Every six years for a reseal is not a really big deal. Sherry

It was a joke, I'm sure I guess he forgot the emojis. Me, I'm one of those who gets cranky when I pull into a site where someone, legally or illegally, has dropped a tank of grey water and left a trail of dinner bits . Not only are they stinky and unsightly, but they attract raccoons and larger 4 legged visitors to my tranquil spot

We built something like Mossemis solution for the outdoor shower on the back wall of the shabin, at our camping property, about 10 years ago. Total cost, with leftover pvc pipe and old shower curtains was under $20. Overland, a collapsible baby tub might work in your shower enclosure. OXo and a few others make them. Sherry

Friends of ours bought a screen room in the early 2008 days. It was a huge production to install it, and break it down. They only wound up using it if they stayed somewhere at least a couple weeks. Changed my mind on the whole screen room idea. We bought a separate screen structure, which was a little less of a pain, but we still didn't use it. I'd highly recommend looking at a quick deploy screen room like a clam. Sherry

We've had to reseal the upper brake light a couple times over the last 12 years. Sherry

John, I agree that the Webasto diesel appliances on the Earth Cruisers are tried and true, but how practical are they in a travel trailer with no integrated diesel source? I've loved diesel heat in camper rentals in Australia and NZ, but, those were in diesel vehicles. I'm on a different tack, sometimes. I love the reliability of our unducted old Suburban furnace, and its outdated analog thermostat. Though I hate the fan noise, and its greedy power consumption, I do have to say how happy I've been with its longevity and reliability. I really wish Oliver would offer a 12v danfoss/secop fridge, for those who are willing to manage and monitor power. I love ours. Wish we'd changed it up when we changed the norcold 3 way for the Dometic 3 way, years ago. Maybe someday I'll find a good spot for a 12v freezer drawer. That would really make me smile. That, and an oven. 😃 Well, a girl with a tiny camper can dream, right? I've also been very happy with our Smev cooktop. Probably similar to the new trailers. Very reliable, easy to use. Water pumps are easy swaps, or rebuilds. We've just rebuilt the one on the boat. Swapped out the one in the trailer a few years ago. A/C isn't a big deal for us. So, we're still patching up the cracked shroud on our 12 year old unit. It works, on its once a year trial while I'm cleaning the camper for the first trip. I'm really hoping by the time we have to replace it that there will be a quiet, 12v compressor unit available, like the cab coolers being developed and sold for no -idle semis around the world. The 13.5 k ac in ours is way overkill in a little trailer. And, noisy. But then, I can't run it camping, anyway, as we almost never have power. We deliver rvs, and have rented others around the world. I love coming "home" to my 12 year old Oliver.

Oh, but it's so cool in orange.

I've never seen that brand. Could you post a link? Is this a faucet filter? Rv inline filter? Thanks. Sherry