SeaDawg

Everyone has to stick with industry ratings in panels and gear. Of course, most people understand that 100 watt panels mean max output 100 watts per hour, but perhaps some don't. Panel highest output has to be beliw wiring and controller capacity. Or, you run risks of overload. And fire, or equipment failure. Most people understand they won't get any solar generation at night, but may not understand the devastating effects of shade or clouds or sun angle. But, that's not tied to the panel's rating. It's tied to campsite shade, location, weather, and season. Even on our home system, installed in prime location, prime angle after sun study, the output varies with season and weather. We designed the roof to match the best solar numbers. That's why I often talk about 11 to 3 or 4 as prime solar hours. Our 10.8 kw system may give us 29 or 65 kw or more, per day, depending on above factors... it's all about time in the strongest sun, and, how long the sun hangs up there in the season, and travel path. Just for fun, compare my solar graphs for home, yesterday, and today. Yesterday. you'll see huge dips in production, as we had several big storms roll through. Today was often hazy to a little overcast, but no storms.

I'm with Overland. 100 watts/ 20 to thirty pounds is manageable. And, we can run minimal power off 100 watts, if we manage consumption, and get the panel into the sun during peak periods. Also, there was room on our Blue Sky controller for another 100 watts, so the size fit for us as added power to the 200 watts on the roof. 100 watts portable, maximized with a tracker, would be a huge boost, imo. I'm guessing the tracker would be a separate but easily linked frame for the suitcase solar? Sherry

We do the same, Shallowgal. Having the cold sink in the fridge really helps cut the cooling time.Double bonus, in summertime in Florida, its great to have those big ice blocks in the home freezer for power outages. We found some flat 1.6 gallon or so water containers at Walmart that really help the cooler stay cold, too. Tough to find block ice anymore. Sherry

Rideadeuce,the clock and barometer look shipshape! And the little fan is awesome. Practical Sailor has given that model great reviews over many years, for comfort, and longevity. It's quite popular on sailboats. Moves a lot of air without a lot of power, and easy to clean Sherry

Wow, sorry to hear that news. I, too, had heard about the heat, but not the fires. The report I read tonight indicates most of the fires were started by lightning. Hope all of you traveling are being careful. Sherry

Great to hear from you! Only about 2000 miles to the Alaska border now. Which route did you decude to take after you cross the Canadian border? We didn't make the Alaska trip again this year. Have you heard from Scubarx? Seems like about a week ago they were in Grande Prairie. We'd love to see some photos when you have the time, and signal strength! Safe travels. Sherry

Congrats! Trailer and truck look great side by side. Will look even better going down the road. :) Happy travels!

Honestly, you should be fine short term with one hundred watts, if you have them in the sun for roughly 11 to three, at a good angle. That's typically our best sun. Sherry

"Oliver has one unique feature that makes it exceptional for boondocking, and that is the ability to use the rear water port (on the web site they call it the EZ Winterizing port) and the water pump to add water to your fresh water tank. It works quickly and easily. I don’t know of any other trailer that has this feature! The Black series 15 and 19 have the same ability and provide a 1.5 inch hose." This is, indeed, an uncommon feature in the US market. Oliver is a leader here, imo. We've had that feature since 2008, when no one else had it. SAVED our trips, a number of times. The black series came from Australia, where many features are different. And, oh, so much variety in camping trailers that we'll never see here, I'm sure. Part of the fun of our two camping trips downunder was checking out the wide variety of rigs in our campgrounds. Paul and I discussed one last night. Two women and three kids in a tiny car pulled in next to us, with what looked like a tiny cargo trailer in tow in southern Australia. That little 4 x 6 ? Maybe trailer folded out to a huge tent, and equipment coming out like clowns out of a car. The Aussies have it down, for sure. Sherry

Yes. I totally misread your post, newshoes. The only viable use for the unused black tank is for extra grey storage, as it is still technically linked to the grey tank. I suppose you could replumb the bathroom sink to drain to the unused black. A lot of rvs send bathroom sink water to the black tank. Sherry

Trailer measurements, and rv measurements, are all over the map, from my experience. 24rb class c on the way to Alaska measures 28 something on a ferry. Airstream sort of measures tongue to bumper, but as another said, that tongue is really a short a frame, like most stickies, resulting a larger box, because of the shorter tongue. . Still rounded up, or down, or whatever. I think molded fiberglass is the only class that truly tries to measure tongue to bumper. Sherry

As to slides, I'm not a fan. Especially bedroom slides. Drafts, dust, and then when the weather warms up in the Alaska prolonged summer nights... mosquitos follow your breath in, and can make the nights miserable.. Sherry

Newshoes, you're (I think,) in the eastern US, where grey water discharge to the forest or anywhere but a dump station is typically discouraged, or prohibited, and/ or subject to big fines. Out in the arid part of the west, rules are sometimes different. Sherry

Whatda, have you checked out the 2020 GMC Sierra? I can't find info on the pedals, but the Sierra seems to have more features than the Silverado, including that trick tailgate for 2020... Sherry

Hi, Monica, and welcome to the Oliver gang. We've not added reading lights but we did add an led light in my microwave cabinet. Paul picked up on another lighting wire, and drilled through the bottom of the cabinet above. Only took a half hour or so. I'm sure someone here has added reading lamps, and will chime in. Congratulations! Hope you have a lot of happy adventures in your Oliver, as we have. And, thank you for your service! Sherry

Cute little fan. Must not use much power to run on a usb. Let us know how it works out. I wish Vornado would make the Zippi in a 12v version. So far, everything Vornado that I've seen requires shore power or an inverter. Another alternative, and cute choice, is the highly rated Caframo Ultimate marine fan. Watch for sales, it's definitely a bit pricier, but great ratings in the sailing community.Caframo Ultimate

Hey, Hobo, the elevated twins is exactly what the chat is about. If you go up to the start of this thread, in the third or fourth post down, Steve explained the how and why of his design for the risers/ elevated twins. He and his wife ordered the very first Oliver to come off the line after the production hiatus during the downturn. As the historic first, Oliver accomodated a number of their design mods. Maybe you'll see their Oliver #50 someday. It's really beautiful. Sherry

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing photos of #501. Sherry

Thanks! It's thundering now. Instead of running off to hide, or climbing all over me, she's chilling on the sofa. It does make a difference. Sherry

We got a Thundershirt for our dog. Our vet's wife made sure we got the proper size, and showed me how to wrap it properly. It has really helped with the thunder and lightning anxiety. This will be the first 4th with her new duds, so we'll have to see how that goes with the fireworks. Thanks for all the advice and comments, folks.

When we had issues with our dometic fridge, camping world replaced a nunch of parts via dometic warranty. I would call Dometic. They may send you to a nearby authorized repair shop, or just send you the part. At veryleast, tech services will walk you through any troubleshooting that you can do.

Those comments are probably completely dry weight. Your 500 lb tongue, at 10 to 15%, means your loaded weight should roughly be between 3400 and 5000 lbs. I think 5000 is the gvwr of the elite. I know our tongue weight is somewhere around 400 or 420 loaded for camping, with propane and some fresh and grey water. What are you carrying on the tongue, or storing far forward? Do you have a basket on the tongue? Is your trailer towing pretty level, or down on the tongue? I'm curious, because I don't think our older trailers are any lighter than the new Elites. Sherry

Yup. And why Floridians go north in the summer...if we can. 11 o'clock, almost 90 degrees in my backyard.

Don't know where you guys are staying tonight, but our Minnesota friends are at Fall Hollow. If you see them in their 09 Elite, please say hello. Hope everything in your long journey went well for you! Congratulations on your new Ollie. Sherry

Did you get the Easystart installed? You really don't " need" such a big generator, if you did.