SeaDawg

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.

Welcome aboard, and welcome home! I think you will definitely have the longest pick up journey, ever. Safe travels. Sherry

I wouldn't hesitate to look at an Oliver that's over a decade old. Probably, because I own one. For 12 seasons, now. What to look for? Water heater will die. It's a cheap replacement, for 6 gallon. We replaced the 6 gallon with a girard instantaneous. Probably a waste, but it's nice. Possibly, refrigerator. They seem to have variable lives. Ours was toast. Replaced for less than $1000 with 12v danforth/ secop compressor truck fridge. Other friends have had zero issues in 11 years. Go figure. Then, do the normal tire kicker stuff. Tread. Age of tires. Brakes. Etc, etc It's the components that wear out. Not the trailer. We took ours in for maintenance in April, and there was a line out the door. People who worked there really wanted to see a 2008, almost 12 years old, that looked so new...

I think a lot of people find they like the wider selections in normal sheets, and tuck the extra under. Fwiw, I buy queen sheets and mattress covers for the oversized full size bed in our Elite. I tuck the extra under the cushion. I did trim the memory foam topper I bought. This time of the year there's usually a good selection of twins and twin xls in homegoods and the other department stores, as they stock up for back to college days. The rest of the year, I sometimes have difficulty finding something I like for the two twin xls in my downstairs guest room. You could always start with the normal sheets, and order custom if you find they are a hassle. Keep the twins for backup. I carry an extra set of sheets on longer trips. Sherry

I wouldn't have any qualms about cutting a king quilt into two bunk spreads. At homegoods, it's much easier to find one king quilt than two twin xls. Might want to cut the typical length (108 or so) into width, as the usual width (90 or so) is plenty. Bear in mind that the pattern would change, horizontal stripe becomes vertical, etc, but, it would give you a foot to fifteen inches all around on each side for tucking neatly under the mattress. If the quilt is cotton, I'd wash and dry first to check shrinkage. I lost a couple inches on a quilted covetlet I recently bought for one of my guest rooms. I'd use quilt tape to finish the raw edges. Most quilts use a self fabric bias tape, so either look for a color that's close, or use white. You'll tuck it into the side, anyway. I'd use a quilt tape of at least 50/50 poly to avoid shrinkage later. Long ago, I made a fitted quilt for our sailboat v-berth, using quilt tape for the edges. We still use it. It really wasn't that hard. Bunk sheets are available on Amazon, Campingworld. Walmart, etc.

Congratulations! Wishing you many miles of smiles with your new Ollie.

Looks great! Looking forward to hearing how it works out for you.

Over the past 11 years, our jack bubble has mysteriously disappeared a few times, and reappeared later. Gremlins? Temperature change? Altitude change? Not sure. It's also never been totally accurate. I keep a little pocket level velcroed just inside the door. Sherry

This is an excellent practice, as it also helps sanitize your water lines. We don't use chlorine anymore. We use Purogene instead in the rv and the boat. Sherry

I think John Davies was the first to install a composting toilet. He did an extensive post, with photos, of the upgrade. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/natures-head-composting-toilet-installation-in-an-oliver-big-thread/ I don't remember if he installed it, or the factory. Sherry

Well, we're honored to be your first forum. ? Welcome aboard! As far as sticking things to the wall, I've used velcro for flashlights, remote contol, and various other items. Works well if items aren't too heavy. Command hooks also a winner, and easily removed when you decide to change location. I also use suction cups for extra towel rings, and racks for melmac dishes, and spices, etc, behind the sink and cooktop. We'll look forward to seeing your solutions. I also like IKEA Skubb fabric zipper bottom bins for dividing up areas of the cupboards. Sherry

Thanks for the photos! Great interior choices. Love the bedding. Did you make the burgee pillows? They're great. Sherry

Welcome to the forum.

Wow, the Texas branch of the family just gets bigger and bigger! Congratulations, and welcome to the group. Sherry

Honestly, once you get used to towing, the spontaneity can be the same. ( with the exception of stealth camping in a parallel parking spot on a city street. Easy with a van, not so much with a truck and trailer.) If 9 hours is a long day of driving with a van or truck, figure 6,7 or 8 as a stretch with a trailer, with the extra gas stop.But take it easy the first few days. Backing a trailer in the dark is much harder than daytime... as is the uncertainty of turning around if you find yourself on a dirt road to nowhere. In dark and fog, thanks to google maps. Ask me how I know... :)