SeaDawg

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... :)

Hi, HMD, I understood you. It was a " funny." That said, we live very comfortably in our little Ollie I, in good weather. Because, we sleep inside, mostly cook and relax outside. You are correct in saying it's small. Heck, my walkin closet is probably bigger than my Ollie. But, I wouldn't trade my trailer for anything else today, after 11 years. The bigger Ollie II certainly affords more space inside on inclement days/ winter living. Larger than many tiny homes that I have toured. Just trying to help the op figure it out. I've personally known three couples who full timed ( for a year or three) in the original small Ollie like ours. Not for me... three months and I am ready to go home. But, that worked for them for a time. Mostly depends on your mindset, wants and needs. Sherry

Congratulations on your new Ollie! Safe travels to Hohenwald, and home. Were it me, I'd hang within 150 miles of Hohenwald for several days. Beautiful roads and parks. Check all the systems, enjoy the beauty of central and eastetn Tennessee. Then, I would make a beeline up to Duluth/ Two harbors, Grand Marais, and on to Thunder Bay. Take the TransCanada 1 toward home. Longer, but cooler, if you have the time. That area along Lake Superior is simply beautiful, if you've not seen it before. Obviously, I'm not a fan of camping in the west in the hot summer. New Mexico and July wouldn't be my choice. But, you know your tolerances.

We also use wood blocks for reducing travel on the jacks. But, just chunks of 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 cutoffs, stacked as needed. Have a little envy of those nice blocks others carry. We don't varnish, glue up or laminate. When they get old, we chuck pthem or burn them, and replace with new project cutoffs. ??

Starting with the Whaleys in 2008, others have repurposed the front dinette to a sofa. You can use a folding table or tv trays in the aisle, as a dining set, or just lounge when you want to. Theirs was an original shorty, so there's more room on the counter in the elite ii for prep . Almost none in the original, unless you cover the sink with a cutting board. Then again, most of us eat and live outside when weather accommodates. Since you are looking at fulltime, I would definitely look at making the small dinette into a sofa, and a fulltime bed in the back. Remaking dinettes to beds can become a pain, if done daily, imo. On the big propanectank for winter, you'll probably lease the tank from the company that has a contract to fill up tanks in the park. They usually help with the plumbing, as propane is their business. I like the idea of wintering over sans gas in a hanger, but could be difficult to find, and dreary without windows. No windows in any hanger our pilot friends own. I would seriously be depressed without sunlight in part of the day.

Hobo, we've been working on that behind the scenes... You'll see it soon... Sherry

"I have opted to get a Black Series so that I can confidently go off road to places like Death Valley. My favorite spot is over 50 miles in on a gravel road that is rough and sometimes washed out. Then six miles across the desert with no road. The Oliver is really good compared to many normal trailers with it’s additional ground clearance and no hanging down sewer pipes. This has allowed us to go many places we could not have gone otherwise. I love my Ollie, but don’t want to take into Death Valley and overdo it." Raspy, you'll always be part of the family..a lot of people have enjoyed and learned from your posts. Don't be a stranger when you get that Black Series. I wouldn't want to take my Ollie to your favorite spot, either. Reminds me of the TV series I watched as a kid...sponsored by 20 mule team Borax. (Now I am telling my age, huh?) Sherry

I know I have told this story before, but here goes. Years ago, we had hail the size of steely marbles at our camping property in North Carolina. We were at a friend's house having dinner, an hour away, and no hail there. The Ollie, and its solar panels, were undamaged when we returned, though the ground was still covered with hail and shredded leaves. I imagine the truck would have had some dimples if we'd been there. Sherry

Bathroom sink is several feet of pipe above the kitchen. Yes, it's possible that your grey tank is full. The guages aren't totally accurate, nor are they in any rv we've ever owned. Are you in a place where you can dump? Full hookups? Sherry

Well, congratulations to your granddaughters, and to you. I agree. Keep moving. It's not always forward, but, it's... somewhere. You never know where the next adventure is. Could be just outside the door. Great advice to the girls. Sherry

Steve, sorry to stray off topic, but, if you are going that way, theres a cute, clean town campground at Hythe. Older but clean bathrooms in a converted caboose. It's about an hour west of you. Strangely, we got some great fish from a mobile vendor in Grand Prairie four years ago... not to be expected on the Prairie.

Hi, Jam! Great to see you on the forum again! Have fun camping with the grands. :) Sherry