SeaDawg

Got a text from our neighbor at our camping property outside Asheville. 14 inches so far, 8 more to come. With ice. Please be careful out there, and stay home if you can... Sherry

If you look on the boating forums, there are a lot of alternatives... dridek, hypervent, foli system, ikea slats, aire-flow. (Much like hypervent)..... Each of the products work by channeling moisture to the deck. But, just as in our boat, that moisture has to be given a path to evaporate. For us, it's pulling cushions away from the hull a bit. For mattresses, its a bit more work... We still use cushions, not a mattress, and the fabric cover is water repellent, so I've never actually experienced a wet cushion... when we store the ollie, i always raise some cushions on their sides, balance others, and leave air flow. All i use for a base is a very good, bumpy, shelf liner...when we are camping. It's different for everyone, based on how much humidity you and the climate generate. We spend, usually, , nine hours a day inside. I make coffee, and sometimes breakfast, inside, but rarely generate a lot of moisture. It's mostly us, the 9 lb dog, and a tea kettle. Even if you get dridek, hypervent, or the ilk, you'll need to give the the moisture a path to evaporate. IE, pick up the cushion or mattress, and give some breathing room, once in awhile... if you are generating a lot of moisture, or camping in severe weather. Daily, weekly, depends on what you find...in local conditions. Sherry

Wishing you many miles of smiles with your new ollie. Our daughter is in Charlotte tonight for a company meeting. She loves Charlotte. We've never spent time there... guess we should... If you could attend the spring rally, or visit with another ollie owner in a more relaxed situation, it may help with the learning curve. It's a bit more elaborate than the tent, as you know... We've loved our ollie for almost 11 years. Hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours... Sherry

I saw bee's red trailer, and the black one , back in 2008. Very cool. If you decide to paint yours, post photos. We'd love to see your results... Sherry

I do think it's time for an all electric truck. I personally think it will come from Tesla in the next three years. They are the only company so far with the infrastructure to make the investment sensible. At least, I hope so. I'd really like to drive one .. Sherry

John davies, i think that makes sense. With a well loved 2005, I'm in no rush... only 130 k miles on my Silverado. I may have to replace the driver side seat foam, but... i love my little stepside truck.. I can wait .... at least another few years. Sherry

While I wait for the Tesla pickup truck, I'm loving the new jeep gladiator. My neighbor (jeep wrangler) and I ( stepside Silverado) both love it, but bemoan the idea of trading out our well loved legacy vehicles... we studied the web sites and reviews today. So darn cool... still some time away, so i can spend another year loving the Silverado.... at least. Sherry

I agree that the blue sky monitor is less than perfect, but pretty darn good. It does require input, as do all better battery monitors. We saw a new, and quite nice, battery monitor at the boat show today.. balmar gs200. Includes blue tooth. But... not really set up for solar, yet, so we would have to wait a bit, for that. It won best of show at ibex , but, we're finally adding solar to the boat soon. We will likely go with the blue sky we already know ... their customer service is just amazing, and product is really durable. Ten years plus... for us Sherry

Cherie and Chris were among the first to see our early Oliver. Paul and Chris and Cherie actually took our trailer on a 30 or 40 mile test tow on their jeep... then, we just hung out under the trees, and talked about camping, life, trailers, and breweries. And various other topics... They are super smart and super fun people. One of these days, I hope our paths will cross again. Sherry

and, all around the town, we're barraged with gift ideas... With my daughter's help, Paul got me a Dyson v6 car and boat vacuum, to replace the black and decker. Black friday great price, about half. Great little machine... no, its not a surprise, but thats ok. I'm really happy to have a machine that will remove our little dog's hair, that runs on battery. I swear she sheds and grows a new coat monthly...</p> I dont really have much on my list, but thought this might be a place to share ideas? Harvest Hosts is raising its price next year from $49 a year to $79. If you like the idea of camping at vineyards , farms, and museums, for free, consider that gift. If you go in under technomadias fb post, you can save another 4 or 5 $... roughly 600 sites around the country for self contained campers, one night only. One item i use a lot is my tea kettle. Its rusting, but i think my daughter is replacing it. I know i posted it before, but good sam roadside has a great deal for new members. If everything here seems too practical, sorry. Its kind of what we do, at our house... Wants and/or needs? Last year was big for me. I got my new all electric dc truckfridge... plus the microwave cabinet, plus a drawer. All oc which, i love, though the install finished in February... lol. Sherry

I am really excited to see that Technomadia (Chris and Cherie) will be hosting part of a new rv series on PBS, The RVers, Loving snd Living. Their segments will focus on RV tech.</p> Though no longer Oliver owners, they're still eorking technical nomads... fulltiming this year on their boat, but also found traveling in their vintage bus. They've provided a lot of people with great info, and their original solar setup for an Elite is still used by a number if people... including us. You'll also be able to watch their segments on Amazon, itunes, and a few other venues. Always generous with their time and knowledge, this is yet another unpaid labor of love for the RV comminity from Technomadia... Technomadia.com Our best wishes to them! Sherry and Paul

Thanks for bringing up the post wisdom from Chris and Cherie (technomadia). Though they've moved on from their Oliver, they are still a great technical resource. Btw. I'm starting a new post about it, but technomadia is going to be on pbs (and Amazon, itunes, and other formats) next year. I'm totally excited to see my old friends on TV in a few months, discssing rv tech... Sherry

Guess we're old school. We don't have any fancy plastic blocks or levelers. Though the Anderson rocker type levelers are tempting... We carry a stack of 2x 6 and or 2 x 8 cutoffs from projects. Mostly free, but a 2 x 6 pt board is about 75 cents a foot here... if you have to buy them. Lowe's or depot will even cut them, if you don't have a saw... We run the low side tire up on a board or two, and use 6 or 8 inch chunks stacked under the levelers and tongue jack to spread the weight. To not sink into soft ground. We also have a ft by ft piece of plywood, if it's really wet, for under the tongue jack, to stack the other blocks on top of it... <p style="text-align: left;">I like to reduce the throw (length of travel) of all the jacks to conserve power. And, reduce efforts if the jack fails, or the battery dies, and we should have to use the manual crank option. We did have that happen once, years ago...</p> I also don't like jacking a tire in the air to level, so we will place extra board chunks under a tire in a badly uneven spot, to give the tire more support than just the jack. You'll see a lot of ideas and systems once you start camping. In the meantime, buy good heavy chocks ( harbor freight is a great source), and figure out what works for you. I like biodegradable/ burnable wood, v plastic. But, my sisters legos are pretty cool... Sherry

Another fyi for anyone thinking about packing cubes for a Christmas present this year.... Ebags has a great deal on a set of six... I've used several brands over the years . The ebag cubes really hold up well. Sherry

I got a mailer from good Sam's today, so checked their website. They have some great cyber week specials on towing insurance. We've only had to use them locally with our daily drivers, but I've known others who had to have both tug and trailer towed with good Sam's.... You may want to check their website for the holiday special pricing. We carry the platinum rv coverage, as it covers us in rentals, too, in Canada..... just in case.... The standard rv plan is only $79.95 right now, covers all your owned vehicles in your family, for all the household drivers. Goodsamroadside.com Sherry

Thats awesome, and so much better than most of the sob trailers out there touting prewired for solar, and all the owners get is an inline fuse, a port, and a line to the battery, which is what my sister got in her rpod. Being prewired for the true, complete package is a big asset. Kudos to oliver. Back in 2008, it was a difficult retrofit. ..for us, and them. Sherry

In almost eleven years of camping, we've used hookups fewer than a dozen times. So, the solar panels are truly an important part of our camping life. Its also true that you dont need them for travel camping... if you can charge the batteries as you drive, and move on every day or two, you'll be solid. We do that in rental deliveries in the amazing road to Alaska. The Yukon territory campgrounds have no services, other than pit toilets and free firewood, but we're on the move every day or two. No worries. Even with a single house battery in a class c. Our preference is our usual weeks in the woods, with no service, and a lot of quiet. Solar is silent... Its all about what you need, and want to do. Thats why solar is an option . One we love, need, and enjoy. But, its not for everyone. Sherry

So, I'm sometimes overwhelmed with nostalgia when a poster resurrects my 10 or 11 year old post. Thank you for that. Herm and pete and i have camped together many times, since then, but we all met here.... The rock guards have worked pretty well for us, but we don't spend all our time on gravel roads. We have had a few small chips repaired. Im totally envious of johm davies stome stompers. Someday, a US company will import them. In the meantime, if you do a ton of gravel, at road speed, look at foam guards or vortex, something else in addition to the rock guards or road wings. Btw. Costco no longer carries our removeable big mud flaps, but you can get them on amazon and other sites. For a higher price, of course, as my original info is over 10 years old now.... Sherry

We all have so .much to be thankful for. I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving, and a blessed holiday season. Sherry

On the return, I'd watch the weather really close. I wouldn't want to do a mountain gravel road with a new trailer. Keep us posted... we're all following ... Sherry

My brother bought a new f150 this year. I loved driving it. Awesome driving machine. My sister in law drove it from Minnesota to Florida, trailer in tow, and didn't have a single issue. I'm suffering from seat envy. That truck sits and rides very carlike, with a lot of power, and mega back seat leg room. Our 2008 dodge pales... Sherry

Good sam has been good to us on towing insurance. It's pretty cheap. Probably give it a fly on a new trailer. Sherry

What that tells me, is that they attacked the area you thought was leaking. Buy a roll of duct tape, now that you are home. Duct tape around the rear upper light. Most likely culprit. Check that with a hose, or a storm... Next most likely is the ac bolts. I'm guessing your wondow weeps are clear... none in the rear for us, so nothing for us to check in the older trailers... One year, we found that the overhead vent had lost its seal. The rain found a path to the bellyband, and into my side of the bed.... I feel the pain. A roll of duct tape will help you find the source of the pain. One possible source at a time. Happy to report, we have no leaks. It was a bugaboo to find the tiny source that traveled down. A lot of years with nothing/ nada. Happy camping. You will find it Hope you will be soon . Leaks in the oliver are no easier than leaks in our home. Rain travels....

I'm thinking incinerator toilets ... Nothing to empty but sterile ash. Solar powered would be a huge bonus.... Used in a number of places where septic and sewer are not practical. A friend of mine used one on an island in Norway. Described it as "the bomb"... in a good way...

I have never heard of a single elite owner ( shorty) who used a wdh. Sherry