SeaDawg

<p style="text-align: left;">On our older 2008 trailer, the propane gauge just shows opn. Not connected.</p> I'm wondering if the new trailers have a gauge installed like the motorhomes we deliver. Not very accurate, but better than nothing... Sherry

I hope that you can eventually reopen the lines of communication with your children. It may be a long and problematic road, but I hope you can find a path. I'm a mom. My worst camping days are when i can't get even a text to and from my daughter. I feel hollow, without knowing she is ok.

Sakthorp, most all of the RV fridges have the option for different colors of face panels. I suspect norcold still does this, and I doubt Oliver is changing up the panels from the black to a wood look.... Sherry

Quick and easy is true of the power awning. Just not as stable, imo. I'm thinking about a day we arrived at a shadeless spot in Durango. Gusting winds every few minutes... had to abandon the beers and snacks every five minutes or so to reel in the power awning. On our delivery motorhome, that's a big sail. It was quick. If we'd been in the Oliver, it would have been slightly longer. But not much, as we leave the handle engaged in iffy conditions for quick retraction, and, it's a much smaller awning. I've seen a number of destroyed awnings, power and manual, where owners left the awning out unattended in wind conditions. It's all just a matter of common sense. And, timing. Sherry

Ten and a half years with hull #12. Still very happy with our camper. It's still looking pretty fine, too. Sherry

Agree with kounteykamper. We've had power awnings on all the motorhomes we deliver. Not as easy to adjust. Mandatory to pull it in with any breezy or gusty conditions. Given the choice, I'd stay with a manual awning. Easy to deploy. Still problematic in even moderate wind, but less so than the power awnings we've used. Sherry

I'd have to agree with John. Protect the tires both ways. We do. Even so, they only have a five year life. At best. Sherry

<p style="text-align: left;">And, lastly, the convection microwave. We had one. Never, ever used the convection feature. I have one in my home kitchen, too. Never used it at home, either . But, I rarely use a microwave at home, and never camping. I like my big cabinet in place of the microwave on our 2008.</p> Everyone has different styles. If you plan to camp a lot with fill hookups ( we don't), you might like the convection. If you enjoy campfire cooking, not so much... My microwave died, I think, from lack of use, as we almost never have electricity. So, keep that in mind in weighing my advice. .. Sherry

As far as the awning, Oliver used to use the horizon, which was unavailable for awhile. Dometic owns that brand now, too. I also would not be disappointed with that change. But the current carefree is a great awning, too. I suspect they may have gone with the dometic awning for the power upgrade, plus the easier consistent availability. Just my opinion. Sherry

I wouldn't be disappointed in getting a norcold. We've had both brands in our own 2008, and in rental deliveries, and I prefer the norcold. Better information on the panel for error codes, and I like the touch panel vs buttons on dometic. That said, dometic owns both brands. And we no longer own a three way. We're strictly 12v danfoss/secop compressor fridge now. Sherry

Overland, you're right in the endless shower idea. I guess I'm guaging on our van camping, where we always use the campground shower facilities. In that scenario, it doesn't even matter if you have a water heater, at all ... Dishes are easy with a kettle. The extra 5 or 6 gallons are only accessible if you drain the Atwood into a bucket, is my understanding. To me, it was an extra 40 pounds to drag around for no real reason... The endless shower isn't part of our camping, but I can see the luxury... The endless rv park shower lux makes sense for RV park camping with the truma, I guess. Our Girard runs only on gas, so the free electric heating of water is lost in full hookup situations... Sherry

Looks beautiful. Could you share your elevation for those of us who suffer from elevation sickness,? https://www.nps.gov/hove/index.htm Sherry

The original six gallon Atwood or whatever does not eliminate boondocking. Just don't turn it on till you need it. Don't leave it running 24/7. Honestly, if you let it run on gas around 10 to 20 minutes, you'll have decent temp for shower without mixing. Heat water in a tea kettle for dishes, as I have always done, and you will not only save gas, but water, too. We don't have a truma. Too early adopters. Our Girard is fine, but the outside door lock is weak. Sherry

If you plan to camp in RV parks, and use their facilities, don't bother with the upgrade. You'll still have to check the anode, and drain to winterize, but there's a tiny bit of winterizing with the tankless, too The swap out from a six gallon to a tankless is pretty forthright, and minimal. But a new door, exterior, too Run the stock heater for eight to twelve years til it dies if you are not a big boondocking fan. You'll be fine. I say this, as we've had both. Sherry

Looks great. Thanks. Still on the Easter egg hunt... Is it the bubble level on the gas tank? Sherry

It was different, not necessarily better... I thought you (and others) might like to see the difference in the connections. I think our connectors and angle give us a bit more latitude in panel adjustment than the flat on the roof style usually used. For us, it was the only solution, and has worked well for (almost) ten years. I was pretty excited about solar power then. I still am. Trailer, now our home, eventually our sailboat, too, will run independently on quiet, nonemitting solar. We're still working on best way for a sailboat. Sails tend to shade everything... And, thank you for all the information and work that you put into your post. As always, so very helpful to others. Sherry

Here's a link to one of the early discussions on solar panels on the forum (2008). Rooftop v portable. If you go to the second page, you'll see some photos of our sidemount panels Fwiw, we're still friends with most of the people who joined into the discussion on this thread. Rereading it was a nice trip down memory lane for me. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/solar-panels/page/2/?wall_post=46206 Sherry

We use the original am solar bars on our panels, but our panels are sidemount, ( already angled), not flat like yours. Back in 2008, they were part of the package.... They work well for ours, though we rarely adjust them unless we know we will be in the shade for several days. Sherry

Janie,, Did you ever figure out the source of the problem alarm? My sister had an alarm from a low battery, but sounds like you were plugged into the cg power. She had no power supply. Sherry

Paul and I have a no shout pact. We use hand signals. Others use radios, or phones, or one phone outside to blue tooth speaker inside the truck for the driver. Take your pick... We use dimensional lumber cuttoffs because we have them. They're free. Burnable when they eventually get a little rotten. and they work. The Anderson system is cool, and , from what I've read, works. There's a cheaper alternative, beech lane, that I've read about, but never used either system. Sherry

Welcome aboard. We have one of the oldest Oliver trailers. Still loving it, over ten years later. There are many people here with answers to whatever questions you have. Enjoy the quest. Sherry

Back in the day, we would play netflix movies on the TV at home via a cable from the laptop to a non smart TV. I suspect a cable from Best buy or elsewhere, from your phone ( mini or micro USB) to the TV HDMI port would do the same. In today's more wireless world, there's likely a solution for casting or mirroring with a Roku, Chromecast, or firetv device. I suspect someone on here has figured out that path.... Good luck. Sherry

I'd like to thank aquestell for posting this issue. Seriously, it's not uncommon to get bad results, even with good specs and scope of work agreement. John Davies, thanks for your input, too. Not everyone here has the skills and resources to accomplish this install. And in many communities, you're required to hire that licensed professional, anyway. Sherry

I,too, would be a bit concerned about using window screen. 1/8 inch hardware cloth cuts the airflow to 70 to 80 per cent, depending on the size of the wire.. Fine mesh screen could be as much as 50 per cent... What it really means is, you would be reducing flow over the fridge working components by a big margin. That can result in higher temps in the fridge, and possible warranty issues. Just something to keep in mind. I suspect that the Camco vent screens are somewhere around 1/8. Small enough to keep out mud daubers and mice, hopefully big enough to allow sufficient airflow to the fridge intake and exhaust. Back in the day, it was recommended to remove any screens installed before asking for warranty service. I'm sure this is why screens are not standard on any trailer.... Sherry

I don't know who makes this one, but looks similar to Raspy' s description. On sale at Camping World. https://www.campingworld.com/slim-shade-rv-door-window-with-built-in-shade-black?CAWELAID=120030630000010986&gclid=CjwKCAjwqarbBRBtEiwArlfEIMLZmE_MSrvm8g30CYDX7aDg8jKXHA-IwFKFn_XdM111Z5487OQhRhoCRJwQAvD_BwE $85 Sherry