SeaDawg

It is sad to hear about the changes in choices, but I haven't personally heard complaints about the new fabric selections from owners Since most people leave the beds set up all the time, changing out covers would be four cushions in the small dinette, for most. Fwiw, if Oliver is using the same guy as 2008, his work is outstanding. No cheap zippers or cheap thread. My cushions still look new, 9 years and ten months later. Sherry

Ok, one of the old school elite wnwrs checking in. Yes, we have found our 200 watts of solar to be more than adequate for our needs. Especially since we upgraded to agm batteries, but even before that, we were ok. Everyone has different camping styles and comfort zones, and needs. Our style is cool weather camping, so ac is pretty much irrelevant.the furnace is far more important to us, and in the summer, if the fan can't keep us comfortable, we just have to go further north, or higher elevation. That said, we use our solar power sparingly. As in, we don't run a lot of lights or tv at night. We don't have to run medical devices like cpaps. We used to have a small inverter to charge the laptop, but since changing over to tablets, we don't need the inverter anymore. We routinely spend five to fourteen days on our property with no power, five or six times a year, in the filtered shade. If we have a string of rainy days, we might have to break out the Honda 1000 to charge the batteries. We used it once or twice this year. But, it's great insurance for gloomy and cold weather. Travel camping will charge your batteries from the truck/ and/ or the solar, if we drive long enough.... Solar on the trailer is silent, uses no fossil fuels, allows us to enjoy remote campsites, and cheaper campsites in the road. In our travels, we've often found better views in unserviced sites.sometimes free, sometimes lower priced, sometimes just available because the sunblocker motorhomes want full service... Were I to order a trailer today, I'd have only a few options on the must have short list. Solar is number one. Our microwave died from lack of use... Looking forward to replacing it with a cabinet. Full disclosure. At home, we also live on solar. It's not complicated, it's just sensible, for us. So, I'm a huge fan of solar/clean/ renewable energy. I look at it as prepaid electric bill... And good for the next generation. And, for us, too. Sherry

That's a very interesting thread. Thanks I'll follow it to see what real world use reveals.

I have read some complaints on Australian camper forums and marine forums on the weaker doors on the Isotherm. I've never used fridge bars, just pack stuff tight/ wedge it so it can't move while traveling with three-way dometic and norcold fridges. I also unload the door shelves except for very light items like cheese and bacon bits, to alleviate door sag. The fridge bars might be of help with a weaker door, as I have read can be an issue with Isotherm. I have also read that the Isotherm doors have been recently upgraded, but don't know if it extends to the classic. We usually travel with a few empty shelves, anyway. I can probably make it work, if that's the model we finally get. Sherry

That looks nice, Dave. I'm sure it's a lot of extra storage-far more than the tiny cavity of my long dead microwave. Thanks for the photos. Gives us ideas to work towards.. The back of your cabinet is white. Is that cabinet board, or the hull? Sherry

Wow. That is nice. Hull #12, we can see see/touch the back of the rear light. Sherry

And, canoe12, I think most of us buy spots or transponders, more for the comfort of our family and friends, who worry about us when we are traveling. I have several locks on the trailer. No one has bothered any of them in ten years. Our daughter would like to be able to log in and see where we are. And, the new spot upgrade has an emergency call system. I like that. Personally, I think I might still rather pay up and get a portable sat phone, with an interruptible plan. That would work on the boat and trailer, wherever we go. However,the relatively inexpensive spot is a good start, and will give our daughter a way to track us.

Aubrey/ jrbirdman yes, that was you. Your spot gave me a lot of comfort, being able to see where you were each time I looked throughout the day. Canoe12, on our last trip, 600 nautical miles, we did not notice any variance. The transponder, not a spot, and the plot charter and portable gps seemed to be in very close sync. However, our compass binnacle has a very high added arch. That may have made a difference. Others in the race mounted theirs elsewhere, like hanging from a Bimini arch. The main thought is, keep your spot somewhere with a pretty clear skyshot. Away from metallic interfere. We tried our transponder on the boat below decks,and it still worked. But, we have no metal in between decks. The new Olivers have the reflectix, or some kind of foil, between the hulls, that I suspect could cause interference. Even when we install our spot on the Oliver, I can't help you much. Our insulation is different in our 2008 hulls. I could probably put mine anywhere in a 2008. In newer hulls, you'll have to avoid the aluminum hat. But, easy to check on your phone with the app, before a permanent install. Sherry

Welcome to the forum! Sherry

I haven't measured the microwave cavity, yet. I'll try to look at it tonight when I am home again. Overland, we have pretty much decided on the truckfridge version of the Isotherm classic 130. Same box, pretty much, but built for a different market, so a little better price. They're out of stock til mid-January, so I am still looking around at drawers. Just hesitate to spend that much on a refrigerator and freezer. In the microwave cavity, We, too, have a 110 outlet at the top. Sherry

So, Paul was very busy today. Took out the old microwave that died from lack of use, years ago. Since we almost never camp with power, I want to replace it with a storage cabinet. Has anyone done this as a retrofit? Or at purchase? Looking for ideas. I'd like to keep the 110 outlet, but not necessary. We'll pull the rest of the fitting bits and threaded rod, etc from the original install of the unused microwave., and "archive" them somewhere in the garage. The space occupied by the microwave is huge compared to the storage inside the actual microwave cavity. Kind of excited to create a new dish locker. Or something.. Originally, I had hoped to replace the microwave with s mini oven, but none of the European models that fit the space have even fair reviews. So, cabinet it is. Perhaps convert to an oven in five or ten years. We'll have a spare gas connection, as we are also replacing the three way fridge with a danfoss compressor electric refrigerator. Sherry

Our outside entry mats are often old rugs. Sometimes Ikea or Menards inexpensive welcome mats. Even old floor mats from vehicles. Whatever I won't miss if we forget it at a campsite. +Why do I say that...?) Lol. If it is really muddy, a great shoe scraper is one or two cheap scrub brushes fastened to a chunk of leveling board with deck screws. Obviously, bristle side up. Note to self... The seven years old brush in front of the camping shed needs replacing in the spring... That brush was a dollar. About 14 cents a year for cleaner floors. Sherry

You can install a spot yourself. No need to go to the plant I followed a friend on a 3600 mile solo trip on his spot link, on my phone. Very easy. I could see his travel path 24/7. No issues with the download. His trailer is a 2008, like ours, spot buried between the hulls. For you new builds, the reflectix insulation/aluminum hat might cause problems I know that on our boat, the transponder requires a clear sky shot to work accurately. Above deck install is recommended. Mounted on the compass binnacle works well... Overlands idea of mounting inside the a/c shroud should work well. Or, inside a hatch cover. The GPS transponder needs a fairly clean sky shot. All my friends who have spot have done their own installs. Spot is on my Santa list. We will install ourselves Sherry

Interesting. I have never had any of the component manufacturers ask for a warranty card. Granted, our trailer is a 2008. Asked for trailer documentation to determine age on the few issues we hadn Three years ago, dometic asked for the invoice for our refrigerator replacement when it failed out of the box , and camping world replaced everything under warranty. I've never heard of a situation where you had to file warranty cards on components. Anyone else? Sherry

In agreement there, for all the same reasons. Love my runner and entry mat. Sherry

Lol. We've done a little bit of driveway camping visiting family. And, isn't it nice to head out to your own house on wheels at the end of the evening? We bring our own bed, no suitcases dragging in and out... I don't feel like we are imposing quite so much. They (and we) can still go about normal house routine without someone else in the mix. Even though we take up some driveway space... Sherry

Eagletoo, Unfortunately, we have no way to change your user name for you. You have to follow Bill's instructions above to delete your existing account, and build a new account. Your previous posts won't disappear, but your poster name on old posts will appear as " anonymous". Since you don't have many posts yet, now is a good time to make the changes. And, welcome! Sherry

So far, under the tree includes replacement firestarter butane lighters. And, a lithium battery rechargeable vacuum to help collect the hair of our adorable, but super shedding tiny camping dog... Often, the camper gets more gifts than either of us... On the Ollie wish list is a DC Danfoss compressor refrigerator. that also may be under the tree. What's on your Ollie's list? Sherry

I know I have posted more than a few times on the harbor freight chocks. Best buy for the money. Heavy, good ridges, do the job, for a small price. Sherry

Don't know what brand our bath fan is, but we live by saltwater. I think it gets some debris or corrosion near the salt spray. Sometimes, the switch takes on a mind of its own. Try it a few times. But, you've probably done that..

So, our down alternative mattress topper/fake featherbed finally bit the dust after over nine years of flipping, turning, washing and fluffing. It went to the curb when we got home from our last trip of the season a few weeks ago. I figured I had a few months to research and find an alternative. Last week, at Aldi I found a two inch cool foam topper, with cover, for $89. Better yet, when I got to checkout, it was on closeout. $60. At less than a third of the price of the original, I'll give it a try. Sherry

Still Loving my inexpensive but very rugged rubber harbor freight chocks. Love them so much, we've purchased several pairs as gifts. At $6 each, less the 20 per cent off ever present coupon if you are signed up... They're some of the cheapest and best insurance you can carry.

Our local wine store used to carry these. It was quite good, the reds, too.it made nice gifts to camping friends... Haven't seen it lately around here. Sherry

Good point. And, we have found the same to be true of the people to whom we've shown our camper. We've met some really nice folks, many who have driven some distance just to see an Oliver. Years ago, we had returned from the wedding of my college roommate's daughter, and caught up with a couple who had been trying to see our trailer After an hour in and around the trailer, we enjoyed a beer together. One comment led to another, and Linda and I discovered that we were both very good friends with the same person in Connecticut. My college roommate, her study buddy in grad school in another state. It's a small world... What a fun day Sherry