SeaDawg

Charlie, I believe our older vent covers are Dometic. You may want to call Oliver to find out the supplier of your vent covers. If they're Dometic, call, and they'll either have them, or refer you to their parts partner. Ask for the part number so you can Google shop the parts. Dometic has bought out a number of small and large suppliers. In the good old days, suppliers would ship small items like that for free, or a very small cost. Not so much,anymore, if it's Dometic and over a few years old I often find parts for my older 2008 cheaper on eBay than through Dometic and their parts partner... However, the eyebrow board for my refrigerator was less through their parts partner. No rhyme, nor reason. Sherry

Dave, if Oliver ever does a calendar, that photo of your rig and the scenery should be in it. So beautiful! Sherry

Sad to say, my tiny fly bag, weighing less than 10 kilos, has more than 100 items. But, depends on if I count socks as pairs... Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, separately ? Or one kit. I count my hiking boots ad one pair... Hmmmm

Out of curiosity, did you check your freshwater levels? Grey and fresh in our trailer are about the same. If fresh is empty, grey is nearly full. Our trailer is older, but we always jack the front at the dump station. You won't get everything out without a bit of rise, with the flatter, rectangular tanks. Rise helps with the black, too.. though it is a more ordinary, more square style. Level side to side can also present an issue. But, you can jack the front up a lot, on the hitch, and deal with that. To eliminate drainage "spill" issues, a lot of dumpsites pitch to the drain. Quite reasonably. Sherry

Near us, grey water dumping is not acceptable. Out west is different. Many campgrounds prohibit or discourage dumping portapotties , much less, totes, in toilets, because of perceived or experienced mishaps. Im just saying, don't count on emptying your tote in a bathroom or vault toilet. They're supposed to be emptied at the dump point. Ridenfly's favorite park is more an exception, than the rule. Probably geared to a great, conscientious crowd, and , the campground has no dump point.so, they make life work. Kudos. Around here, and most places we have camped, dumping a tote in a toilet is not a usual practice. Sherry

Sometimes, you think the shade is in the perfect spot, but it isn't. Look to the left and right at the alignment. It's pretty tight on our 2008. An 1/8 or 1/16 off won't allow the blind to seat. Just slide it a little to the left or right. With the blind off, you can see the bottom clips that have to seat. A gentle pop with the hand will seat the clips, if it's properly aligned to begin with. Even so, your blind may work loose on bumpy roads. Sherry

Well, you could always call one toolbox one item... :) Like I said, it's a goal. I'll never reach it, either... S

Honestly, I'd never buy a trailer without prewire and drain tube for ac. We don't use it. But our daughter, pt other future owners, might . My two cents. S

Stan and Carol, we wish you the best in your big move. I know that is hard., After our move two years ago Wishing you our best, Sherry

Over the past few years, I've read a number of blogs on the original 100 item challenge. As in, living with 100 items.. no more. One of the things we live about camping is simplicity. (Disclaimer.. don't have to count heat , water heater, wonderful shower in the 100). At the end of every season, now ten times, I unload the camper, and anything we haven't used in the last year, does not go back in bins to be reloaded in the spring. Our load gets lighter each year. We're certainly not at the 109 item threshold , but we get closer each year. For me, camping means a lot of processes are slower. Building a fire to make dinner takes time. But, it's worth it. And, that's just a small example. Uncomplicated life actually can take more time. But, the rewards are worth it, for us. We use that time to look around, and enjoy. Especially, the stars in a non-light polluted out of the way place. Sherry

Does Oliver currently offer a solar ready package? If not, they should. My engineer husband came up with our retrofit sidemounted package, and Oliver worked with us. Like our solar powered home, we wouldn't be without it. Sherry

We saw that cutie, too, in 2008. What an adorable trailer. I hope you enjoy it for many years. Congrats. S You're not far from bugeye driver. He's out of pocket for several months, but can help you with many things on your 2008 when you catch up. A wonderful friend, and megacamper.

Tesla will make an ev pickup one day. No ice/hybrid, for them, though... GM has built one for over a decade, but not available here in Florida. Contractors loved the idea for the big battery for tools... Just never happened here... That I know of. Ford's talking about one in the next few years. Maybe... And, yes, it would be perfect for towing. And backup battery capacity, as well. Trucks sell so well as just trucks, that we can't even get a decent small and powerful diesels pickup in North America, unlike the rest of the world. Times are (slowly) changing. Eventually, we'll have all three. In the meantime, we'll maintain our 2005 and 2008 ICE tugs. They've served us well. At an event price. California was the only marketplace I saw for hybrid pickups. Sherry

So happy for you! Beautiful spot to kick back and enjoy!

A number of people use some form of this idea in long Alaska days. Thanks for the idea, and photos. You did a nice, neat job. Sometimes, the sun comes up before we're ready for it. Sherry

OMG... 35 gallons? That's over 250 lbs. Wait awhile, and discover your camping style. Most (not all ) state parks have shower facilities. You may want to use them. A pair of shower sandals is $1 to $15. Or use your flip flops. Using the shower is the biggest water consumer and tank filler. When we can use a community facility, we do. If you just don't like anything but your own trailer shower, look for full hookups, and use the Navy/ marine shower technique when you can't find full hookups. Just an FYI. I hate it when people spend a lot of money on unnecessary equipment, and don't use it later. We have a smaller tote that someone gave us. Never used. Sherry

If you're not sure you'd use the solar, ask about a price for prewire and backing plates. It won't be much, I'm sure, and then you could then add solar later. For us, solar opened a whole new dimension to camping. But, that's not true for everyone. In our older campers (2008), there was no foam insulation impeding adding wire, but it was still a tough retrofit when we added our panels six months after delivery. Solar ready would be good, IMO, if you are on the fence. Sherry

We would have been Casita owners if we hadn't found your grainy flip phone YouTube vid online. You, and printed MapQuest , drove us to hohenwald .. the rest is history. And a wonderful ride. Thank you, Larry and Betty, for all you have done.. and still do. Sherry and Paul Those were the days.

Bruce, we don't have the Atwood. We have the earlier penguin. Any ac unit is "noisy" compared to the quiet of the forest.the fan is the culprit, just like the furnace. I'd rather sleep without either. For looks, if you're ten feet tall and can actually see the ac unit, Penguin wins hands down. Very European. Atwood is more utilitarian and a bit boxy, but, how tall are you? Jk. No one has ever complimented us on our European design ac. Basically, they don't see/notice it either. Under the awning, with a cold one, you won't, either. Don't get me wrong. I care deeply about design, where it's visible. Designed my home for long range diagonal views, in and out. But I didn't choose my home ac based on design, either. I based it on function and efficiency. I'd pick the unit that works best for you. The only thing neighbors see and ask about are your solar panels. Sherry

Interesting, as your new forum topic shows up on the activity wall, but not here . I had issues for months posting using my 50/50 FiOS connection with my Android phone and tablet. Mobile data, probably slower, worked fine, but drained my data allowance. Could you please send mduncan and jwalmsley PM's with your equipment, browser, and data provider? In the meantime, you might try my work around route. Try posting on mobile data vs wifi, or vice versa. Eventually, they resolved my problem. We appreciate everyone's participation. Thanks for the heads-up. Sherry

Saw this on a truck camper at Bass pro shop Tuesday. Don't know if it's custom, but pretty slick

Kathy, it's just one of their inexpensive shoe rack hanging racks. Probably skubb. Ties in, rather than having to remove the rod for loops . 7 or 8 years old now. Holds skubb boxes in unused slots. S.

I'm one of those who is sensitive to the smell of the buddy type heaters. As is my daughter. my husband is fine with it, but with my sensitivity, it's a no go for us. Since it's a stop gap kind of thing for you, be sure you buy from a source that you are able to return it, if it turns out that you are sensitive, like me, would be my advice. And, with summer coming, do you even need a furnace, or would an extra good blanket be ok, til you get the noisy furnace repaired?? Not to minimize your issue. That fan noise is crazy. Never heard anything like it. Sherry

Kathy, I love packing cubes. In the Ollie, and other travels. Big cubes fit in the bottom of the closet, small and medium in a Ikea hanging rack, in the rounded corner of the closet . Or, in a bin beneath the bed. I pack as you do. A week or so in a cube . Color coded for hot and cold weather. On a cold day, socks, long sleeve shirts, underwear, thermal, etc, are in a blue cube. No digging around for several cubes. Warm weather, another red cube. Love them When we travel, I do the same. Even though it takes some time after laundry, I reorganize and pack the cubes on long trips. Minute to find what we need. One cube, one zipper. I have several cubes in colors for each of us. Going to town clothes and jackets, hang in the closet. We only have one shelf in the closet... Early model. that contains first aid, tp, bug repellant, a folded sweatshirt for each of us. You'll find what works best for you. Everyone is different. Sherry

"clam" is a proprietary name. For us, we carry day to day indoor life (clothing, cookware, bedding, food), for the most part, in the trailer. Odd bits... Chainsaw, extra 5 gallon water containers, dirty laundry,generator, gas cans, extra propane tank, extra stuff, etc, etc, (sometimes the ATV...) in the truck bed... Even in the smaller, older, elites, you can pack clothes, equipment, and essentials and more in the trailer????, and even more stuff that you don't need, in a short bed or SUV for a couple months or more. Been there. Done that. Way too much stuff. Many times. But, we're still married. .. with or without too much 'stuff'. Life's an adventure. The road amplifies it, and we love it. Sherry