SeaDawg

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

Well, I was just about to reply that I might have a figurative "screw loose"... but no window screws loose, in 9 years. Not to make light of your situation. Glad you and Jason figured it out Sherry

Every recommendation really depends on camping style and use. For us, any ac unit is fine/ superfluous, , since we have one, and (almost) never use it. u075908@yahoo.com, do you have even a first name that you would care to share? We welcome your participation, but your profile is pretty empty..... Most of us sign our posts with at least a first name. Not demanding, just saying. If you would like to make a friend or two here, a name helps. ???? It's a pretty friendly group here, and we'd love to address you with a name shorter than u075908@yahoo.com. thanks. Sherry

For those of us who almost never have power,and run on propane and solar, this can be a big deal, I guess. We chase cool weather. It's not always without humidity. That said, we carry neither a dehumidifier not driz the air We leave the vents open. Put a maxxair cover over the fan years ago, which I dislke for the noise, but love the rain protection. Newer owners likely have the newer combo fan. Fwiw, my husband doesn't ever hear the fan, so I guess for most, it's not a big deal. I have, apparently, oversensitive hearing. Sherry

If you are installing solar, as I think you are, your generator will likely ride unused most of the time in the truck bed. We just got back from a mostly cloudy, often rainy week in the Appalachians. The honda 1000 generator stayed in the bed. Even parked in dappled sun/ mostly shade, we didn't have to break it out. A lot depends on how you use power. We kind of live like tent campers, when possible. Even so, last trip, damp temps dropped into the 30s two nights, so we had to run the furnace for the dogs . They're tiny, and one is old, with a heart condition. So, wevran the power sapping furnace. Were it just us, I'd probably have just turned on the furnace for a few minutes to warm my clothes in the morning. Or, put them at the foot of the bed, under the covers, like tent camping.. without the furnace, at 36 or so outside, it's about 55 to 58 in our trailer, at least, with two people generating heat. A decent quilt or sleeping bag is fine, without the dogs. So, I will footnote this... I'm a country kid, Scandinavian from Minnesota, and chase the cooler weather. Not everyone likes sleeping in 55 to 60 degree weather, but we love it.. S

Aww, you still have your ticket? I just found the calico scraps from the storytelling festival... The safety pin was only slightly rusted. What a great time. Six trailers egg rolling around the Appalachian autumn for four to six weeks. Some of my best camping memories. Because of the people. We've been camping foreign too much. Time for another egg roll. S (When we get stateside .. ..)

A visual aid to the above post. I can't take credit for anything but listening, and evaluating. Our upholsterer had done cushions for a number of big name boat companies, cruising and charter. I appreciated her advice. S

The whole idea of the 90 degree cushions is to be able to take the back cushions, and turn the little dinette into a small, 6' bed for a small person. (Or, for those who actually set up and take down the big dinette, ditto... We leave ours set as a permanent bed. Not sure where the table leg is anymore...) Frankly, our boat originally had awful (to me) wedge back cushions. My parents stressed posture, and the wedges threw my head back. I found them very uncomfortable, understanding it was a fairly strong wedge.. probably 2.5 inches top to bottom, 28 inch cushion? Next iteration was 90 degree, flat cushions. Not bad for me. My husband wasn't as comfortable as I, but we are very different in height. A small lumbar pillow worked for him, though. The boat settee cushions are deeper than the Oliver's , though, by at least six inches. Last and new iteration is completely different in the boat settee. Horizontal seam in the back cover, more sofa like, more lumbar support. A seam in the seat cushion and more front foam padding gives some knee and thigh support... And a bolster to keep the sleeping occupant more firmly in place when we are in seas, as the central settees are the most comfortable sleeping spots in bluewater multiple overnights. Since we have never, in nine years, used the small dinette as a bed, I'd be tempted to rework those cushions next time around more like the boat. But, I chose great fabrics, Oliver's upholstery guy uses great foam and thread and quality zippers, and replacement day is probably a decade or more away. Cushions still look and sit new.. We rarely sit inside the trailer. Even if it's raining, if it's not too windy for the awning, we sit outside. Just my (lengthy) two cents. Well, then, there is this. Will you use the small dinette for sitting, sleeping, or both? How often? The small dinette table, for us, is a desk, and sometimes extra prep table when I am cooking. Sherry

Yup. Mea culpa.