SeaDawg

We're working on getting the camper cleaned up, checked out, and ready for camping season. Our Maxxis load range e st tires look fine for tread, but sidewalls show some checking, and they're old enough (5 years) that we are going to replace them before we tow the trailer anywhere. Steve, Pete, and Aubrey all changed their 2008 trailers over to light truck 16 inch tires years ago. We're going to change out the wheels and go to the LT Michelin. Since Pete did all the research for years ago, and he's been happy, I'm not going to "reinvent the wheel." For anyone with an early Oliver with the 15 inch st tires, here's a screenshot of his installation. It will increase the height of the trailer a bit, but we had the double step installed a few years back. Thanks, Pete! Sherry

Over the years, we've had many discussions on the best way to bre coffee. My fave is a big, pourover Melitta or knockoff​ pourover cone, into a salvaged thermal stainless pot from failed home coffee​ maker. This week, Amazon has one of my faves on special. Only in black. Uses the big, universally available #4 filter. If you order other stuff, to $35, it's free shipping. Sherry

Just an FYI, it's inexpensive, and works great for us. We carry a little Rubbermaid folding two step ladder for access to the truck bed. When not use, it holds a home Depot water cooler, with ice,at the campsite . My friend installed one if those drop down tailgate ladders. I feel much more stable on the inexpensive, wide base rubbermaid that we've toted around for nine years.... Sherry

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. Bugbite, nice to know another omnia owner Pete, the backpacker oven is my kind of indoor solution now. Little fry pan with a lid. I do that now, with makeshift equipment. Reed and Karen, I own a couple Dutch ovens. I reserve them for campfire , not rainy days. I guess I could use them indoors. Heritage cookware is pretty cool. I'm not a master, like you two. And, cast iron is heavy, so, I don't usually take it around on long trips. Camp chef makes a highly rated, semi portable oven, with burners. At about 45 pounds. I don't think I'd take it on a long trip, but it could work on our camping property. I am adverse to asking for Paul's help to just set up for cooking. That's why I found the small omnia appealing. I also have aversions to buying single purpose gear. I carry two pans, three knives, two cutting boards, ordinarily. I thought the omnia might work on the boat as well as in the trailer. Otherwise, I'd rather spend $80 on another good knife, than a single purpose item in a rarely used underbed bin. Thanks, again. Sherry

Thanks, Buzzy, for starting this thread. I think we'll all learn something. We designed our new home, on our old lot, as a "forever" home, with mostly ADA compliant doorways, baths, and turning radii. Extra blocking in the walls for hand grips. Installed towel bars and shower slides that didn't look like it, but are grab bars. Lots of new stuff out there these days. Paul and I have been talking about sailing v camping, lately. Our boat, is of course, more difficult to make accessible. The camper, we feel we can use for a lot of years to come, barring needing a wheelchair. Our older little Oliver has only 22 inches clearance between the fridge and shower corner. We bought our Oliver 9 years ago, so we had a lot fewer physical challenges then. Still, I camped for a month with a broken foot, and my biggest challenge was the bathroom door ledge, six years ago. Buzzy, best of luck in your improvements. Truly reinforces my first opinion of you. Nice guy. Family first. Thanks to Randy for the toilet seat info, overland and lukens on the step. I personally, however, don't trust the stools on hilly terrain. Cracked a rib when one flipped . If you use one, always hang on to a grab handle . Bugbite, thanks for the link. There's a lot out there. And, we all need to be forward thinking, as we age... As these trailers will outlive us all. Sherry

Hitch lock, when camped is something like this...

The collar like is like this one

We've used both a collar lock, and a lock that fits into the place where the hutch ball would be towing. It's dark now. I could take a few photos tomorrow. Check etrailer and Amazon for bulldog hitch locks. The collar lock circles the opening prongs on the hitch, traveling, or at rest. This prevents the hitch from being opened at a rest stop. The other lock is used when camped. Sherry

I got a request to show our trailer, but I'm at least two hours from Gainesville. Anyone closer who'd care to share? The FL Oliver map only shows a few people. I know we have a bigger membership than the map shows. Sherry

And, I thank everyone for alternative suggestions, but we almost always camp without power, other than the solar supplied by our panels. So, toaster oven, electric convection, etc, are non starters for me. I usually cook outside on wood campfire. I do have an old single burner available, propane. I'm really thinking about rainy icky days when a single burner under the awning, or a stove top appliance, inside, might give me a way to make quiche, meatloaf, rolls/ bread/,muffins? Not really looking for another camp stove or grill. We have a great infrared grill that we quit carrying, because we didn't use it enough. Our preferred method is campfire cooking. When it rains, I make soup, or we go into town, these days.... Sherry PS... No, Randy, seadog is not my cousin. I don't want to work that hard. We're retired. :) I enjoyed the idea, though. Thanks! Sherry

Oh, thats not great. Are you on Android, or iPhone? iPad? If not iPad, which tablet? I haven't tried my tablet lately. I was just gloating a few minutes ago, because I've been able to post, for the first time ever in months, from my verizon Android turbo on wifi, without chewing data minutes. I, too, back up every potential post on copy/clipboard.. Just in case. It's been a bear lately. Hope it improves for you, too, very soon. IT is migrating our forum to new format, as we type. It will be awhile, as there is a lot of old data and photos. We have no ETA for the end product. Could be a week or two... Or? The last time we did a data migration, the forum was down for almost a week. Moving it live could take longer. Thanks for hanging in. Sherry

Tonight, I'm really happy. The forum is loading pretty quickly, I'm seeing some new faces posting.... And, yes, finally after several months, I can post on wifi. My data is turned off, and I'm posting from my favorite device, in FiOS 50/50 wifi, on my phone! Thanks, guys!!! Sherry

Off topic, but has posting from your tablet improved any? I haven't been able to post from WiFi in months, but recently, I can turn off data and post. I'm so excited about that, as my data drops to 3g after 2 gig, and I've wasted that on the forum in a week.... Thanks for the updates and photos. Not surprised that Oliver is taking care of your issues, and forward looking, but very glad, all the same. Hope you make it to the home port soon, and safely. It's been an interesting trip, following your adventures. Sherry

Karen, I think the solution to my oven problem is to just follow you and Reed around. That pizza is amazing. BTW, do you use the pizza oven for other items? Quiche? Meatloaf? Brownies. Thanks for the vids. You two have great stories to share, and we all appreciate them. Sherry

If we were looking for a lightweight, but sturdy, high altitude capable stove, I'd definitely look at the Partner. Great reviews from outfitters taking out big groups. I'd have to look at the price as an equivalent of our 40 year old PE Luke gimballed range on the boat. Handbuilt aluminum, except for the spiders, which are heat holding cast iron, and pretty much bullet proof as a stove. We've replaced hoses,cleaned burners, replaced the oven handle , and can't find a replacement oven thermometer, but gee. The Luke was built in 1976... What can I expect? FYI, camp chef makes a high pressure, also aluminum version, called the mountaineer x, I think. It's a little less. Not handmade in the US. For a few bucks more,and regular high altitude work, I personally would choose the Idaho made partner, but that's me. Camp chef makes some very well reviewed products. However, the portable products they make use a lot of BTu. In stoves, thats measured in consumption, not real world output/gain. Output/gain is determined by many factors, especially wind, however. A 20# tank is about 90k BTu, I think. If you size pans to burner size, and guard flames from excess wind, you're good with a lot of stoves. And Commanche, if you still have the vintage Coleman, I'd keep it. For sure. It's a great legacy item. Don't make them the same anymore, especially if you have the early Canadian build. Sherry

Wow, sorry to see that. Something I've not seen ever. My guess is, small crack or tiny ding , unseen, grew later. Give Oliver a call,though you probably already called. Vertical, framed glass is very strong and stable... at least, that's what my dad always told me. Like I said, I've never seen or heard of this before. I know you are close to home now, but safe travels.... Sherry

We've never been crowded at Meriwether Lewis CG. It's usually quite empty. Neal and Sheri at Fall Hollow get a lot of business from bicyclists on the trace. Even if you don't plan to spend a night with them, they'd probably give you the info on the roads. They're really nice folks, and I'd plan to spend a night there if you can. They're not expensive, and though the campsites are pretty open/unshaded, there are a number of hiking trails along the river that will get you shade. You just have to walk. Nice pavilion. Good food. Nice folks. Limited cell phone connection... Ok with me.

I'm sure all of you in WiFi range saw the monthly newsletter, which included an article on member Bell's Sweden built Omnia stove top oven. I was skeptical, til I went to YouTube. Dozens of vids of great products, with recipes, from the stove top oven. Unfortunately, the biggest group is in German, but if you can't read German, you'll probably still get the drift, with or without Google translate. All the campers we deliver to Alaska have little ovens, and I'd love to have an oven in my Oliver. But, nowhere to put one. Til now. Even so, I think I'd dig out the single burner camp stove from the emergency kit in the garage, and use it outside. I don't love sitting inside the camper on a beautiful day, even to make stuffed pizza... It's on the first pass, pricey. But, cheaper than a $600 oven above the fridge, and the install. And the probable problems with a big heat source above the fridge, which is why I gave up the idea of replacing my dead microwave with a tiny oven... Anyone used an Omnia stove top oven? Sherry

We don't often have the occasion to use city water. We fill and work from the tank. But, I turn off the water pump when we leave the trailer during the day, just in case. Just as you would turn off the spigot when leaving a full hook-up site.... Just a thought. I know it's a Max 30 gallons sprayed around if something breaks, but it would be a mess, anyway. Sherry

A lot to do around Iowa City. The Amana Colonies, Sullivan brothers memorial, Grant Wood Studio, summer festivals. Decorah, further northeast, is fun, and close to Lanesboro MN, an artsy outdoor community. Laura ingalls Wilder at Burr Oak is about two hours. Great shopping in Cedar Rapids. Great highways. Great people. Do watch your speed... Cameras around CR. The little airport between Cedar rapids and Iowa City is a real gem. I fly in and out of there a few times each year. Full disclosure... I lived in Iowa for eight great years. You won't find nicer people, and if you get out into the country, you'll find some beautiful farms and old barns, and vibrant little towns celebrating their heritage each summer, still. And if you enjoy it, though I don't, there are casinos nearby, as well. Something for everyone. Thanks for the memories, Don. Sherry

If we could add 4x4 to my truck, the Silverado, it would be our tug. So nimble, and so much fun to drive Seriously, I dislike driving Paul's bigger 4x4 ram. I can't see the front dropoffs, and I just don't drive it enough to get used to it. Really hate it on our skinny roads into Asheville . But, that's life. I work with it. Sherry

Ouch. I love 150/1500. My daily driver is a 2005 Silverado. I hope to keep it another ten years or more. I grew up on/ learned to drive in that class. Let's see what the new safety regs bring. The new Oliver isn't that much bigger than our 17... The only reason we replaced my Silverado was 4 x4 capability. The little Silverado is still our all time favorite, but it can't do hills and loose rock like the 4x4 Dodge ram.

I'm not a solar expert, but my thinking is battery capacity rules in non grid tied solar installations. At home, we are grid tied. Excess goes back into the grid. We can use and recover in low months, but we sized our system to our needs.duke power pays us back for excess at wholesale rates. I would be better to run an extension cord to my neighbor, than over size my rooftop panels at home.... If your batteries can support excess power, good for you. For us, 250 watts on the trailer is as much or more than we need, and can store. Granted, we have 2 group 27 batteries. You probably have a better plan. We charge laptop and phones in full sun, midday. And, I'm quirky, so I limit online time when we are camping. Actually, at home, too. I get tired of the forums using my data allowance.... Sherry

Since propane gas powered refrigerators have experienced problems, I think that's a good question. We rarely camp above 5000 feet. I'll look to others for good answers. Sherry

By comparison, when we deliver class b motorhomes to Alaska, we are lucky to average 10 mpg with the Ford Triton. I think the real mpg, if we could drive US speeds, would be 8 or so. But most of the drive is at slow speed, so better mileage. And better views, too.. ... One more year on the Alaska highway. Then I'm off to another continent. Unless, I am overruled....Lol. My ideal is next spring in Iceland. We'll see. Sherry