SeaDawg

God speed, and best wishes to you and yours. You'll beisdrd as part of the Oliver group. All our best. Sherry and Paul

God speed, and best wishes to you and yours. You'll beisdrd as part of the Oliver group. All our best. Sherry and Paul

God speed, and best wishes to you and yours. You'll beisdrd as part of the Oliver group. All our best. Sherry and Paul

God speed, and best wishes to you and yours. You'll beisdrd as part of the Oliver group. All our best. Sherry and Paul

Boiling water in the trailer, on the gas ring, is not a big deal, for coffee. In cool months, it provides a minor amount of welcome heat. In the summer months, with open windows, it's an unnoticeable difference to boil water. I use a pourover cone, and we love the coffee. We almost never have electric hookups, so I'm prejudiced. Sherry

Thanks. Our home locks do give us a warning on low battery. Perhaps not the same on RV locks?

We have run our ac unit twice, that I can think of , in nine years, other than testing in the driveway. That said, I'd certainly run the necessary wiring,bfor rooftop installation, if I were to eliminate it, for resale. We never know what changes life brings

We're still mulling some ideas and options. Other than our four winter days here lately, it's just been too nice to think about leaving Florida. We may go to Alaska again in may and June. Three years in a row... But if we do, we will take another different route in the US part. Of course, several weeks in NC, our favorite. October will find us in beautiful western New York for a wedding. Might think about going north into Quebec and New Brunswick before then. We'd like to run along the north side of the St Lawrence this time... But many campgrounds close up there mid September.and the Catskills and Adirondacks can be quite rainy and cold in the fall. We'll see. Sherry

I love my induction cooktop at home. Instant response to temperature adjustments, highly controllable like a gas range, but easier to clean. It uses 220 power, though. I'm sure that's part of the limitation on the 120 portable units. Pete/bugeyedriver cooked everyone an awesome breakfast on his little portable one morning when we camped together. Biscuits in his little electric convection oven, too. It was worth the generator sound, for sure. Sherry

Yes, occasionally, the local Ace is 10 cents higher on a fitting, but often not. And three miles closer than depot or the blue box store.

Well, not often, but I have to tell you, I love my local Ace hardware. They have just a few of what seems like a zillion items. It's my go-to to spot for just a few metric stainless screws or bolts, a short length of PVC, an odd fitting I need right now... And, I don't know about your local Ace, but the guy who runs the electrical section in mine is a retired electrical engineer who had helped me on numerous occasions. So glad they're still in my neighborhood. Sherry

The small 12v swing arm we used in Australia drew our battery down very little, even on two night stays, with a single group 27 house battery, powering lights, as well. As we had no heater in the camper van, and a diesel no fan heater in the other, can't say that anything but lights and charging phones and tablet drew much else. We were warned at pickup that we would have to plug in at least every other night to maintain the battery. We found that to be false, as we camped three and four nights in a row with no power or solar in the camper van, without running the battery down to an unsafe level. We did have an analog type guage, never showing less than 12.5. The refrigerator ran intermittently, not all day. Outside temp was certainly a factor, as was how often we opened the fridge door. I was careful to check the guage several times a day. Mind, this was a hatbox size refrigerator, but still had a freezer compartment capable of making ice twice a day, and holding several frozen items. Freezer was about half the size of the domestic. Fridge a little over half the size. Sherry

We have a little guy at home, but don't carry this great ladder on the road. We carry just a small folding three step ladder... Helpful for reaching items in the truck bed, or cleaning windows. Steve (scubarx/outlaw Oliver) has a great telescoping ladder he carries in the closet. Maybe he'll chime in. We've always been able to borrow a taller ladder if we needed it... Which was once, I think. Sherry

Btw, overland, which brand 12v did you select?

We've never owned a danfoss or swing arm compressor 12 volt refrigerator, but have used them in rentals in Australia, and were very happy with the results. Ours used very little battery power. Very common in the boating g world as well. I'll look forward to hearing your comments after you've used yours for a year or two. As for our 3ways, I have found the separate cooler for drinks to be very helpful. I also organize the 3way the same way all the time... Lightweight stuff on the door, leave breathing space near the fins, produce near the bottom, in plastic containers to minimize freezing lettuce, etc. I go into the fridge only a handful of times a day, if possible, to avoid dumping cold, and taking in humid air which hastens the ice buildup. Btw, Reed, Oliver trailers have always had the plastic vent grates. Never had a problem with the hinge. (But then, I don't put heavy items items on the door, and use the counter, not the door, if I need support to get up off the floor on days when my knee acts up.) The bottom tray Reed mentioned would be nice when defrosting and cleaning, too. I use a dishpan, but it doesn't catch everything. Sherry

I'm so sorry, Buzzy. A home without your dog is just so quiet and lonesome. Our four-legged pals bring an abundance of joy to our lives. Sherry

John, thanks for the link. I love vintage trailers (though I love the modern amenities of our Oliver!) Isn't it fun to see how everything old is new again? The poptop teardrop could be a precursor of the Safari condo Alto. The campinia must have been an early relative of the T@b... Tabbert waggenwerks? At any rate, a great way to use a few hours on a chilly winter night.. Sherry

Timing is good... It follows modernism week in palm springs, when special events geared to fans of mid mod architecture and design include special small group tours of mid mod homes. http://www.modernismweek.com/event/249690/ Fans of mid mod homes and trailers could spend a couple weeks there...

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new Oliver, from Florida... Happy travels!

We've camped at Pickett's landing, too, though it was several years ago. Nicer and bigger campsites than Fall Creek falls, but fewer amenities for the non campers. The Ozarks were fun when I was a little girl, but that's decades ago. Too much like Branson now for me, minus the abundance of major entertainment. Too much traffic. We move through there, and on to a coe camp.. If you're thinking about the Ozarks, I'd look at Ouachita in Arkansas. Beautiful lake, a number of campground choices, and not as crowded in may. Nor, as commercialized.weve been to several CGS in that area, state, private, and coe. Nice people, for sure. Snakes in the lake not in abundance, probably, in may. Send Larry a pm here, or tag him as Mountanborn on Facebook. That's his stomping ground. He's been to just about every good place in that neck of the woods. Sherry

I don't know how long it's been since you've seen Fall Creek falls SP, but it has it all.... Huge campground, cabins, hotel rooms, pavilions, amphitheater. We attended a free and awesome bluegrass concert there on a weekend night. That said, camping sites are smallish, and not a lot of privacy. It's pricy compared to a lot of Tennessee state parks, because of the many amenities... Buffet breakfast, restaurant, etc. But, it affords a lot of handicap accessibility, too. A number of years ago, we, too, heldva family reunion at Letchworth in new York. One of our very best gatherings. some stayed in campers and RVs, some in cabins, some in the rental homes, others in nearby hotels. All 75 or so of us enjoyed the cookouts in the rented pavilion. It was great. Sherry

Btw, we've seen some of the Aussie extreme campers, as well as a few German built extreme campers, and the California built xp truck camper, which is amazing molded fiberglass, and unbelievably expensive... Several Times more than an oliver. Those vehicles, built to go Patagonia to the Arctic circle, are pretty much bulletproof proof, but even tinier than our small elite I. Not for me. I don't like truck campers. Hat said, truck campers dont have rear tires kicking gravel on the front face. I've read some of your posts. If you want to take an Ollie totally off road in the Yukon or Alaska or similar, you'll want to protect the glass. We have a few minor chips, even with rock tamers and protection. I know you're aware of that. Did you ever find a USA source for that great rock guard someone posted about last year with the full flap? Sherry

Nine years with ours in February. We have replaced the norcold original refrigerator with a domestic. If I had it to do over, I'd have replaced it with a danfoss compressor marine type refrigerator, but we needed a fridge... Next time. And chances are, some time in the next two decades that we hope to keep camping, we will need to fix or replace the domestic... We replaced the original Atwood water heater with a Girard instantaneous. Our choice. Happy there. The original microwave is dead, probably from lack of use. I think I used it three times? We rarely have AC power hookups. Was dumb to order one in the first place. I plan to replace it with a cabinet one of these days. All other systems are go, after almost nine years. Oh, the shroud on the AC unit has some cracks, which we covered with permanent tape, but our unit sits in the sun 24/7/365. I'll order a replacement shroud sometime this summer. By this time, in a sticky, with our miles on mountain roads, we'd be past done on loose cabinetry, leaked EPDM roof, etc. We have delivered brand new RVs that rattled like crazy, and had loose screws rolling on the floor on smooth highways. That said, an Oliver is a high price to pay per square foot, and I'm sure there will never be a slide. (Have to say, I like slides when they actually work, and don't leak, or allow major dust intrusion, or freeze you out at night when it's a bedroom slide, uninsulated, hanging out in freezing air.. I've experienced all the above.. What we got, what you will get, is an incredible handmade, US product, plus an incredible caring US company that does stand behind its product. Tennessee is a long drive for you, but there is so much to explore within a few hundred miles. Worth the trip, if you encounter something odd you can't fix yourself. We go back every year or two or three just to check in, revisit, and see what's new. Good luck on your decision. It's not easy. Sherry

No experience with the Elite II. We have towed our 2008 Elite I with a Volvo Xc90, a short bed Silverado, and the most miles with our current Dodge Ram 1500, a 2008 4wd. We have weighed our trailer and tongue, long ago, at a cat scale. All the vehicles are up to spec. Best towing experience in the mountains is the Dodge. The Volvo was just OK, and wouldn't want to do any challenging mountains with it and the trailer, honestly. The 2005 Silverado was the most nimble, and fun, but no 4x4 , and only two seats. Hence, the Ram. Sherry

Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2017 to you, as well. And, the same to all our Oliver friends. Sherry