SeaDawg

Looking great!

Bummer about losing the tire. We discovered how valuable tire sensors are in one of our first trips with the Dodge 4 x 4, which has sensors. The sensor light came on, and Paul pulled of the road immediately. We found a huge bolt in our rear tire, but the local tire shop was able to repair it because we caught it early. Those big tires are pricey, and we were really happy. (Also lucky to find a tire shop where the owners spoke English.) After that, we installed a tire sensor system on the trailer tires. I have a thread on here from years back. We've had great customer service from them over the years. We do carry one spare sensor in case one fails. The factory swaps it out, but you have to send yours in to get the replacement. (Free under warranty, I think about $20 or so after warranty.) I also noticed that Northern Tool has their system on sale right now for only $99, but it has only two reviews. One five star, one 1 star... a real split there, and I've never seen it, so I can't recommend. At least Northern Tool has a good refund policy if it doesn't work out of the box. (And, if you buy something else for $1, there's a free $10 gift card on a $100 purchase.) Sherry

LOL. Wish we had a like button. How'd the smoked turkey turn out? We've done turkeys in a fryer, smoker, rotisserie, and the traditional home oven. Never tried the trash can turkey, nor the chain over open fire, but maybe one of these years. Hope everyone had a great day. Sherry PS We were at home, and did a traditional oven roasted turkey.

To all our friends, old and new, on the forum, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day! Sherry and Paul

As much as the tours are tempting, we love the Oliver we own. We'll probably be the guys on the forum ten years from now, telling you how great an almost 20 year old Oliver still works. (Ours turns 8 in three months.) Lots of miles, hundreds of camping nights, and we still love it like we did the first night in Alabama. Hope you feel the same, eight years later. It's a great little trailer, and a great little company. Sherry PS on our way home this year, we retraced much of our path of picking up the Oliver in February, 2008. Kind of nostaligic. The rocket is still at the Alabama welcome center on 65. The Oliver still towed great. 3rd tow vehicle, same trailer.

Linda, at 40 or higher, you really don't need to do anything. However, I lived in northwest Iowa, and southern Minnesota, most of my early life. If I were storing my trailer, even in a heated facility, I would winterize, just to be sure. It doesn't take that long to drain the lines and pump a little rv antifreeze through. Maybe 30 minutes in our Legacy Elite. We live in Florida, but leave our trailer in storage sometimes in North Carolina. If we are going to be gone after September, we winterize. (Obviously, in Florida, we don't bother...) Sherry

"Twist" (love the name) is going to be amazing. Just got home from a camping trip to NC and TN, and stopped by the factory. Wish I had known... I'd have asked to take a peek. We had a few tweeks done on our 2008. New water heater, and got to add the new "fender skirts." Love the look. We took a tour of the newest models. Great new ideas, and great execution, too. Truly beautiful. Hope you, too, enjoy thousands of miles of smiles in your new Oliver when it "hatches." Sherry

We probably had our trailer a year before I picked a place for the paper towels. Over the bed, it's out of range of the cooktop flame, and doesn't get in my way. Let us know how the popaplate works out. Looks like a cool idea.

We used wikicamps extensively on a camping trip in Australia. It's a crowd-based app, runs without internet access if downloaded, and the Australian version is great. The US version has only recently been launched, so it's usefulness as of yet is not as great. Hopefully, it will catch on here as it did "down under." Sherry

Aubrey, Your installation looks awesome. Love the solar. I like the idea of your water purification system, too. Thanks for the photos and info. Sherry

We don't have a pop a plate, but we attached our paper towel holder to the underside of the cabinet next to the stove, over the large dinette/bed. It has worked out well. Only the edge of the cabinet is curved. The bottom is flat.

topgun, that Camco pop a plate is pretty cool. I see they have some stack-a-plate options for real plates that would be great if you wanted to carry melmac or other plates, in a drawer, or in a cabinet. I use something similar for my dinner plates at home, in my drawers for china and dishes. I'm going to check into those next time we stop at a Camping World. There are a few (very few) microwaveable melamine dishes out there besides NordicWare. Zak makes some, though limited colors, they'd probably mix and match with some of their prettier patterns. I'm not crazy about corelle in a trailer, as it disintegrates into a zillion shards when it does break. Sherry

The EZE RV Gutter is truly easy to install. We were dry camping, so no hair dryer available (no power.) We set ours out in the noon day sun, and it worked fine to take some of the curl out of the loop of gutter. Most important, take your time and get the prep right. (Gee, isn't that the same with just about anything?) Clean, then clean again, the area where the gutter will be applied. I used alchohol,which cuts through the layers of wax, with a clean dry cloth, two times. Rubbing hard. Make sure everything is dry before you start affixing gutter. The rest is just not that tough. Make sure you have a stepstool, actually two, if you have a helper. We used the back of a toothbrush to smooth the gutter onto the hull after it was in place, but a thumb or any tool handle would probably work. Be patient, take your time, and don't peel off too much backing at once. Once it' s in place, the product should be where you want it to be. Paul used a pvc pipe cutter to cut the lengths, but a good sharp utility knife would likely work, too. Everything is holding up well. Still nice and bright. Get the bright white, not the other one that's kind of off white. I think it's been on a year and a half now. I'll have to look. I believe the adhesive attached is 3m vhb tape, and if it's not, it's a really good facsimile thereof. Sherry

Thanks for sharing your amazing photos with us, Steve. We sure hope to meet you one of these days on the road. The Ollie makes a really snug home for months on end, doesn't it? Sherry

We carry an old milk crate in the back of the truck with assorted cutoffs of 2x6 and 2x8 for leveling, freshwater hose, filter, and Harbor Freight heavy chocks. (I know, someone is saying yuck, hose with all that? We screw the ends together after draining. It's clean.) Many people carry a pressure regulator. If pressure is suspect, we just don't connect. And, we dry camp most of the time, so work from the tank, and 5 gallon containers. The stinky slinky resides in all its glory all alone, in a bag, in the bumper compartment, where it can contaminate nothing else. Other than what you think you'll really, really need to camp for whatever time it takes you to get home, keep the load light on the way in. You'll want bedding, a way to make coffee or tea, some dishes (maybe paper, maybe melmac...), a bit of silverware and a good knife, and pull out one small frypan and one small saucepan from your collection for starters. Then, add your clothes, some towels and toiletries. As you camp a bit more, you'll see what you really need. Stores are everywhere, including a nice Walmart in Hohenwald for just about any essential you forgot and need immediately . Have fun with it. And, congrats. You made a great decision when you decided to get an Oliver. Almost eight years now with ours, and it still looks and performs as it did when we got it. Awesome build and design, and awesome people. Happy camping.

Hi, We have the smaller Oliver (2008), but never felt the need for a range hood in the almost eight years we've been camping with it. The FanTastic Fan's location and power evacuate fumes and vapors from anything we cook, with ease. We, of course, in the smaller trailer, would never have room for a larger sink. If we have a big crowd (8-10) camping, I may move the dishwash station outside to a small table, next to the outdoor shower. Otherwise, with the two of us, and sometimes one or two tent campers, I'm happy with the sink size. I use a dishpan, and if we're drycamping, heat my dishwater in a teakettle to control the amount of water I consume just washing dishes. The Smev stove we have (which is likely the same they're using today), has plenty of btu on the bigger burner for saute, fry, boil, or heat water fairly quickly. The heat is concentrated, belying the real btu listing. I've used the same stovetop in a number of rentals in Alaska and recently in Australia, as well as our Oliver, and I"m very, very happy with its productivity. Then again, I cook a lot on the campfire. So, it's another personal decision. Maybe someone who cooks indoors exclusively will chime in with more pros and cons on that. Best wishes, and happy camping! Sherry

Congrats, and happy motoring! Soon going into our eighth year of towing our Oliver, and still happy that we made the decision to buy the Oliver after visiting the factory. Great little trailer, miles and miles of fun. We wish you the same. Sherry

We carry our computers in the truck with us when we travel. I have melmac dinnerware, and use unbreakable wine glasses and tumblers. The Strahl stemless wine glasses are great for the trailer and the patio. Made in New Zealand, have had ours for five or six years, and they travel very well. Still look new. The real key, as you found out in your previous stickie, is to pack things so they cant move around. In our Ollie, I use fabric Skubb boxes from IKEA, and a few old tupperware pieces, to contain smaller items in the upper cabinets. I carry heavy items low. My one skillet and one pot go in the tall drawer, along with lid, cutting board, foil, and a few other items. They nest tight and stay put. I keep my melmac dinnerware in suction cup trays designed for bathrooms, affixed to the back of the "kitchen'" area. Mine were from Target. They work great. I also use paper plates a lot, but for wood-fired steaks, i like real plates. Top drawer, with insert, holds cutlery, knives, flashlight, odds n ends. I use the bottom drawer for canned goods. I like to keep weight low, and lighter weight stuff up higher. I use a couple bins under the bed for storing clothes and extra gear. Our large dinette stays set up as a bed all the time. Since we don't often have power, I have a tea kettle and an old coffee carafe, and a pourover Mellita coffee maker that makes wonderful coffee. They ride in the sink when we travel. I use a Sterilite small dishpan in the sink, and that protects the sink from scratches, and keeps me aware of how much water I've used to do dishes, as well. You'll figure it all out as you go along. Keeping a system and knowing where everything is takes awhile, and then it all gets easy. Setting up and breaking camp is just minutes with our Oliver. I truly hope you enjoy your travels with your Oliver as much as we have enjoyed ours. We've seen places we'd never have gone with a larger trailer or motorhome. Tows great, parks easily, and we love it. Sherry

We replaced the original Norcold in our 2008 Oliver with the Dometic 2454 last year. We live in Florida. The refrigerator works in 85 plus temps. Cools faster on gas than electric, as I think is true of all the three way fridges. I usually start ours on electric in the driveway at home then it runs on gas the rest of the time we travel, as we rarely have hookups. We tend to chase the cooler weather, and camp a lot in the mountains, but it still gets hot at home, and on the highway. I usually run mine on 4 of 5, but ours is an older Oliver, and I think the install cavity is better insulated and vented on the newer trailers. I keep an electronic thermometer in ours with a readout in the trailer. Temps are fine, food lasts as long as it does at home. Like others, we keep a cooler with ice for beer and soft drinks. All the little fridges (including this one) tend to lose a lot of cool air when opened frequently for beverages, and you'll get more ice buildup around the freezer if the door is opened many times a day. Keep the refrigerator loaded so air can circulate freely, and don't block the fins below the freezer by jamming up the top shelf. Again, that's true of all the small refrigerators. Sherry

What would you like to know? We've owned our 17 ollie for almost 8 years, and love it. Working on 70 k miles towed, and very happy with the systems and layout. Two Canadian tours, almost all the Eastern US states, and a few of the states west of the Mississippi. Sherry

I don't know what an Anderson well leveler is. We do carry a few 2 x 6 cutoffs, and use those to level a bit from front to back or side to side before we deploy the jacks. We also use blocks beneath the foot of the jacks to shorten the throw, and help keep the foot from sinking in muddier or softer ground. We never like to use the full throw of the jack. Sometimes stack two or three under a jack foot in crazy unlevel sites, and always a few under the tongue jack. Some owners carry 4 x 4. Or 6 x 6 chunks., We never like to raise the tires off the ground, except when we actually had to change a flat in Quebec, when we picked up a huge spike somewhere... Love the power jacks. So much easier than manual.

Congrats! We wish you many, many miles of great camping adventures. Looking good! Welcome to the forum. Sherry

Stan, It was great meeting you and Carol, too. We also hope our paths will cross again one of these days. Have a wonderful trip! Sherry and Paul

Congratulations, Love the Cayenne, by the way. That will be a beautiful rig. Happy motoring! Sherry

Like Dave, our trailer has to bask in the harsh Florida sun unless we are camping elsewhere. Next February is 8 years, and the trailer still looks good. However, we do protect the gelcoat with cleaning, and a good marine grade was (same ultra 3m product we use on our boats, which also bask in the harsh sun 24/7/365, on or in the water.... We bought a tyvek cover for the trailer, and never used it. I figured I'd have more mold and mildew to deal with, and after we had the solar panels installed, it probably wouldn't have fit anyway. So, it is what it is. The good marine grade gel coat has lasted very, very well for us so far. Wash it, wax it with a really good Marine grade wax, and the gelcoat should be fine. That said, we don't often camp in subzero weather. I suspect you'd enjoy an out of the weather spot for the winter months, unless you just plan to get that Oliver out of the cold and head south.... Sherry