SeaDawg

Thanks for that information. I'll keep looking, too. Sherry

We've had the original Legacy for seven years. My husband is also around 5 ft 10, and the interior height is good. Shower, too. No issues. The biggest difference I can see for us in the bigger Legacy II and the original Oliver is the bed size and configuration. I would love to have the king sized bed of the bigger new trailer, but the rest of the trailer suits our needs, so we will stay with what we know and love for now. We have ample storage for what we carry, either in the trailer for everyday use, with the big overhead cabinets, and the drawers and closet, or, in the truck bed for the items we don't want in the trailer, or don't use at every stop. I hope you will get a chance to take a look at one of the original Olivers in the west. We've taken several trips of 60 days or more, and have been very happy with our Oliver. (Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the larger new ones... they're beautiful. We've seen both the king and twin configs in the new trailer, and they are very, very nice.) What's true with Oliver is whichever size you pick, the build quality is the same great standard, and the customer service is amazing. We are still welcomed as old friends in Hohenwald, seven years later. Paul and I are so happy we happened upon Mountainborn's youtube post in the early days. We were about to buy a Casita, but went to visit the factory in Hohenwald in early 2008.. The rest is happy camping history. Sherry

Gary, did you go into Canada on 93 at Roosville, northwest of Glacier NP? I've heard there can be a 3 to 4 hour backup at times at that port of entry. Curious as to the best route after Glacier into BC or Alberta. I'd hate to lose half a day's drive sitting at the port of entry. Rereading your post, it looks like you may have left Glacier on the east side. Correct? Sherry

Normally, we'd be in NC that time of the year. But, we have a wedding in New England to go to in August. We'll see if we can catch you on our way to New England. I loooooove the Parkway. Sherry

Routlaw, I'd have to say I only notice sway when we do not deploy the jacks. As quick as it is, if we're just overnighting, we often don't bother to unhitch and deploy the jacks. Then, I feel some sway. Not noticeable with the stabilizers down, imho. We use the 2x8 or 2x6 blocks to give us a greater surface against gravel/mud, and to avoid using the total throw of the jack. We don't like to take the jacks to the absolute limit, and I think our jacks on the older 2008 are a little shorter, anyway, than the new trailers. Sherry

Camping in the mountains on a regular basis, and also two very long trips in Canada, we've done quite a few gravel roads. I'm sure you also drive slow on the gravel, but still, chips can happen. We picked up a thick coat of red clay, and a few small chips in the gelcoat, on one long stretch in Canada, even with the RockTamers. I don't really care for the idea of bedliner on my trailer, though. I think if we were planning on heavy gravel road travel (like the Denali highway?), I'd look at a removable heavy film used on vehicles and boats for protection while being transported, or possibly applying the new 3M product, 3M9000 Paint Defender. Paint Defender is a spray-on, removable clear plastic shield for the automotive world. I don't know if it's recommended for fiberglass gelcoat, so a call or email to the manufacturer would be in order. It's applied over a coat of special wax to aid in removal.http://3mauto.com/paint-defender-spray-film.html Anyone ever tried it? Sherry

That was an ingenious solution to your problem, dstr8. Our 2008 Oliver has a Scandvik faucet/shower with the cutoff. I don't know what the flow rate is, but I doubt it's much more than 1.75 gpm, and probably much less. Maybe I'll measure it one of these days. We've used flow restrictors in a number of our home showers and faucets. Home Depot, Lowe's etc. carry inexpensive NeoPearl kits that fit most showers and faucets, but not all. I've ordered others online. Residential shower heads today usually are stamped or labeled with the gpm, which is really helpful in choosing a shower that fits your conservation style. I don't know if that process has carried over to the rv and marine world, however. Years ago, I added a cutoff to the kitchen sink. It's a little gizmo that replaces the aerator, with a long pin attached. To operate the kitchen sink, I turn on the water, but have to touch the pin to actually get water flow. Beats trying to turn off a slippery faucet knob with soapy hands. I got ours at Home Depot in Asheville, but I don't think they carry them anymore. I bought replacements at an rv show. I think I posted a photo years ago. I'll look for it and add a link. Here you go: http://www.instant-off.com/ Sherry

The jacks are awesome. We still carry some 2 x 8 cutoffs to stack under the jacks for extended throw. Our jacks in the older models may be shorter, I don't know, but we don't like to take the jacks to the limits. So much nicer to touch a button than crank, crank, crank. Sherry

Seadawg... We're sailors. And Paul worked at sea for a long time. It's a family nickname. Sherry

Welcome to the board, Ed & Marsha, The Midwest has some beautiful camping spots. We did about have the great River Road one summer. Loved camping in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I've been in Florida for a long time, but lived in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas before moving here. I miss the open spaces and big sky, but can't say that I miss shoveling the white stuff in the winter. Hope you get to see an Elite II soon. They are beautiful. We've enjoyed our Legacy for seven years this month, and I think it still looks pretty close to brand new. The fiberglass is so easy to maintain. Sherry

We've loved our Oliver 17 for 7 years, 60,000 plus miles, and countless camping nights. If we can help with any specific questions, just ask. Sherry

I don't think all the truck manufacturers have yet adopted the SAE tow rating standards (pretty sure several have not, actually), though Dodge Ram has, and Toyota Tundra adopted it years earlier. I'm not sure at all about the SUVs. I'd ask about the documentation with the dealer if I were looking for a new vehicle right now. Most new trucks have a pretty nice, car-like setup, and a decent ride. But they're a lot bigger these days than they used to be. Today's equivalent of my 2005 Silverado seems enormous to me. Several of the manufacturers are coming out with smaller models of trucks again, and I'm glad to see it finally happen. We really enjoy the extra cargo capacity of a truck with a bed topper, and the four passenger capacity of our Ram 1500. My daily driver Silverado used to be our tow vehicle, and we loved it too, as a tow vehicle, but with only two seats, it was a bit limiting if we wanted to take a passenger or two along to dinner. We're looking forward to a smaller, four passenger diesel pickup in the future. The Ram is 7 years old now, and going strong, so we can wait awhile for the US vehicles to try to catch up the the European and Australian versions of smaller, tough, economical we've seen for years. If I were looking today, I'd probably look for a used pickup like my Silverado or Pete's Taco, or one of the newer smaller pickups, with a good bed cover like our UnderCover. Sherry

Welcome to the board, and congrats on your decision to purchase an Oliver. We love our solar, and how it helps to extend boondocking time.Making our own power also allows us to choose sites without hookups in state, provincial and doe parks, which are often nicer. Or, just good leftover sites because we rarely make reservations when we travel. If we had to choose again, three things I would leave off: the microwave (can't use it because we mostly camp without hookups, and don't use the one at home very much), the quick connect/disconnect for bbq (because we primarily cook on the fire, and often don't even take the bbq grill with us anymore), and the KingDome (cancelled the satellite service after the first year, and never looked back.) I like the antenna idea a lot. We bought a small flat internal antenna just to be able to pick up the local news and weather. Everyone has a different camping style, so my recommendations might not be as helpful for your style. I'd say when in doubt, pre-wire, and add later. Sherry

If you do decide to travel Florida, make sure to pm us. If we are around, we'd love to meet you. We are not far from Tampa. Sherry.

Google says you're 46 and rain right now. Hope your weather improves. it was chilly, but sunny, around 66 here awhile ago. Wishing you safe travels. Sherry

Welcome to the board, Steve. The Ollie is a great addition to your lovely classic travel family... the bus, the Mooney... Wishing you many happy travels. Ask any questions you may have. We're here to help. Sherry

Moving right along, aren't you? Happy travels. Looking for your reports along the Dixie Highway. Sherry

Hello, and welcome to the forum. Sherry

Honestly, Tom, there were more campers this year than I can ever remember at the SuperShow. However, I didn't see much in the way of new and revolutionary. I was curious to see the tiniest molded fiberglass camper, the Little Guy MyPod. Basically a bed on wheels, it looks like a stasis pod from a scifi movie, but on wheels. Perfect for someone moving up from tent camping, I guess. The sales rep said they were mostly sold to people who wanted to tow with a super low capacity tiny car, or a motorcycle. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAHLvQHTMk I was also pleased to see that Little Guy has brought the T@b trailer back. I always thought they were a cute design, and LIttle Guy has upped the craftsmanship and layout possibilities. They also make a smaller, "crawlin" version called the T@g, again for folks with practically zero towing capacity, but some creature comforts available... even an outdoor kitchen available. Our neighbors are looking for something really, really small, so I picked up brochures for them. Another brand that was featured, same concept, but no kitchen available, was manufactured in Florida. Sherry

I agree, Steve. Or, just figure out a way to apply some backing in an area to allow use of the table support. The support and the tabletop are sold separately, anyway. I picked up one of the new fibergranite tabletops that Oliver is making for the new models. Sooo light. And so attractive. I love it. Our back tabletop is so heavy that I have a real struggle moving it around by myself. Maybe next year's Christmas gift to the trailer will be new tabletops. Sherry

I know you're looking forward to your pickup date. On the login issue, check to see that the box "log me in automatically on each visit" is still checked when you log in. If it's checked, and you're still having problems, clear your cache, and try again. Ice chest is a big help when we're camping. Beverages stay cold, within reach, as we usually keep the cooler outside, and saves a lot of refrigerator space. We also have a big orange water dispenser from Home Depot that we keep outside. As the ice melts, it becomes cool drinking water. Neither item is necessary for a trip of a few days, but for more than that, it's really helpful. And especially when we camp with tenters who have no refrigeration. On the way home, empty coolers just become storage crates Sherry

No problem. We were happy to bring it with us, as we had planned to visit with you. Great to see you and Betty again, too! Sherry

Dave, this is the water bladder we carry. We bought it several years ago, and I think it was on sale for forty or fifty dollars. I would not try to carry it rooftop as the photo shows, unless I were driving three miles an hour in a campground, level ground. It has worked very well for picking up water in a park, driving home with the bladder in the pickup bed. http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/Portable-RV-Fresh-Water-Tank-45-Gallon/1605/&?&affiliateid=5193&gclid=CN3e56SlksMCFURo7AodgQQAJg I see it's a bit more expensive these days. Sherry Here's our 2008 post after using the portable tank/bladder several times:

Nice detail. I like it. Sherry

Dave, The water bladder we carry is empty, unless we need it. Looks like a crib sized water bed mattress. If we need to refill the fresh water when boondocking/drycamping, we put the bladder in the pickup bed and go to a freshwater source (usually a local park), and fill it and use the switched-over pump to refill the tank in the Oliver. I'll look for the thread where I show how we do that... I posted some photos five or six years ago. There is a switch on the pump system to make it easier to fill from a tank or bladder. And, you're so right... there's an amazing amount of storage in our trailers. It takes awhile to figure out where to put the things you use every day, and where to store lesser used items, etc. I just follow the same principles I used in my dad's rv and trailer, and in our sailboat... heavy items low, light items high, and it all finds a spot.\ Sherry