SeaDawg

I can see that, Dave. I only brought ours up because I didn't want a microwave in the first place, and my husband followed someone else's ideas. It was a complete waste for us, as we rarely camp with electricity, and our generator would never power a microwave. Everyone's habits are different.Many folks work the kitchen as you do, with premade meals for first or second nights. It's not a bad idea. I wasn't being critical, at all. Other friends use their microwaves a lot. Just not my habit, and I'm looking forward to a big cabinet in the kitchen when we delete the unused microwave convection oven that no longer works. Sherry

Pete, Wish we had a fb "like" button. Very clear explanation. If the drains get plugged, you'll get water inside in a decent rainfall. This is true of all trailers. Keep them clear. It's not that hard, just hard to remember till it rains. lol.

Most people, I think, pay cash from savings, or use an equity line on their home or stock accounts. Most likely, easiest to work with your local bank if not paying cash from savings or the sale of unused assets. Sherry

We carry the generator (a Honda 1000 to charge the battery) in the truck bed, under cover. With the solar power, we rarely need it, and don't carry fuel most of the time. What is your tow vehicle? I can definitely understand not wanting to carry fuel inside an suv. Most vehicles we've seen in the Yukon, Alaska, and Australia carried jerry cans in a roof rack. Or on a rear bumper of the trailer or campervan. The roof rack seems to be the prime spot. Sherry

Interesting item you posted on the RockTamers, John. I did find that info on the Australian RockTamer website. Haven't seen it in any of the installation material and vids on the US version, but I could have missed it. Here's the AU link: http://rvtowingsolutions.com.au/faq I see that the OZ version also has an optional mesh guard for between the flaps. I haven't seen that here, either. We loved camping in Australia (both times), and look forward to more adventures there. A very interesting array of campervans, caravans, tents, and totally amazing fold-out tent/trailer combos. The Australians love to camp, and are quite ingenious in their gear. Sherry

Pete, that looks like a great find. Have you emailed them? Sherry

That was an option back in the day (2008.) We have one. I used it two or three times as a microwave. Mostly used as a storage cupboard. (It died about a year or so ago, probably from lack of use. Now, it is truly a cupboard. I'm thinking of removing it, and asking Oliver to retrofit the space as a true storage locker.) Sherry

or something like this? http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/towing/accessories/rock-guards/kargard-rock-deflector.htm Or, maybe a group of us need to go on Shark Tank with the idea... made specifically for travel trailers

I wonder if this one from Roadmaster would fit? It might be worth a call...

Topgun, I roll just about everything too. Seems to keep everything neater and less wrinkled. I don't carry an iron in the Oliver. I also have some soft fabric bins from IKEA (Skubb, I think), for organizing the lockers. I've used them for clothing, and also for corralling boxes of cereal, crackers, chips, etc. in the big cupboards over the bed area. Since they flex, they fill most of the useable space. I've also found that Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Ross have lots of fabric bins in various sizes available now, and again during "back to school" days.

I just got a flyer in the mail for Camping World's 50th Anniversary sale. Some things aren't much better than their normal "sale prices," but a number of items are 50% off. 8 x 16 patio mat in win/cream or navy /light blue is only $49.97. Our eight year old mat is giving up the ghost, so it may get a replacement next weekend. The sale is January 15-16, in the stores only, members only. If you're a member, you probably received the same flyer. They're also running a buy one, get one free sale on certain items. Not always the first place I shop, but if they have items I need on sale, CW has a far greater selection in its stores than Walmarts. Sherry

Linda, I don't think you could run the heat strip during the day from the battery power. I think it would drain the battery--very quickly. Heat strips operate from major resistance. I've never run my furnace while driving. Don't know if it's recommended. I'd leave the trailer winterized til I got far enough south to avoid hard freezing weather. Use a bit of water from a gallon jug to flush if you use the facilities on the way down, as you said "dry camp". No point in pushing it, and creating problems in your travels. We don't fill fresh water when we come home from North Carolina in November, till we're in Florida. Have a great trip. Sherry

Looking forward to seeing you and Carol again in February, Stan. Hope you have a great trip. Sherry and Paul

Welcome to the forum! I'm originally from Minnesota (but tropical southern Minnesota... you know, the pineapple belt, a hundred miles south of you...) Lots of great camping in Minnesota, and just across the border in Canada, too. Several years back, we took our Oliver over the top of the lakes, coming back into the US in Minnesota. Grand Marais is a great place, especially in July. Spent some time with my brother in Brainerd, and near friends in Minneapolis, along with a few great state parks on that trip. Sherry

Beautiful new Oliver! I love the fabric you selected for the cushions. Looks really sharp. Happy travels, and many miles of smiles, in your new Oliver. Sherry

Mike, I'd put a film on my trailer any day before I opted for bedliner sprayed on my shiny white, eight year old Oliver trailer. Maybe I'd do the film if we took it to Alaska and drove the Denali highway both ways... We've driven that 100 miles of gravel twice in rentals, without incident, but we were in rvs, not towing trailers. We don't have quite as many miles as Pete, but way over 70k, and a lot of gravel roads in our rearview mirror. We slow down on gravel. We also have the big RockTamer mudflaps on the hitch, and they're pretty great. Sherry

Things have changed a lot since we started the forum. Facebook is a much bigger factor now. I don't visit facebook much, though. Thanks, for the link. Sherry

Merry Christmas (eve), We've towed our Oliver about 80,000 miles now, with the oem Bulldog hitch, and factory, standrd electric brakes. We normally tow with a half ton pickup (4x4 Dodge or Silverado), but occasionally with our Volvo xc90. The Volvo we feel, with the 2.5 , 5 cylinder engine, isn't the best choice of our "fleet", since we camp a lot in the mountains. Both trucks are older, but great tow vehicles, and take us where we want to go. if you decide to add a different hitch, and different brakes, I'd be interested in your experience. Most of us change up if our camping experiences doesn't work with the (highly varied) factory lineup we bought. As far as mods, we have a fairly extensive collection on the forum already. Some have been adopted, others not, others as an addon at additional cost. I will say that the Oliver folks are far more receptive than most in the rv world. But don't be disappointed if they don't get excited about ta new hitch, or new brake idea. You can always change it, for a fairly decent cost, and report back. If other owners haven't asked for the same mod/idea, they may be reluctant. The two you have posted about are fairly inexpensive changes, for you. Changing hitch or brakes for Oliver, would require, I think, some engineering (costplus time) involvement on their part. I don't work for them, so.... Maybe , maybe not. Bring up your ideas, if you like the trailer, and see what they say. And, you can always be the pioneer. We've been there. Sometimes, its cheaper to mod on your own, than ask the factory to do it. You'll just have to see what the outcome and response is for your idea. A one=off is always more expensive than a standard option. Sherry

Ruby, Two-sday? Sherry

Congrats on your new Oliver! What a great early Christmas present. We wish you many happy miles, and wonderful camping experiences. Sherry and Paul

Merry Christmas, Larry and Betty! And a very Merry Christmas to all our friends on the forum. Sherry and Paul

We'd love to do that some year, but have company coming into town that week. Sherry

"...rusting metal sticking up out of the harbor, with tiny droplets of oil coming to the surface, much like the remains of the Arizona was sobbing quietly in grief" Beautifully stated. Thank you for sharing the memories, and help us to honor this day. Sherry

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