SeaDawg

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

Thanks for the videos. Many of us have the old (rusted) heritage versions. Just need to camp by a lake with rock salt, a brush, oil, and time, now..... Hope you and Betty are doing well. We miss you. Sherry

I'd say the draw is likely about right... If you don't turn off the power to the trailer completely, something draws at least a little... refrigerator, fan, smoke detector, etc. 2% overnite isn't a huge loss, in my opinion, if you get to 100% during the day. Hope you and Carol are doing well. We enjoyed meeting you. Sherry

It's pretty easy hour and half to two hours from Nashville. Are you flying in the day before? It's a pretty drive from Nashvilles west side down the Natchez Trace parkway to Howenwald, but about 20 minutes longer. Worth it if you have the time. Even if you don't stay there, check out the Opryland Hotel. The grounds are amazing. Downtown Nashville is fun with great music everywhere in the restaurants and bars. A different band on each level, all day long, in many places. Howenwald is a great little community. Junkyard Dog is our favorite for lunch and dinner. The Mexican restaurant isn't fancy, but pretty good, especially the Chile relleno. The folks at Oliver are wonderful. You will love your time there. I am sure. Sherry

I like winterbeach modern, and toto fabrics, both online retailers of high-end, commercial fabrics. Many have the crypton finish, often used in office, hospitality, and medical environments. We bought our trailer fabric from winterbeach 7 years ago, and it still looks like new, 60000 miles later. Redid our boat cusions with fabrics from toto, a print in a crypton finish, and an ultraleather on the salon settee cushions, with coordinating throw pillows, about four years ago. They sill look new, too. Sherry

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your new Oliver. We've camped in Lamoine, and loved it... So much nicer than the crowds at Acadia. Lovely scenery, shoreline, and pretty tranquil when we were there. Happy travels. Sherry

We have two solar panels, and follow the cool weather. We carry a Honda 1000 for charging the battery if we hit a stretch of rainy weather that we can't drive out of. In 7 years, and over 60,000 miles of camping trips, we've used the AC a handful of times. Even less on the microwave. Just to give you an idea of our camping style, we spend most of our time in state & national parks, COE campgrounds, and our private camping property in the NC mountains. It all depends on your camping style. We'd rather camp at a higher elevation than run AC, and solar is silent. So, no basket for us. I think you could easily add it later if you find it's necessary. Just my two cents. Sherry

Hope you enjoy beautiful Connecticut. We'll miss you again. Won't be in New England til next week. Sherry

So happy for you! Do enjoy your time in and around Hohenwald. It's a great camping area, and the folks in Hohenwald are among the best!.. Happy travels! Sherry

I think the key words you keep seeing here are "marine" and "boat" products. With the marine grade fiberglass gelcoat, we've always used the same quality products we use on our fiberglass boats. Inside and out, 3M Ultra marine paste wax. Once every year or two on the inside, two or three times a year on the outside. Our trailer lives outside, no cover, just like the boats, and still shines like new. The wax on the inside might not be necessary, but it seems to me it keeps the gelcoat nice and shiny, and easy to clean. For general cleanup inside, a soft cloth and water takes care of most. Vinegar windex eliminates handprints, etc. Sherry

Happy motoring, and safe travels. Wonderful adventures await you!

Looks awesome. My microwave just died after seven years... Probably from lack of use. I think we'll replace it with a cabinet. Thanks for the ideas. Sherry

Love the microwave door. Is that cork? It's a great look. I like your color scheme, as well. Great looking interior. Sherry

Very cool, DCKiefer. Does the uv come on only when you use the water? Have you found it heats up the water much? What brand did you use? Are you tired of all he questions yet? Sherry

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