SeaDawg

Congrats on your retirement, Mountainborn. I know they'll miss you on the force, but you've got some great adventures ahead! Sherry & Paul

During the commercials of "notting hill" tonite, we caught some minutes of a segment on catfish "grabbling" or "noodling" on another station. Yikes. No plans for that, I hope? Sherry

That's a good start. As for the Oliver, we've had our Legacy Elite weighed on certified scales. Net weight is just over 3500 pounds, and we have just about every option available, including solar panels and King Dome. Loaded for camping, with some water in fresh & grey tanks, and a full hot water heater tank, we weigh in at 3900 pounds or so, with an tongue weight within the recommended 10=15% range. Even with full tanks, which we carry sometimes for boondocking, the weight is spread out evenly over the length of the trailer. The tough aluminum frame brings down the weight, balancing some of the weight of the double hull, and allowing for more accessories, and still within the towing capability of a wide variety of tow vehicles. (We use three different vehicles to tow ours, depending on destination and who's travelling with us.) If you do a search , you'll find a thread on this forum with a number of owners reporting certified scale weights. The Sport numbers look like a basic trailer number without accessories other than a bathroom and kitchen. The Escape 17 you mentioned is a very lightweight, single hull trailer with traditional cabinetry and OSB board clearly showing in their photos. So light, that its roof will not support an air conditioner. The side mounted AC vents on the patio area occupants... I've never seen tongue weight documentation from an owner, nor an accurate scale weight on the other forums I visit from one of their owners. From what we saw when we were looking, published weight does not include much in the way of accessories from many manufacturers. Oliver has changed their website specs to reflect heavy accessorizing, as most of the owners choose a pretty full package. On another forum, I once found a list or an average of weights from a rally. I'll see if I can find it again for you. Scamp and Casita have increased their published weights over the years, but I don't know what accessories they include, if any. We had a lot of wiggle room, as our least capable tow vehicle has a rating of 4900 pounds. We've found that the balance, tongue weight, and aerodynamics come into play as much as weight. We lose a couple miles to the gallon or less towing on all our vehicles, very acceptable to us. I think that the rounded front and the cowl over the propane area make a difference. You can see that difference in the bug patterns when traveling. Good luck in your continuing search. I know it isn't easy. We looked at hundreds (literally) of trailers, and did the spreadsheets, too, finally narrowing our search to molded fiberglass trailers, before we chose our Oliver.... Sherry

Good question. Haven't seen the Sport yet, but the photos I have seen would indicate it probably has the same sized exit window.... Somedays, I feel "oversized", and it's a comfort to know I'd actually fit through the window in an emergency. Sherry PS From coversations with other owners, it looks like you'd be better off to start with the Elite, and negotiate out the price of the convenience items you don't want, as opposed to going the other direction....

As Chuck said, waxing (with an appropriate product) is important... twice a year for us exterior, and once a year interior to maintain the high grade, marine gelcoat surfaces of the Oliver. I keep a detailed mileage log for ourselves, to remind us of tire age and mileage, time to repack wheel bearings, check batteries, change water heater sacrificial anode, etc. The rugged aluminum frame of the Legacy Elite is virtually maintenance free, even in coastal Florida. Just like our sailboat, the Oliver is packed with other convenience systems... Dometic, Norcold, Suburban, Coleman, SMEV, Jensen... in A/C, refrigeration, furnace, water heater, stove, propane tanks, TV/Stereo, etc., that require periodic checks and replacements. Batteries, tires, etc., we maintain and replace as necessary. In our sailboat, now over 30 years old, the reefer's been replaced once, the water heater twice, propane tanks replaced several times, toilet one time, etc..... The molded fiberglass hull is still amazingly beautiful, maintained with care. My husband and I buy for the long term after thorough investigation. My van is 11 years old, following my 14 year old car. Our sailboat is, as I said, over thirty years old. Oliver has chosen the best available options for these systems, along with high-quality, higher dollar Sandvik plumbing fixtures, Bulldog hitch collar, etc. It's easy to use, setup, tow, and maintain. I suspect someone (hopefully, my daughter or grandchild) will someday be posting photos of my Oliver on a vintage trailer website, camping at Ft. DeSoto, forty or fifty years from now. Looking as good as it does today... Sherry

Welcome to the forum, noneoftheabove. Hope you have safe and happy travels as you continue eastward. Buzz on the web is, many analysts agree that Thor is in a unique position to ride these tough days out with their enormous cash reserves, even with their plummeting rv sales. Sadly, Thor posted their first loss in over a decade last week.... However, with competitors' factories closing across the country, Thor's still solid enough to help bail out some of their dealers with multi-million dollar loans. Personally, I don't think either Thor or Oliver owners need to worry about becoming "orphan owners" as has happened to so many others in the last few months. At opposite ends of the spectrum, both companies are diversified and in good positions to ride out the storm. For this, I am grateful, for we have met many of the wonderful people who work for Oliver in their several plants, and are happy for the diversified markets that Oliver serves in travel trailers, mobile homes, and bathtubs/shower systems. The commitment of a small skilled workforce shows in the quality of our little Oliver trailers. Sherry

DerangedHermit, You're welcome. I know a few dimensions you asked for, since so many people who have toured our Oliver had the same questions. Bed in the 17 is 54 x 75 full size bed. I use full size mattress feather bed, and mattress protector. Queen size sheets & comfortor for extra ease. Side table, is close to 24 x 24. Each small dinette seat is about the same... 24 x 24. The big dinette table is 54 x something.... about 2.5 feet (never measured it). Big dinette seats are, of course, bigger.... 25 x 54 or so, each. Shower area (the pan) is about 24 x 24, and is plenty. My husband is a big guy too... I don't know the dimensions of the total bath, and it's curved because of the hulll lines. My husband finds the head room in the shower comparable to the trailer salon, so he can stand up and shower. Actually, we often shower outside, since we boondock a lot, to save grey water tank space... In my parents' old 26 ft Winnie, even I had to sit down to shower, at the great height of 5 ft 4.,,. And I lived in that for one summer in my younger days. The kitchen counter in the 17 is small, but functional. I use a dishpan and cutting board over the sink to expand prep space at meal time. I don't like packaged food (I'm a farm girl...), and the two burner SMEV stoe is wonderful... best I've ever worked with in an RV. Very hot, fast, and efficient and easy to clean. Our Norcold refrigerator allows me room for 10 to 14 days of food... gracious plenty. Lots of cabinet space, as the full surround affords some very deep overhead cupboards. Every seat has storage beneath, molded inserts to keep that storage clean and separate from the working parts of the trailer below. Everything, I guess, is just bigger in the 22 .... More counter space, bigger bed, north south instead of east west. But, we already own the 17, and it suits us fine. Many happy miles to go.... Sherry

In anticipation of summer camping, especially summer mosquito and fly season in Alaska, I'm starting to research screen rooms. I know at least one of you has a screen room that attaches to the awning... anyone else? And, have any of you purchased separate screen tents or enclosures in the last few years? I've looked at the "popups" and the paha ques online. Obviously the paha que products look great, with great comments, but are pricier than some of the simple popups. I'm interested in how you feel about time to set up (we'll be staying only a night or two in many locations on the 4800 mile or so trip to Alaska), performance and stability in rain and wind, and how effectively they repel gnats/no seeums. Thanks in advance for your comments. Sherry

Derangedhermit, You'll find the floorplans in the brochure download, and specs in the specs download on Oliver's website. It takes a little while for the flooplans to load because of the graphics, I guess, on my laptop. "FB" means forward bed or bedroom in most of the industry brochures, as "RB" will mean rear bed, FK forward kitchen, etc. In the Oliver, the bed is always at the rear, unless you do the twin beds, because the entire interior hull is molded in two pieces, as is the exterior. (This makes cleanup so very easy... I use a spray bottle of vinegar windex and a soft cloth, and everything is clean in a matter of minutes.) I understand the new 22 has north-south sleeping, and a queen or king bed, which you taller folks might appreciate, along with the increased headroom. Unfortunately, I've not seen one in person, just photos. Our 17 has 6'1" headroom, a lot for a small trailer, but you'd have to decide on that at 6' 2". Most of the time in the trailer is spent sitting or laying down, after all. Not surprisingly, there are quite a few of us on the forum who looked at Airstreams before we chose our Olivers. Adding to what Cherie said, I don't think anyone in the industry, aside from perhaps a select few manufacturers of high-end motorcoaches can match the Oliver family in customer service and willingness to customize the trailer for your specifications. Other reasons for our choice over the AS were: fiberglass is much easier (and cheaper) to repair than aluminum, ground clearance, the all fiberglass gelcoat interior, and the extreme ease of setup at the campsite. It's very cozy in cold weather, as well. We love to take the trailer off the highways and into the mountains, and although not full-timers, we towed our Oliver over 17,000 miles last year, and loved every mile. It's a very easy tow behind any of our three tow vehicles listed in my signature. Sherry

Deranged Hermit, Welcome to the forum. Hope you find the answers to your questions here... Oliver builds a great little trailer. If you don't, ask away. We'll answer as best as we can. Cherie, I suspect you're correct... the most common color for the best insulation systems these days seems to be black. In our fiberglass sailboat, now 30 some years old, we've hassled with keeping the white vinyl liners glued to the inside of the cabinets and the aft "wall" clean from scuffs and marks, for all these many years. With the same issues of curved hulls and oddly shaped spaces, I see the black, sprayed on interior of the Oliver cabinets as sort of a plus. I can still see and clean the dirt, but the scuffs don't show so much. And, the vinyl liners of the boat separate and peel over time, unlike the sprayed on insulation used by Oliver. We're replacing all of the liners on the boat this year... kind of a birthday present for our old, but much loved boat. Sherry

Haven't seen the article yet, as we don't subscribe and it's not available on their website. There was a bit of discussion on the article on rv.net, quoting incorrect pricing. Anyone interested, the pricing is all on the olivertraveltrailers.com website now, on the spec sheets for each individual model. I'm happy to see some positive press for our Oliver friends. That's great!

That's entirely possible, Pete. And we'd love to have you and Oscar in the "caravan".... whenever we go. What's the deal on the plastic eggs on route 66 for 2010? Do you have some info on that in another thread that I have missed? Sounds interesting. And, wow, twin grandchildren. How cool is that? I'm excited for all of you! Sherry

Gas prices here are half of last year. Anybody else thinking that this is a good year for long distance travel... to Canada and Alaska? Sherry

Watching the weather reports around the country, I almost hate to say it, but our weather here is balmy. This is why I moved to Florida so many years ago. Today's high in the mid seventies, tonite's low in the sixties, it just doesn't get much better than the blue skies, light winds, and glorious sunshine. Many years, our January weather is the same. This year, unfortunately, we had a lot of cold weather, but warm conversation and lots of fun!!!

Nice looking installation, Larry. Did you use regular Velcro, or the industrial strength stuff? Sherry

Hi, Bugz. I'll look forward to your photos and posts this new season. Sure enjoyed your albums last year... especially the thread on camping in the snow in Hackberry. Have fun! Sherry

Cherie, Thanks for sharing the travel map. Don't know how our summer will unfold, but there's a chance I may be flying into St. Louis around Mother's Day, as I often do. I'll give you a call to see if you're in the neighborhood! Sherry

Congratulations on investing in your new "Nest Egg"! (I like the name, too.) Hope to meet up with you on the road one of these days. Lots of furkids in the Oliver family these days. Looking forward to photos when you pick up your Oliver... Sherry & Paul

We've been hurricane evacuees many times. Usually, to my mom or sister's house (at higher elevation, midcounty)... The alternate plan (north, past Georgia, maybe even as far as into MO) is always there.... Easier, now, knowing that we can tow a "house" behind us, with all the essentials in the TV. Insurance docs, deeds, tax records, essential photos, underwear for six days... blah on. Honestly, a few years ago, with predictions of a direct hit in our community, we left our house in coastal Florida, under duress of the sheriff announcing mandatory evacuation on a bullhorn by six (repeatedly, and loudly). I refused to leave till the final hour (ten hours later....) because, well... because. Consequently, we loaded all the important stuff early on, preparing for the mandatory six am evac. During the night, while everyone else slept a few fitful hours, I filled the last three cubic feet in the SUV with, well, junk. Trinkets. and well, more junk. I'm a tornado survivor (twice), and couldn 't sleep. I knew what it was like to grow up without stuff... photos, toys, etc. So, I fretted, sorted, and packed, having been advised that my home of twenty years would be underwater tomorrow. Was it dumb? Yeah. Will I know better next time? Maybe. I don't know. Those predawn hours were very emotional. I remember how I opened the closet door where we'd marked the heights of my daughter, my nephews, and their friends over the years.... many times. I even thought about taking said door off the hinges and taking it with me. With my back to my daughter at five forty five, ready to go, so as not to upset her, I cried a torrent as we left and locked the front door. Stupid? Probably. Stuff is stuff. A house is a house. It's not family, but it has connections. And, I was sure we were never to return to our home.... the only home our daughter had ever known. The home where we'd been happy, raised her, and hosted so many family dinners.. and more. So many memories. Hurricanes, though more predictable than tornadoes, still are "whimsical". About 2 in the afternoon, that devastating wind turned a little south, not much, sparing our home and thousands of others in our county. It turned into a far less populated area of Florida, still devastating, but taking the dreams and history of others (probably less prepared than we had been) with it. We were spared, but for a few branches and part of the roof, because we were a little bit further north. I felt relieved, but guilty, that others who were not prepared were now facing what I had feared. In the end, I knew that if all of us made it out, and safe, no "stuff" was really important. Thru the tornado years in the midwest, our family did fine without said "stuff" that we lost. Important stuff? None. Family? That's all that's truly important. Sherry

Since Pete has appointed (annointed?) me the queen of suction cups.... the outside suction hooks are awesome.... For holding: brooms, chair covers, outside shower towels... even my eyeglasses, folded over and perched on the hook. Occasionally, I've forgotten to remove them, and have been so surprised to see them still attached to the Oliver when we stop hundreds of miles later. (Can't say I recommend it... Just happened) As I have said, so very many times before, we love our little Oliver. We hope that both of you will feel the same way we do, a year--and 17,000 miles---- later... as we do now. We're soooo looking forward to summer trips in our Oliver. We have had great adventures, traveling and camping, and meeting wonderful people from this forum and others. It has been a blast. Sherry also known as... the queen of suction cups????

Kyle and Karen, Congrats on your new Oliver. Looks like you had a great time on your first trip. We wish you many more wonderful adventures with your new trailer. Sherry & Paul PS Love the fabric you chose, and the options. The interior shots are great!

Phil, Thanks for all the great photos. Makes those of us who couldn't be there almost feel like we were there, too. Looks like everybody had a good time.... We recognize a lot of faces in the happy crowds. Sherry

Wow. This world, which seems so very big, is really so very small. Don and Lin (vacationing from Maine), and their friend Connie (who moved from Maine to Naples) came to see our Oliver on Saturday morning. Over coffee, we chatted about the Oliver and our summer trips, including visiting my college roommate and her husband in Connecticut for the occasion of her oldest daughter's wedding. Hearing Alana's name, and the location, Lin asked her last name, and shortly, we were both stunned. Lin and Alana had been close friends in grad school, commuting and studying together, and Alana and I have been friends since we were both teenagers, though all of us have moved away to different parts of the country over the years. What started as a friendly look-see of our trailer became almost a "reunion" of sorts as we looked over the wedding photos of our mutual friend's daughter.... two friends of the same person in Connecticut, who had never met before, brought together by an Oliver trailer. Fate? Chance? Whatever. Life is amazing, and wonderful. Sherry PS Don, Lin, and Connie are so very nice, and fun to visit with. We hope to see them again soon!

We had a blast dry camping at the Tampa RV SuperShow last month. We met Paul's cousins for dinner, and enjoyed the show for two days-price of one- ticket. Touring the new entries to the market was fun,(as was last year's show), but we both felt we made the best decision last year when we chose to purchase our Oliver. We camped in the parking lot overnight, and had a lot of great conversation and fun over dinner with Paul's cousins. Most of our fellow campers were of the (Chuck's phrase) sunblocker type, as you can see from the photo. But we enjoyed the cool weather, and the company. About 40 curious people stopped by during happy hour and morning coffee to check out our little Oliver, which was fine with us. The show attracts a lot of really nice camping folks. We picked up a few tips on Florida campgrounds from some of the folks who took a peek at our camper... Oh, and Paul's cousin made a really tasty pot roast... What a treat on a chilly Florida night.

Jam49, That's a great link! Great info.... on campgrounds, host positions... just don't get lost in their forum. We'd miss you! Thanks for posting. Sherry