SeaDawg

Got a few more photos from Robert last nite. It's a work in progress! Sherry

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Your Oliver looks quite festive. Sherry & Paul

Here in Florida, we don't have many sub-freezing days... However, camping in North Carolina mountains, we've had a number of nights under 32, and down in to the twenties and high teens, with freshwater and grey & black around half-full each. No issues, since we didn't have hookups, and didn't have to worry about draining a freshwater line. I, too, will be interested in hearing about just how cold you can camp in an Oliver without winterizing. On nights where we expect sub-freezing weather, I leave the bathroom door cracked open a little (mostly for comfort on midnight trips to the potty), and we leave the furnace on the lowest setting at bedtime. Snuggled in the blanket,we're happy and warm, but then Paul is from Buffalo and I'm from Minnesota... so .... I think if we were camping and knew we'd hit temps in the low teens or below, I'd probably open the bathroom door fully, and take a lid off one of the seats to make sure the heat from the furnace circulated to the holding tanks. Of course, if we had water hookups, I'd drain the hose and disconnect. What do you think? Sherry PS We put an extra pillow next to the "stripper pole" at night. It does get very cold when the temps go down...

More photos of interior plug (I think). North South sleeping, bigger beds look possible, and a great feature in a longer trailer. See what you can see.... Raising the refrigerator up off the floor a bit with a cabinet underneath was an initial conversation. I'm trying to figure it out from these photos... Bathroom and original closet are to be about the same, I guess... But I think the dinette/big bed looks larger than our 17. So does the kitchen counter. Sherry

Phil, It's a little hard to tell from the plug and mold photos. I know there was talk of a couple different floorplans, increased interior height, and an extra closet ... whether that will be an option or not, I'm unsure. Robert will be back in the office next week, and I'll be sure to get more details. We were traveling home from NC when Robert emailed me the photos, so I didn't see them till over the weekend. I'm excited to see the bottom half nearing completion! I think it looks sweet. I'll transfer some more photos of plug and mold from email to photobucket and post so you can see what I mean. Sherry

Got a photo from Robert of the new frame for the Oliver 17 Sport model: He's out of town this weekend for family Christmas, so I'll have more details later when he's back in the office. There's a lot of activity at the factory, working on both the Sport and the 22. Sherry

We talked to Robert the other day to wish him Merry Christmas, and heard that the new 22 foot Oliver is well into production. The plugs and molds are done (a high tech group was in the factory last time we were there creating a digital image...), and the first prototype Oliver 22 is in stages, on the factory floor. Robert emailed me a few photos: I have a few more of plugs and molds for interior, if anyone is interested. Can't wait to see the finished product. I know they're shooting for Quartzite, still. Sherry

On a moderately overcast day,midafternoon, we get 4 amps or a little more power. On a snowy day, with three inches of snow on the panels, we registered less than an amp. We could have cleaned them off... but waited for snow melt. Depends on angle and sun, how you'[re aimed, your level of ambition to change the angle of the panels. All you can do is experiment with your setup in various conditions, and see what you get, so you can predict.

Thanks, Jonathan. We appreciate all you do.

DougI, Congrats. We loved our Silverado... and our daughter now loves it even more than we did, I think. We wanted the 4x4, as you now have. Glad you found the one you wanted! Sherry

We had such a good time playing in the early snow.... Here's a photo of our campsite the balmy day before... It was a beautiful, crisp sunlit fall day in the mountains.... followed by fun in the snow.

Back in late October, Paul & I camped on our property outside Asheville. In the early morning hours of October 28, we heard a little sleet (maybe) then nothing... then woke up a few hours later to a light blanket of snow. I posted the photo here, and last month on fiberglass rv. com.... Guess what? The moderators picked up the photo, and our snow-covered Oliver and lawn chairs are on the home page of that forum. Take look... http://fiberglassrv.com/ I'm glad everybody loved the photo... We so enjoyed the morning in the snow! Sherry

I like the "Hole in the Wall Gang", but am more partial to "Hulll's Angels". I can see some great tee-shirt possibilities with either of these names. Sherry

Thanks for the great idea. The LEDs make it boondocking friendly, too.

Mountainborn, looks like you're assembling a great little rally. We'd just love to be able to jump in and say "we're on board", but next April is a very tough month for us. We wish all of you a good time, and we'll be thinking of you! It's especially tempting since it's such a short hop to go up and visit Sherry's parents after or before the rally, but it doesn't look possible. You know if anything changes, we'll be there! Sherry & Paul PS Though walleye is our favorite fish, fresh caught catfish sounds awesome!

This must be one out of the way, gorgeous place. Every review (of 12) I read was positive, but no photos except for one postage stamp size photo of a railway... not sure if it's the same mountain. Congrats! Hope you enjoy your summer!

Doug, I love the slide out tray deal. Somebody (maybe Chuck/Tumbleweed) made something similar from plywood and rollers that I saw last year. I could see this being a very useful addition to the truck bed, if light enough to take in and out when we need the full bed for the ATV or hauling brush, lumber, etc. For us, the UnderCover tonneau is a better solution because the two of us can lift it off/put back up/ reattach in minutes, allowing us to use the truck bed for other purposes (carrying the ATV, lumber,plywood, mulch, etc., as we often do.) What we can carry is locked up, and out of sight. We looked at some molded fiberglass tonneaus that were beautiful, and some camper shells, but we often use the truck for a lot of ...well... truck stuff. We take the ATV with us to the mountains, and at home, the truck is a utility vehicle plus Paul's main transportation. The aluminum topper with toolboxes wouldn't work for us, but it looks nice, and rugged.

I PMd the Kiefers, too. Anybody else in Florida that week?

Doug, I wasn't in the market, but I did listen in. I think the sales rep said something about $600 and up for the mattresses to another customer. My luck, what I wanted would be much more.I don't know if he was talking about the hinged version or not, which would be the only real alternative for us to be able to get to all the components under the seats. I was curious because both the innerspring and the foam mattesses I test drove felt so good, and we're thinking about an Alaska trip in the next year or two. Three and a half or four months in the treailer, straight on, I might want a different mattress for "full-timing" (part-time at least). For our trailer, I've bought two mattress pads, one as a protector and a four inch "down alternative" feather bed topper. I put the regular mattress pad on top to keep from having to launder the heavy one so often, and I make up the bed just using the pads, not the cushions, as "anchors", except for the foot of the bed. It's very comfortable in this arrangement. Others have told me that an egg crate under a regular mattress pad was comfy, but I've never used an egg crate, so I didn't know if I'd like it. would certainly be easier to cut to fit for the small twins. Sherry

True to form, my brother called a few days ago to let me know that winter in Minnesota had arrived. For real. He had to break out the plow to get out of the driveway. Other earler, wimpier snows had melted with a little time and sun, but now, winter is here to stay. More to follow. Sherry PS Anticipating his January or February visit to Florida.

Doug, Depending on how long you're planning to be gone from home and what you want to carry, have you considered a hard tonneau cover for the truck bed? We have one on the half ton, and really like it. We also added a soft bed liner to the Dodge, so everything stays put, but we can slide it down from the front without a lot of effort. The bed liner is called a "BedRug", the top is a (relatively) lightweight plastic lid with locks on each side (can be configured for keyless entry fo more $, but we didn't) called "Under Cover" Might be just what you're looking for. Our tonneau came with hooks to mount in the garage when we don't need or want it. Paul & I have taken it off and stored when we had to pick up items that were taller than the truck bed, and we could manage it without problems. Kind of makes the pickup bed into a big trunk. Perhaps this would solve your problem, as it did ours, to store stuff out of sight and locked up without major changes to the truck. Our cost locally was less than the on-line price. Check the truck accessory stores near you. Just a thought. More expensive, and difficult to store/remove options, included a molded version which weighed too much for me to carry my end of the lid. I like this option. Tough & strong (either one of us can stand on it), and adding racks on top for kayaks, bikes, etc., is possible, but then you have the weight on the cover when you lift it to get to the stuff you want every day, like lawn chairs & etc. Our Honda 1000I fits under the cover, our Yamaha 3000 genset wont' quite fit. We still keep the genset chained to the bed, even under the lid. Sherry

We've found that our first pick may not have been available, but 2nd pick (or 3rd) was awesome. Let us know your dates, and I'll try to see what I can do locally, if you want DeSoto or something in Pinellas. As in many campgrounds, there are cancellations...and sometimes, as locals, we get a little edge by being able to show up in person at the office. Please pm if you have a timeframe. We're home most of the winter. Sherry & Paul

Larry, the comfy mattresses that I "test drove" at the boat show hinged so that the mattress could be folded over and access the storage under the port or starboard side big seat. I couldn't feel the seam or hinge at all. I'm happy with what we have, but thought it was a really interesting product.

Tom We'll find you some good spots! Please let us know when you and Karen will be in Florida. Time for a rally! Sherry and Paul PS Our Florida Gulfcoast is a beautiful place to visit. Fort DeSoto Park is not far from us... miles of beaches and great shell collecting.

Pete, Hope all of you have a great time at Matagorda Madness! Wish we could be there, too! Hello to Doug & Geneva for us, and of course, a hug for Oscar. Sherry