SeaDawg

Tom & Karen, We're so glad to hear from you, and happy to hear your travels were good from here to home. And, we're so glad you chose to come to Ft. DeSoto. After all the forum conversations and the phone calls, it was a true pleasure to meet both of you (and Suzy, too) in person. We hope that you'll plan another visit in our neighborhood soon. We had a great time. Only sad we couldn't continue on with you and Chuck & Geri to Anastasia.... We're very fond of the St. Augustine area. Wish we could have contributed better, more normal weather for your visit. Though the conversation and fellowship was warm, the air around the picnic table was certainly cooler than we'd have anticipated here. This week, my brother & his wife (from northern Minnesota) have enjoyed three days with record highs (instead of record lows as we experienced during your visit).... Thanks for the info on the SC campground. I've read about it, but never talked to anyone who had actually stayed there. Sherry & Paul PS We also agree with Karen... isn't it amazing the variety of people who choose Oliver trailers... and yet seem to have some common, intangible "shared thread". We treasure all our new Oliver friendships. Sherry

Do you mean this one: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... 921x00003a Do you use it inside the Oliver, too?

Chuck & Geri, Glad you made it to St. Augustine before the rainbands moved through Pinellas and Pasco counties. We had tornado warnings here and in all the surrounding counties tonite (odd this time of the year). After a beautiful, calm and sunny day, the temps are moving downward, and the winds are gusting with the rainband movements. Still, it's in the 60's on my patio thermometer. Just feels colder with the damp wind. Hope you have a wonderful time on the east coast. Tomorrow promises to be a bright and sunny (though cooler) day here. Wishing you safe travels and clear weather... Sherry

I read the thread on the other forum that included the "lifesaver" comment. The molded tire cover on the Oliver reminds me more of a Lincoln than a Lifesaver, by far. The cover is clean, sleek, and protects the tire and wheel from all the element. Unlike the "other" naugahyde or vinyl covers (from other manufacturers or after market sources) that flap around and get dirty within a year, the Oliver spare tire cover, with its shiny gelcoat, cleans up like a dream, just like the rest of the trailer, with each quick wash. The Oliver's marine grade gelcoat exterior is awesome. Sherry

Welcome to our forum!. Although the Burro and the Oliver share the double hull concept, I don't really think there is much of a resemblance in appearance between the two brands. For example, the only (few) Burros I've seen have a seam on the longitude, not the latitude, when joining the multiple parts of the double hull. (The Oliver joins the halves at the belly band, not through the vertical center of the trailer, bisecting the roof, etc. as in the Burro.) The belly band attachment, used by most modern fiberglass trailers, allows for cleaner, more symmetrical installation of rooftop appliances such as fans, vents, A/C units, etc., as well as other structural advantages. The exterior and interior finishes of the Burro and Oliver are quite different, as well. The Oliver design is quite unique, and not a copy of any previous trailer, in my opinion. That said, all molded fiberglass trailers share some characteristics. Sherry

What a fun week this has been! Three Olivers at the amazing Ft. Desoto Park in Tierra Verde FL, then four Olivers at Withlacoochee River Park near Dade City... and it looks like at least part of the group gets to continue on to Florida's beautiful east coast. We had so much fun with Tom & Karen and Chuck & Geri at Ft. Desoto. Lots of camping stories, idea sharing, and just plain fun talking around the picnic table (even though we ate dinner in jackets in the coolest temps we've seen this year...). We took off for one night to meet relatives & camp in the parking lot at the Tampa RV Supershow, then got back on I 75 to meet up again. Today was awesome. After a frosty night (temps dipped into the low thirties here!), all of the above, plus the Kiefers, met at Withlacochee River. We all shared a little show & tell, (and a lot of laughs) and it was very interesting to see how all the trailers had been customized to suit each owner's camping style and personal tastes. Not to mention, just plain fun to have four Olivers in a row, in the same park. Photos to follow... Geri (the real photographer of the group) got a great shot of all the trailers (and most of the campers...) at Withlacoochee. Sherry PS The temps are warming back up again! Come on down!

Larry, I don't know if this is available yet for download in electronic format, because I don't have that capability (yet), but I wouldn't be surprised. It's available in print form through Amazon and many other sources, but it is a heavy little book.....

Angler, Another school of thought...We don't use the auto switch, because we dry camp, a lot. We leave one tank off.If the primary tank feels light on our occasional or daily (as we get close) test, we switch over, and know that it's time to fill the first. There are a lot of guages available, most don't work any better than manually picking up the tank and guessing what it weighs when you think you're low. Our 20 lb. tanks last a really long time... If you're not wasteful. (Blankets are great... so are the propane stops like tractor supply where you can fill on meter, instead of exchanging.) Using water heater, two burner stove and refrigerator on gas, and only occasional furnace (summer in the mountains), a tank probably lasts two to three weeks. We've never actually run out... We use the "extra" tank for the grill and keep an eye on it, too. If we knew we were close and were winter camping, we'd use the auto feature so that we wouldn't run out during the night. Otherwise, one tank is good for quite a long time.

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a book entitled . I finally got a few minutes to leaf through it today... Though it's a hefty little book, there's a lot of ground to cover! Organized by region, it hits the highlights of each state and province. Kind of fun,especially, to look at areas we've visited, but not been able to spend the time we need to see all of even the "major" highlights. A good little starter for camping vacation ideas. Pick a spot, read through the highlights, and then get on the web for more spots to visit with your travel trailer.... There's so much to see in our great country!

To the traveling Oliver factory group... Have a safe trip, and a great time at Quartzite! The trailers look wonderful. Well done! Sherry

Hi! I posted some similar a few weeks ago (though larger)photos on another thread (21 footer on the way... though now its a 22). Robert sent me those when I called and asked.... I could see the "bones" of the interior, but it wasn't finished yet. Anyone have photos of the finished trailer? I'm very curious to see them. Sherry

Terry & Cathie, Congratulations on your new Oliver! Sherry

Pam, Do you have any new photos of the completed Sport to post? All we've seen so far is the frame... Love to see the finished product! Thanks, and happy new year!

Merry Christmas, and a Happy 2009 to all of our friends on the Oliver forums. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday, whether camping or home, and a blessed New Year.

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.