SeaDawg

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.

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?