SeaDawg

@Nan, we have an older trailer with a furnace only thermostat, so did not affect us. If you read through the replacement posts by newer owners in @katanapilot's thread, you'll see that the dometic thermostat you newer owners have requires a relay box (either a replacement part, or salvaged from the Dometic install), to operate the furnace from your thermostat. It might be simpler to ditch the dometic thermostat (since it won't operate your houghton, anyway), and replace it with a simpler single purpose thermostat for the furnace. Who is doing your install? it's all quite thoroughly discussed here:

Btw, I use that same tennis ball on a string marker method, in our garage, so i dont get too close to my husband's vintage "college car". The hf mats are great. I've actually toyed with the idea of using them in the Ollie alley, vs, rugs. Easy to sweep and vacuum, cushy underfoot, in the garage and workshop. I suspect they'd deflect a lot of energy/damage.

We appreciate your thoughtful contributions. There are (so far) just a few of us with Houghton units, but it's really an easy swap, and a very reasonable price, as an upgrade. The humidity issue, and the drain, have been the biggest downsides, for most. Feel free to visit the rally next year. I'm sure a lot if folks would love to see your modified Houghton in action, and you'd see a bunch of Olivers. If you were to decide to change it up, I think you'd miss your nifty recliner upgrade more than the front pano window. In our experience, the best views at parks and organized campgrounds are usually through the back window. With the aeodynamic Oliver sloped front/trollley roof, having the front occupied by bath and closet just makes sense.

Do you see these? (First two, after initial photo)?

I get some of the photos, not the first. Are you on wifi, or cell service?

Honestly, you'll be fine. You actually "read the manuals," unlike many others. Major kudos to you. Add that to camping experience, and you'll do fine. Hope to meet you camping, someday.

Camping in the driveway, or camping in nearby campsites with decent cell reception, when you have questions, counts, too, and way better than not camping at all. Have fun. You'll get there. None of us were born with skills or knowledge. With your determination to learn, and some practice, you'll soon be sharing advice with others. (Former teacher here. Learning how to learn, in your own best way, is one of life's most important challenges and skills. ) My SIL says "eat that elephant one bite at a time." I recommend Sriracha (and white wine) to go with it...

Many European and Australian sold units use a variable speed compressor. Eventually, we'll get it here.

Possibly some of the best advice ever given. If you want to go camping, go. You're already in the process of divesting. Put family heirlooms in storage, or give/loan them to relatives, divest the rest, pick something, and go. We are very, very glad that we chose our little Ollie that has served us well for so long, but we had no illusions that it would truly be our travel home for 15 years, in 2008. The great news is, if you find (like some do) that it's not perfect for you, resale on molded fiberglass is great, particularly Ollies. The adventures can't begin til you actually get on the road. It's not always easy, but it sure is fun, and rewarding, most of the time. As my husband says, sometimes the tougher times make the better campfire stories. Me? I can't imagine traveling in a diesel pusher, pulling a toad, and feeling "free." Ditto a fifth wheel, dragging every comfort of home with us. (I'll admit, freely, one of the inanimate things I miss the most in our travels is my washing machine...) I can live without the Splendide washer/ dryer in a fifth wheel, for the splendid views out my rear window.

I've never had a problem with either the original ventline, nor the maxxair dome that we retrofitted, popping open underway. I'm seriously wondering if those who have issues have fans installed, 180 degrees wrong way. Maybe vent/drain holes are backwards? My maxxair dome is actually a bit difficult to open and close, requires two hands, most of the time. I realize we've had ours a number of years, and yours could be different. We followed instructions to the letter. 2008 elite I.

I guess the next question is, have you done any rving or camping before? (Sorry if I missed that in your other posts?) For example, my husband and I have camped 7 weeks in Australia in a very small camper van (portapotty, two burner stove, hatbox dc fridge) , and we were very happy, with just the two duffel bags of stuff we could bring on the plane. Ditto, camping around Iceland, in an even tinier van, with no kitchen but my jetburner and backpack cookware. Not everyone would be so happy, as we were. We like the challenge of basics. And, understanding layers of clothes, etc. really does help. Any van, rv or trailer is a big time saving and comfy step up from tent camping, imo. The Elite 2 is infinitely better than those two examples, but, I think you will have to honestly pare away a lot of "stuff", especially if you want to tow with any suv, for full timing. I know my husband and I could be very happy, but I don't honestly know that everyone could. We routinely spend 150 days or more in the smaller Elite, each year. Everything is a tradeoff. If you want to get into the tiny spots, you need the smaller setup. We've seen places we never would have seen with a big motorhome, or even a small class c, with the vans, and with our little Ollie. Just my opinion.

I really like the design you and your husband created. Since the hanging shoe bag fits, you should still be able to hang clothes decently. I'm guessing you "stepped back" the lower shelves? As always, well thought out, and executed. Congratulations!

Everything depends on your wants, needs, and willingness to scale back. We had, way back in the day, three couples out of the first twenty or so, who full-timed in the smaller original Elite, for several years. And, we routinely spend three to five months a year in ours. The Elite II is luxuriously spacious, by comparison. What you don't carry can be as freeing as what you do carry. Traveling light can actually be fun, in my opinion. It's challenging to learn how little you actually "need" sometimes, vs "want." Depending on where you want to go, @John E Davies does make a very good point about getting service. Small towns in the hinterlands don't always have mechanics familiar with foreign made vehicles, of limited USA production numbers. I can find someone capable of working on my 2005 Chevy Silverado, or my husband's 2008 Ram, just about anywhere. Not so true in many small towns for foreign badges. If you stick with the VW that you know and love, my advice would be to get good tow insurance that covers both the vw and the trailer (like good Sam's premium), unlimited mileage, "just in case."

I keep a small cloth shopping bag on a hook to the side of the toilet. Every day or two, it gets emptied into two Ikea blue bags in the back of the truck. One bag is for jeans and heavy cotton stuff, one bag is for synthetic/ microfiber stuff. It's all sorted ahead of time for the laundromat.

My daughter is a huge fan of saffron road products. I have Lundberg wild rice mix in my cupboard at home, all the time. As you said, yum. @Mountainman198, I've never seen the mexicali rose packets in the east. Maybe it's a regional thing. Packets are much easier to deal with than cans. I could see that as a quick and easy soup dinner. Add a can of Rotel, maybe some fresh chopped jalapeño, add a can of pinto or chili beans, some water, and voila (I think) a nice, hearty meatfree but high protein caldo for dinner. I might even try it tonight, with canned fat free refried beans. I have corn tortillas to cut and fry as garnish, and there's (almost) always sour cream and hot sauce around. And canned hatch chili's.:) might even sprinkle in some leftover frozen corn, and fresh cilantro....

You "could" change them out with switched puck units (non-dimmable) like the older Oliver Elites, but it would get pricey. I have a couple spares left from the old days, but they're really expensive now. I'm seeing 24 to 35 bucks for a single marine grade 12 v switched puck light in chrome. They used to be $8 or so each. Back in the day...

Well, for some of us, it's useful. Lol.

We've owned and maintained our 2008 #12 since new, and 150k. I know there's another 2008 out there with similar miles. People are truly amazed at how good it looks, in its 16th season. More importantly, it still tows great. Like others, we've done some mods, upgrades, and replacement components over the many years (fridge, water pump, added 200 watts of solar, then upgraded to 400 watts plus 200 portable, etc. ) It's been a great trailer, and doesn't owe us a dime. So many great memories!

@topgun2, I wonder if j channel from frp board (dairy board) from home depot or lowes would work? It's relatively thin, and inexpensive.

Scroll down partway through. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1940-reflectix-window-and-vent-trick/#comment-16611

They still promptly answer questions on my 2008. Wonderful service.

We have a small group here this weekend, and celebrated a beautiful morning in the mountains with a campfire breakfast. Waffles with Blueberries, link sausages, and fruit.

@Sully are still on a long road trip in Canada with their Audi q7 and Elite2 A search on Touareg brought up 4 pages of posts. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?&q=Touareg&search_and_or=or

@Steve Morris, I so rarely find the TV series, or movies, measure up to the books. I get it.

@Hull 812,,I would open a service ticket, and ask for advice. What troubleshooting have you done to lead you to the eyebrow board? What actually happens when you try to start your Norcold? Does it run on 110, but not gas? Neither? Battery level? Are you plugged into 110, or boondocking, running on gas? "Not working" doesn't really help us offer advice, though I know it's frustrating. We need a little more info, to offer even a little bit of advice. Have you checked the pigtail, if running on 110, to make sure it has not worked loose,? What shows on your display if anything? Any error code? Photos would definitely help.