SeaDawg

This is an excellent thread on "how to weigh." Do note that @rideandfly purposely put his Ollie on a severe diet, and you won't find many (or possibly any other) e2s under 5000 pounds, loaded for camping. His trailer weighs just a bit more than my elite 1, and I thought we were minimalists. 😀 (Hat tip to @rideandfly) Most e2s will likely weigh in north of 6,000 pounds, or more, loaded for camping. Many discussions on this on the forum, over the years. Here's one.

@Brian and Brandelyne, what other gear are you communicating with in your Oliver? I know Oliver changed up this year from some other brand components for various functions. Folks who have added, or have, certain victron bvms and other gear, should definitely read the compatibility, in the link @Brian and Brandelyne included. I'm sure you read them. Others should, too. This would not help us in our boat, because of other victron gear, but it may help some of you. I do love the Victron components, and their communication capabilities. But, their array of components can be dizzying.

@Wandering Sagebrush, the zamp port is wired "backwards" from sae standard, ostensibly to protect folks from a nasty shock. Do you know if Oliver installed it originally, or if the previous owner installed? Since this is the first time you're using it, I'd probably check the polarity. If it Checks out wired to zamp standard, you need to use a zamp wired panel for "plug and play, " or buy an adapter to reverse polarity from the panel. Other brands don't wire the same way as zamp....

@Sully, thanks so much for sharing your wonderful photos and comments. Its been a great joy, "traveling" along with you!

Perhaps @ScubaRx will chime in. He knows the early elite 2's better than most. Or, send Oliver service a message. Til then, a larger tire may fit, if you have the original smaller spare tire cover, partially deflated, but, who wants to travel with a deflated spare? A smaller tire will, at least, get you to a repair facility.

I'd call that seriously off the grid. Congratulations! One of the best things , for me, about camping is minimal impact. We make our own power, mostly solar. (As we do, at home.) The return to a simple life is very rewarding, to us. And, it "grounds" me, and my husband. We are happiest when we have just the woods around us. The songs of the birds, and just the quiet song of the trees moving in a breeze, restores my inner peace. Restorative. Energizing, in a calm and good way. Letting go of "everything else" leaves us with heightened awareness of the goodness and greatness of our surroundings.

@MAX Burner, did the stand come with the Berkey travel?

@MAX Burner, I really like that mod. You've done a great job upgrading your bath_shower. Overhead light with the upgraded Maxxfan dome with light, and creating more storage with the hatch, and the Scandvik mixing valves.

I am not a fan of unvented catalytic heater, as they spew so much water into the trailer as a combustion byproduct, not to mention the co and/or oxygen depletion issues/dangers. The only true vented catalytic heater I know of is the Platinum CAT, pretty much made to order, in Washington state. Very pricey, from what I've read. I wonder if anyone here has ever used one, as a backup?

Unfortunately, Thor bought airxl/Suburban a few years ago, and Dometic owns Atwood. So, Im not looking for any major advancements from either of those sources, until they get many more complaints. Between the two, they've pretty much had a lock on RV furnaces for a very long time. But, I do believe there is a high altitude kit for the Suburban . How the retrofitted furnace would work in lowlands, I have no idea. I've yet to see complaints about the Truma varioheat at elevation, (and I've Googled it a number of times) but there aren't really that many out there in the USA yet. It's certainly a more efficient furnace, with more electronic controls. It will be interesting to see what kind of anecdotal reports we get from varioheat owners who live and/or frequently camp at higher elevations.

Hello, @Bobby and Nadine, and welcome! I think "13" will be your lucky number, from now on! Thanks for sharing your great experience with Truma service, and we'll look forward to more posts about your travels! (Hint, we all love photos.)

Thanks for the photo, @MAX Burner. My memory failed me on that one. 🙂 I'll edit my post.

@Alberta and Randy, ours is a 2008 , but in all likelihood, everthing should work for you. Please keep us posted. I'm still super happy with my original ScandVik equipment. And, the ScandVik replacements on our sailboat, 15 years in.

It is, indeed. A family.

I like the spring guard. Let us know how it works out for you. I also see that you have plugs in the openings. 👍👍👍 good plan. Where do you keep the plugs when connected to city water or filling tank?

@Steve and Cindy, I suspect they are the same. It's just a light ring, added to the base model. This is one of our best easy upgrades, ever. (The installation manual is the same for both models.) We used modern synthetic butyl tape to bed ours, on the outside. I'd highly recommend that, vs. caulk. Having the overhead light in the bath, so bright, but not glaring, is a gamechanger. (Especially since our small light on the wall isn't working anymore. I need to replace that. )

I totally agree with that. We looked at, honestly, everything available when we were looking in 2007/2008 for our "forever" purchase. (We weren't new to camping.) We started at rv lots. My husband and I laughed, and walked out, when a salesman tried to convince us that with a 5th wheel hitch in my 2005 1500 Siverado bed that we'd be "good to go" with the unit he wanted to get off the lot.😪 We looked at (and often crawled over and under) literally "everything. " RV shows, all the molded fiberglass trailers available at the time, and finally settled on our Oliver. We drove roughly 800 miles to tour the then very new production site in Hohenwald. We saw Ollies in various stages of production, and could see the amazing frames and care and materials that went into the trailer. (,My husband, like many owners here, is an engineer. ) We put in our deposit on the way home, over the phone, and never looked back. Our 2008, 16 seasons later, doesn't owe us a dime. Seriously. We probably owe a bigger debt to Oliver, and our little trailer. The adventures have been priceless memories. We'll leave our stout little trailer to our daughter, for her to make more memories with her family.

Sorry. The photo looked Ike it was on the ground.

Well, we've owned two boats, at least, entire time we've owned the Ollie. Our (now vintage, 40+ year old) cruising sailboat, and a ski boat, plus various others.) The Ollie is the least work, and least expense, of any of our big "adventure toys ". (Except dinghies and Sunfish, but I wouldn't count them. Not in the same class.) We do find it true that any vehicle, even a trailer without engine, requires periodic maintenance. If you take care of your gear, it takes care of you. One of those symbiotic relationships. Our tow vehicles are 2005, and 2008. Same holds true. Take care of your truck, and it takes care of you. The payback vs memories? IMO, priceless.

I would like that responder to add a post. Damage, BUT ($0) cost?

Hi, and welcome! You'll see lots of info if you just poke around. If you have the means, and some decent vacation time accrued, getting to know travel trailers in general, and Oliver in particular, can be a learning experience. It's not hard, but best learned before you launch off on "the trip of a lifetime, " unfamiliar with your gear. I'd recommend several short trips, before a long travel, if you're inexperienced. If you're not ready to buy yet, at least rent a trailer (some other brand.. I doubt you'll ever see an Oliver on rvshare.net) and check out the lifestyle. Some of the owners on rvshare (or outdoorsy) will even deliver to a campsite, so you get some experience camping, without learning to tow. At the very least, see an oliver, if you haven't. Go to the rally next spring for a day or two. Visit the factory, and take a tour. It's impressive, for sure. What would I do differently? Pretty obviously, nothing. We've been happy campers in a 2008, now in our 16th season. Best of luck to you in your quest for "best for you."

I'd put a block or two under those jacks. Just saying... Spread the load, decrease your chance of an accidental "drive-off" bending a jack, decrease the throw of the jack... Stretching everything to the limit isn't ever best protocol, imo, and, if a jack or jack switch fails, it's easier to bring the jack back up, if it's not fully extended. Lube or don't lube. Your choice, but most folks find lubing moving parts (with appropriate lube) to be beneficial (someday.)

To be quite frank, the video is very educational, for those who don't read the manuals. And, as noted, they pushed the issue, on purpose. The last thing you'd want to do, with any ev, or any lithium batteries (phone, rv, you name it) is to run to absolute zero, intentionally.) Most evs still have a 12v agm, that will be destroyed in the process, as was this one. There are, however, alternative uses for evs that are far better. For the near future, until battery life (storage) and performance is increased , the best use of ev is local, imo. Local buses, Amazon vans, Ups trucks, post office delivery vehicles, maybe school buses, taxis, local contractors-- plumbers, electricians, builders, etc. Local commuters, like my daughter, who droves 30 miles round trip, to work, daily, and can even slow charge at work. And, folks like me, who when home, just drive to dinner, my mom's condo, and/ or the grocery store, and can charge on solar. My nephew, a general contractor, drives maybe 100 miles a day, sometimes towing a utility trailer. It could work for him. With today's tech, and charging networks, and limited fast charge capabilities, long range towing is only practical for a select few. This will probably change. If not, we'll be looking more to advanced hydrogen fuel cell tech. The cities are where ev works best, imo. And, in many cities, that's where the smog concentration is most important. I see multiple Rivians almost every day in my community. Abundant Teslas, and other brand commuter vehicles, including ford lightning, as well as ev suvs and cars. I don't see them often on I95, and I've yet to see one towing. There is a reason, currently.

@Wandering Sagebrush, what do you store in the box? How do you "balance" with weight on the tongue? I'm sure other inquiring minds want to know, as well.... That's a huuuuge box!

@rangered, that's an amazing difference in the sound level. Well look forward to your reports as you get to use it, camping. Thanks for the photos and post.