SeaDawg

That fridge interior looks just like my truckfridge 130, and the isotherm cf130, both of which are manufactured by indel webasto. (I replaced my freezer door with one from isotherm after I broke mine last year.) We installed the fridge in February, 2018, and we've been thrilled with its steady performance since then. It cools down very quickly, makes ice quickly, and holds steady temperature, no matter the ambient temp. There are some major advantages with the indel products, and a few caveats. The overall fridge capacity is bigger than either of my previous 3ways, (2008 norcold, replaced by a dometic rm2454), though the freezer section is indeed smaller. The door organization is really nice, though it took awhile to get used to. I'm very fond of the crisper drawer for accessing the contents down low. It runs quietly, almost silently, on dc power with the very efficient danfoss/secop compressor. As we travel, it uses far less amp hours than a 3way on 12v. (We typically use 60 to 75 ah daily to power the fridge.) That energy is easily replaced with solar on the highway, so that will be a bonus for folks who didn't like the idea of traveling with the 3way on gas. At night, there are no fridge panel lights illuminating my dark trailer, but there is an interior light to see the contents when the door is opened. There is no concern about leveling, as there is nothing to crystallize as in a 3way. These have been installed in boats for decades, including sailboats, which are often far from level, on a tack. With no vents to the outside, mud daubers and air leaks/dust are non-issues. The disadvantages, for me, with my less expensive and quite possibly less insulated truckfridge: I start experiencing ice buildup in the freezer section every seven to ten days. If I don't defrost the freezer, the freezer door won't close properly, and, eventually, I broke the freezer door hinge pin due to ice buildup. May not be a problem in the more expensive units that Oliver will be installing, but something to watch for, and don't procrastinate defrosting if you get a buildup. The freezer door replacement was difficultto find, and was over $100, with shipping. (My fridge door is not that well insulated. I know, because I can see condensate sometimes on the door in a pattern that show less insulation in structural areas.) Our 2008 has only two 105 ah marine agm batteries, so power management for us is always important. I'd highly recommend portable solar and/or a generator as backup for boondocking in the shade, for those without lithium. I'm fine if we camp in sun, but in full shade, boondocking, we need to deploy portable solar or break out the little Honda every few days. For me, it's a small inconvenience tradeoff for a quiet and highly reliable fridge. I love that table over access panel that Oliver devised. Great idea, and beautifully implemented. (We sealed our vents with heavy visquene, insulation, and hvac tape, after our retrofit. ) Overall, I couldn't be happier with our compressor fridge. One of our favorite upgrades, ever.

Recently, one of the people i follow on youtube posted this.. almost 4000 miles from Michigan to her other home in Alaska. Imo, worth the watch. It's necessary to be prepared. And, its a beautiful trip. https://youtu.be/Vr9VNutHGiE

It does reduce payload, but it's really nice to be able to look ahead for cheaper gas. And, stay on the road longer between gas stops.

I'm doing my course, again. There's a lot of repetition, but many screens are at least somewhat useful. Course was $18 or so. We"ll save $100 each. Per year. 3 years. Check what your state,,and your insurance company offers. For us, no brainer .

We paid around $70 for this one, a few years ago. You may be able to find it on another sight, for a lesser price. We bedded with synthetic butyl, went around with loctite marine, and have been very happy. Easier to clean than our original Ventline. none of these are perfect . But... We love the overhead light.

If I remember correctly, and that's possible that i don't, there's a fuse in the body of the ventline fan that we used to have. It was buried, if I remember correctly Our newer maxxair dome has the fuse receptacle easily accessible. Visible and accessible from the interior. Before I spent a ton of money and time, repairing a ventline, I'd buy the maxxair dome, with light. We have loved it, and the additional overhead light. Just a thought.

Or, you can buy a nice faucet for far less than $250. . I also think dura has a long warranty. Check that. I've gotten warranty replacement on delta, pfister, and others. I'd try that, first. Imo. Many plumbing companies offer lifetime warranty. Your choice.

Ours (2008) had a tag visible from under the indoor unit. Look there?

I like the idea of the better thermometers,,but I still only have two old school choices. An indoor/outdoor weather thermometers🌡, and a restaurant supply analog hanging thermometer, inside. I try to limit openening the door. Put everything in its normal place, so I'm not "hunting" with the door open. Light stuff on the door. Anything heavy, near the hinge. Check the seal with the dollar bill test. I check temps frequently. Caveat. We never camp in 100 plus drgree weather, by design. Not my idea of camping. I hate heat. My motto: trailer and TV have wheels. For a reason.

We also have to remember that the op eventually plans for her tv to be her daily driver, in various conditions. My daily driver for over 30 years has been some kind of a truck or truck-like suv. I pretty much learned to drive in trucks. (Other than lessons in my mom's 1963 falcon, 3 on the tree.) Moving up from our truck world from a Subaru is different, but fun, imo. I love the bigger expanse of windshield, bigger side and rear windows, bigger mirrors,, and the height that allows my short stature to see further ahead. What I don't love: more expensive and bigger tires. Less mpg than my previous suvs. I don't have a tonneau cover on my Silverado, so everything is exposed in the rear. I carry tarps, stakes, and bungees.. we of course have a tonneau cover on the 2008 Ram 1500 . Thats our primary tv. My vehicle is the go get mulch, and garden supplies, move the atv, etc., vehicle. She only gets to pick one. The very happy medium. And, comfy drive for us shorter folks. I've been driving trucks of various sizes since I was 14. Some were great, many awkward to handle for my size and height. As I've said before, I hate driving the dodge ram. Ergonomics just aren't there, in the 2008. I'd love to hear more from the women who drive. But, the true test for the op is drive everything .

I've replaced all the bulbs in our original fixtures (2008). But, i think many of your fixtures have integrated leds, unlike mine. Good news, leds have dropped so much, fixtures now are more reasonable than led bulbs, back then. I left brighter light over the cooktop and one side of the small dinette, and the one light each in our closet and bath, for better vision. Something you may wish to consider, or not, but I find a colder light helps me see doing paperwork, and detail work, and cooking. We don't usually have any of these on with warmer lights, as that kind of messes with my brain...

Yes. I haven't driven recent gen Ram trucks. Thank you for that, @Trainman. Its important to try everything.

With rentals and ownership of many brands over the years, I'd rank (for shorter people my size) Ford and Nissan pretty close. I prefer Nissan suvs as rentals to Toyota, chevy, or dodge, any time. I especially dislike Dodge truck seats. They are designed, imo, for bigger, taller people (stands to reason for a pickup, right?,) , and ours just doesn't have enough adjustment to let me find a comfortable position, and keep my back and left leg happy. In my 2005 chevy, I carry and use a back and lumbar support, even around town. My favorite tv driver's seat was my Volvo xc90. But, not my favorite tv, from a power standpoint. It was anemic, compared to our trucks. Everything is a compromise. Longevity, the Ford seats I've had over the years (and often many years) lasted longer than Chevy or Dodge. I've replaced foam in my husband's 2008 Dodge Ram, years ago. Looking for new foam for back and seat of my 2005 Silverado. Probably not as much of a factor with your lighter weight. And, hey, you may not keep your truck 14 to 20 years, as we often do. I think the Rivian will be a cool truck, if you want to stay local. Any ev , until we get 650 mile range without towing, will be problematic. Especially without tesla's extensive charging network.. That can change, and it will. Good on you on getting in at lower price. But, you may (or may not) find an ICE truck will suit your needs better.

That's so very beautiful! Glad you waited.

I don't have the current Dometic, but they are noted to be noisy. My 2008 Dometic was noisy. This is, unfortunately, the nature of typical rv rooftop a/c. Most folks run the fan on low to reduce the sound level. We can't hear what you hear, so don't know if this is normal noisy, or worse. If you are still near Hohenwald, you could stop in and have yours checked. If not, take a recording on your phone, note where in the trailer your phone is, and send this with your service ticket.

,Just saying, might not want to be classified as a full timer, from the get go.

I also don't know if the current Oliver warranty covers full timers, so, you may want to check that. Most manufacturers don't cover full time occupation Just a thought.

As per your comments on the f250, in Florida, it's not classified as a commercial vehicle, to my knowledge. We've not owned anything above a 1500. I'll ask my nephew.he has one. It's a workhorse. If you are planning to fulltime, check south Dakota regulations. Many full time folks find that to be the best state for full timers After that, Texas

And, just in case, open a service ticket, with lots of detail.

@Roadlotus, I would like to add my condolences, that I should have included in my first post. I am very sorry for your loss, and hope that you take your time before making really big decisions. My mom has had three homes since my dad died nine years ago. The first was the best, but too soon, to adjust, if you understand, and I suspect you do. She sold it, too early. But, if you've been camping a lot, in your lifetime, you may very well know what's best for you. We spend about half our year in our Elite, and we've been very happy for 15 years. I personally wouldn't be happy without a home base . Others are. You'll find several full time women in the Oliver group on Facebook. I truly wish you all the best. (I also wouldn't count on the rivian at projected date, and I'd buy a truck as new and low mileage as possible, were it me. ) My bff and cousin lost her husband a month ago. We talk every two nights or so. I know that this is not an easy time for you, and I wish you every comfort friends and family can provide, even your new "virtual friends" here. You can pm me any time. I personally would not want to buy a 30k truck, in today's market. Most are older, sometimes not necessarily well maintained, or high mileage work trucks. Doesn't mean you have to buy new, but a lot of people who bought trucks as urban daily drivers are giving up that idea, as gas is $5 a gallon, near us. I think, on the next few months, prices may not go down, but they at least won't go crazy up.(but then, I'm not an economist, either.)

Camping in the 100 degree weather is tough on you, and the fridge, and the ac. Does your manual show you how to adjust the thermistor?, (that thingy that slides on a fin, and tells the fridge how cold it is, and when to turn on?) in our old 2008 norcold, we could slide it up or down to adjust the sensing. I don't know about the new ones. It's also possible that the thermistor is bad (though unlikely, in such a new trailer.) I'd add a clip on fan to the outside vent, set up to exhaust, and see if I could increase the exhaust flow. A small battery operated fan inside the fridge could move cold air around better, as well. Are you running the fridge on gas, or electric? Gas is most efficient, as @dewdev noted. I know it seems counter intuitive, but the flame works way better at "absorbing" heat than 120 electric. 12v is dismal.

Welcome to the forum, @Roadlotus. My sister-in-law is about your size. She is perfectly comfortable driving my brother's F150, towing a cargo trailer. There's not much difference between a f250 and f150, sizewise, and I'd encourage you to try to test drive both. The f250 would allow you to delete the Anderson requirement. As @John E Davies said, I wouldn't buy a truck to fit a garage that you won't own, soon. Instead, I'd put the house on the market now, and use some of the equity to buy the newer version of the truck you like. In today's housing market, you may be able to find a buyer willing to let you lease back your house til your departure date in October. Or, line up a short term rental studio, in the meantime. Everything in my neighborhood sells within days, so be very sure that's what you want to do before you put your home on the market. An alternative is taking out a small equity loan to purchase a better, newer truck, learning if you actually like the lifestyle, and selling after. In real estate, my experience is always to get the best price while the market is hot, as it still is now, at least here in Florida. If this is your plan, start interviewing agents who have been successful in your neighborhood, recently. Get their advice. (I'm not a realtor.) I'm shorter, as well, and I'll say that I hate driving my husband's 2008 Ram, but I love my driving my older 2005 Silverado 1500, regular cab, stepside. Unfortunately, my truck (or my husband's) would not be suitable for towing a II, without the Anderson. I understand that bit of trepidation based on what you "used to drive." I drove very large trucks cross country when I was young, and even shorter, with my dad, and I sometimes had to stand up to shift gears in those old trucks. I wouldn't want to do that now, for heavens sakes. But, that was 50 years ago. Do you have a dog that will be traveling with you?

I have done (0) nothing to my drawers in 15 seasons. Just saying. The format is what it is.

Happy travels, @Chesapeak Bay. I hope you have as much fun with your Ollie as we've had, the last 15 seasons. Wishing you many miles of smiles.

I agree. I think our solar showers are 2.5 or 3 gallons. Still, enough to be concerned about, weight wise, but enough to get clean. Most days. A bucket of water with a black lid will get warm if in the sun, btw. In my experience. I think the solar shower bags expose more surface to the sun, so a better option. Those are probably cheaper at Walmart, too, if in stock. One of my friends painted a bucket black, with krylon, for that purpose. I never tried that. Maybe cover the whole thing with a black trash bag, and absorb those rays? Boondockers get inventive, for sure.