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OK, I'll play! My sister lives near Thompson Falls, Montana, off Hwy 200. I picked up my "new" 1985 13' Casita from the seller in Missoula, and went to see her. The whole length of that highway is delicious, as it follows the Clark Fork River. Done the drive both in the summer and fall, and so far, it's hands-down my favorite. Here's an image from a google search I did on Highway 200 in Montana. Yup, pretty much sums it up: http://www.pbase.com/redgum/image/84807851

Mountainborn, just wanted to let you know that the link you included in your post on fiberglassrv.com isn't working, and folks want a peek! I know full well how the economy has made people change their course. I'm still trying to sell some property, so I'm still not ready to put my money where my mouth is...or I'd POUNCE on Mountainborn's rig! (Hey, wanna buy 24 acres of production fir, with a spring and a great little site for a cabin?) Really happy to hear that the tub business is going well, and I'm holding out hope for the return of Oliver's trailers.

I was wondering the same thing. While the economy is still in the porta-potty, Airstream just opened up a lot in the Portland Metro area--a pretty big gamble considering our state's high unemployment rate. They've sold a few trailers in their first week of business. (I stopped by to ogle this afternoon, but my heart still belongs to fiberglass!) I check in from time to time to see if Oliver has updated its home page, and to drool over the photos....

While I'm not encouraged by their lack of interest in MY interest, it's too soon to start "banking" on anything. Where did you hear about horse trailers, by the way? It's easy to jump to conclusions about the end of Oliver trailers, seeing as how so many other fiberglass trailer producers are "no more", but it's not like their plant is not productive. They've simply re-commissioned their lines to accommodate a more stable market. New, custom travel trailers are a and the economy is in the toilet...while there's a lot of interest in these trailers and RV living, there are a of good deals now on nearly-new used trailers...or new inventory being dumped by troubled factories and brokers. That's eating up a lot of Oliver's customer base, regardless of how specialized their products may be. One would imagine a line of customers pounding on the factory doors to get an Oliver trailer NOW, but we don't know how many confirmed orders they'd need to justify shifting back into RV production. That interest has probably built up over the past 7 months, but after that, what? Another slump? I admit that even if they WERE actively taking (or soliciting) orders, as a buyer I wouldn't be ready to commit until after the first quarter of 2010...too much financial uncertainty right now in my own world. I'd imagine that it would take a lot of $ to set up a factory from one production line to another. I wouldn't be surprised if it was another year or two before Oliver moved back to trailers. But I also think that there is a growing market for these unique RVs, so I wouldn't be too quick to write this company off. Having said that, I'll re-state that the signs I've witnessed firsthand are discouraging. But as long as current Oliver owners are out there on the road, giving tours and crowing about how much they love their trailers...and as long as Oliver continues building upon their exemplary customer service reputation, they've got a good placeholder for them in the market when it improves. But that's just my opinion.

Following is a letter from Oliver posted today 12/15 (dated December 4) on the front page of the website...following is the actual text, for those who don't have Microsoft Word. Based on general economic conditions, and specifically the substantial decrease in product demand throughout the RV Industry, Oliver Travel Trailers has decided to further postpone the manufacturing of its trailer products. Going forward, we will monitor market conditions for improvement and will return to production when we determine that demand is sufficient to warrant that move. In the meantime, our Company will continue its research and development of additional travel trailer models and designs to be prepared for the onset of better market conditions. As you would expect, we will continue to provide warranty service to our existing customers and are available to answer any questions they might have. We appreciate your interest and support. As always, we look forward to working with you. Bummer for those of us thinking of placing orders soon(ish), but hey, I'm not going to knock smart business decisions! I hope that their move to produce fiberglass therapeutic tubs during this rough time in the RV industry helps get them through with enough gravy to continue with the level of service and creativity for which they've become known.

I agree, they really should update the site...goes a long way toward a little thing called "customer confidence." The website claims they are be taking orders, but I'm not getting much communication from their sales contact in my region.

Hi there! I've been stalking all sorts of fiberglass trailer resources for about six months now, researching what type of trailer would best suit my needs. I've gotta say, Cherie's and Chris' blogs are perhaps the best sales pitches possible for the Olivers, and speak straight to me as a geeky Burner-type (as in Burningman, that is) with a love for the open road. I've enjoyed everyone else's posts, as well. Will probably be a year or so before I'd be able to make a purchase of a new Oliver...have contacted the company with a general query on a quote for an improvised (ha ha) Technomadia edition with a few possible customizations. (The recent thread on electric pipe heaters is a great one, by the way, as I plan on camping as much during the winter as during the summer...as a rabbit hunter, winter's the time to get out there.) I'm entertaining the idea of full-timing it within a couple years, but in the meantime I have a few ducks to wrangle into rows. Recently laid-off, I'm exploring location-independent career options in editing and freelance word-slinging. Looking forward to hearing announcements from Oliver that they're firing up production once again, and I wonder how long their backlog of orders will be. I hope it's good news for them, which of course means good news for us! Michelle