Jim and Chris Neuman

Having spent my working years in manufacturing I am convinced competition serves to make us better and is to be embraced, not feared. Chopper gun layup as used by Oliver can produce a strong, relatively economical structure. It is however very, very heavy. Higher tech materials and technologies now make it possible to produce a far stronger, far lighter and far better insulated hull than is possible using an older technology such as the chopper guns primarily used by Oliver. The drawback is cost as newer composite technologies tend to be more labor intensive and require far more sophisticated and costly equipment to produce. Oliver deserves high credit for raising the quality bar as high as they have and I doubt that they are done yet. We will all be better off for it.

If you are concerned about potential toxicity take a look at the MSDS (material safety data sheet) published by the manufacturer of the resins used in the construction of Oliver trailers. Oliver can provide this document at your request. You will find no formaldehyde in the formulation. Over time, ventilation will take care of the new fibreglass smell. Open windows and mechanical air exchange will speed up the process. We picked up our oliver in late May of this year. The new trailer odor has largely disapated at this point - if left tightly closed in hot weather, the resin smell increases until ventilated. To Oliver's credit our trailer was delivered clean and largely free of construction dust and debris.

We camped there on our return from picking up hull 770 in mid May. Nice campground .... in season. Come summer temps it would be a cooker. No significant shade but that is to be expected in the badlands. Lots of great hiking and large numbers of bighorn sheep, antelope, bison and prairie dogs. The badlands are high on our "We gotta come back here" list.

Am confused by your comment that the Oliver is 100% gelcoat. What are you referring to? The gelcoat is only a thin layer, maybe 20 - 30 mils, sprayed up against the release coat in the mold.

We went with the stock mattresses in our standard layout at the recommendation of Oliver sales. The reasoning was that the center cushion, if KTT, would be so bulky and heavy that it would make changing to the dinette setup a challenge. My wife Chris put together two 2" memory foam toppers to which she fitted sheets. These are rolled up and stuffed in the backseat of our pickup when not in use. It takes only minutes to switch from full bed to dinette set-up or back using this system. The two toppers, laid over the stock cushions, makes for a very comfy bed.

Much depends on how much of you there is to squeeze in there 🙂 We have the standard bed setup. I am 5'9" and carrying about 15# too much weight but have no trouble sliding into the dinette area from either side. We recently had six adults around the table for dinner on a windy night in the Steens and there was room for a couple more.

Nice video - Thank you Jason! Through trial and error while bringing our new trailer back to WA state, we sorted the Anderson out (aided by James input during our delivery walk through). We did polish out some burrs on the hitch and pin which took just minutes and made hookup go smoother. Despite very heavy head and cross winds encountered across the prairie, we found the Oliver II towed extremely well behind our F150. The trailer has exceded our expectations and our thanks go to the Oliver team.

Years ago I learned the hard way about metal hooks on bungee cords. John is right, please avoid them if possible.

Oh, yes it is! Visiting from the states, you need to look at the whole picture. That includes traveling one of several routes through BC and the Yukon before you set foot in Alaska. There is also a great deal of off-pavement exploring to be done on AK roads that can be quite good. I have made the trip eight times and do not feel I have scratched the surface of all that can be seen and done in Alaska.

Terrible installation. Backing board material is too fragile as evidenced by fracturing at the screwhole, the screws are too small (make them the diameter of the mounting holes), too short (should be as long as backing material is thick, and too few (screws top and bottom). It would be a simple matter to drill a few more holes in the mounting flange of the unit allowing for more fasteners. Also, the holes were located too close to the edge of a backing material which, again, seemingly fractures easily. You can take it a bit further by taking an appropriate length of threaded rod, drilling and tapping backing material at the appropriate sites, and injecting a bit of epoxy resin in the tapped hole before seating the rod, leaving enough threaded shaft sticking out to hang the unit and fasten in place with nylock nuts.

Does the new 630 lithium option provide for charging from the tow vehicle?

Another vote for a hydraulic hex crimper. I have used both stab and hex crimpers extensively in boat building and am convinced the results from a hex crimper are by far superior. Coupled with a good adhesive / heat shrink tubing will give you a really fine cable. I do not remember the brand I purchased but it was under $100.

REI's poles are available. I just ordered up a set and received them in a couple days. They look sturdy.

Thank you for the heads up! Ordered yesterday and got it today. Fits the Garmin Overlander perfectly.

Good point on the bedding compound. Masts, booms, whisker poles & other common high-load components in sailboats typically use 6061 T-6 alloy. Fasteners used to attach hardware is typically 18-8 stainless. An anti-sieze compound such as lanolin applied to the threads can go a long way toward keeping bolts free and preventing snapping off of fastener heads ... a stainless fastener can become extremely difficult to impossible to remove if installed dry into aluminum with no anti-sieze.

Coming from the sailing world I am a touch sensitive about corrosion brought on by dissimilar metals in close contact. Has anyone seen any issues arising from use of the Anderson system where the steel brackets come in contact with the aluminum frame?

Just a thought. You can take a ferry from Whittier to Valdez through Prince William Sound. Really nice trip if it don't rain ( and whoever heard of rain in PWS? ). Kind of spendy, especially with a trailer, but amazing sail. At Anchorage you go East up to the top of Turnagain Arm and take a tunnel to Whittier ... an experience in itself. If possible, take in the town of Hope ... they have a great bar / burger joint and a nice campground.

You will have a wonderful time! I have always gone up the Eastern route and back down on the Cassiar but the reverse would work just as well. Up until about 10 - 15 years ago, you could pretty well kiss off your windshield but now the route is virtually all paved (with the exception of the Denali Highway). On our last trip, during the summer of 2018, we found the roads to be in very good shape and experienced few rock dings on the front of our RV, an Aliner. When we go up again in two years we will probably put a temporary gravel shield on the front of our new Ollie 2 but otherwise am not too concerned about it. A bigger concern is the presence of an endless stream of frost heaves and the occasional, trailer-swallowing pothole. Dampening the porposing brought on by frost heaves is a good argument for the Anderson system. I have seen a number of trailers with broken axels and frames on the loop. Do take your camera, fishing pole and, most importantly, lots of time. Six weeks to two months will allow you to only hit the high spots and I guarantee you will be mumbling to yourself "if only I had more time" as you pass countless lakes, rivers and incredible views. Lots of campgrounds and boondocking available. Don't over-do the Bearanoia thing. Bear spray is no problem to take into Canada and a rifle or shotgun easily transported with proper paperwork. Don't even think about a handgun. The real danger is other tourists looking at the scenery instead of the road - that and drunken locals. A couple of extra gas cans makes a lot of sense and a 12V tire pump & plug repair kit can't hurt. Start with good rubber and you will be fine ... the Canadian and Alaskan road systems are pretty civilized these days. On our last trip we threw a couple kayaks on top of the pickup and were really thankful we did. Do have a great time and let us know how it goes.

Just picked up a 2021 F150. Max tow, FX4, 3.5 & short bed. Initial impression is very good. Fit and finish is excellent, cab is extremely quiet and comfortable. Will put it through it's paces in April on the return trip from Holenwald.

Re-gelcoating is not even remotely practical. It can be done but the cost would be well north of 10 - 15K and there is really no point in it. If your gelcoat has gone beyond buffing and waxes, than painting is the next step. This is done all the time with fibreglass boats. In fact, I don't think I have ever heard of anyone re-gelcoating an entire boat ... small, damaged areas yes but not large surfaces. You can do an amazingly good job by rolling and tipping some of the high tech paints commonly used in the marine trades and professionally done sprayed two part urethane paints will out-shine new gel coat. When your Oliver reaches, say 40-50 it may need paint but not before.

My wife Chris and I are primarily boaters, having owned and enjoyed our sailboat for 35 years. But we also are avid hikers and campers and have literally beat three pop-up tent trailers and an A-Frame (aliner) to death over the last 25 years. The typical stick built RV is simply not built to handle much heavy use. Sketchy wiring, poorly built cabinetry and the generally shoddy construction found in most RV's does not lead to longevity. I am able, after building my own cruising sailboat and several homes, to fix most issues that pop up but that does not mean I like spending my time in that manner. Recently retired, we have decided to go to a larger RV with more off-season capability. We had narrowed our search to Airstream, Escape and, most recently, Oliver. The 6061 aluminum frame, double hull glass construction (which, unlike aluminum, I can repair or modify myself) higher clearance and generally more robust construction has made the Oliver a no-brainer. If we were to contain our travel to good paved roads and campgrounds with full utilities a good argument could be made for the Airstream as it is wider, cushier and generally better laid out for comfort. But we are not ... Alaska, Northern Canada and other off-the-path destinations are in our future and, because of this, the Oliver decision was easy.

Blue water sailers & others who around salt water a lot will use stainless or monel wire. A small spool, available for a few bucks at marine supply outlets like West Marine & commercial fishing suppliers is relatively cheap and will last for many, many years. On our 35' ocean going cutter Light Beyond, we check ground tackle & other shackle pins yearly, applying lanolin to the threads. Even heavy grease works will if renewed regularly

Mike, Correct - on my boats 3 battery ships systems bank (all 12V 105 AH AGM's) the Blue Sea's fuse bar is placed on the + stud at one end of the bank and cables from both alternator and battery charger are fixed to the blocks fused terminal stud. Negative cable is attached to the last battery in the bank and is not fused. No need to fuse each AGM battery ... the manufacturer of your lithium batteries may have a different take.

Hi Mike, I have two battery banks. A single starting battery (105 - AH AGM) is fused between the alternator / battery charger and the ships power bank (3 - 105AH AGM's) is also fused between the alternator and battery charger. This is done per the recommendation of Blue Sea's as well as Balmar, the alternator manufacturer. Battery charger is for use when tied to a dock, is also a Blue Sea's unit. They make really good stuff. Jim

I use the Blue Sea's terminal fuse blocks on my sailboat. In a boat the primary function of fuses is fire prevention as fire at sea can be disconcerting ... maybe less so in a trailer but this is cheap insurance. Kind of spendy but these fuse blocks are very well made and a snap to install.