DavePhelps

Pam, I live in Portland, OR. Others have mentioned that they didn't feel too much of a difference in the space. I am beginning to think that one must instinctively adjust to the space that they are in. At 5'-10", I'll have 3" of clearance, probably less in the Bathroom. I think in the end that a factory tour will be necessary unless one of the Elites makes to Oregon somewhere. Very glad to know that yours is working well for you! Bugeyedriver, I've been watching the FGRV forum for info on the Olivers and FG trailer life in general. I have always enjoyed Norm and Ginny's posts over there and I'm very glad you brought them up because as I recall, Norm is a pretty tall fellow, over 6' if I'm not mistaken. So that they could spend as much time as they do in a small trailer and be comfortable is good for me to remember. We're coming from tent camping so we're used to small, and want to keep it small with our trailer. Like you say it's a mindset. The more I think about it, the more apparent a Factory tour is in the cards for us. Thanks for the thoughts! Dave

I have been waiting for news on the 18.5' Legacy Elite, but nothing yet on the website. AFAIK, they are in production but I have not been able to find any pictures or hear comments from owners. My wife and I recently looked at a LE2 (thank you Dave G.), we it, but thought it would be a little too large (long) for us, although the interior width and the height were perfect. Early on when the folks at Oliver were planning the smaller Elite's comeback, there was talk of increasing its width and the height to match the Legacy Elite 2. Had this come to pass, I would have money down on this trailer as we speak. As it is, I am a little concerned that the 5" less headroom (6'1") and 5" less width (extrapolated from exterior dimensions) will be a little tight. If there is anyone out there who has been in both trailers who has any insights on how the feel of the two spaces compare, it would be much appreciated. A dedicated trip to the factory would be a great way to compare the two, but it is an expense I would rather put towards buying the actual trailer. So far, there are no owners of the 18.5 Elite out West as far as I can tell. I'm 5'10" tall, and 150 lbs. We are very excited about the Olivers, having looked at many different models out there. They truly stand apart as a well thought out and constructed trailer. We're hoping that the smaller Elite will still be comfortable given its reduced width and height. Thanks. Dave

Do you folks notice much battery draw when deploying the jacks? Seems like they could be big energy users but I'm just guessing. Either way they're a great idea. Dave

This is a great mod. Has anyone notified the Oliver team about it so that it could be included into the standard wiring schedule? The higher water pressure would be a great convenience, especially for speed of filling the water tank in areas with no direct hookups. The pump motor should last much longer as well if operating at the correct voltage. Thanks for sharing. Dave

Stan, if you come to any conclusions about this, please let us know. Like you, I am also wading through all the Solar Design questions for when we order our Oliver. Handy Bob has some pretty convincing arguments for the T-105's. So far, I value his opinions more than anyone else I have read on the web. But I am by no means an expert on this subject. Good luck in any case with your quest for the best design for you. Dave

Thanks blodn2, you are right about checking out a rally to get a feel for the different sizes. Of course I'm sure I would love the 23 and it's extra room. The questions I have about size are being able to (or not) park the trailer in the smaller campsites in the out of the way places we like to go. Seeing the 23 will be a great help and I hope to accomplish that in the next few weeks or so. I just wish Oliver was also getting the 17 on line a little faster, but I know they've had their hands full and are doing a great job. So I'll just have to be patient! Thanks again to everyone for their responses. Dave

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's hard to forecast what my needs are as far as trailer size having never owned one. I do know I would like to keep it on the small size. But after just coming home from Yellowstone Park and seeing some of the rigs out there, the 23 footer seems pretty small!! Sherry and Paul, I assume you folks are in the 17'? This rig seems like it would be easier to get around in some of the smaller, more primitive sites, but maybe that 6' extra in the 23 wouldn't make all that much difference... Everywhere I go now I'm looking at various sites figuring how I could get a trailer in there! Mountainborn, I've been following and appreciating your blog. That was quite a trip you and your wife had there. I bet that seat in your fishing boat feels pretty darn good about now! Didn't you folks used to have a 17? Do you miss anything about it? Or has the 23 just won you over? Soon I hope to arrange a visit with some new owners who just got a 23. That will go a long way to help me figure things out. To get a feel for the 17, I suppose I could track down a local Casita as the overall size and floorplan is the same. Thanks again! Dave

Hello everyone, I have been looking hard at fiberglass trailers for over a year now and have very favorable impressions of the Olivers and their incredible attention to detail. I have a question to those of you that started out with the 17' and have decided to move up to the 23'. I have not seen either yet, though hope to see a 23' soon. This will be our first trailer. Our camping style is rustic and we will be boondocking most all of the time. I'm used to seeing other 17's like the Casita around, and they seem to fit well into almost any space. So I'm wondering for those of you that have sized up if you've noticed any drawbacks to finding places to park your rig. 6' is quite a bit of extra length. Towing either size for me is no problem. Any thoughts anyone might have regarding their experiences with these two sizes good and bad would be much appreciated. Thanks.