Ray and Susan Huff

Thank you, greatly, for the photo . . . . when I open the access port the heater duct is between the port and the water heater (where the valve should be). Do you push the heater duct down to reach the valve? Or up? I wish I would have asked this question during walkthrough; there are so many questions you don't know to ask until after you have used your Oliver for a bit. Edit: watching the video, it seems the access port is mainly for recording the process! It would be very hard to reach through the hole, while laying on the floor, to turn the valve! And they make it look so easy to lift up the mattress to get to the hatch. I'd love to hear how others have mastered the technique of opening the seat hatches while holding the KTT mattress up and out of the way?

Suggestions?? I am thinking rigid foam insulation, cut to fit. Not sure how to accomplish this. In our 2021 Elite II, the shower compartment does not have a separate door; it is accessed through the basement access door, which is already lined, though I'm not sure how insulated it is. I have a piece of memory foam we used to protect an external sewer macerator on our motorhome. It is easily squished to fit around most anything. Perhaps this would work around the shower faucet.

I like the idea of removing the shower, capping off the supply line, and not worrying about it. I'm curious to know what type of fitting the shower connection is. Surely it is a standard thread and there is some sort of cap to fit. Perhaps a drip irrigation fitting. What is the vulnerable component of the exterior shower, aside from the faucet and shower head? I wish there was an option for no exterior shower.

Husband also starts the coffee (that I prepare at bedtime)!

My suggestions: You will certainly want to have a full tank of fresh water and use it rather than hooking up to campground water. It should last you a couple of days. Ask David Crockett SP; the campground faucets might even be turned off. Run the furnace at night,; Oliver can tell you the furnace temp needed to protect internal plumbing. You should winterize the exterior water connections (city water and fresh water tank inlet) by using a hand pump to inject antifreeze as per Oliver winterization instructions. The black flush connection should be fine as it will be dry unless Oliver has used it (check with them). Also ask them how to winterize the external shower. Keep Truma in winter mode (electric freeze protection on). I'm not certain what you do with the Truma while traveling; possibly drain it?? To be on the safe side, I would ask for winterization advice Oliver during your walk-through, based on expected weather conditions. Ask for specifics regarding the different components of the plumbing system and temperature thresholds. Also, if you have the Lithium Pro option, they should advise you regarding battery temperature and protection from freezing temperatures. Oliver called us a day or two prior to delivery to confirm whether we wanted the system winterized; we chose to not winterize. Conditions weren't quite as severe at the time (Dec 7) - no snow; daytime temps above freezing, but it was below freezing at night. We stayed unwinterized all the way home (via I-40 to Oregon). It was above freezing during the days, but a couple of nights in the low 20's in Albuquerque, NM and Flagstaff, AZ. We used only an electric space heater at night, leaving the (optional) basement access door open to warm the inner hull. We placed a remote temp sensors in the area under the curbside bed and in the basement to monitor temps. All stayed above freezing. Hope this helps. Safe travels!

Note: I seem to recall discussion regarding heating the bathroom . . . . but can't find it with "Search" function. We just returned from our first real outing in our 2021 Elite II, spending three nights at a nearby park we frequently visit. When shore power is available, unless it is extremely cold, we use a small space heater to keep the cabin warm. However . . . . . our inexpensive little heater has decided to quit working. So, we resorted to using the furnace. Here are some first impressions: The furnace is amazing . . . . it's the same we had in our Leisure Travel Van, but so much quieter. Most likely because of where it is located (not right under the dinette seat, as in the LTV). There seemed to be plenty of heat/airflow coming from the vent under the bed; not so much in the galley. Then we noticed some fins behind the louvered vent (sort of like a camera shutter). They were pretty much closed on the kitchen vent. Are they supposed to automatically open as air flows through the vent? We had to manually open them; this resulted in good heat/air in the galley. The furnace did a great job of keeping the bathroom warm; not toasty warm (hey, we're camping!), but it did make a big difference. We kept the thermostat off while we were away from camp, to conserve LP. The cabin takes very little time to warm up once the furnace is turned back on. Unless it is extremely cold, we will not use the furnace at night. For one, the noise wakes me up. Two, we have down sleeping bags. We have not yet programmed the thermostat for blue-tooth operation, but it would be nice to turn on the heat before getting out of a warm sleeping bag.

We have not had to winterize yet; nor have we drained the water heater (standard Suburban heater) after bringing our new Oliver home in December. The other day, I decided to look for the water heater bypass valve, in the event we should need to winterize. If it resides in the same compartment as the other plumbing valves, I can't find it. I see the four valves in the plumbing around the fresh water tank and pump, as pictured in the diagrams under the hatch. I can also see red and blue Pex lines going to and from the water heater, but no sign of a valve to isolate the HWH from the water supply. Does one of the aforementioned valves serve to bypass the hot water system? I can't seem to wrap my head around that idea. Then there's the fresh water drain valve way down in the bottom of the hull under the heater ducting. (what a convenient place; I wonder who came up with that?). Are you supposed to be able to reach this through the access port just to the left of the furnace air intake? If not, what is that access port intended for? If someone could puh-leeze help me locate the HWH bypass, I'd be forever thankful. Perhaps putting the water system valves in Winterize configuration takes care of bypassing the HWH? That would be simple 😀

That was our site, too. Dec 7-8. It was in the upper 20's at night, but we did not winterize. We were practically the only campers in the park, though another Oliver did pull in one night while we were there. We explored a bit; saw a lot of wildlife and a nice sunset just across the road from the campground entrance. Enjoy your stay; hope the weather is not too cold.

We added a locking cross-bed tool box to our pickup. It's actually one that sits down in the bed, flush with the bed rails (not resting on top of them. It's roomy enough to carry our BBQ grill, portable generator, fuel and a small propane tank in it as well as other gear that we don't want to worry about "walking off".

Congratulations on your upcoming Oliver. Good to see more Oliver's on the west coast. We are not far away in Coos County, SW Oregon; I have and aunt and several cousins in Redding. We did not order the shower track, but do plan to use a shower curtain. I had a vision and it works pretty well: I purchased a dozen small suction cup hooks and spaced them evenly over the shower door and along the front of the lower edge of the cabinet above the toilet. I only takes a minute to hang a standard size shower curtain (ours is water repellent fabric - not vinyl). The curtain covers the entrance, then wraps around in front of the toilet, all the way to the front wall. My idea is not so much to keep the toilet area dry, but to allow showering with the shower door open (for extra ventilation and to relieve me of a bit of claustrophobia). I attached a suction cup to each bottom corner of the shower curtain to attach it to the shower wall so it stays inside the door. I haven't tried it yet, but in theory it should work. I did this same thing in our camper van (the shower was self-contained, fully enclosed and much smaller than the Oliver wet bath shower), except I used a short tension rod over the door. Unfortunately the tension rod won't work in the Oliver because the walls aren't square. With this in mind, I think a regular shower curtain should work with the shower track, though I'm not sure if you need the full, tub length curtain or a narrower door width one. Perhaps someone with the track that did come with a curtain could give you dimensions; it is very easy to alter a store bought shower curtain. I will say this: when I shower by holding the shower head, rather than attaching it to the wall bracket, the bathroom doesn't get very wet. When I wash my hair under the shower attached to the wall, the toilet area does get rather wet. But it's nothing to dry it. We use a synthetic car washing "chamois" - sort of a sponge towel. It works great, and you don't have to dry it after using; just wring it out and store in it's container as it is supposed to be kept damp.

We went most of a season in our camper van with the onboard LP tank. Running fridge always on propane, stove top and only a few mornings of running the furnace. The only way you can go through a lot of propane is if you run the furnace all night; we haven't (yet) done a lot of very cold weather camping, so furnace use is not a factor.

Thanks . . . . . I just realized the "thing" I posted above is our ground fault tester. . . . . somewhere we have the neutral ground plug - I remember now, it looks like an extension cord plug that has been cut off the cord. I think it's in the trailer "tool" box in the closet. Oliver may also have supplied us with the neutral ground plug; my mind is just too full right now 😀 Nice to know the Honda is noticeably quieter than the Yamaha. Now we just need to locate one. Thank you all for putting up with my lame brain!

Thank you, so much. What are the dimensions of the neutral ground plug? Ours is different - 2 1/4"L x 1 5/8"W x 7/8" deep. See attached. I don't know if there is any chance of finding on to try the plug out.

Hmmmmm . . . . . . warranty is void if you install a locking plug, but you can use a zip-tie? Is this only happening in the Elite I? @SherMicaI am truly sorry for your frustration. Hang in there; it will get better.

Thanks for the photos. I didn't realize there was that much difference in size! One advantage the Honda does have over the Yamaha is that it is quieter. Have you compared them, side by side? Is the difference noticeable? My only concern, now is the fit of the neutral ground plug and the adapter for the Oliver plug. Could you possibly post a picture of the Yamaha with the power cord and the neutral plug in place? And thanks for this great information.

If you are on the Oregon Coast and have a choice, stay put for a few days: 1. Severe winter weather is currently moving through Southern Oregon, on both slopes of the Cascade Range, with snow accumulation expected down to 1500' elevations. 2. Snow melt from last week's storm and current heavy rains are causing localized flooding of many coastal rivers and small streams 3. The good news is, sunshine and warmer, above 50 degree weather is forecast for the end of the week and through the weekend. I haven't looked to see what conditions are like further to the north. Make a habit of checking weather and road conditions - Tripcheck.com is a good place to start. Safe travels to all, wherever you may be.

Great observations . . . . . My opinion: awnings are a bother. Personally, I'd like to see an awning delete option. I only say this because we don't do a lot of extreme heat camping, nor do we spend a lot of daytime at the campsite. I know others feel differently.

I see your point. However, my intention was to suggest that if our American RV industry, as a whole. would demand better components, there wouldn't be as much junk available for building mediocre RVs. And, yes, the consumer would have to buy into this concept. I might be wrong, but I think the Europeans have a higher standard of quality (higher expectations) based on the components used in foreign RV products; the same goes for the automotive industry. Or perhaps those living across the pond have less of a "throw-away mentality" and more appreciation for quality products. All this being what it is, we are still thrilled with our Oliver.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I did notice, looking at the specs, that the Yamaha has a different engine. I'm curious to hear if others have the same complaint. @John E Davies??? As for the Honda 2200, does it require a neutral ground plug so the Oliver's on board surge protector will not cut the power to the trailer due to a ground fault (open ground) error (I don't recall the "E-code")? If the neutral ground plug is needed, is there room for it to plug into the generator outlet not being used by the power cord? The two Honda receptacles seem to be close together. I like that the Yamaha has a 30 amp receptacle so an adapter isn't necessary to plug in the trailer's power cord and that it has a fuel gauge (I don't believe the Honda does), The dual carrying handles are a nice feature, too. Edit - I just had a thought: perhaps the delay in availability of the Yamaha 2200i indicates they are revising it (more HP?) to eliminate this problem, if that makes any sense.

It's sad that RV components are designed to last the useful life of ordinary RVs (only a few years) . . . . . . If more were built like Oliver trailers, we might have better choices.

"Sunbrella is breathable and can dry out" might apply to rain exposure followed by arid climate. For the Pacific NW rainforest type climate, I don't see how this would be favorable. On the other hand, the vinyl should retain less water and, in my opinion, be easier to clean. We chose the standard awning, but more for the fact that we didn't want the wind-sensing feature. The remote control of the Pro awning would be nice, but we like to keep things as simple as possible. Had the manual awning still been standard we probably would have chosen it, but for the Dometic branding. All in all, we just don't use an awning that much. Not sure I answered your question.

I like it! Though the nightstand is nice, not having one seems more roomy. And you have the hatch to access the back of the basement. Our twin bed Leisure Travel Van had a night stand, but it was at the same level as the mattresses. You still had the platform to use for a nightstand. It also made making the beds much easier. Instead of the mattress insert, as pictured here, a small platform could be built to fit that space. It could be made to flip over to double as a tray for carrying food, etc outside. @AndrewK I see you have your blinds flipped. Another edit: @AndrewK Did you also remove the TV, or order without? We thought about doing this, but decided if at some point we don't want it, we can take it down.

Thanks for the great diagram . . . . and photos. Looks scary to me. I would prefer to have them installed with the privacy shade at the bottom, but not at the expense of the shades not staying where you want them. It would be nice if Oliver would install them oriented the way you request, but I can understand the confusion and disruption in the assembly line that might create. I have emailed Automotion Shades and asked if they have any kind of installation/maintenance manual for these shades. Edit: I received this response from Auto-Motion: Hello Susan, Sorry for the delay with my reply to your questions. At this time, we do not have specific instruction about adjusting cords for Twin pleated shades and re-installation of shade. I spoke with the Production Manager, and it is possible to flip the shades. The frame is mounted on CLIP-ON brackets. The shade has to be removed from it and clipped back I will check with our Engineering Department if we can provide with some instructions about tensioning the cords.

If you are not flipping the window and just want to use the anchors to increase the tension on the cords do you have to remove the frame? I guess I'm not sure what the insides of the window assemble looks like.

My method of storage self-limits "squirreling". I like oft used items to be easily accessible and don't want to have to empty out a cupboard to get an item buried beneath other items. The first outfitting of our new Oliver is nearly complete. I'll get some storage pictures and post them - as soon as I get a camera replacement; the SD reader in my 8 year old camera bit the dust yesterday and the replacement camera is backordered till Feb 3. Urghhhhhh #%!&