Ray and Susan Huff

Each of us has a small travel thermos (18oz); we preheat the same as you. Also, mugs with lids keep the coffee hot longer. We have Yeti coffee "mugs" that actually keep the coffee warm almost at well as a thermos. Not a good thing, though, if you want to drink it - now!

We plan to take our Breville Mini-Smart oven; haven't had the chance to test the battery draw yet. I guess the smart thing to do would be to try it while parked in the driveway 😄 I believe our oven is 1800 watts, which is more than most RV microwaves (not sure about the convection microwave option). It depends, too, on whether you are making toast (3-4 minutes) or baking something (20-30 minutes). We will mostly likely use it when connected to shore power, or at least when solar charging is adequate enough to replenish the batteries. - at least until we have enough experience with power usage in our new Oliver.

They do sell online. In Bandon, at McKays Market. However, most of their business is with local restaurants and the Dunes golf course. I like their Beachcomber Blend; if you like a lighter roast, our "coffee snob" son likes this Ethiopian. I buy directly from the warehouse. At the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, I purchased online; if you order 10# the shipping is less expensive. I didn't think about dripping into a thermal container. We have a good thermal carafe that should work great! Thanks for the info. Edit: I checked and our thermal carafe mouth is too wide and our travel thermoses too narrow. I guess I'll just keep doing what we've been doing.

The basement floor is lower than the bottom of the door. I used an old plastic hamper that came with our 5th-wheel (which had a trap door in the floor for a laundry chute!). The one side of the hamper was cracked, so I cut it down to give room to put clothes in. Not full door access, but it works. I could have cut the side down further, but didn't want to give up capacity of the laundry basket. Before doing this, we tried using a canvas laundry bag, but it was too hard getting things into; I think the rigid basket will work much better.

Perfect!!!! You've got it 👏

The Walmart at Lawrenceburg is nicer than the one in Hohenwald, assuming you are staying at David Crockett SP after delivery. We settled into our campsite before going shopping. It's about a 15 minute drive; maybe less. Seen in the Walmart parking lot:

We use the access door for laundry. We have a laundry basket in the basement. Dirty clothes are out of the way. If we need to do laundry on the road, the hamper is easily accessed through the exterior basement door.

I feel the same after recently finishing the initial outfitting of our new Elite II. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much storage the interior has . . . . everything is conveniently stowed with plenty of space left over. The only items not packed are those intended for outdoor use which we will carry in the pickup - grill and campfire gear, camp chairs and tables, kayak/bike gear, generator, etc. We like to keep things simple; it just seems more relaxing that way. And, if there is something we forgot and absolutely must have, there's nothing prohibiting on the road shopping.

Thanks for the info . . . . I've always liked the idea of a simple pour over coffee maker, especially while camping, but it's tricky getting the grind right so the water doesn't just run through, or you end up using way more coffee than otherwise needed. I have actually made coffee in the French Press, then poured it through a filter cup after steeping 5 minutes. What I don't like is cleaning the press. The "Clever Dripper" eliminated that step; ingeneous! The only problem with any of these methods is that I like my coffee steaming hot (I think I got that from my grandma). I am not a fan of espresso machines, but I do have a stove top Moka pot. Some will say it doesn't make espresso, but stove top pots is what many Italians use in their homes. If we don't need a thermos of coffee for the road, I will often use the Moka pot for a cup of Americano. And yes, I buy our beans from a local small batch roaster. But I don't consider myself a coffee snob 😀

I can agree with that!

Here you go . . . . bathroom door opening width 19 1/4" . . . . . back of dinette cushion to edge of table 18 3/4". We did the same, arranged for a tour of an Elite II twin before purchasing, to make sure my 6'2" husband "fit" the twin bed.

. . . . . . and I believe the Jet pack has a better antenna than most cell phones. We have US Cellular . . . . . MiFi. That being said, you might not notice as much increase in signal strength with the cell booster and the jet pack as you will with the cell booster and phone. Our 2021 Elite II came with SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 Cell phone amplifier. The manual is on page 188 of the Optional Features Component manual.

Seeing the weather reports across the Mid-west and tonight's forecast for the Western half of the US, I'm so thankful our Oliver delivery was bumped up from Feb 4 to Dec 7 . . . . . a big "thank you" to whoever made that happen! I can't begin to imagine what conditions we might have faced. Wishing those of you currently on the road, or preparing for a much anticipated delivery, safe travels. Watch the weather/road conditions and don't take any unnecessary chances.

I recently purchased this towel bar from Ikea with the intent of installing it on the bathroom wall, just below the Oliver towel bar. Haven't decided on exact placement yet. BTW: I was skeptical of the quality of the fixture, since the price is modest. It seems to be quite sturdy and well made. I'm going to use 3M picture hanging strips (dual lock) as a temporary attachment to determine the best placement before attaching it with VHB tape. Questions: Will VHB hold up to water exposure? Is it strong enough to support moderately wet items; wet bath towels will be hung on the Oliver installed towel bar or the wall hook. I will need to come up with a way to prevent the bars from rubbing on the wall during transit; will try something like foam pipe insulation. Also, the part of the bar that extends out moves freely. I'm thinking some sort of rubber cap to fit over the end to hold it in place when not in use. What do you think? Has anyone else done this? Any other suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Oliver, or maybe LifeBlue, should do a video on using and caring for lithium batteries. Perhaps there is one; I'll check it out.

3M picture hanging strips come with the removable Command strip. I picked up a package of 34 pairs at Costco a while back. Each strip is rated at 4# holding strength; for picture hanging you can combine 4 strips to get a 16# rating. Each strip is 3" x 3/4". I don't find them at Costco.com now. I don't know about separating the Dual Lock, but with the picture hanging strips you tip the item you are hanging and pivot it together, a bit at a time; same to remove - if that makes sense.

We bought ours a couple of years ago . . . . $50 on sale! I think we found it at Bi-Mart.

I agree about shorter rugs . . . . besides being easier to shake out, they also fit better in a washer (front loading, anyway). We have 4 smaller rugs we used in our little motor home that work, but two a little longer would be better. It's hard to find rugs that aren't long runners but are longer than doorway sized rugs that aren't too wide for the Oliver twin aisle. 24" is perfect as it just laps over the edge of the flooring, but doesn't hit the sides of the fiberglass wall. We also have this rug that I love for just inside the door. The 24" x 17" is the perfect size. It collects the initial wet and dirt that comes inside, doesn't slip easily, shakes out nicely, is washable, and comes in many colors. $25 seems like a lot for a small entry rug, but It's worth it. It can also double as a mat outside the bathroom for stepping out of the shower, since it absorbs water well.

From using 3M Command picture hanging strips, I've found the trick is to pivot the item off the wall, if that makes any sense. This wouldn't work in every case so you have to evaluate the application before deciding to use the Dual Lock product. I think it would work better on vertical surfaces than standard velcro. BTW, in case you're wondering: according to 3M, 1 square inch of Dual Lock will hold 2.2 lbs (static weight). Not cheap at $2/foot! https://www.amazon.com/3M-051111976364-Reclosable-Fastener-TB4575/dp/B08BX38F2H

I wasn't suggesting an Oliver trailer appreciates, but I get what you're saying 😇 For the most part, an Oliver trailer depreciates much less than other RVs, with the exception (maybe) of today's market where demand is high and supply low (where the majority of RVs are rushed from factory to dealerships with less than stellar quality control to meet increased demand).

And it is an easy add on for those who really want "swooshes".

Though I am not a proponent of "off-shore" sourcing, there are many better RV components being built in other countries. Perhaps Dometic, et al needs some competition. Please excuse me for the multiple replies . . . . I should read all posts and reply in one, but I can't seem to wrap my head around that concept. 😀

That is exactly the response one of our sons gave (he's skilled at welding/metal fabrication as well as a perfectionist) when he came to look at our new Ollie.

I can relate to your observations . . . . friends say I'm anal and a bit OCD, but that's ok . . . we are who we are 😄

Thanks for sharing!