Ray and Susan Huff

Do you recall the size/model you installed? I recall they come in a couple of different sizes - maybe standard and wide, or some such thing.

That makes perfect sense to me; I've been wondering how this works. One question: when batteries are charging through the inverter/charger (connected to shore power) are they, at the same time, receiving a charge from the solar controller? Or does one over-ride the other?

Advanced RV installs adjustable twin beds that function as recliners:

Has anyone used removable gel Nano tape for securing things to the walls? There are so many different brands; any recommendations?

This is very cool . . . . . thanks for sharing. Now we need the beer holder!

Great idea, but you don't get the "warm-fuzzy" feel you get drying off with a towel. We've tried the camp towels, but they don't seem to be very absorbent; they just smear the water around. I found a great deal on quick-drying Turkish towels at Sierra Trading post. Aqua Blue for me and Grey for DH. I also see them on Land's End - a set of two each bath towel, hand towel and washcloth for a bit less. They are soft and supposed to dry quickly without the sour towel syndrome. If they don't work out in the Oliver, we need new towels for the house anyway!

I ordered two of these - one for each of us. Also, the toothbrush holder, soap dish, and two of the little hooks, to hang wash cloths on. I can think of many uses in other locations in the trailer.

I use No-Rinse car wash and one of these super absorbent drying cloths on my car. I'm getting another to carry in the Oliver for wiping down the bathroom after showering. Great thing is, you just rinse and wring it out well, then store damp in the container. Should work well, you think? https://www.amazon.com/CleanTools-149-Natural-Single-Absorber/dp/B0000AY69V

That's a good use for it; I hadn't thought about TP storage. Does it stay dry there? 😀

The mount I'm looking at has a lever that tightens the tabs that insert into the slot. I have one in my car that came with adhesive pads to adjust the fit of the tabs, but didn't need to use them; the car mount also has the lever to make it tight. It hasn't worked loose with my cell phone. Hoping this type of mount will work for the Garmin. If not, we'll try a bean bag friction mount on the dash. The Ford dash has a recessed area in the center that will hold the bean bag nicely, but it will block the driver's view some, but not as much as the suction mount on the glass.

Are these still working out for you? I'm looking at them on Amazon and want to be sure before spending $18 each for the pockets.

Good to know . . . . . thanks. I have been wondering if there is space to the right of the cabinet opening for storing less used things - perhaps extra bath towels.

I plan to use collapsible storage cubes. We used these in our camper van - one in each cabinet at the foot of the twin beds. They worked out well. For the Oliver we'll put them in the bottom of the closet for storing shoes. Here they will be out of the way and handy for coming in or going outside. I purchased these from Sierra Trading Post a long while ago. They're 12"w x 12" l x 9"h and made of canvas, heavier than most of the collapsible fabric bins - Neat Freak brand. We're using the two of these in the bottom of the closet for our shoes.

Will one of these fit in the bathroom overhead cabinet?

I picked up three of the Insta-crates the last time I shopped at Costco. Going to use them to pack things for our delivery trip. I'm wondering about the storage below the dinette seat . . . . what is in that area? Anything that could be damaged by cargo shifting during transport? I have thought, if we don't need the space for other things, this would be a great place to stash some extra cushions.

I read, somewhere, that the reason Oliver hasn't begun using awning style windows is that there are none designed to fit the double hull construction.

With acrylic, I would be concerned if you camp a lot in windy beach areas. Wouldn't blowing sand/salt air etch acrylic beyond repair?

I am limiting what we take to whatever will fit in the back seat of the pickup: four totes of camping "essentials", two small totes of supplies to use on the journey to Hohenwald, bedding, and warm weather clothing. Trailer related gear (chocks, leveling blocks, tools, tire chains, anti-freeze, tank treatment, etc.) will stow in the pickup bed toolbox. In addition we are taking a cooler of food for meals on the road. Hey, if you've got the room, why not use it? We have a long drive home in December, so could be faced with weather related delays. We plan take our time and to be on the road at least 10 days. I'm sure we'll be making a few purchases after delivery.

BMW is the best we've seen; Mercedes, not so great.

Just received it yesterday. There was about a 2-week wait for availability, but once shipped it arrived in a couple of days. We purchased direct from Garmin as prices are currently the same from all vendors. For $100 less, the RV 780 would have given us similar functionality, but we opted for the newer 890 with the much larger screen. We haven't used it yet, other than powering it up, quickly browsing features, and downloading updates; software was current, though it did download a map update. You should be able to set the device to notify you when software updates are available; as with a smart phone, there are layers of customization settings or you can just use the defaults. I found the icon based interface to be intuitive (dependent on your tech experience); I only wish the maps showed the satellite imagery we've become accustomed to with the Google Maps based Sat Nav in our BMW; perhaps there are map overlays you can download. The 890 has icons linking to RV locations (dump stations, repair shops, campgrounds, national parks) as well as the usual fuel stations, restaurants, rest areas, medical facilities, etc., making it quick to add locations to your route. Yes, you could locate these with your phone (if you have cell service), but then you have to enter the locations manually. You can easily switch from RV to car navigation if you don't need RV specific features. I haven't looked in depth yet, so I don't know if you can customize the menus to only show features you want. A few thoughts, thus far: The RV890 provides real-time traffic (where available) and weather information, through the Garmin app you must install on your smart phone. I don't know if this capability is dependent on cell reception or is satellite based; probably requires the cell signal. Pairing the GPS and my Samsung S10e was a bit confusing; while the Gramin recognized and readily connected to our home network, it did not "see" my phone (nothing new as pairing communication devices is always a challenge). I think the trick is to make sure, before you do the pairing, both devices have Bluetooth turned on. I had success with pairing from the phone to the Garmin. Be aware that the 890 comes with a 22mm mount, probably to better support the larger-than-usual screen; most after-market mounts have a 17mm attachment. Because of its size, the screen blocks a good deal of the driver's view of the road when attached to the windshield, as we knew it would. In addition, by attaching the suction mount on the steeply sloping windshield of our F-350, the GPS could only be used in landscape orientation. We are going to try using a CD slot mount. This will place the screen low enough to not block the view, but high enough the driver doesn't have to look down to navigate. Prior to purchase, we found a work-around: the 890 has an AMPS 22mm female adapter mounted to the back of the magnetic mount; this can be reduced by removing it (held by 4 screws) and replacing it with this 17mm adapter and attaching the unit to this CD slot mount. Another option is a "bean bag" mount placed on the dash; not as ideal but there would be less obstruction than with the screen mounted on the glass. I'm just not sure the arm on the bean bag is high enough to accommodate the larger screen; this method would also restrict orientation to landscape. I will update after we take the 890 for a test drive; the CD mount will be here sometime next week. Update #1 Re suitability of the bean bag mount: I asked, on Amazon, the distance from the ball to the top of the bean bag; a user reported 2.5-3". I think this is just enough for the 890 to fit. However, as I mentioned previously, landscape/portrait functionality would be restricted to landscape. If the CD slot mount doesn't work out, this will be "plan "B". The 890 has a different mounting than previous Garmin GPS units, The back of the unit has a powered magnetic mount, meaning the 12v power cord connects to the mount, rather than the device itself. The ball on whatever accessory mount you choose attached to the magnetic mount on the back of the screen. This allows the screen to be easily removed from the mount which is handy if the co-pilot needs to make changes/adjustments to the route. When taken off the magnetic mount, the GPS will run on internal battery for about 1 hr. The battery recharges when the unit is again attached to the powered mount. This makes removal of the device much easier than wrestling it off the ball/socket attachment. Still haven't taken it for a test run. We've become so accustomed to the Covid "Stay-at-Home" environment that it's hard to think of places to go 😖 Maybe tomorrow.; stay tuned.

Same problem in our camper van . . . . seems to be universal across RVs with Dometic thermostats.

It would be hard to find a place to park the Ollie, for sure!

Me, too 😁

We visited the area last year and there are a lot of interesting sites nearby. Has anyone been to Jerome? The Verde Valley is beautiful, but I was disappointed in Sedona. I'll admit we landed there Memorial Day weekend (not by choice), but it was so crowded with tourists that we didn't even get out to explore the town; every intersection was a round-about! It wasn't the quaint little art community I anticipated. We did enjoy exploring the area, boondocking in the desert, and biking some of the red rock trails. I'm sure property is expensive there due to its proximity to Phoenix. We didn't make it as far south as Prescott, but we did drive out to Payson (to the east). It is a beautiful smaller town with a population of just under 16,000, but close enough to Phoenix for amenities and cultural activities. A friend of mine lived there when her husband was stationed there with the Forest Service and she loved it. https://www.topretirements.com/reviews/Arizona/Payson.html

Transforming from dinette to sofa and back again should be quick and simple. Lower the table to "bed" position and place extra cushions for the back. We were lucky to purchase a few back cushions from an Ollie owner (again, thank, you!) who had ordered a set of back cushions for one of the twin beds, but didn't use them all. The plan is to use the extra cushions on one of the beds until needed for the sofa. We don't have our Elite II yet, so not sure how this will work out, but expect it to be a reasonable switch. There is always the option to store the extra cushions in the back seat of the pickup. An addition to the sofa mod that I haven't had time to explore is some kind of folding table with a support that slides under the center portion of the sofa base; similar to this, but with legs that can be folded flat so it can be stored in the space under the dinette when not in use; or in the closet if the dinette table is deployed. My son is great at designing and fabricating metal and my husband likes to dabble in woodworking; between the two of them maybe we can come up with a versatile design that could also function as extra counter space for food prep. Any ideas?