Ralph Mawyer

I have an intense desire to create a spreadsheet... ;-(. I was just looking at a 2016 Elite 1 and started trying to figure out the same thing.

1200 feet? Did you just bunji cord down? 😉

(Not sure if right topic, but...) I'm leading a two trailer trip, with a couple of friends that have a 23ft Airstream. Mid-May departure. I'm usually solo, so know this will be slower/shorter days. Tentatively looking at 3-4 days in transit, we're leaving from San Antonio making time to the Grand Tetons or a bit south and then slow down a bit. At this point, looks like we'll go to the panhandle (Palo Duro Canyon most likely), then through Denver somehow, heading west after that on I-80 to Rock Springs then north to Grand Tetons. I've done Denver trips a lot of ways, but not needing campsites. I'm thinking about heading north from Palo Duro and catching I-70 east of Denver, then bypassing it to via the NW loop around the city. I've never done that route, as we usually go up via Raton Pass and north. So, all that said, we can either camp south (Pueblo?) of Denver, east (?) of Denver, or push through to somewhere north of Denver, maybe Loveland or Ft. Collins. Anyone done anything east or north of Denver that isn't too far off the Interstate? I've been looking at Compendium, and other apps, but thought I'd see what the hive mind here might suggest. Day 1 - SAT- Canyon/Palo Duro/Amarillo Texas Day 2 - TBD (East of Denver or Ft. Collins area?) Day 3 - TBD - (Either off I 80 somewhere or push up Rock Springs to Boulder/Pinedale WY Day 4 - Arrive Grand Tetons

I'm 6'2" + and used our 2002 Casita 17 without issues until I moved to the Elite II this past spring. The top of my head touched the ceiling carpet, but the reality was that I was rarely standing except when transitioning down the aisle. For a purely weekend/week trip trailer, I don't think it would be an issue. Even with cold weather, you'll either be at the table or sitting/lying on the bed. Guessing showers may not be a big priority for a Fri-Sun trip in the winter, but easy to do sitting down. When we bought our Casita my wife and I were probably 20-30 lbs lighter, I'm 230-240 now, and usually slept wall to wall. Most of my trips in the last few years have been solo, since she still works, and I found sleeping diagonally in the Casita was perfect and gave me a corner backrest for reading. I'd find a Casita Spirit with the bed made up and see how it feels. I really don't think you will regret the ease of use of the Elite 1 given your requirements....now finding/getting one is another story. 😉. The ability to hook-up without a WDH and the maneuverabilty is great. Now, if you could just leave your Elite II at the lake... 😉

A bit of trivia... I just weighed my like new, over 15 year old, 1000cc Yamaha generator and it was 50+ lbs. Guess I can buy a new Honda 2200 and not feel bad about the weight at 47 lbs. 😉 They really cut the weight in the last 20 years, with 1000cc units now weighing in at 30 lbs. Guessing steel vs aluminum castings.

Useful thread...

Thanks, I stayed at Mammoth three years ago in May, in my Casita. This was right after a late season snow storm that delayed arrival by a day from the Grand Tetons. No furnace in the Casita, but beat being in a tent. As noted above, Mammoth does allow day use of generators, <=60 DBs.

Most generator discussions focus on 2000cc units that allow for soft-start of the AC. I've got a very old, but like new-in-box, Yamaha EF1000cc unit that I've thought about taking as a backup for charging the batteries if the weather is marginal for a large number of days. I expect I'll be in Yellowstone with no AC for 7-14 days, with a chance that days before and after will be boon-docking also. If I just want to be able to top off the batteries, any downside to just using the small 1000cc generator? (Solar Pack with four wet cell batteries) I'll be traveling with a couple of friends in their 23' Airstream. They have a 2000cc dual-gas generator, but if we don't need AC, the smaller generator has more appeal. Thoughts?

FWIW, Oliver now officially recommends and is delivering EII tires at 55psi, per the latest new owner walk-thru video.

It's a big state, so are you thinking snow bird life in the Rio Grande valley, or Dallas, or San Antonio, also west Texas can be awesome, e.g., Alpine (Lost Alaskan RV park) More ice and some snow in Dallas area, but it is Texas, so just depends on what the cold fronts do. Might also start shopping commercial and state campgrounds (2 week limit) to see how availability is.

Only upside is at least you had two bolts and one is still there, so doesn't look like it dropped on to the Wheel Well. I'm pretty sure, the installer put my bolts down and never came back to finish the job...just glad I found it.

I pulled my Casita 17 with the Lexus LX 470. So that's 3000+ lbs with the 4.7L V-8, similar to the GX. It was doable and definitely better than with my 1997 LX 450, but the 570 I use now made it truly painless. That said, the E1 is about 5000(?) lbs and payload of the GX will be limited. The GX is an awesome truck, but if you want a great SUV for the E1 I'd look at the LX 570 or Land Cruiser with the 5.7 Tundra engine. It would be perfect, if your budget allows. (2013+ @ $40-50K) I'd not want to be shopping in this market, but most LX 570s are owned by folks that rarely go Offroad and you can get the service records via the VIN by creating an account on driverslexus.com. Look for trucks coming off lease or anything 2013 or later with under 100k miles with good service records. John Davies and I both pull the E2 with a 200 series. It's not a 3/4 ton diesel, but gets the job done and doesn't break.

Nice to know, thanks...

I just got two new pads and they seem to be the same as the original in my 2020 build. I also had to replace the PC board, which was more of a hassle. It would not allow the code to be reset. Silicone under pad was fine. PC board plug to locking circuit originally had some type of black sealant to hold it tight. I may be going back in there, if it wiggles loose. Board is held in frame by two small protrusions, tedious to get it out and in, without damaging board.

Why not just add soft-start to AC?

If you had this happen, I’d be sure a file a support ticket, just to give the guys some data points on when this occurred.

Just to put some closure on this. Service and I agreed that it was likely an installation failure. It looks like someone put down the two bolts in a crevice near the support beam and didn't return to finish the job. I never found nuts and washers and the bolts were unlikely to fall, together, into the space I found them in. Still worth checking yours, but I would not expect this to be a common issue, though it has occurred else-when, as noted above.

Or don’t do what I did and throw the wrong switch, and wander off, without verifying power.

Does AC work without the surge protector? You already have one built in to the Oliver, so not much risk.

I think I met Imelda while at Big Bend NP on Mon, 18 Oct. Was surprised to see another 2020 E2 in a campground of 20 or less rig, everything from a tiny tear drop to a 40' Class A, all boon-docking. The days were hot. No cell phone connectivity at Rio Grande Campground and limited wifi at the store. They were headed to Ft. Davis State Park. If that's her, she was running with only a 2000 watt generator. We think it might have done something to the inverter when trying to start the AC w/o soft-start. When I left Wednesday AM, she and my camping neighbor, an electrician, were discussing some diagnostic approaches with fuses, reset, etc. No solar. I expect she'll check-in once on shore power at Ft. Davis. If not Imelda, just delete this. 😉

Probably what would happen is to find a newer Elite I and have to grab it, then decide which to sell. First world problem. 😉

I was wondering if Oliver should have bug awards like the software companies do, e.g., for every QC failure you get more points if it's an original finding, like hold down strap breaking or battery box support bolts vibrating out, vs repeatable events like fiberglass in the water line. 😉

Is it OK to own one of each... 😉

Has anyone downsized from the Elite II to the Elite I. I've been on a few trips with my 2020 E2, but mostly solo, since my wife still works. I miss the maneuverability of my 17' Casita, but love my E2 once I'm setup as I'm 6'3'. 😉 Just curious if anyone did the same for solo travel. I'm assuming the technical specs are essentially the same, but hope to check one out locally at some point. Thoughts...