Jstone

Another vote for heads to galley, and others have hit on our reasons, as well. Another plus for heads to galley is the ability to use the Froli adjustable headrest under the mattress; this headrest, coupled with their mattress support, have reinforced the heads to galley position best for us.

I’ve been using a Weber Q1200 with an additional griddle insert for one side…works well, because I’m still fat & happy. It was easy for me to convert it to run off my QC connection on my Oliver. As for storage problems, I’m good…just 2 of us, and we continue to do more with less because of years backpacking and tent camping and being very weight-conscious , so I have plenty of room in the back of my(gasp!)SUV! I must be getting something wrong, though….every time I hit the CAT scale, I’m still 100-200 lbs under my GVWR of 1380 lbs my 2010 Toyota Sequoia provides, which is rated to tow 9500 pounds, and happily controls our Elite II up and down the Blue Ridge Escarpment from Coastal SC to the peaks of the Blue Ridge mountains….spring, summer, winter or fall.

Perfect conditions with bluebird skies, low 70’s temperatures and low humidify.

The gators are certainly here, and at my home as well…I live nearby on the Waccamaw River.

I’m at my home base campground in Huntington Beach State Park, in South Carolina, in hull #997. During my morning stroll I met the owner of this boat, who said it serves them well, both on land and sea. They are based out of Charleston, SC, and travel the east coast thru gulf coast.

Old backpacking habits die hard, as space/size/ weight still matters, as much as great coffee matters. This GSI pour over filter has been in use for well over a decade, along with the pot I use to boil water, having survived countless backpacking adventures , and now lives in hull 997. I use a paper filter, so little water is wasted on clean up. It folds flat, takes a beating, dries fast, weighs nothing, brews a great cup, too.

We had a Bambi 16, and loved it except for the single axle. After visiting our Airstream dealer, a 23 Globetrotter twin was our expected purchase, but in doing our due diligence, the Oliver name kept showing up on, of all places, the Airstream forum! As fate would have it, we were pulling into our camping destination with our Bambi, and lo & behold, there was on Elite II in the campground. The owner kindly allowed us to gawk at his Ollie. That took the shine off of buying another Airstream. We were giddy with excitement from our fortuitous tour, and remain so, a year and a half after picking up hull 997. I’ll always have a soft spot for Airstream campers, they are pretty good, but they are not comparable to an Oliver. If you can make the size of the Oliver work for you, they are wonderful, from conceptualization through execution.

I just packed up my 3 year old Traeger Ranger for a 5 day trip to Mt. Pisgah campground….for just 2 people it’s a great choice. The temps fluctuate a bit, the end product is great. I purchased from Costco, knowing that with their return policy, I couldn’t go wrong. I also packed a Weber Q1200, with the Weber griddle; I will used both the Traeger & Weber to good effect. These ribs were Traeger ribs.

Sea Captains was very good. FWIW, I add my endorsement. Hi from Hull 997, I’m local to the area. If you’re staying a while, a trip to the Conway Riverwalk area offers a wonderful contrast to Myrtle Beach, as does the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk. Enjoy!

I have 4 Rubbermaid Action packers that were purchased new, and first put into service in 2018 with our Sylvan Sport Go. They have never been water proof, and I did not buy them with that as a goal. I use one with my Elite II storage box for items that can wet. I would also like to know of a waterproof option, since none of mine seal enough to be considered even water resistant.

Congratulations from hull 997, picked up in January 2022.

It’s great to plan ahead!

After a Saturday of yard work and car washing, I have found myself with the need of a liquid pain reliever on Sunday afternoon. A Maple Cinnamon Old Fashioned, a rocking chair, and a perfect 70 degree South Carolina afternoon. A great way to ease away the achy muscles and enjoy the taste of fall in a glass. Obligatory Oliver content….We’re heading back to Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway Oct. 19-23rd. We met Mr. & Mrs. Hokieman when we were there on the first weekend of fall.

Thanks to all for comments & recommendations! We have been regulars at this campground for approximately 30 years, and for the many reasons you’ve listed, it never gets old! We’ll be back at Pisgah again in about a month…and will be back as soon as they open again in May 2023!

We arrived at Mt. Pisgah campground on 9/22/22 and to our great surprise and pleasure met Hokieman & Mrs. Hokieman, owners of hull 797. We own hull 997. It is always great to be at Mt. Pisgah, and even more so since we’ve made new friends.

Glad my testing has helped! I recently purchased a 200 watt portable panel, but haven’t tested it. I did camp over 10 days in early July, high elevation, so no AC was needed. I had filtered sunlight due to foliage, used anything and everything we wanted, including the convection feature on the microwave, CPAP nightly, just no AC…..after 10 days, we still had 66% of our battery power left.

Yes to replacing +/- 10% per day.

We have come to campers from a 30 year history of backpacking & water conservation, so YMMV. Our 2022 Elite II twin is our 4th camper since 2008. We spent 10 days in early July boondocking. Our biggest use of water is making 4-6 ginormous cups of good coffee daily. We have a composing toilet, which fits our wants and needs, so nothing goes into our black tank. We emptied the urine container about every 2 days, at about the 2 gallon level each time. After 10 days, the remaining fresh tank was 31% full, the gray tank 63% full, according to our SeeLevel II monitor…they aren’t dead-to-rights accurate.

My experience with the Oliver sales team was that they took the role of “facilitator” as opposed to “salesperson”….this is not semantics. The buying experience, from my order through delivery, never left me feeling wanting, or pressured. My questions and concerns were addressed with patience and honesty. I also sold an Airstream, with which I was blissfully happy…until I set foot in an Elite II. Since pick up of hull 997 in January, I have had a problem with my Norcold fridge and the Furrion rear view monitor, both of which Mike Sharpe at Oliver helped to resolve with zero drama. Of course, the items of concern are items Oliver supplied, but did not manufacture.

I’ve secured something to our rooftop of our Toyota Sequoia. It is an essential for us. What do you see in my rooftop Rorschach Test? it isn’t a body, believe it or not… it is a Clam Quickset Pavilion shelter. We’ll be at Mt. Pisgah campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway from 7/1-7/10.

I have no cell service at the campground. A huge change in the weather occurred Friday night, and this weekend is one for the records, under 40% humidity, upper 70’s, bluebird skies! Lake Powhatan site 51 is tough to back into! We found ourselves at The Moose restaurant by recommendation of a new friend at Powhatan….fantastic heart-attack-on-a-plate dining. Just say “YES” to gravy on everything! We didn’t bring bikes, just ourselves and our 14+year-old mutt….we’re all good with relaxing….Oh, and eating….I almost forgot, drinking, too(lol)! We’re heading home on Sunday, but will be back in the area at Mt. Pisgah campground from 7/1-7-9….loop A. Plan on the Farmers Market, and a bunch of other fun when we’re back in 2 weeks!

Early morning at Lake Powhatan, near Asheville, NC.

I have the Makita, it is a beast, and will certainly outlive me. This one is corded, and it super smooth in operation. I’ve used it with Osborn brushes to smooth the logs on my home before refinishing, and it will stand up to heavy, daily use. If there is anything negative, it has to be the weight, although the strength of the motor and obvious durability will make it rather hefty.

I may get portable panels, I’ve used them with a big Goal Zero lithium power station….it just isn’t much fun to stay around camp moving solar panels to optimize their output(ask me how I know, Lol). I have a Honda 2200i with a Hutch Mountain propane conversion, quiet, simple & it is under 50 pounds, and will run forever on the 30 pound propane tanks. I think weight & size wise, the generator vs. 200 or more watts of portable solar may be a wash. YMMV!

I’m home, in hot, humid Myrtle Beach SC area. I have the 630ah/340w on my 2022 Elite 2…soft start on the AC. I ran a quick & dirty test last week, ambient temp in low 90’s, camper fully closed & in full sunlight. I started at 100% SOC, and set the thermostat to 80 degrees/automatic…kept the blackout shades closed. Ran the AC as stated above for 5 hours, 3-8pm, charge dropped to appx. 40%. I replaced about 10% charge per day, so I was just over 50% on Friday, 60% Saturday, with no power consumption….I did the same full-sun run in the AC on Sunday, started at 60% SOC, ambient temps were about the same. 4 hours of use saw the SOC drop to 18% & 20%. I plugged into shore power and the batteries were at 100% SOC in 3 hours. Far from a scientific test, but I was surprised how well the batteries handled the challenge and how quickly they recovered.