VBistro

Any idea where we can find an elbow fitting like the one on the right, that is appropriate for a propane tank? I bought the Gas Stop valves and the 90 degree hoses, but all I really need to use the Gas Stop in our situation is the 90 degree elbow at the regulator. The 90 degree hoses are too long and actually make a bad situation (bends) worse I took the pipe thread fitting off today to bring it to my local hardware store, and they had an elbow that would work, but the fitting I removed from the Ollie has what appears to be a nylon check valve inside -- presumably to prevent loss of propane in the lines after the regulator when you change tanks. I would have thought that the low pressure regulator would have it's own check valve inside, negating the need for one in the elbow, but I am admittedly not a propane expert. Thougts? (I don't know who JD is - original poster of this picture - or I would tag them here!) Thanks, MaryBeth

Welcome! There is a lot of great information here, and I'm sure you'll find everything you need to convince you that an upgrade to the EII is the right choice! mb

We have just about every option you could ask for, and I don't think we'll have a hard time keeping our rig under ideal towing weights at all. The GVWR for the EII is 7000lbs, with a cargo carrying capacity of 1525lbs. We, too, are cyclists and anticipate bringing both gravel and mountain bikes (in the tv) on most extended trips. That also means we'll have our bike toolbox, repair stand, pump, etc. I also cook all meals from scratch (or bring frozen meals that I cooked at home). I made a spreadsheet to account for everything I could possibly anticipate bringing with us on a 10 day boondocking trip, and even with aggressively rounding up my weight estimates I don't come close to the carrying capacity of the EII. I think you run out of storage space (especially for bulky items) long before you run out of weight allowance. Now....I think the struggle would be real with an EI with 2 cyclists on board. Solo, I think would be just fine. Here's a link to my spreadsheet if anyone is interested (and hopefully no one finds a fatal flaw!) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_SI7qJR_-7Uo0rUY2nrS83XIjPciVuvnmP2E-ek4hb4/edit?usp=sharing

Yup! This one got me on our first night in Ollie. Sun barely peaked up, and the zamp lights came right on!

Thanks everyone. Lots of good options here. I’ll inspect a little closer in the morning and try to post some pics.

The one under the bed. Though I have also noticed pretty rough edges around the openings to the cabinets above the bed.

Today while winterizing, @MarkVgot a nasty little sliver from the exposed fiberglass edge. Has anyone come up with a clean, simple way to “finish” these edges? My first thought was to use some white electrical tape. thanks!

Thanks, John. I didn't even think about the little LED lights when we bought the USB charge ports. I'm not too worried about battery drain - we got the Platinum package. But they do annoy me, so I need to get them under control.

Do you have a recommendation? I've never used one that didn't make me feel claustrophobic. mb

Does anyone have an easy way to dim the brightness of all of the indicator lights in the cabin -- the radio, propane/CO detector, refrigerator, charging cables, cradlepoint...there are at least 6-8 indicator lights that are only made worse by reflecting off of the shiny white interior of Ollie. I don't want to eliminate them altogether (otherwise I would just cover everything in electrical tape), but I would like to reduce the effect in a way that looks clean and purposeful -- the way it is now, I don't even need to use the courtesy lights to find my way to the head in the middle of the night!

Foy shipped them to Oliver and Oliver installed them during delivery. We kept the Oliver units….you just never know!

Last night I tried using the back cushion from the dinette as a back support for sitting upright in bed. Worked brilliantly, and as with most things Ollie related, I saw this trick on the forums!

If you are using the trailer exclusively in the winter, could you see about ordering the LEII without the AC? Not sure of that’s even possible today, but it would solve the problem.

Mark and I were thrilled to finally welcome 953 into the family. We spent 2 great days in Hohenwald getting to know Ollie. Super experience at the factory - only very minor issues that were fixed immediately on-site. What a great company!

I’ve used a composting toilet in our van for 3 seasons and, while it does take some getting used to, it is possible to avoid mixing pee into the solids bucket. It’s all about positioning. You can “tell” when the pee is coming, and you just lean forward a bit so that it hits the diverter part of the toilet. it’s not absolutely 100%, but then it isn’t strictly necessary to prevent 100% of the pee from entering the compost. A dribble or a drop now and then isn’t the end of the world. It’s what I do, and I’ve never had an issue with smell (the effect of mixing too much urine in your compost bucket).

Happy Turkey Day....or in our case, Happy Smoked Boston Butt Day.... Seriously, I hope you've all had a wonderful Day of Thanks, with lots of love and friendship around you! mb

Bummed we won't see the packaging! Foy has shipped our order direct to Hohenwald, where I believe Oliver will have it all installed by pick-up on Monday...

We do have automatic insurance coverage for 30 days with our current provider, so I at least know I am covered for the drive home. At a premium! LOL

Thanks @LongStride and @SeaDawg I will call again on Friday. interesting data point, this quote is also quite a bit lower than that from my current insurance…though not a direct apples to apples comparison (agreed value on the TV vs actual cash value). this will teach me to wait until 4 days before camper pick-up to remember I needed to get insurance quotes. Made even more tight by the holiday.

I just spoke with Good Sam about insurance. 1) they wouldn't insure the RV only, but insisted on insurance for both the RV and TV and 2) the quote was for $2622 per year. That's a bit more than $500 a year... Time to call our own insurance company. mb

We were, and still are, scheduled for 11/29 pick up of hull 953. In mid-October Oliver wanted to move our date up to 11/17, but we couldn’t swing it. I’m betting whether you are delayed in pick-up is tied to your particular options. in any case, it will be plenty cold for our pick-up, with the potential for some “interesting” weather on our travels back to Colorado. We’ll be putting the four season features through their paces!

We're getting our OLLIE for Christmas! 😀 And all the accessories..... mb

We just picked up a 200W Renogy case, but now I am wondering if we don't stick with the smaller 100W suitcase. Big difference between 20 and 40 pounds, especially since we plan on storing the external panels in the closet. That's a lot of weight up front.

You might want to check your numbers here...most computers use less than 1Ah, not 80. Charging your laptop while you work will barely make a dent in your 390Ah system.

Interesting topic. We don't often have big snows here on the front range, but when we do they can be whoppers. And heavy. And wet. I have a snow broom that I use to clear off the solar panels on our current sprinter van. I hadn't thought about the implications with two awnings. I'll have to get creative...