[Ollie model]

That is way too cool!  Your son is very talented.

[New members from northern Indiana!]

Perhaps "LongStride" was a bit misleading as a handle for a forum.  It has to do with the height disparity between my darling wife and myself.  She is a petite little thing and I need to mind my pace when going down a trail so she doesn't have to scurry about like an excited chipmunk.  Seriously though, it's not quite that dramatic and she always keeps up without complaint.  I just like to tease her about it!

We did visit the factory and checked out an Elite l to see if I would be comfortable with it.  The port/starboard arrangement of the bed will be fine.  I am a bit shy of 5'-11" which leaves me a few inches, and I seldom sleep all straightened out.  Cabin height is fine.  Toilet compartment is a little tight because of the raised shower floor but I can deal with it.

If we were to go with the Elite ll, the fore/aft twin beds only offer one more inch in length over the Elite l as I understand it.  Twin would be the only arrangement we would consider because we don't want to deal with bed assembly every night.  We plan on leaving the bed set up on the Elite l and using the space underneath as storage.

Thanks Bryan and Mainiac for your concern and advice, it is appreciated.

[New members from northern Indiana!]

Thank you all for your very warm welcome!

[New members from northern Indiana!]

Mike (LongStride) and Yasuko (ShortStep) here.  Greetings to all!  

We are both retired and enjoy hiking the trails of our county, state, and national parks.  We normally stay in park lodges, cabins, or nearby hotels.  COVID has made those accommodations less appealing.  

I used to tent camp many years ago and considered going that route again.  Not forgetful of the joys of setting up camp in the rain, I quickly ruled that out as a long term solution.  I started looking at teardrops but ShortStep said that if it had wheels it had to have an onboard potty.  Happy wife, happy home right?  

Quality is of utmost importance to me, so I immediately began researching single axle Airstreams due to their stellar reputation.  It seems that reputation has become tarnished in the past few years since being bought out by Thor Industries (king of the stickies).  I read quite a few disturbing owner reviews that had me wondering if "top of the line" did not now mean "the least crappy".

It was in an Airstream owners forum that I stumbled upon a thread about Oliver Travel Trailers.  Wow!  I was shocked to read a number of reviews raving about Olivers, and even a few who unabashedly said they wished they had purchased and Oliver instead of their Airstream.  

I started researching Olivers and ultimately scheduled a visit to Hohenwald.  We were very impressed with the factory tour and Oliver's obvious commitment to quality.  We are expecting delivery of our Elite l in early June of 2021.  Excited about the new opportunities this will open up for us.  We love REMOTE areas and small secluded campsites where we might struggle with a larger trailer.

Really appreciate this forum.  I have learned much already and think it is wonderful that you folks share your knowledge so willingly.  We need to start thinking about finalizing our options before too long.  I am sure I will be hitting you up with questions soon. 

Happy Holidays!