fairmontrvpark

Hello John, I recently had to commit to my own build sheet and, like you, I am unsure of how serious I will get about boondocking until I get out on the road and see where the wind blows me. I decided to go with the 6V AGM, 2000 Watt Inverter and the easy start AC but no solar for now. I also invested in a Honda 2200 with the LP conversion kit so that I have my own power solution while I learn what my long term needs will, or will not be, relative to Solar. Not trying to sway you in either direction this is just where I landed, my build sheet is set in stone, check written and I pick up my Ollie the end of Oct. Your question is AGM VS Lithium so I may not be of much help 😉 in my case it was more commit or not commit to solar right now.... and the batteries I chose were the result of that decision. I am used to 6V AGM from my past campers and never had any issues with them. Good Luck with your choice and Happy Trails. Dan

#3 hands down. It keeps your traveling options open while you are getting a good nights sleep and not bumping your head all the time. Good Luck and Happy Trails Dan

I find this post most interesting as well and I am curious how things worked out for the Author on that trip. Thanks to the rest of you that have shared here as I will be traveling in the fall to winter season myself. The only experience I have to add here since I do not have my oliver yet is that outside showers are huge negative for any RV in cold country I have seen multiple 4 season RV's here with frozen and or broken outside showers. They just don't belong in this winter climate and often are forgotten about until they are an issue. I deleted the outside showers entirely from my oliver build. I am not sure what the final result will be given the molds and voids where they would normally be but I don't care I am not having them on my trailer. As for cold weather RVing in general? The folks I know that do it one a regular basis, know what they are doing, own a true 4 seasons RV and come every year love it, granted their plugged in here and I have heated hydrants and water mains buried 8' deep and a sewer system that will not freeze so its relatively simple compared to dry camping, They do have most everything else to themselves or at least only have to deal with minimal crowds and winter has its own special beauty as long as the essentials one needs are all in place. I hope this thread stays alive as we do not all camp on perfect weather or just during the summer months. I know I made some sacrifice relative to other 4 season RVs out there But it is a conscious decision based on more than just camping in the shoulder seasons. I think the Oliver will do great if set up/used correctly. I will only need to sneak back home through some very cold temps from whatever warm southern point I stay at on my outings. I am looking forward to finding out. Dan Happy Trails

Well reading the posts tells me that there is maintenance or at least more attention being paid than I am interested in providing while I am on vacation and again this is just my personal preference not trying to impose it on anyone else just answering the question I was asked as it relates to me. I hear tell of a start up that has solved the heating issues and makes a respectable flexible panel www.merlinsolar.com Yeah I know.... their a startup... but for a portable solution I may risk it.

Valid Point Dewdev, In the event I do decide to part with it I will cross that bridge. On the other hand I have seen inside the guts of some Solar equipped Ollies here that I would not touch with a ten foot pole..... because I am not a qualified solar tinkerer with a mobile machine shop in my TV with the want to or know how to maintain those systems.... Nothing against those that do its simply not what I am looking to get from my Oliver. That being said if you see a picture of my Oliver here in a few years with more flexible solar panels than gelcoat visible.... well I have been known to flip the script like that before once I am convinced of something. 😉

My Oliver will spend 10-11 months inside my shop while plugged into shore power, I will travel for one month and sometimes two months per year staying long term at full service RV parks like Rocky Point in Mexico that cost $6-$700.00 per month. I can literally fund my trips for 5 years for the cost of a solar system on my Oliver. I was concerned about the mounting system and holes in the Gel Coat, Thanks to your replies, I am not longer worried in the least about that issue. I will not be adding solar at this time, I expect that I will do so in the future if I keep the Oliver more than a few years I will likely hand it over to the Boondoctor and let him have his way with it. Until then I will have a "portable" solution of some sort and it may be suitcase solar of some type, it may be solar mounted on the bed cover of my truck or it might just be my Honda 2000... Time will determine this. Someone suggested I visit the factory and this was sound advice but the one thing I don't have? is time to do this prior to my pick up date, I will try not to bother you with any more silly questions. Thanks again to all of you for your input on my original questions I appreciate it. Happy Trails Dan

Great Post! Thank You for sharing.

Sorry Neuman, I can see how that sounded, the 100% was meant in comparison to my previous RV's that had PVC Roofs, Wood Substrate, Fiberglass Coated Wood Siding etc. The Oliver is nothing like them and is new to me.

Hello John, A 2013 Land Cruiser 200 is not an Ideal TV, but it gets the job done for you right? I am quite sure 99% of my choices relative to my Oliver will not be up to your standards so that is established now. As I stated in my Original Post I am NOT using Lithium and would like to avoid this post going down that rabbit hole so it can stay on topic. I absolutely love the 7 PIN solar solution in my case it is an ideal option, and I am grateful for it. Dan

Hello Frank, I appreciate this I was unaware the 7 Pin could be used with portable solar I will seriously consider this option.

I tried to search this with no luck so forgive me if these questions have already been asked. 1. Do crosswinds vibrations during travel or anything else have any negative affect on these mount points of the factory solar panels? 2. Have any of you had issues with the factory solar panels relative to how they are attached to the roof of the Oliver? If so in what way? 3. Have any of you upgraded, added more panels or simply deleted these factory panels? if so how has that worked out relative to the original mounting holes? waterproofing? I ask because I am soon going to have to commit to my build sheet and these questions came to me when I first saw the panels mounted on the roof sideways, it is a fair question given the way the panels edges hang out in the wind so to speak, however I have not been able to find an answer to this on my own..... maybe that is my answer but I leave it to you all now to give me the goods. FYI I am already set on AGM Batteries to start out, regardless of what decision I make about panels, so no point in opening that can of worms in this post. My goal here is to decide if I am going to add panels now or wait until I decide exactly what I want to do relative to a full on boondocking solar solution in a year or so. I am fine with the cost of the panels, I know some will think it is overkill for me to purchase them if I am not boondocking that is my prerogative so hold those comments please, thanks. I am simply concerned about how their attachment affects the roof/gelcoat of the RV and since I do not plan to do any hardcore boondocking the first year I am leaning towards no panels at all because we all know that 12-18 months from now there will likely be better panels that may or may not mount the same way leaving holes/patches in my roof that I am not crazy about thus the question because the oliver being 100% gelcoat is brand new to me and you can all see by now I am going around in circles about something that probably should not be so complicated 😉 so I look forward to your educated input on the subject. Thanks Dan

I did make him aware of this forum Mike and I have a feeling others will as well. Like the rest of us he has his own agenda and schedule so I did not press it.

If I do I will Overland. I never rush into things so it will be next year so I know exactly what to tell him I want after spending time in the rig.

I am glad you two see it this way, Thanks for fixing the link Overland. He is professional, and easy to talk to..... still made my brain hurt but that is not his fault 😉. FYI He is booked solid through Feb of 2022 as of todays date. I am going to use RV parks my first year with the Ollie (I pick up in October) and if I get the off grid bug then He is my choice to do a full install because what I just witnessed in person was the best functioning solar system I have ever seen and I have seen quite a few in person here because sooner or later you all have to dump your tanks. The Tesla Batteries are impressive relative to the space they fit in and being next to his heat duct is Genius in my opinion. Standing under both of his AC's pumping cold air was impressive as well and no he was not plugged in he was at my Gas Pump in 98 degree weather. His rough quote for a full install is 14K with a large possible swing in either direction depending on the end result of course. I'm sure some of you have questions but direct them towards him not me I have shared all I know with you here. Happy Trails Dan

I am providing a resource I met when he checked in here at my RV Park. For those of you that like to rip peoples heads off I would ask that you refrain from mentioning me or this post as I will be doing business with this company and referring him work as well down the road. For the rest of us that are not experts, or already committed to one particular system yet while we try to figure out what solar system we want for our Olivers that have yet to be built, this is a very interesting resource with great questions and answers that I find easy to understand and refreshingly informative so I am sharing it with you all. BoonDoctor.com Happy Trails Dan

Pennie, I have yet to take delivery of my own Oliver so I will leave the others to speak directly to your questions relative to it. I do hear the names of other RV manufactures over and over while my campers tell me about the problems they are having with their rigs, brand new rigs seem to have more issues than recently purchased used rigs. Thus I know which brands NOT to buy for sure. My point is this, I chose the Oliver because I believe the issues will be greatly diminished compared to what I know to be true about other brands and that should give you some degree of comfort, however there will likely be something that will need to be addressed after you take possession just remember it could be a lot worse... I see it every day. I pick my rig up in October and I am going to hang relatively close to the factory for at least a week, possibly two, like others have suggested here, I take that as very wise advice given the reality of things... Stuff Happens.... Simple as that. Best of Luck!! Dan

To the original poster, it is normal for 50-70 RV's to check in or out of my CG on any given day. In the situation you describe the only guilty party is the guy that was mean mugging you while you were backing in... Period. We have all been in that situation and he obviously forgot that fact. As for the onlookers that really enjoy watching others struggle? well I have little respect for this, its rude, simple as that. When it comes to helping folks out? I tend to chill out for a few moments while I determine if they are struggling or simply need a bit of time to get the lay of that particular site. If I am sure they are struggling I ask if I can assist in any way and typically just walk next to the drivers window quietly offering "turn driver/turn passenger" directions to the driver until their rig is safely in their site, if this fails I do offer to drive and have backed in more rigs than I can count. 100% of the time this has been appreciated and never any liability issues or damage to anything at all. None of us are perfect we all need a hand now and then, when the chance to be the one who helps arises? Put your beer down for a few minutes and do your part. IMHO. Dan

RB You have highlighted the fourth benefit of a private CG that most do not consider. 1. Unlimited Water 2.Unlimited Sewer discharge. 3.Unlimited Power. 4. Right to refuse service.... I remove, or have them removed, instantly without prejudice. To your point, It is a shame how some people treat public lands, enforcement is seldom present or practiced. I do not know if more funding would help this situation in todays world. Dan

In my humble opinion, Jim, Mike and Carol have spoken the truth relative to this new generation of campers and their longevity in that activity. I literally watched that transition take place on a daily basis during the 2020 (Pandemic) Season. Like the rest of you, I watched the reality of the situation became more clear each day, then the phone started ringing off the hook with cancellations from "Our" Generation, this continued for two months 7 days a week. Then the phone just stopped ringing at all and my parks summer season map was near vacant. I had never seen this before as its typically sold out early. On June 6th of 2020 the 14 day quarantine for out of state travelers was lifted here in Montana and the Hot Springs next door was allowed half capacity as well. The phones began to ring and this increased each day with fervor, however, the people on the other end of the line were not 50-80 years old.... they were 20-50 years old and most in the lower half of those ages. As this second wave of campers began to arrive I was amazed to see that 25% of them were brand spanking new trucks towing brand new R-Pod style and size RV's (and I mean paper license plates on both rigs), 50% were brand new tow behind, 5th wheel's or motorhomes and 25% were my typical return clients that we see every season. My point being all of those new rigs were young couples that, without intending to, discovered a completely new and exciting way to spend time with their young families and do so in an environment (their RV) that they have total control over. Given the hundreds of conversations I had with this new group of campers I can tell you without any shadow of a doubt that at least 60% of them are here to stay. They invested heavily into the RV industry to escape whatever it was they were escaping (more then a handful actually sold their home with no plan yet to purchase another). Most of them ended up enjoying it, then posted their exploits and adventures on their Blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts and as you all are aware, Every one that missed that train last year? is desperately trying to purchase an RV right this moment so they can go out and give it a go this season. The RV industry will see a lull in sales once this bubble bursts that is a fact, there will also be some deals to be had on used RV's being sold by those who simply do not fit the RV life well enough to enjoy vacationing in one. But finding an RV Space will be an issue for the next decade if only half of those folks were telling me the truth last season. It was and is awesome to see the new young faces come piling out of their new RV's, there are some trials and tribulations with so many newbies pulling in but we were all there once and they learn quick (most of them) and it is wonderfully exciting to see my older, wiser and most importantly still healthy campers returning this season. At the end of the day, while there are growing pains associated with this influx of new campers, this growth in RVing is good for all of us, My park is full and your Olivers are worth more than you paid for them in most cases and will be for some time to come. So I say embrace it, help them all learn how to back into an RV space without running stuff over, turn on their water heater, find and stop the mysterious water running out of the bottom of their trailer, and enjoy the sound of their young children laughing and scurrying about outside because that is truly one of the few good things that came out of 2020 and for the children's and our sake I for one hope it lasts.

Hello All! I am a CG owner and as a result have seen every size and type of RV there is and a few "things" that would not fall into any class of RV. I must admit that I was not aware of the Oliver by name until this month and that is a result of my interest and research into smaller 5th wheels for my own use that led to the Escape in Canada that led to Oliver in Tennessee and my decision to purchase one shortly after understanding exactly how they are constructed. I am a semi-retired builder both commercial and residential so I had no difficulty seeing the quality of the Oliver and it fits my desire for a smaller, quality, RV that I can drag around the country without white knuckles behind my One Ton Ram. I have most of you to thank for shedding more light on the Oliver RV as a whole and your candid stories, questions and answers were a huge part of my decision to move forward with the purchase of an Oliver. I have spent several hours snooping around in this forum and I appreciate most of what you all have to say and share with one another and I look forward to more of the same. That being said I will be avoiding one or two of you mega posters 😉 If any of your are ever in MT near Butte look us up and mention my name and this forum if you need a spot for the night you will benefit as a result. Safe Travels and Happy Trails Dan