Mike and Carol

I wish I still had my ‘66 Mustang convertible. Sold it when we lived in Hawaii. It’s what I drove when Carol and I were dating back in the late 60s. Mike

Ultimate Campgrounds is my first go-to app to find a campground. If there is nothing public that works then I go to Allstays or Campendium. Mike

Odd way to get a scenic campsite….

And if Tractor Supply doesn’t have it go next door to Walmart!

We’re still working logistical details. It’s a long drive from south Texas and we want to get as far north as we can quickly to escape this oppressive heat. I was able to make some reservations at Forest Ridge campground in Ellsworth, Acadia and Lemoine were booked solid into the fall.

Looks like a happy group of Oliver owners! Hope to be visiting your state, for the first time, in a few weeks! Mike

Hey John, we’re making January plans for AZ now. Family events have been changing everything we try to plan. We thought we’d be in Colorado in a couple of weeks, now we’re going to be in Maine. Oh well, stay flexible! Mike

Welcome and congrats on your soon to be finished Oliver. That’s a nice place to live! Mike

We prefer COE parks to others because they are usually very nice (not always - there are a few clinkers out there) and the price is right with the senior pass. We don’t have any of the books, we research online with campground reviews and campground pictures. We’d also be interested in any book reviews. Mike

Check these forums. Most used Olivers are posted here. I think there is a Facebook group also. Sometimes they are also listed on RV Trader, but this is the best place to watch.

The last time we camped in Farmington (actually Aztec, Ruins Road RV) it was January and temps were low teens to high twenties. It was a decent spot for visiting Son and family in Durango. 40s and 70s sounds better! Enjoy the rest of your trip… Mike

Hey Matt and Beth, welcome! Hopefully someone will be traveling to southern CA soon. We would like to go back to Joshua Tree visit some more wineries in Temecula. It’s beautiful country! Mike

so check your

1. We use “The Collar” with an Abus puck lock. Both from Amazon. 2. We’ve been using our iPhones for hot spots so we can use our iPad or MacBook. We have AT&T and haven’t any problems. We do have the cell booster which is now 5 years old. Probably need to start thinking about a new one…. 3. Don’t new Olivers come with a built in surge protector? Ours didn’t and we use a Camco 30a surge protector. My son just bought a 30a Progressive Industries surge protector for his new trailer. 4. It would be nice if Oliver offered a quiet AC. We use ours on when absolutely necessary. 5. Viair makes some nice small air compressors. Check Amazon. 6. 4K Watts is overkill and much too heavy. If you have a Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Bass Pro check out a small Champion. We have a 2,000 watt that is very quiet and weighs 37 lbs. The Westinghouse from Costco is also a good choice. 7. We also use the TST TPMS. It’s been very reliable over the years. Hope this helps! Mike

Time will go faster than you expect, lots of time to look for accessories and “necessary” camping items! Welcome and congrats on your upcoming Oliver! Mike

My son has the same No Bo, only he left the wheels on.

On older trailers you can just flip the circuit breaker for the charger off that’s on the panel under the dinette seat. I’m not sure how the newer trailers with lithium work the charging. Since I put in my lithium batteries and PD4045 I find that I leave it off most of the time to let the solar charge the batteries during the day and only use it on cloudy days when the solar can’t keep up.

Ralph, the set screws were pretty tight when I used it. There are still indentations on my frame where they bit in. As I recall, the brackets were never at 90 degrees to the frame, there was always a slight angle. Mike

Hey John, good to hear from you. The Xplore looks like quite a trailer. Shane seems pretty sold on it too. I’m glad we’re getting more options for well built, quality trailers! Mike

I used stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers along with neoprene washers against the aluminum box. I also used pieces I cut from one of those puzzle floor mats. On thickness under the box that sits on the fiberglass and two thickness under the part that hangs over onto the frame. Nothing fancy, I just drilled three holes up from the bottom through the fiberglass after clamping the box where I wanted it. Yes, if I ever remove it I will have three holes in the tongue fiberglass, but I don’t see that happening. It’s very secure and does exactly what we wanted. These are the only pictures I have right now. These show where the bolts are. Shot from underneath. Sho Another blurry shot from underneath. This is an attempt to show the foam padding underneath. One layer between the box and fiberglass and one between the box and tongue. I cut another piece of foam to sit in the bottom of the box to cover the bolts.

There were two or three near Wilkesboro, can’t remember which one we were going to since we ended up going up to Banner Elk.

BT, welcome! Hail isn’t a big concern with the Oliver, we’ve been through several hail storms (medium to small hail) with no issues. Since everything is molded to shape there’s also no worries about cabinets and other interior features coming loose. It’s solid. Not as wide and spacious as an AS, but very liveable. Ask questions, lots of experts (and opinions) here…. Mike

We got a Camco 30a surge protector from Amazon. It works well, when you plug it in it doesn’t pass power for about 45 seconds until after it has checked to make sure everything is okay. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it is yellow and very noticeable. Progressive Industries makes a good one too and they are black, a little less noticeable when hanging from the power pole. Either is good. We’ve used ours a lot over the last 5 years and it has performed well. Mike

Hey Garageboy, welcome. Used Ollies pop up pretty often. Check often! Mike

We camped at Banner Elk - what a nice little town in a really scenic part of NC. I can’t recommend a campground, but have a funny story about where we camped…. The short version - we met the couple next to us while camping at Unicoi State Park in north GA. He (Kevin) asked where we were going next, I told him (it was a COE campground down the hill from Banner Elk). He said don’t go there, keep going up to Banner Elk. I asked if he would recommend a campground, he said no, camp in the parking lot of my business, JACKS Glass Shop for as long as you want, W/E included and there is a shower and small kitchen in the shop. So we did. It was a great camping spot. We sent him a bunch of TX BBQ supplies when we got home for him to use on his future camping trips!