Mike and Carol

No. If the inverter is off, then the water heater isn’t on. If the inverter is off and there is no shore power the water heater isn’t on.

Happy Thanksgiving to our Oliver family and friends!

The standard water heater has an inside switch to turn on with propane. There is an outside switch on the unit to turn on with electricity. Before leaving for a trip I turn on the electric switch. If we have hookups it automatically comes on. If we’re not, we turn on inside to use propane. Mike

You might continually bang it if you don’t buy a Legacy II!! 😜 Mike

In general, I agree with this. National and state parks, BLM, FS areas attract folks more into being outside exploring nature. FHU campgrounds are geared more to those out to enjoy their mobile house with more amenities than at home!

There have been a couple of recent threads about security. If you do a search for “security” you’ll find some. There is a kind of RV lifestyle culture. We’ve found mostly very nice people while camping, some outgoing and some not. We have not had any security issues in any type of camping. We feel more secure when we’re way out there boondocking since there just isn’t much in the way of people around. But even in campgrounds we’ve felt safe and do not worry about security. No theft issues. Don’t try to engage someone in conversation if they are setting up or tearing down to go. Most of us have a routine that we don’t want interrupted and end up forgetting something. Once I had a guy stop me as I was backing my trailer in, Carol standing on the site giving me directions. I politely but firmly told him to give us an hour or so. Don’t be that guy!! In general, the vast majority of fellow campers will not just walk up into your site. We’ve had folks get to where they could announce themselves but not just walk up cold. Friends are different, of course. Some want to ask about the trailer or ask what part of Texas we’re from if they are too. Nobody has ever asked to use our bathroom, to me that would be rude. I have showed interested people the inside of our trailer, but not often and I am very careful about who I would let in. You can usually tell the difference between genuine interest and passing curiosity. In general, the RV life is pretty safe and people are generally friendly and helpful. We’ve met some great folks on the road. Mike

I don’t have the built in surge protector, I use a portable at the pedestal. Once I plug it in and flip the breaker it takes about 45 seconds for it to pass power. It’s done that since the beginning and I assume it’s checking the circuit. Maybe that’s what yours is doing. Mike

Congratulations! Welcome to the group and look forward to meeting you. MIke

I use wood blocks similar to Bill’s. Mine are 6” and then I use legos to raise them where I want them. I’ve got one for each jack (3) and then one additional that is a little over 4”. I also carry a few short lengths of 2X6 for odd situations.

It seems that folks new to camping are more worried about safety and security than those who camp a lot. We were in that category 6 years ago - I was concerned that my trailer might be stolen and my camp chairs and grill might disappear some day while we were out hiking. Today, with a few days on the road and a few nights camping in various places I believe the safety risk is low. Most places I’m more worried about animals than people. We routinely leave our camp chairs, table, Weber grill, Clam etc unsecured at our trailer while we’re out for the day. Never any problems. I do have the common bulldog hitch lock and a good pad lock just to discourage anyone who might be interested. My panic system would be to turn on the porch lights and hit the alarm on my truck while getting the bear spray ready. Mike I won this red lock as a door prize at one of the Oliver rally’s and use it with the pieces pictured above.

There are lots of Tundras pulling Elite II’s. 9600 is enough. Mike

Mine are the same. I press the top of the switch to make the trailer go up and I push the bottom of the switch to make the trailer go down. Makes perfect sense! Mike

I watched a video on it the other day from Princess Craft up near Austin. I thought it looked nice, big fridge, queen bed, dry bath pretty lightweight.

I have used a car wash a couple of times when we were on the road and I couldn’t stand the dirt/mud all over my trailer. Normally, I give it a good wash when we get home. I use a bucket, microfiber wash mitt and a good quality car wash. I use a ladder to get to the top, the extendable type that I carry when camping. I cut a couple of pool noodles for the part that leans against the trailer. While the roof is strong enough you don’t want to be walking around up there. Except for the middle the rest is rounded and slick when wet. I can reach everything on the roof without actually getting up there. Once or twice a year I wax it. I’ve used a number of waxes over the years, a good marine fiberglass wax is best. You’ll get some good recommendations here, I’m sure. Mike

No, we never have. It’s a pretty safe thing to do - camping. Reports of crime are rare. Mike

When we have shore power we run a small electric heater. If it is below freezing we run the furnace too to keep the plumbing warm. If we have no shore power we set the furnace at 55 (to save battery) at night and 68 during the day. I haven’t cranked it up to run us out,... it seems to cycle on/off correctly. We do keep at least one of the roof vents open, usually the bathroom, but sometimes the Maxfan too if it’s not too cold.

We’ve got the standard hot water tank. As JD says, it’s simple and I’ll add reliable. I’ve switched out the anode once in 5 years and replaced the on/off switch once (both easy to do and cheap). When we have no shore power the propane works well. Mike

I’ve been using the yellow Camco lego levelers for years with very little wear showing. I’ve got two sets, both from Walmart. I use them under wheels to level and also use them under my wood blocks at each jack.

You won’t need the Andersen hitch with a new Rebel pulling an Elite. I just measured and the top of the receiver on my Rebel is 21”. If you have a straight mount with no drop the top of your ball would be just over 23”. If you did a 2” drop mount the top of your ball would be at about 21”. I don’t know what height the Elite needs to be level. The good news is there is a Tractor Supply a mile from where you are picking up and they have a big assortment of hitches. Next door is Walmart and they have hitches too, plus chocks, etc. Mike

I use my power cord from the trailer to the outlet and use a 30a (F) to 15A (M) adapter. Like this from Amazon: Adapter

We store our trailer at a facility that provides a covered space with an AC outlet, I assume it’s probably 15 or 20 amps. The cover prevents any meaningful solar charge. I plug my power cable into the outlet when it’s stored with a 30a to 20a adapter. It keeps the batteries charged (4 AGM) and the fridge on. You don’t need a 30a circuit to keep you batteries topped off. We’re going on 5 years and no issues. I did have a 30a RV plug installed on the side of my garage for when I bring it over to do work on it. It’s hot here a lot and working inside is impossible without the air conditioning on! Mike

This is at the campground at Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado. Easy walk to the sand dunes.

In between Arches NP and Canyonlands NP there are a bunch of BLM campgrounds and dispersed camping areas. This is Horsethief campground just outside of Canyonlands NP. Nice level sites with at table and fire ring. Vault toilets were very clean. Only about 15 minutes outside of Moab.

We’ll see you there! Mike

Yes, I had the Easy Start installed on our AC. That enables me to run the AC off of my 2K watt Champion generator. With or without solar the easy start buffers the start up spike so it doesn’t over load your generator.