Mike and Carol

When we are escaping the south Texas heat we will stop at a campground with electrical hookups so we can run the AC. It is loud, so generally when the temps drop in to the 70s after midnight I turn the AC off and open the windows with the fan. We don’t boondock in hot humid weather, it’s just not enjoyable. Summer in Arizona or Colorado at elevation is pleasant. Fall/spring can be very nice at other locations. Winter in the southwest (NM, AZ, southern UT, southern CA) is nice. Our power consumption with no shore power... occasional use of the inverter for the espresso machine, microwave and blow dryer. Maxxfan, lights, water pump and, when it is cold, the furnace (fan). USB chargers for our phones and iPads. The fridge and hot water run off propane. We make coffee by boiling water on the cooktop (propane) and pour over. We grill outside either with the Weber Q or with charcoal. The times I’ve had to use the generator for the batteries was after running the furnace at night followed by a very cloudy day - just a few times over the last few years. I think that’s about it. Mike

I have a 37 lb generator, 2000 watts, very quiet. Champion. $399 at Tractor Supply or online. I got mine for $349 on sale at Tractor Supply.

That works!

You are correct that you will not be running your AC off of any of the battery options. The AGMs would meet your need for boondocking with the solar. The Lithium would be better, if it is in your budget. We camp for 4 to 8 weeks at a time and our solar and AGMs do fine. Occasionally we run our generator to recharge, but that is the exception. As JD mentions, you have not told us anything about location. Is your Cummins an inverter generator or just a generator (contractor type)? If it is just a generator please consider not using it for camping. Folks that use those very loud contractor generators are the most annoying people, whether it’s in a campground or boondocking at a dispersed area. Those generators are loud and obnoxious. Invest in a quiet inverter generator, your camping neighbors will thank you for it. If you are going to camp in hot, humid weather I would go with the AGMs and use the savings to get a quiet inverter generator. Mike

Warm here, too. We should also have cooler weather by months end. My son just sent me a picture from his back porch in Durango, he’s got the snow shovel out and it’s still coming down.

This is the best advice if you plan on AC use while boondocking. You can get a nice 2K Watt inverter generator for under $500 that will run the AC. We tend not to camp where the weather is hot/humid. We can take low humidity warm/hot weather by sitting outside with a breeze, but if there’s lots of humidity we move on. Mike

This what I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KV5WC4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It’s not available now but the dimensions are listed.

We often carry a large plastic bin in the backseat area of the truck for extra clothes when we’re on an extended trip through different weather areas. Your Rebel has a cavernous back seat area, plenty of room to carry clothing that won’t fit in the trailer cubbies. Mike

Bill, congratulations on your order! Another Texas Oliver. Looking forward to meeting you out on the road. Mike

Looks great, good paint match!

If I remember correctly you get about 5 gallons of propane in a 20lb tank and 7 gallons in a 30lb tank. The 30 is heavier and is difficult for some folks to lift over the fiberglass enclosure when full. Also, with 20lb you can exchange them more easily than a 30lb. With the 30lb you generally have to find a place to fill it. We also carry a 20lb in the truck for our fire pit and as general backup. We’re happy with the 30s, but could live with 20s. Agree with Sherry, solar is what really matters. Mike

We have traveled extensively through out the southwest. Our 2016 has the 320W solar and 4 AGMs and has proven to be enough to keep up with our needs. When boondocking we do heat water for coffee on the cooktop but we do occasionally use the microwave. Also, Carol will use her blow dryer every few days. Our south west camping includes west TX, NM, AZ (north and south) southern CA (Joshua Tree) and southern UT. The only time I had to pull out the generator (2K Champion) recently was last fall (Oct ‘19) when we were camping at Grand Teton NP. We had a 3 or 4 day stretch of cold nights and very cloudy rainy days. Furnace ran all night and the solar never fully charged our batteries. I don’t think that is something you will encounter in the southwest. Plenty of sun in AZ! We’ll be there the month of January into February. We spent last January in NM and AZ and had no issues with our solar keeping up. Mike

Better sound. Replacing the standard speakers with an upgraded model should result in crisper highs and less muddled midrange, especially with a two way speaker. I looked at adding a subwoofer in the space under the street side bed where my Blue Sky solar controller is. There is a subwoofer out connection on the back of the Furrion. Other projects took priority and we’ve been okay with the sound from the standard Jensens. They can get a little boomie and muddled sometimes, depending on what we’re listening to. I don’t like the placement of the speakers at the bathroom end, one pointing forward and one pointing down. Mike

We have been making our way around the National Parks and Monuments and enjoy camping there. A lot of NP/NM campgrounds have no hookups. At those locations we relied on our solar, 4 AGMs and inverter. It was also nice to have the larger propane tanks for the furnace, hot water and cook top. If you were going to camp at FHU sites those options are much less important. Mike

You could try sending Don a PM. He’s not on the forum any more since he sold his Oliver and moved on to an Australian off road RV. Unless he deleted his account he would still get the PM. I thought about upgrading but the space inside the trailer is small and we don’t do high volume so the standard speakers have been fine. Mike

I have a feeling it won’t be too long and you’ll be giving advice and sharing knowledge here. A lot of us were in you shoes not long ago. You are asking the right questions and doing your homework and are on the right track! Mike

The manual for a 2020 Rebel says that a WDH is “recommended” for tongue weights over 500 lbs. I don’t think the tongue weight for an Elite exceeds 500lbs.

You won’t need an Andersen with your new Rebel towing an Elite I. We are driving the same truck and I’ve considered ditching my Andersen and getting airbags for towing my Elite II. I mounted a light weight aluminum box on my tongue to carry blocks and chocks. It was only about $100 and has worked well the last few years. Congrats on the new truck! Mike

I did too! But, it’s good advice. Get the basics then add as you need. Between Amazon, Camping World and Walmart getting what you need is not difficult.

Jerome is an interesting visit, but not a place to live!

It was a little more than a reboot. Disconnect from power and let sit for 6 hours before reconnecting. I was surprised at the length of time with no power, but it worked.

Prescott is north of Phoenix. We’ve been through Prescott but didn’t spend enough time there to form an opinion. Sedona is up closer to Flagstaff and has a higher cost of living and is more touristy than Prescott. We have friends who live in Sedona and while it is very scenic they say there is a lot of tourist traffic. I previously mentioned Sierra Vista, AZ - we lived there many years and it is nice. We go back quite often to visit friends. There are also some Oliver owners that live there. We also have friends in Payson, also a nice medium sized town close to some nice camping areas and just an hour from Phoenix but with totally different weather. We were just there in August and it’s a town we could live in. Mike

We had an inverter issue a few years ago and the Xantrex support team was excellent. Walked me through a bunch of troubleshooting until we did a hard reset that did the trick. Mike

Although we try to avoid the heat (not easy living in south Texas) we’ve camped in temps above 100 numerous times. Our AC is 13.5K but it kept us plenty cool on Low. You aren’t cooling a very large area. I think you should be fine. Mike

1. Payson, AZ. Medium size. 5200 elevation’. 1 hour from Phoenix. Moderate weather. 2. Sierra Vista, AZ. Medium size. 5200’ elevation. 1 hour from Tucson. Moderate weather.