Mike and Carol

Ouch.

Wind can make a huge difference. We’ve traveled west to CA and AZ on I-10 through west Texas and back numerous times. Once, with a head wind of 30+ mph I got about 9 mpg doing 55mph. The last time we came home (east) with the same type wind at our back I got almost 17 mpg doing 70mph. Normal towing mpg is around 14 at 65mph. Mike

I got this one. Good reviews. I use it when washing and roof maintenance, and it rides in the truck bed when we travel. I cut a couple sections of pool noodles that fit around the top where it rests against the trailer. It has a few one star reviews that say it is unsafe but I have never had an issue after lots of use. Sometimes there’s an operator error. Mike https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTBXTXG/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We now have 3 of the KES racks, one on the fridge, one on the kitchen wall and one under the mirror in the bath. None of them have fallen off, but we did tighten the one on the fridge after a couple of years. I looked at my Amazon order and see that it is not available now. The Yohom looks to be the same style, just a little longer. Looking at the 14” KES on my fridge just now it looks like the 17” would be just slightly too big. It would fit well either on the wall behind the sink or stove or in the bath. Hope this helps. Mike

I carry my Weber Q1000 in the truck bed. They “basement” storage is for power cords, surge protector, hoses, water filters, spare parts, etc. I have a couple of plastic containers that fit well and hold most of the stuff. Mike

I tried one of these covers. I let my cord hang across the trailer tongue so that the connections are facing down. The cover seemed to accumulate moisture and water. So, I went back to nothing, just letting it hang. No problems, even in rain. Mike

16” wide. 13” tall.

Steve and Missy, welcome and congratulations on your upcoming new Oliver! Our son and family live in Houston so we make the trip there from San Antonio quite often. Hope to meet you soon... Mike

We did this going south, so we were on the outside of the highway. Some interesting views straight down from the passenger side. It was exhilarating and I would like to do it again. Next time we will stop in Ouray and Silverton and camp to see the sites. Last time we were going from Rocky Mt National Park to Black Canyon National Park. There’s a lot in between to see! Mike

We use the same thing John D uses.

Bill, looks like a good reminder method. We don’t like checklists either. Carol takes care of inside stuff, I do the outside. Then, she checks me and I check her. So far, so good. She has caught me forgetting my water pressure regulator still on the faucet and things left on the bumper. I’ve caught an open vent inside once or twice. Mike

When I got my TPMS I had my rubber stems replaced with metal and then rebalanced each wheel with the sensor mounted. Maybe overkill, but worth the peace of mind. Mike

Wow! When you get a chance please post some pictures of this ongoing project. Mike

When I remove the Andersen triangle from the hitch I simply move it back a couple of inches to where the safety cables attach and let it sit there. The weight of the chains keep it secure and the chains are off the ground. You don’t need to add any hardware and I’ve never had it fall off. I’ll try to get a better picture tomorrow when we go get our trailer (heading to South Padre Island for a week). Mike

Ditto, great news! Mike

I like the file holder under the dinette. Is that something you picked up at Staples or Walmart?

Our story is the same as many others. Started looking at Airstreams after seeing them on the road and thinking they were the pinnacle of trailers. Looked at a number of different dealers, RV shows, etc. Joined Airforums (still there). It was on Airforums one day that someone mentioned Oliver in a thread about Airstream quality issues and I went to their web site and the rest is history. We saw one here at the Bluebonnet Rally then found out we had a neighbor with one (Pete) who was hosting a small caravan passing through San Antonio (#50/81/82). After talking to Pete, Steve, Gary and Lee it was a no brainer! Mike

George and Karen, welcome from another Hill Country owner! Where are you located? We’re just outside of Boerne. Enjoy your new trailer and hope to see you on the road! Mike

I am working on my presentation for the Rally and wanted to include storage ideas. If all y’all who have posted pictures don’t mind I will incorporate some of them on a couple of my visuals. We can all learn a lot from each other... Mike

John and Susan, welcome! I’m sure you will enjoy your Oliver just like the rest of us. It was our first trailer and we weren’t sure what kind of camping we would migrate to so I got the solar and 4 AGM’s. We prefer sites with hookups but since we want to visit as many National Parks as possible we’ve found that dry camping is required in many of them. Everybody is different and the Oliver can be set up to different camping styles. Hope to see you at the rally. Mike

We have the inverter from Oliver but don’t use it too much. It’s handy when on the road and we want to make a couple cups of quick coffee with the Nespresso. When boondocking we use a percolator on the stove top. Occasionally, we use the microwave with the inverter but not too much. Mike

Mike, it sounds like what you must do... Lower the hitch on the ball and secure, raise the hitch to where it is with no load or maybe a little higher, slide the Andersen on and secure, lower and go! I don’t adjust chains either. I check thread count periodically and ensure links are tight. Mike Seems like last year there were a couple of Casita’s, an Escape and maybe a Scamp. Too bad we don’t have Oliver hats! Seems like they would be popular. Mike

That’s exactly what I have only 2016 and I’ve been happy with it. The new model has some nice features. Not sure what the model number is for the Andersen hitch, I have the old one and have not upgraded because what I have has been working fine. The new one has a different shaped plate that mounts to the hitch that is easier to hook up and allows for more movement on unlevel roads. I’m going to check them out at the Rally to see if it would be worth it to upgrade. Mike

John, congrats on your order and build date! We will be at the rally this year, if you can attend (even in a Casita!) it would be a good chance to get some good ideas and pointers so you’d be a little ahead on the learning curve. It’s always good to have another Texas Oliver.... Mike

The first month or two of using the Andersen was frustrating. Once I learned a couple of tricks it’s easy to use and quick to hook up. Jason gave me a 15 second lesson one day while I was at the factory and now I don’t mind using it at all. Less than 30 seconds to hook up and the same to unhook. Mike