Mike and Carol

My example was probably not the best due to the age of my trailer. My inverter is off 99% of the time (Xantrex 2000) and I don’t have an on board surge protection unit (I use the dangly one at the power pole). I was just trying to show that sometimes what seems major issue might only be a flip of a switch or breaker. Mike

I had one occasion where I unplugged from shore power and everything went dead. None of the 12V things worked. I rubbed my chin for a few seconds and knowing my batteries were good I checked my circuit breaker box - all good, then I checked under the dinette seat where I have one of those big breakers with the little arm that pops out - sure enough it was out. I reset that breaker and, voila, lights appeared. Mike

I understand the frustration. You don’t need to be a technical expert, I’m certainly not. But, a basic understanding of all the systems in your trailer and how they work is important. You need to know where the fuse box is and what all is in it, where the big circuit breakers are under the seat and bed (where mine are) and how to know if they are tripped and how to reset. What the readouts on your solar controller mean. Where the microwave is plugged in, where your black tank and gray tank valves are located, where the water pump is and how it is wired, how to manually raise/lower your jacks, etc. I say all these things because I have had to address them in my own trailer over the years. Knowledge will come over time, you pick up nuggets of info slowly just by asking questions and getting help from other owners and from Oliver Service. Mike

Congratulations and happy your pick up trip went well! Hope to see you on the road - Mike

That’s what I’ve heard too, which is why I asked the question. I have no first hand experience with the composting toilet so I really don’t know. With the regular toilet no shower curtain is not a big deal and, as Sherry said, the bathroom stays quite clean without! Mike

I got that email from REI/Airstream this morning and watched their videos and read through the literature. We’ve been in a Basecamp a couple of times and we weren’t overly impressed. If you have to have a small Airstream I’d probably go for the small Bambi. We were just at REI in San Antonio yesterday. There’s an old Airstream food trailer that parks outside and has for a couple of years. I didn’t check to see if it had an REI plaque on the side…. Mike

Chris, welcome to the forum and good luck in your RV search. Elites pop up for sale from time to time so maybe your timing will be right. We’re big Napa Valley fans and have visited many wineries along Hwy 29. I envy your knowledge of and experience in the premier wine region in the US! Mike

Some people love their shower curtain, some people don’t have one and are happy. We are in the second group. It’s personal preference. We like the extra space that not having a curtain affords. We don’t mind doing the squeegee thing after a shower. Some folks like keeping the toilet area dry. Are you getting a regular toilet or composting? Mike

Thanks, David. We’ve learned a lot about where to camp from others on the forum. We’ve been to some obscure camping locations based on other Oliver owners experiences so we’re always ready to reciprocate! Look forward to seeing you and Kathy at the next rally or before! Mike

We camped at State Forest State Park, Colorado a couple of weeks ago. It’s the largest state park in Colorado with multiple campgrounds and lots of dispersed sites. It’s just north of Rocky Mountain National Park and east of Steamboat Springs, so all the sites are at elevation. There is one campground that has 30a electric hookups, we didn’t see it so can’t comment. Our site was at 9,100’ and except for one night of torrential rain the weather was great, highs in the upper 70s and lows in the high 30s. All propane appliances worked as they should (furnace, hot water tank, cook top and Weber grill). State Forest State Park is in Routt National Forest. This is about 20 miles from our campsite. This is in Bockman campground. 9,100+ feet elevation. Dry camping but there were a couple of well maintained vault toilets. The Weber fired right up despite the elevation. Steaks in the Rockies can’t be beat. Orvis flannel required. This lake (can’t remember the name) was just a few miles from our site. There were a dozen or so camping sites around the lake, well spaced. I wish I would have done more research as they looked very nice. Still a little snow up there. Carol got good use of her flannel as well. Beats south Texas summer heat!!

They had a rain booth when Anita took us on a tour in the fall of 2015. I’m sure it’s in use but probably can’t duplicate an Arizona monsoon! Mike

We’ve done highway 550 twice now from Montrose to Durango, towing. The first time was in mid-September and we had snow and/or rain at the higher elevations. It is exhilarating and beautiful at the same time. Many areas with no guardrail on the outside with a sheer drop off. We plan on going back next summer. The heat in south Texas is getting more undesirable every year and the cool mountain evenings and mornings are so pleasant. Mike

This interest me as well. I will be interested in how folks like it. Mike

Jeff, I’d call Jason and see what he says. It does seem that there should have been a barrier. Since you haven’t had any problems with the other windows it might be safe to assume they are okay. Southern AZ monsoons are a good test. We’ve been in lots of rain and have not suffered any leaks and we’ve never had any of our windows removed. As Sherry said, it doesn’t seem to be a common problem. Mike

Ridgway State Park, CO just a couple of weeks ago. Warm days but overnight lows around 50, good sleeping weather. Visited Ouray (30 minutes away) and Telluride (50 minutes away). There are several campgrounds in the park, FHU to no HU, depends on what you want. Ouray Main Street. Telluride.

Cigars. I’m a non-smoker. However, I have smoked a cigar on special occasions. I worked with a guy a few decades ago that was much older than me and very old school. When invited to dinner at his house (we lived in Belgium at the time, mid 1990s) after desert it was cognac and cigars. We both retired to San Antonio and we’ve had dinner a couple of times years ago while his health was good and the evening ended with cognac and cigars. Good memories. Mike

Welcome to the forum. I would recommend you spend some time reading areas that interest you. You’ll find a lot of information and get an idea of owner feelings. You’ll find mostly good, some not so good. As JD says above, ask questions, especially if you find anything that piques your interest. We’ve had our Oliver over 6 years and are happy campers. Most are. Good luck! Mike

Looks nice. We haven’t visited the Crossville area but it’s on our list. Maybe this fall. Mike

The hose that I fill my fresh tank with. I hook it up to the trailer, pour some bleach into the hose, hold the hose up so the bleach moves toward the trailer, then hook the hose to my fresh water faucet and fill the fresh tank. Mike

Whenever I sanitize the fresh tank I pour some bleach (a couple of glugs) down the hose and then connect the hose to my water source and fill the tank. I don’t use the back bumper water connection so I’m not worried about sanitizing it. Mike

My only real complaint about my trailer is the very loud Dometic AC. When service starts installing these on our older trailers I will be very interested. It’s a rare trip that we don’t have to run the AC at night while escaping the Texas heat most times of the year. Mike

That is a unique TV! Happy travels - Mike

Is there some kind of extension on this or does it look like it came that way from the factory? I have hull 135 and the connection is far enough back that I can just bend the hose and the bumper closes easily. Mike

I never remove my hose from the bumper connection and the bumper closes fine. There should be no need to disconnect the hose to close the bumper.

We made that drive last May/June. It’s a must do! Mike