Overland

This looks like a good alternative to the telescoping ladders. I don't know if one would fit in the closet, but it would take up little room in the bed of a truck.

Chuck, my only concern would be how much stress the bike and rack would put on the hull in addition to the tire. There's a substantial aluminum plate behind the tire mount which spreads the load, but ultimately it will still be the fiberglass that's taking the stress. Will it be too much? No idea, but it's something to put some thought into.

Might be better to just continue this discussion than create a new one.

If you've got the Truma, then you can open the Truma drain and turn the pump on. It will drain the fresh tank in no time. You could do the same with any faucet, but it would take longer.

My life’s philosophy.

This is an unlikely solution but I'll throw it out there - I added a Sonos Beam under the attic and it would probably hide the majority of the TV cables and mount, in addition to being a nice sound bar for the TV. No idea where and how big the TV mount is though so it could be in the way.

If you really aren't going to use it much, have you thought about just getting one of the larger iPads to use? That's what we have and it's perfect, though I admit we've only used it once, at least as a TV. But it was perfect that once. I just got the new pro when it came out and the new keyboard really transformed it into a little laptop. Then when you want, pop it off and mount it where you want with a suction mount, and voila, it's a TV. Then use it in your truck for maps - it's really a good tool for travel.

In the current gen, Ford seats fold up for access to a fully flat floor, which is pretty useful. I agree about buying anything first year - always a bit more risk. But if you want a truck with no tech, you might have to stick with your '13.

It looks like it's only a 125 Ah battery, so I doubt you'll be able to do a lot with it on it's own. I think mostly they're just putting the engine to good use as a giant generator.

I haven't looked at the specs, but I think you could add a heat mat in the battery compartment and that would keep them toasty enough. My concern is the opposite, since it's been shown that high temps can degrade LFP batteries over time.

We paid $774/ea for our Battleborns in 2017(?). From what I've been told, there's a substantial markup for the retailer - and at the time, they were still trying to to make a name for themselves. Plus I was buying all of my Victron stuff from the same guy (Inverter Supply). It seems like in the following few years there has been enough demand that they've been able to sell at full retail, but I imagine now that some worthy competitors are showing up, you might be able to find a retailer or two who are willing to deal.

If Mike disappears from the forum suddenly, the moderators would like to assure everyone that it will only be a coincidence.

I don’t know the answer, but I do know that Truma makes a plug for that vent to use when not in use. One comes with the electric antifreeze kit and so you may be able to get one separately if you call them. The plug has a tether and a slot to store it when not in use, and also there’s a visible tab that sticks out of the vent when installed, to remind you to remove it before turning on the hot water.

I’m sure people will want to discuss the towing prospects of the new hybrid 3.5 turbo. Interesting inclusion of a 2400 watt (up to 7200 watt 😳) inverter. And a 2000 watt inverter option on the other engines. I think that will definitely negate the need for a generator for many folks.

We liked the fitted sheets from AB Lifestyles but thought that they were pretty skimpy on material for their top sheets, which weren't wide enough to stay in place - I called them bed ribbons because they were so skinny. So I'd recommend their fitted sheets, but get a standard twin flat sheet, which you can just tuck in a bit more on the back side.

Something else to consider is that the Lagun table can be a little springy, which might bother you to work on vs the more solid dinette.

Thanks - after installing it, do you think you'd adjust the dimensions any or is it good?

That's interesting news. This mod has been on my 'some day' list, but I may need to go ahead and order the glass now.

I like it, too. Andrew, where di you get the shade and what size did you order?

I think this is the thread you’re talking about - An additional trick that I thought of before doing mine - if you tape a thumb tack to the center of the handle and pull the handle out just enough, then you can close the hatch and the tack will mark the center of the handle in the insulation on the back of the door. Then you can drill a small pilot hole from the back and your hole will be perfectly centered on the handle.

We eliminated both the stereo and TV when we did our build. I don’t know if Oliver still allows that. I later installed a Sonos Beam above the nightstand and recently purchased a Sonos Move to go along with it. Its a great combo and I love the Beam, but if the Move had been available when I bought the beam, I’d just have bought the Move - or maybe two, for music inside and out. I doubt if Oliver will be willing to move the fan for you, but of course there’s no harm in asking. I’d hoped that after they got their production line working smoothly that they start offering customizations again, but they seem set on eliminating choices where possible. I wouldn’t be too worried about where Oliver puts the solar mounts. Other owners have had good luck installing panels with VHB tape and I think that or rivet nuts will give you whatever flexibility you need.

Holding out for an Apple DOS version

Before I installed our Lagun table and swapped out mattresses for cushions, we used the dinette all the time. Now we rarely use it. I would love for Oliver to make a fiber granite countertop that could be fitted to span all the way from the pantry to the bath, but I'm not holding my breath. But something else could be made to go in that spot, with storage underneath. The space could even be used for an additional fridge or freezer. If you haven't seen this thread, it might help you envision what is possible with the solar. Oliver won't do any of it unfortunately, but I have no doubt that someone skilled could retrofit it. I'm considering reorienting my panels to add another narrow panel, for 720w total. That' would be a distant project if it were toe ver happen. I'm actually quite happy with it as it is. We also have a member who is working on a tracking rig for the standard solar package. No idea where that stands but you can read about it here.

As the founding member of the National Organization to Summarily Wipe Out Oliver Swooshes Henceforth, I must say that swooshes are only meant for slab sided trailers and RVs that need camouflage to disguise the inherent blandness of both the vehicles and their owners. A simple stripe would do nicely, Oliver.

The only thing I’d add is that LFP batteries really need a battery management system (BMS) of some sort to monitor the individual cells within the batteries and keep them at the same voltage. It’s possible that the batteries you’re looking at have that built in, like the Battleborns or the LifeBlues that Oliver is offering. If not, then you’ll probably want to add one.