Steph and Dud B

We use a Fort Knox lock: Bulldog Sliding Collar Coupler Lock Includes Cobra-Sidewinder puck lock - https://a.co/d/j6wdOhm Less expensive than the Proven and easy to use. I think the yellow makes it clear there are easier trailers to steal. As a side benefit, the yellow shows up well on my backup camera, allowing me to align the truck easier before hitching. We're also considering a wheel lock to use in addition to the Fort Knox in more secluded or long-term situations.

Our 2022 has a Norcold fridge. There is an external fan in the rear fridge compartment that is controlled automatically. It moves a lot of air. No manual switch.

The neat thing about the Jeep ducks is the randomness: see a Jeep in the grocery store parking lot, duck it, and drive away unseen. Harder to do with Ollies. If they're in a campground with you, you'll probably just say Hi. Other than that, probably not often you'll come across one unattended and ready for Ottering. That said, I think it's a cute idea, and I might keep a couple otters in the truck, just in case. Cheapest one I could find on Amazon: Schleich Wild Life New 2023, Marine and Ocean Wild Animal Toys for Kids and Toddlers, Otter Toy, Ages 3+ https://a.co/d/aPWt89i

That's fantastic.

And don't let anyone distract you. That includes spouses and dear friends. I have a rule: DON'T TALK TO ME WHILE I'M HITCHING UP/UNHITCHING. I've damaged campers by breaking that rule. Luckily, nothing serious and no injuries, but still... We were at a campground where a guy dropped his new fifth wheel on his head because his son came over and was talking to him while unhitching. He went out in a helicopter and the police rinsed the blood out of the back of his truck so his family wouldn't have to deal with it when they came back. (This was also an abject lesson on the importance of always chocking your trailer wheels before you unhitch.)

You forgot the weight of the propane. We only added a couple hundred pounds of gear to the Ollie: mostly kitchen stuff, food and clothes. The truck carries most of the heavier gear, including the genny and Clam. We have traveled short distances with all tanks full. Generally, after dry camping and on the way to a dump station.

The cell booster on our 2022 doesn't require registration. It simply picks up the cell signal outside and retransmits it through the antenna over the dinette into one of our phones. We're Hull 1150. I'm pretty sure you have the same one.

We have a GMC crew cab, long bed, dually. It's huge. It's my daily driver and, for the most part, it's OK for that. I just park a little farther out in lots, because it's longer than a standard space. No issues on the roads, but I have run over over a few curbs in various driveways. And, be real careful in drive-throughs! My turning radius is similar to the Queen Mary, but there's TONS of storage under the Diamondback bed cover. We can carry all kinds of camping gear in the truck. I actually need a hook to reach stuff at the front of the bed. Such a big truck kind of negates the compact size of the Ollie. We're almost 45' long end to end, so we still need reasonably large sites for camping. The dual wheels add considerable cost when it's time to replace tires and contribute to the aforementioned curb crawling. But they certainly give the truck a solid grip on the road when towing. No sense of sway when towing various trailers. Previously, we had a crew cab, short bed, dually Ford, which I thought was perfect for hauling our fifth wheel. Really liked that configuration. But, the fifth wheel had a lot more storage than our Ollie. In summary, I think if I was buying another truck as an Ollie hauler, I'd go with an extended cab, long bed, single rear wheel. The crew cab is overkill for the two of us, so an extended cab would help a bit with maneuverability. The long bed gives plenty of storage. And the dual rears aren't necessary for the relatively light and well-mannered Oliver.

Welcome to the family. Will be interested in hearing your perceptions of your Oliver vs. your Casita.

Rats! Didn't know there was a test today! I didn't study. 😮

How about lowering them back to the height they were in the 70s and 80s? You shouldn't need a step ladder to reach into the bed of your truck. Makes no sense. Saw this beauty in a dealership. (And, no, it's not for sale!)

Looks like the Big 3 are starting to accumulate a surplus of pickup trucks. Maybe we'll see some price concessions? https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/25/gm-truck-production-cut/ https://www.motor1.com/news/654342/chevy-silverado-gmc-sierra-production-pause-high-inventory/

We've had several issues with fiberglass dust fouling switches in our 2022. Shop vac, canned air, and working the switches seems to have resolved them. OTT could do a better job vacuuming production dust from between the hulls.

I was concerned that there was no charge from our truck, especially since we run the fridge on 12v when traveling. However, we've found that the solar panels usually do a good job keeping up while on the road.

Our biggest snow of the year may come early next week. 😒

If you have a Xantrex unit, there are two things going on in there. The Inverter converts battery power to household current to run your outlets when you're not connected to shore power. That's what the round button on the Xantrex panel turns off/on. BUT... the Xantrex also has a Converter that converts shore power to 12 volts to charge your batteries. That will be on whenever you connect to shore power and is probably what's powering your 12v lights if you're plugged into shore power now and your batteries and solar are off. If the blue buttons on your lithium batteries are off nothing external can drain them. However, if you have the Platinum Package, those batteries contain internal heaters that could drain them. You should definitely check your Lithionics manual for the correct storage procedures for your specific batteries. Not sure what you turned off under the bed...

A little bit of that ice worked its way over to CT today. Definitely been a strange winter.

The RV sales industry is in a nosedive right now, coming off the COVID boom. Apparently OTT is not immune. I imagine these are cancelled orders. Second thoughts, financing fell through, who knows?

Doesn't matter. It's a very low torque application.

Doesn't have to be diesel, either. Our GMC 6.0 gasser tows our LE2 just fine. We've been from Tennessee up I-81 to mid state NY and points in between so far. While diesels are clearly the best for towing power there's a premium to be paid upfront and for maintenance.

There's a 1/2" hex wrench for the exterior water hose fittings. I bought this one, but it's not currently available: Bondhus 12116 1/2" Long Hex L-Wrench https://a.co/d/6MCI0Jf I also find a spring hook can be handy in many situations, not just for springs.

They make a small GPS tracker with an integrated solar panel. A roof mount would give you solar power and good GPS tracking and communications.

2 OTT design decisions strike me as odd: Why aren't there separate switches for left/right flood and outside courtesy lights? Sometimes I want to light my patio area without blinding my neighbors on the street side. Why isn't there an indoor switch for the 120v water heater element? Sometimes the campground voltage goes low and I want to switch to gas hot water instead. Both of these are pretty common in other brands, so I wonder why OTT opted against them.

Hi, Doreen. You don't have to worry about the kitchen sink. Only the bathroom sink can back up into the shower pan. Hope you feel better soon. Maybe we'll see you guys at Hammonasset sometime! Dudley

Yes, as long as there are no other large draws on that circuit in your house. Then, when you have 30 amp shore power at a campground, you can set it back to 25.