topgun2

Sure I tried it - but - I never inhaled! 😁 Bill

Glad you got you "odor" situation under control You do know that dawg claws and leather are not a good combination? Bill

Can you tell us where you got the switch - Amazon? Bill

I've got nothing for you on days 1 & 2 but for day three you might look into the Rock Springs Sweetwater Events Complex for overnight camping. If interested, call or email them prior to leaving to make sure that the first come first served camping area is available for the night(s) you will be there since sometimes a particular event will take most if not all the spaces. Also, if you like donuts as much as I do - don't miss Cowboy Donuts in Rock Springs. Its easy to get to off the Interstate and there is plenty of easy RV parking there. Bill

Don't know how much you need, how thick your edge is or how visible it is, but, something like THIS might work. Bill

Bill - From my experience with the Ford 3.5 liter twin turbo and from THIS up to date review of actual MPG, you might be a bit optimistic on what gas mileage you will receive. With my Ford I get right at 22mpg when doing 65 mph on the interstate not towing. When towing my Ollie I get between 11 and 13 mpg averaging out in the low 12's. Certainly the Tundra in the sighted review is still new/not broken in, but, I don't think that the mpg will change more than 1 gallon at the most. However, I really do hope that I'm wrong about this because I've got my eye on a 1794. Bill

With the looks of what you already have plus what looks to be fairly level ground slope on the exterior - if you have "set back" room it might just be easier (and not that much more money) to construct either a garage addition or an "awning" plus parking pad on the side of the existing structure. But, I'm guessing that you have already considered that option which may be against HOA or local rules. Bill

Obviously I was a bit confused on this gas tank issue. It appears that Toyota has reduced the size of the tank from 38 gallons in the previous Tundras down to 32.2 gallons in the 2022. Bill

That's great - thanks! Bill

I too am interested in the new Tundra. But, I viewed a Youtube vid this morning (I can't seem to find it right now though) that mentioned a couple of things that are at least of some concern. I don't think that you can get a large gas tank in it. There is no "assist" of any kind for getting in the bed of the truck - neither tailgate steps nor steps around the sides (anywhere). Both GM and Ford have variations of these and while I still have no difficulty getting into the bed, I've found that the tailgate step on my F-150 makes it easier particularly when carrying something. I agree with you that it appears that the upgraded engine is the way to go and I've also heard that these will not be available until mid to late Spring. There doesn't appear to be anything "wrong" with the base v6 but it does seem to be any better (or worse) than either the Ford or GM products. If I can locate the vid I saw this morning I'll come back and post it for you. Bill FOUND IT! Tundra Review

I believe that the article I referenced mentions that only the gassers are being talked about. However, the engine designations are cited in my post. Since I'm not intimate with these GM products I can not tell you for certain that all of them are gasoline engines. If I was considering a GM truck I'd be sure to ask. Good luck! Bill

Looks great! How were the biting bugs this time of year?

Be safe on the road both coming and going. After a spell of warm, dry weather it looks like it will be a bit damp and more seasonal for temps next week. However, I don't believe that there is anything "bad" (such as snow or heavy rain ) forecast at this point. Bill

Sure does look nice - inside and out. Now you know why it is so hard to explain to anyone who has not had the chance to work with the Oliver Company what it's like. Glad that you had a great time and I look forward to hearing even more about your Ollie as the years go by. Bill

Ghost - Hopefully one or more of the LE owners will chime in here shortly. I'm not exactly sure how tall SeaDawg's husband is but even though I don't think he is much over 6' I'm sure that they could give you some good advice. When I was first looking at molded fiberglass campers I looked at a Casita and while they are certainly much different than an Oliver I think that you might be able to get a hint of an answer by taking a look at one of them. Obviously this is not the same as looking at an Elite I but ..... Bill

For the most part - what gets wet depends a bit on how you tend to shower. If you sit on the toilet while taking a shower then most of that area will get wet. If you stand the whole time and are reasonably tall (5'9" to 6'1") then very little of the toilet will get wet. The later is my case and it takes me less than two minutes to squeegee and wipe down the shower when I'm done. No water gets past the door - assuming that I've got it closed 😃. If you do not plan to use the shower very often then I would suggest not getting the curtain. Obviously, if you change your mind in the future, this is a fairly simple item to have installed after the fact. Bill

The answer to your question depends on so many variables that it is almost impossible to answer. Assuming that you have an inverter that is capable of running this compressor, have the room for it, and it has the capacity to inflate or blow out all of the things you have in mind then the only other questions that remain are what level of risk are you willing to accept. If you are only traveling a few hundred miles, are planning on being near "services" (places where you can either get roadside assistance or other help), your running gear is in top form (i.e. tires are fairly new with good tread and are in good shape), will not be venturing on questionable roads or non-roads and have plenty of time to be left stranded on the side of the road, then don't take it. No matter where I go I always have three sources of air with me - a small 12 volt air compressor (110 PSI), a can of compressed air (used mainly for blowing dust/dirt out of places, and a can of tire repair gunk to be used in case my tire repair kit will not work for repairing a puncture. I've never taken my "portable" shop compressor since it is too heavy, too big, and unnecessary given the other stuff listed above. Bill

Instead of replacing with "rubber" material, I purchased cedar closet lining at Lowes, used the black mats as a pattern. Bill

Yeah! Once again I'm among the "lucky ones" - my Ollie batteries are now into year 7 and my lone remaining motorcycle battery is on year 11.😉 In the interest of full disclosure though - both have always been religiously maintained and on chargers when not on the road. Bill

Ralph - Be aware that some of Yellowstone National Park forbids the use of generators. Having said this - also be aware of Yellowstone's altitude. While it can be fairly warm during the daylight hours there, I've never had a night where the temps didn't go into the 40's or below. The same can be said for much of the nearby surrounding area. Seadawg has a fair amount of experience with a small generator and I believe that she and her husband have had no issues with using it to top off their batteries over the years. Bill

You lucky devil - my most very favorite (NOT)😝. As Mike said - those screens should come clean of the smell since they are made of fiberglass. If not for some reason they are fairly simple to replace. If you decide to "scrub" the shades - do so with a gentle hand. Both the shades and the operating cords can be damaged if not treated with care. Don't forget to take the air conditioner filter out and (at least) wash it. Again, these are fairly easy to replace if you can't get the smell out. The rest of the interior is reasonably to wash down and polish. Perhaps the rubber mats that line the "floor" or each of the cabinets could use a scrubbing too. Let us know how it goes. Bill

Faust - Yes, you can remove them and some are more difficult to remove than others. In my case, the bathroom window always gives me trouble. With the main windows on each side of your Oliver you should be able to slide these screens in the tracks. In doing this you can note that they are held in place via springs (kind of like a leaf spring on a truck). Normally these springs are at the bottom of the screen but if the previous owner reversed them they may be at the top. In either case, press the screen towards the spring. Once it is depressed enough, you should be able to slide the end opposite from the screen towards you and from there it is easy to get out of the track. The rear window (at least on the Elite II has a red tab at the bottom of the screen. Pull the tab up and towards you to release the screen. If you decide to replace the screen material - get the "small insect" screening (available at Lowes, Home Depot and Ace). This will help keep very small critters out. Bill

Tough question that only you can answer for yourself. The only time I've wanted larger windows in my Elite II is when watching a bear, deer, moose, elk walk through my campsite - this would have saved me from having to jump from window to window. Bill

Dear "Debbie", Decisions, decisions! Most (if not all) of us have made changes to our Olivers - some big, some small. It's a great canvas that allows this sort of thing. My take on the whole "solar thing with the large battery capacity" is that Oliver was trying to address the need of some customers to have air conditioning available for use for relatively short periods of time without the need of being plugged into shore power. Obviously a limiting factor for the solar array is the space available on the roof - yes, there is still more room for additional panels on the roof but at what price point? For me, the decision would be fairly simple - do I really NEED to have the air conditioner run off the batteries? In the six plus years I've owned my Oliver there have only been two times that it would have been nice to have this feature - I can virtually always find a campground where I can plug in if necessary and I can do that a bunch of times for that $ you are talking about. The whole MPPT controller story is discussed here on this Forum multiple times. Yes the MPPT is a bit more efficient but the change to the current controller was done (at least partially) to make the whole solar process easier for owners. In most situations it seems that this current controller works as intended. The black tank conversion has also been discussed at length here. But, given the seemingly limited number of owners that have actually done something in this regard it would appear that it is either still a "work in progress", too difficult to do the conversion for the resultant benefit, or simply a "nice to have someday project" versus something that really impacts current camping utility and enjoyment. Finally, the running of the fridge on 12volt versus propane has also been discussed here on multiple occasions. As MM198 says above, the fridge is really efficient running on propane. If you are nervous keeping your propane lines "open" while traveling, there is a product called "GasStop" that should alleviate that worry. If you are still nervous then you should know that a number of people simply do not open the fridge door while traveling and unless it is very hot or the travel day is exceedingly long, the interior of the fridge stays cold enough until you are stopped once again. Unless you are planning on doing a fair amount of winter/cold weather camping, the 20 lb propane tanks should be enough for the reasons Mike & Carol cite above. Finally, WELCOME! You'll find that many of us here came from a motorcycle background. Right now you are in what I believe is the "hard part" of owning an Ollie. Trying to make all of the decisions on options, trying to come to grips with the money spent on a relatively small camper, trying to get working knowledge on the Oliver systems. Please know that all of this is really not that difficult. And you still have plenty of time to get comfortable with this Family. Bill

WHAT? - No crate?🤣 I really don't think that either Foy or Mirna ever worked for a shipping company (USPS, UPS, FedEx and the like) but, somehow, they must have learned about the abuse packages take when out there is the shipping world. Good job.