topgun2

I've had no problems with the outdoor shower on my Oliver. But, I did have one develop a leak in a camper I owned previously. Indeed, the plastic "feeder tube" or "mixer" area of that shower had cracked thus requiring a total replacement. If you decide that you are going to replace the unit you might want to give Jason in Service a call, asking what price he'd charge for the unit. Bill

Flyfisher - Thanks for the info! My plan would be to approach Buffalo from the south and after a few days in that area I'll head due west towards Meeteese. So, I doubt if I'll venture up towards Sheridan. Your recommendation for Deer Park Campground is helpful in that I will probably need to fill my fresh water tank and possibly dump before hitting the boonies. I rarely fish "still water" unless I feel like looking for bank cruisers early or late in the day. But, usually where there are lakes there will be small streams coming into or going out of them that people overlook. Bill

Thanks, John. Its been a few years since I've fished the area around Lander. These days unless you are willing to don the backpack the crowds are simply too much. The Sinks Canyon area is beyond ridiculous on the weekends and even during the week it is a bit silly. This past summer I was camped just outside Dubois and one of my neighbors was from Lander while the other neighbor was from Jackson. Both said that they were trying to get away from the crowds. Bill

Anyone out there that has either camped or fished in the area just west of Buffalo, WY? In thinking about my 2021 fishing trip out west I realized that I had never been due north of Casper and have heard that there was some good fishing without the crowds in the Buffalo area. Certainly there are a number of campgrounds and streams just west of Buffalo but if anyone has actually been there any information would be appreciated. Bill p.s. I prefer small to mid-sized streams with a bunch of trout and no people. Of course, boondocking is always interesting.

I can't really help very much regarding your trip but I'm sorry that you lost your Marley. This should be one heck of a trip with what is basically a new puppy. Bill

Your October 6" snowfall equals the average amount of snow we get for an entire Winter. Of course western NC also has these microclimate effects you talk about and if we need snow for some reason (like cross-country skiing ) we can drive 17 miles to get from 2500 feet elevation to a little over 6000 and get all the snow we want for most of the winter. Bill

Remember how I talked about (way back at the top of this thread) getting climate data as one of the things to consider when choosing a place to live. Well, my search of that data produced exactly two areas of the country that had the kind of climate we wanted - the PNW and a small area generally located in Western North Carolina (there is a little bit of it in extreme north west South Carolina and north east Georgia). In both of these areas one of the main detractions is the amount of rain. Not surprisingly, both have mountains that interact with coastal fronts and general weather patterns. Bill

A major water leak will be obvious when water starts coming out of the scupper holes in the bottom of the Oliver (those are the little silver metal things on the bottom that "open" towards the bumper). Minor water leaks are a bit more difficult to find. Every now and then I simply run my hand over virtually any "floor" between the hulls that I can reach. If I feel dampness - I investigate further. Bill

After my wife and I retired we started looking for a place to "settle". With so many choices we found that we were going around in circles. So, we decided to re-start the whole process by each making up a list of things that were important to each of us individually and then get back together, compare those lists with the intent of prioritizing the choices we were making. Since fairly high on each of our lists was a four season climate without hot summers or cold winters we next went to the computer to search climate data and that led us to fairly narrow regions of the country that satisfied that demand. Then we looked within those regions for areas that possibly had the other items on the list - recreation, church, cultural activities, a college, nearby medical facilities, nearby grocery, nearby hardware/lumber, etc. This further narrowed down the possible choices such that we got in a car/plane (no Ollie at that time) and took a look at the areas we had identified. During that process we stumbled on the small town where we currently reside. Long story short - first take your heart out of the equation and approach the problem systematically. Most places around this great country of ours have neighborhoods that are fairly similar to each other but it is the weather that you will have to contend with each and every day. That rural place may seem great but a drive of an hour to get a quart of milk or loaf of bread will get very tiring after awhile. You may only go to the baseball game once a year or to the movies a couple times a year or to a concert or to a ...., but, living in a place without those facilities removes your choice of going which just may be unacceptable - or may be just what your looking for. Finally, do not overlook the availability of medical treatment. Yes, these days you can be medevacked fairly quickly from one place to another. But first you must be stabilized enough in order to be on a chopper. As you get older this becomes more and more important. Bill

Sorry - I guess I needed to be a bit more specific. The negative cable from your battery that goes back into the Oliver from the battery compartment is the one I'm talking about. Bill

Yes - prior to my Oliver I had several other brands. In using the compressed air "blow out" method "carefully" I found a broken exterior shower and a broken check valve. Note that our winter here in western NC really aren't too bad with temps rarely dipping below 20 degrees and even then not for long. But, it happened anyway which is why I now only use RV antifreeze for winterization. By "fresh water tank" I assume that you do not mean either the grey or black tanks but really do mean the fresh water tank. To properly winterize all areas of the Oliver, one of the steps is to use a hand pump to put a small amount of antifreeze in the fresh water intake, the city water intake and the black tank flush intake. In turn when one de-winterizes that small amount of antifreeze would wind up in the fresh water tank. However, after sitting in storage for even a small amount of time (4 plus weeks) I'd flush and sanitize my fresh water tank as a matter of course. This activity would flush that small amount of antifreeze out of the system. The hose included is 25 feet and is drinking water safe. But, I do not specifically know if it is BPA free. Unless Oliver has changed the assortment - a Water Bandit is NOT included. I'd call my Sales Rep for a full list of what is included for your specific Oliver. Hope this helps you. Bill

Just the one that goes back into the Ollie would be the safest. Bill

By the look of that lawn I'd guess that someone gets the blessing of having to clean up all of those leaves under that beautiful maple tree? 😉 Bill

Somewhere on the interior of your Oliver - usually it is right above the door on the interior - there is a yellow decal that has all of the weight information for your particular Oliver. Bill

SherMica - Your Oliver sales rep can tell you exactly how high your hitch ball should be prior to pickup. Bill

This is/was one of my personal favorites. They have water available and flush toilets but no electric, sewer dump or showers. However, when I was there two months ago this campground was CLOSED. The Meriwether-Lewis exhibits and area were open though and are worth a look particularly if you can snag one of the Park Rangers. Bill

The first few days and even months of my retirement were filled with all kinds of "stuff". Getting projects done that were long over due, getting rid of old work things, catching up, getting organized, etc.. Then one day around six months into retirement I woke up one morning and while laying there in bed I realized that today I could do whatever I wanted. If I wanted to read all day, fish all day, lay right here all day - I could do it. THAT was when I finally realized what retirement is to me - freedom. And, that is when I really started to fully enjoy myself in this new phase of life. Yes, I'm busier than ever with more projects than ever, but, it is that freedom of choice that makes all of that fun and not really seem like work (at least most of the time). Bill

Ray - My inverter is never on unless I specifically turn it on. However, my Oliver is a 2016 model Elite II. So, I'm guessing that yours could be different - but, I doubt it. Bill

Ray - as I recall, on your model you have a second panel located on the "Attic" - you might want to check that also. Bill edit - the attic is the large storage locker at the top center of the rear of the Oliver.

Nicole - Good to have you here and thanks for posting. I believe that you are looking for a 3/4 ton truck. All of the 1/2 ton trucks currently on the market require a weight distribution hitch when towing something like the Oliver Legacy Elite II. I have tried to make my Oliver sway without success and I've never heard of even one instance where any Oliver trailer swayed due to wind, passing semi's or any other circumstance. I happen to own a 2017 Ford 150 and, yes, I do have and use the Andersen. My truck has the 3.5 liter Ecoboost engine with the max trailer towing package. This truck gets in the low 20's mpg while not towing and averages between 12 and 13 mpg while towing. I have towed my Elite II through out the mountain west and have never experience any trouble with any grade under any circumstance. Hope this helps. Bill

Let me add that replacing the screening is really not difficult and there are many Youtube videos on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=replacing+screening However, if you chose to tackle this then make sure that you do the screen door last. The radius of the curved upper left and right of the screen door is reasonably tight which makes it a bit tricky to get the screening even in that area. I found that more force had to be applied to the spline tool while gently smoothing the screen in order to get those corners done correctly. Other than that this is a project that most owners can do without difficulty. Bill

Earlier in this thread Seadawg suggested a product called "Shoe Goo" and I then mentioned "E6000". I believe that it is was in the craft section of a Super WalMart that I found a four pack of E6000 in small 0.18 fl oz tubes. These very small tubes are handy in that they have enough glue in them for most projects without drying out like the larger tubes tend to do before you can use it all. I always keep a couple of these small guys in the "junk" drawer of the Oliver just in case. Another product I saw recently in a "You, Me and the RV" Youtube video was for E6000 Extreme Tack. They used this product on the bottoms of several items to keep them from moving around on the counter as they drove down the road: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IR11XIM/?ref=exp_youmetherv_dp_vv_d Bill

OK - I checked. Our local blue fireflys do their thing late Spring to early Summer. When I see the light I'll raise the flag. Bill

The screens in the Oliver windows are made with standard fiberglass screening material. Unfortunately, in many places I camp there are very small bugs (no-see-ums) that are small enough to fit through the holes in that screening. As a winter project last year I replaced all screens with a finer mesh screening suitable for keeping virtually all of these bugs at bay. This small bug screening can be purchased at virtually any hardware store and is fairly inexpensive. In addition, I purchased two different bug zappers that will get anything that flies through the door as I come and go. Both can be used as a bug zapper alone or be combined with their internal regular light function. Even though the NEBO was more expensive (about $25 versus the $15 I paid for the U-Lantern) I tend to like it better since it seems to be a bit brighter (the bug light portion) and thus takes care of critters a bit faster and it can be used as both a lantern and spotlight. NEBO Bug Zapper: https://www.amazon.com/NEBO-6587-Z-Bug-Lantern-Light/dp/B074TH22FB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=27FXU7XDX781S&dchild=1&keywords=nebo+bug+zapper+lantern&qid=1603047333&sprefix=nebo+bug%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2 U-Pick Camping Lantern: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T64CGZY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Small Insect Screen: https://www.amazon.com/ADFORS-Premium-Insect-Screen-Charcoal/dp/B00KIQKN0I/ref=sr_1_5?crid=32ZP3AH1Y8HIF&dchild=1&keywords=small+insect+screen+mesh+roll&qid=1603047517&sprefix=small+insect+screen%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-5 I should note that the NEBO is battery powered while the U-Pick is USB rechargeable but neither seem to really use that much juice. Also, it should not be a surprise but the tighter mesh of the small insect screening does restrict airflow more than the original screen. But, while I did notice the reduced air flow, it is not a major factor - just crank up the Maxair another notch 😉.

For years now I have tried to tell those "working folk" I run into just how stressful retirement is. After they initially laugh I go on to explain that since they are working they have a fairly good idea of exactly what their day will bring. They know when they will get up, what they will wear, probably what they will have for breakfast, where they will go, what they will do, maybe even where they will eat, what time they will head for home and what they will do when they get there. We "retired folks" don't necessarily know many of these things and we have to make decision upon decision each and every day which leads to STRESS! However, because I (we) care about the wellbeing, health and happiness of others, this retirement thing is just something that I (we) are willing to do. I encourage those "working folk" just to continue to work, pay into Social Security, and be happy. I'll suck it up and handle all this STRESS for them. Bill 😅