topgun2

John - You might want to PM Hardrock (Coy) as I believe that he was investigating this issue of bunk beds. Also, a call to the factory might be in order in that there was some discussion on this topic with the factory way back in 2008 (do a "search" on bunkbeds here on the Forum). Good luck! Bill

Sorry guys and gals but I'm not able to supply more info at the moment, but, take a look at an app called back country navigator. For a one time fee of $10 you get several different types of topo maps for basically the world that can be downloaded to your computer, tablet, phone and then using the GPS hardware in that device, etc., etc. TG

John, As Randy said - all you have to do is ask for more referral forms and they get sent to you quickly. These referral forms are fairly simple and all the owner has to do is place their hull number on the form, the interested party then fills out their name and address and drops it in a mailbox. As far as I know, the current referral incentive is $250, however, I've never actually received anything so far. You are correct about people stopping you to view the Oliver. During my recent two months on the road there were a number of occasions that people followed me into gas stations or rest stops and it was very rare to be able to get in or out of a campground without someone stopping me to ask about the camper. There were even people waiting for me in a WalMart parking lot to return from shopping so they could ask about it. I don't know what happens when there are multiple viewings of different campers, but, I trust Anita and the gang to be fair. Bill

John, I just stumbled upon this forum post and I will take a look at those wires in the back. I believe that the "catch" on my tray is already in good shape, but, I'll take a look at that too. I have noticed that when moving the tray in/out that one must be a bit careful to not pinch the wires that are on the side(s) on the batteries. I'm guessing that the "split loom" solution will also take care of this. Thanks! Bill

Nick, Thanks, I go West fishing almost every summer to either Colorado, Wyoming or Montana and always have a great time. I had a number of movies that I took with me. Even with the WiFi Ranger downloading while on the road is an iffy proposition. I also have a DVD recorder that can burn to disk. Therefore I can watch almost anything that I have previously recorded directly from my home TV. This is really great for those nights that I don't care to read, listen to music, or simply sit under the stars. Bill

francy, There is no time limit (as far as I know) for the factory tours. Certainly when I did mine a bit over a year ago I was there for closer to two hours plus another hour or so in the sales office looking at the two that they had there. Since you are at least a bit familiar with the RV industry and the way that most RV's are built, I'm sure that you would find Oliver's approach very refreshing. However, if you are set against making the drive then I would suggest a call to Anita in the sales office to see if she can arrange a local Knoxville viewing for you with an owner that happens to be passing through. Bill

Bill, Thanks so much for the information. I'm just starting my search for a new TV and I try to temper all the claims made by each of the manufacturers. Since I do not put a bunch of miles on any of my vehicles a difference of a mile or two on MPG really doesn't matter to me that much. Unfortunately, I believe that the towing capacity of the Tacoma is right on the margin for the Elite II. Therefore, basically I'm "forced" into considering 1/2 ton trucks (yes, I know that there are other vehicles other than trucks out there) and the Tundra has always been near the top of my list. Bill

Mike and Mike, I too was not excited about the bath but, like Mike and Carol, have found that it is really not a problem. In fact, after a shower I use a silicone squeegee and then a synthetic chamois to dry it. I've timed this process and it takes right at one minute to complete. Having said that, I use either campground facilities (where available) or (when I'm in the Western States) I use a shower tent with a solar shower. Either of these save propane and tank capacity for both the fresh and grey water. My wife and I are taking Twist down the Trace in early October. Got any suggestions on places to stay, eat or see? Bill

Snowlakemike, Well? Now that you have taken the tour what do you think? What did you like and/or dislike, other than being a bit on the toasty side in Hohenwald and (I'm sure) during the tour. Got any additional questions that the forum can try to answer for you? Bill

Bill, Thanks for the report and the pics! Any idea of the MPG with the Tundra pulling the Oliver? Is that a 2016 or 17 Tundra? Bill

Grayson, Once you get on the road with getting this done, please post pictures and details (prices and materials). On this year's trip out West I'd either be watching a DVD or reading at night. In both cases , when it came time to go to bed, there would be a couple of different kinds of insects buzzing around the ceiling. Bill

Stan, Nice picture, nice transfer, nice look. However, has Gunner seen it yet? He better like it or half the side of your Oliver will be gone. Bill

You be normal. If the interior temp is more than 5 degrees lower than the temp that you called for, the furnace will come on until it gets the temp within that 5 degrees. Then the heat strip will take over and the furnace should shut off. This is because the heat strip is not powerful enough by itself to raise the temp quickly enough. Hope this helps! Bill

Buzzy, 1 - No, I actually never did use the furnace. Approximately 30% of the time I had shore power and I take a small ceramic electric heater. For the balance of the time I use a "Mr. Buddy" propane heater. I found it interesting that the interior temperature each morning would be 10 degrees warmer than the temp outside (if it was 35 outside then it would be 45 or 46 inside). Unless I'm on the road, I virtually always have the bathroom vent open, but during the night all other windows and the MaxAir are closed. No heat is on during the night. First thing in the morning I would normally get up "to take care of business", light the Mr. Buddy and then jump back into bed for about a half hour while things warmed up a bit. See #3 below for a bit more info on this. 2 - Yes, on balance I was extremely happy with the solar. There was a problem in that the IPN was wired incorrectly thus giving me some readings that were exactly backwards. But, once that was figured out, there were really no issues. Yes, I did use the microwave and a 1500 watt toaster oven. I also usually had the audio system on playing MP3's or books on CD and virtually every night I would watch a DVD movie. Note that during the day (from about 9am to 4pm) I was not in the camper and I normally do not use a lot of lights. Having said all that, it was rare for the batteries to not be at or very near 100% and the voltage never fell below 12.5 volts. 3 - I do not use the "automatic" switch over feature on the propane tanks. I leave the shut-off valve on the tank I'm not using in the off position. This way, when the first tank runs out of propane I know it (either the cooktop will not light, or the fridge "check" light comes on or the water heater will not light. Obviously, the most "dangerous" item of these three is the fridge. But I have an external temperature monitor for the fridge and freezer in addition to the "check" light on the fridge itself. Between these two I can easily see if there is a problem. Yes, I did run out of propane on the first tank. I believe that this occurred about mid-morning one day while I was out fishing. When I got back to the camper, indeed the check light was "on" the fridge and the freezer's temp was up to 15 degrees (normally it is between -3 and +10). First thing I did was to try lighting the cooktop - it didn't. Therefore, I simply went outside, opened the "porthole" in the tank cover, turned the tank leaver and opened the valve on the second tank. Back inside I lite the cooktop and checked the fridge - it was already fired up. For reference purposes, the first tank lasted about 6 weeks. I almost always have the fridge on "automatic", I don't really cook complicated meals on the stove and use the microwave to heat water for coffee/hot chocolate in the morning. Also, when I'm camped where grey water can be released on the ground, I use a solar shower and external shower tent. This saves propane and both fresh water tank and grey water tank capacity. Even in the rather remote places I camped I never worried about replacing the empty propane tank. Since I moved camp every 4 to 5 days on average I usually passed a number of gas stations or went through a small town of some sort that had either tank exchange or a propane dealer. Having said that - I never did run out of propane on the second tank. I'm sure that it doesn't have much left in it, but, I had 3 full tanks at home and didn't really want to get another filled. 4 - I have only the WiFi Ranger. It worked great until about half way through the trip. Mind you, most of the time I was in locations that didn't have either cell or WiFi service. When in West Yellowstone the Ranger simply quit working - even two factory resets didn't get it going again. All lights on the Ranger show it is working, but, my tablet doesn't show the Ranger as transmitting a WiFi signal. So, Twist is back at the Mothership and Tommy is looking into the cause of the problem. When the Ranger did work I felt a bit guilty being able to get a strong WiFi signal and transmission rates while others camped near me were complaining about the lack of service and bandwidth. 5 - Yes, as I mentioned above, about 70% of my trip was off the grid and there was no electric, sewer or campsite water hookup. A couple of times (Ring Lake outside Dubois and Dead Indian north of Cody) there wasn't water directly available in the camp ground but even each of these had water (non-potable) via either a stream or a lake. I do carry an 8 gallon water container in the bed of the truck and on several occasions I needed to use it to replenish the fresh water tank in Twist. I can tell you that it works like a charm. Knowing that Ollie is your first camper, I also know that you have probably never experienced the "joy" of trying to pour water into the fresh water tank of a typical RV. Three times I had fellow campers watching me as I "magically" got the fresh water into Twist without working up a sweat! I never did have to get the water directly from the lake or stream, but, it sure is nice knowing that you can if necessary. Hope that answers your questions - if you have more, please feel free to shoot or shout. Bill

Have fun on that tour! I did the same thing (lurking and reading and looking at Ron Merrit's video on YouTube) a bit over a year ago and it was the very first stop on the tour that really did it for me - the frame jig. The welds were beautiful and the people working for the entire operation are simply "good" people. Even though I waited almost two additional months before ordering, they had me at "Hello". As has been said above, don't hesitate to ask questions and step up to take a closer look. Also, bring your camera - you can take as many pictures as you like. Give Anita a big hug from me and shake Tommy's hand (he's too big and whatever to hug). Bill

John, No, I have never stopped at that museum. Perhaps someday, but, it seems that when I'm on these trips each summer I try to avoid crowds (certainly there are plenty of those in Cody, Jackson and Yellowstone) and my "purpose" is to fly fish. On days when I'm not fishing I am either in transit or doing laundry and restocking Twist. With regards to "big bore" - I either carry a 44 mag pistol (6 inch barrel) or a 357 sig automatic. We could go round and round about what is "necessary" to really make an impact on a Grizzly. The 44 certainly has the size and speed but it is somewhat heavier than the 357. The 357 has the speed to penetrate Griz bone but its mass is lacking. Bear spray is the first option in either case but there are situations when it is not practical. So, the bottom line is that I hope to never have to use either one, but, I try to prepare the best I can. Bill

Bill, Can't say that I spent a bunch of time in laundromats, but, that laundry is one of my favorites. While I wait for the machines to get done I can catch up on email with their free WiFi and its clean with an attendant always on duty if you have a problem. Another thing about Cody is that at the water works/sanitation department on the outskirts of town they will let you dump your tanks and fill with fresh water. Bill

Coy, Thanks for starting this thread in that I too have been interested in knowing more about what's out there. Randy - good comments on the basic insurance part and it would seem that your conclusions on coverage would be correct. In any case, there is simply too much at stake to NOT make sure as to exactly what is covered and what is not covered and under what circumstances is it covered. I too have been using AAA's RV trip insurance. However, I've been thinking about changing - a couple of years ago with my old RV I had a wheel problem which required me to be towed a total of five miles. AAA only covered $100 of the towing charge and would not arrange the details of the tow even though I was stranded on Interstate 70 one mile east of Hays, Kansas (not exactly out in the middle of nowhere). Therefore, I had to find a towing company, and pay the bill (thank goodness they took plastic). Thank goodness a State Patrol Officer stopped and had the phone number of a towing company and kept me a bit safer on the side of the interstate as the semi's roared past. Bill

Everyone - Thanks for the comments - glad you enjoyed it. Randy - the orange Harbor Freight suction cup is used for hanging my fishing waders out to dry. It really works great and the orange reminds me to take it off prior to moving. The sticker on the back is a Yeti carrying a fly rod - a bit of a self portrait. Bill - That "brown" trout is actually a nice Brook Trout who lives in prime Grizzly bear territory. Bear spray and a sidearm were always at the ready! Trumpetguy - Yes, Brevard really does like dogs and beer, or, is that beer and dogs? Anyway, if you thought it was hot and steamy here you should live in Florida? Seriously, my wife didn't exactly appreciate me telling her about 10% humidity and 75 degree daytime high temps. But, someone just had to do it! Hopefully, someday, I'll be around while you are here so we can share a tonic or two. Bill

As some of you already know, Twist and I have just returned to the mountains of Western North Carolina (home) after a two month trip to Wyoming for some fly fishing. We spent time at Boysen State Park, the town of Meeteetse, west of Cody on the North Fork of the Shoshone River, north of Cody at Dead Indian, Sunlight and Hunter Peak. Then nine days in Yellowstone at Pebble Creek Campground before hitting West Yellowstone to do laundry and restock the pantry and fridge - plus get something actually cooked by someone other than myself. Then it was off to Falls Campground and Brooks Lake off highway 26 west of Dubois. Getting towards our final legs of the trip, we went to Horse Creek and Double Cabin north of Dubois where we actually did see fresh Grizzly tracks at the edge of Horse Creek. Then we ended up at Ring Lake and Torrey Creek where we caught our biggest fish of the trip (an 18 inch brown trout) and found a fair amount of Native American rock drawings right across from camp. A few hundred trout, numerous deer, pine martins, ground squirrels (or pocket pens as the locals call them), buffalo, elk, mountain goats, moose, antelope, wolves, and, hawks and falcons and right at 5,000 miles later we returned home. Twist was a great companion who never let me down, kept me safe, warm and dry and comfortable. I never really believed Anita when she told me that people would actually follow you into gas stations and/or rest stops in order to inquire about the Oliver. But, she was more than right! And, just try getting out of a commercial campground without at least on person wanting to know all about it. I even had two un-related couples waiting for me in the parking lot of the Cody WalMart to return from shopping so they could see the interior. I may have mentioned this before, but, if you are planning a trip west for 2017, be careful. Due to the total eclipse that is scheduled for next summer, I was told that for at least the two weeks either side of the eclipse all hotels and camp grounds for virtually the entire length of highway 26 (think from Jackson through Dubois and down toward Rawlins ) are already booked solid. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Don, I know that there are "caps" and/or "plugs" available for these quick connectors. The only problem would be that they would not be on those nice little chains like the originals. But, I'm guessing that if you are really OCD even that problem could be overcome. Bill

John, I'm really not trying to be unkind here and, perhaps, you have already been down this road - but - have you typed "locks" into the forum search function? If you do much of what has been said above is already discussed, plus, a bunch of various priced alternatives are also mentioned (see Scubarx's device for instance). Hope this helps you! Bill

OK, let it be known that a grizzly bear didn't get me and I'm back from almost two months on the road with Twist. We got rain, sun, hail, wind, gloom of night, etc. and after almost exactly 5,000 miles of dirt roads, and interstate roads the EZE rain gutters are still exactly where I originally put them. In fact, they don't look a bit different at all with no staining, or discoloration of any sort. So, as far as I'm concerned, they have performed as advertised and I'm very pleased with both the look and the performance. As they say in the cartoons, "That's All Folks". Bill

Coy - As you may already know, over on the FGRV Forum a number of people have posted pictures of either total re-do's and/or mods for adding additional sleeping areas. Given that we have a double hull a mod of this type is certainly doable without having to worry about water leaks as long as one is careful to not drill too far. Good luck and please keep us advised (with pictures) as to how you are progressing. Bill

I've never had a problem with my awning seal leaking, but, I've also never been in a real gully washer and taken a look either. I suspect that the reason Oliver uses the seal that they do has something to do with the compound curve nature of the roof line where the seal sits. Also, it appears to me that the seal OTT uses would be a bit easier to attach in that it does not "interlock" with the awning. Perhaps the lack of this "interlock" is where some minor leakage would occur? Bill