Boudicca908

I took ownership of my new 2022 Chevy duramax yesterday. My salesman informed me that he had a couple of unsold vehicles delivered this week. PM me if you want more info. SW FL

I'm 5'7" but I don't think I could even see the top of the trailer to judge if something was amiss up there, let alone work on it, using a 3-step stool. I know that I can't properly deal with my smoke alarm with a 3-step stool in my home, and the alarm is mounted just above 9' -- so, I'm using that to judge. Maybe it's overkill to assume I'll need a ladder all the time, but I also would love to have a more compact and lightweight ladder here in my tiny abode -- right now my ladder is fiberglass and heavy and takes a lot of space. So it's added incentive for me to buy a compact one.

Through research online, I think this is the one that John Davies purchased. It seems to be available (order for ship to store or ship to home from Home Depot). Their price is about $150. It can configure in a LOT of different ways -- as a step ladder, as an extension ladder. So the 14' reach is when it's extended out as a straight line, not when it's "A frame" shape. But it's fairly compact. Their website has complete dimensions, so if you have your Ollie already (I don't) you can measure if it would fit in the closet. Here's the mfr page -- https://www.wernerco.com/us/products/ladders/multi-ladders/MT-00IAASeries/MT-14IAA

So.... Reading from above, is the VIN number actually different than the Hull number? I know my Hull number, but don't know my VIN (if different) and will need it for insurance and storage facility rental agreement, etc... ** I couldn't find this information in search (VIN number location, where is VIN number, is VIN number same as Hull number, etc) **

Maybe @JohnEDavies will comment on his "Werner convertible ladder" shown in this post...

..... she adds to her Delivery Checklist.... in 22 DAYS ! And mine will be Lithium so... more research for me. :)

Very inspiring -- this is why I decided on an Oliver -- total escape. Those roads less traveled. Thanks for the post.

Just an update here. With kudos and thanks to all in the forum for the great ideas, my reservations are complete for the return trip with the new Oliver. I'll spend about 2 1/2 weeks from my pickup date to meander and return south -- I would have taken more time, except for a commitment at home. My campgrounds will include: Tennessee -- Oliver TT, Davey Crockett State Park, Fall Creek Falls SP Alabama -- Lake Guntersville Florida -- Three Rivers SP, Silver Springs SP I'm still looking to see if I can find something more remote (or less popular) that has openings in Florida. It's the week before Easter, so busy and late planning. I need a dump station at that last spot, though, so I can empty my tanks before coming home. Unless maybe I empty them at Three Rivers (hmmmm, maybe a good idea). I've not been on the forum every day, because I'm juggling all that wonderful paperwork in preparation for the truck purchase, car sale and trailer purchase (insurance, tags, titles, storage facilities, manuals, mandatory gear purchases -- what fun!) -- but I will continue to try to monitor every few days. The truck is still anticipated on 3/10 delivery, giving me 2 weeks to put on some break-in miles and learn the feel of the new vehicle before heading north. Thanks again to all for the help!

Love it.

I can tell you that since I made my 50% payment, nothing can wipe the smile off my face!

A couple of years ago I applied for (and landed) a position as a volunteer working in the Badlands on a dig site. But I backed out because I was planning to tent camp and they warned me that there was: nothing on site to 'tie' the tent to, 65mph winds, frequent hail the size of baseballs and lots of rattlesnakes (with a 1/2 mile walk to the pit toilets from the approved camping spot). I started reading about that weather and learned about hail storms totally creaming parking lots full of cars. If you spend a lot of time there, I'm wondering if you have encountered that type of weather, and if it's caused damage to your Oliver or your TV?

Does this mean every penetration on the roof?

Thank you John -- this is am important thread for me.

@Rivernerd -- I found a decent price on REI.com -- they ship free to members for purchases over a given value. It was a better price than other places I found online, and they had both the "new" and "old" sizes (I'm assuming that there was a shift at some time from the rectangle to the square format. I went for the 8' x 14'

I'll repeat what SeaDawg said -- THANK you for posting this. It's all new to me!

Home of Robert Earl Keen!

I was eyeballing astroturf at Lowe's last month, but it feels heavy to me and not as easy to maintain. The CGear mentioned above looks nice. Notice that the sale CGear Sand-Free mats at Camping World shows a good price -- but Camping World's version marked "Medium" is 8x8, whereas CGear Store on Amazon "Medium" is 8x14! https://www.campingworld.com/cgear-original-sand-free-outdoor-camping-mat-629925.html https://www.amazon.com/CGEAR-Original-Camping-Mat-Water-Resistant/dp/B08LMNKBJL?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

I need to search and find that long list someone made of things to "look for and check on" at pick up... this needs to be added to the list! Ground wires missing? I wish I were more savvy with electrical. The wiring diagrams are definitely needed for the owners. I'll ask my sales rep and make the suggestion to them. More Thanks for the heads up.

Here is the NP web page that lists current Open / Closed status today: https://www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/what-is-open-what-is-closed.htm Also note that more closures are to be announced soon: https://www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

Just a general FYI -- a LOT of the Natchez Trace Parkway and amenities are closed for various reasons. The NP website isn't extremely clear until you reach this page that lists "What is Closed. What is Open." I might wait and do that parkway when more of it is available. https://www.nps.gov/natr/planyourvisit/what-is-open-what-is-closed.htm

Congrats and see you in May! By the way -- is that Duncanville Texas? I used to have family there.

USB over the kitchen but no USB in the dinette area? I would have expected USB at the dinette for phone/tablet charging.

Thanks for all the great feedback! I'll check that out -- I have downloaded quite a few apps, from reading in the forum pages. Haven't actually tried to find parks or make reservations with any of them yet. I had not thought of this, and I like the idea -- I'll take a gander at my calendar and the potential routes! Yes -- the truck was supposed to be delivered on Jan 4th; now I feel lucky that it's finally on the train! My plan was to make a road trip to the Appalachian mountains with the new truck and the old tent -- my last hurrah sleeping on the ground -- to put a few thousand miles on before towing. Now I'll probably drive around Florida -- maybe visit parks and check out camping spots. Back in January I downloaded the truck manual and started reading; it would be more interesting if I could put my hands on the truck! It will be a learning curve, but I'm fairly studious. Luckily a friend with a landscape trailer has been generous enough to meet me a couple of times and let me practice backing it into [abandoned] parking lot spaces for a few hours. He says it will be easier with the Oliver's double axle and more weight. Huntsville Space Museum will be of interest -- also there's a super-big radar installation somewhere up in that area of lower Alabama/Florida panhandle that I'd like to see (if they allow visitors). Thanks for the reminder -- someone else suggested Huntsville to me as well. The slow road -- I take the slow road so I can go slow! Not too slow, but not too fast. Thanks for the warning.

My sales person noted that it also can be used as a nighttime security camera....

Greetings to the Oliver family! So.... After waiting since mid-November, I finally have word from my auto dealer that my new truck is now on the south-bound train to Tampa (!) and while he anticipates a "slight delay" for transport from Tampa to Ft Myers, he thinks I'll have the truck by 3/10. My Ollie delivery date is at the end of March! So instead of hunting for temporary storage space near Hohenwald and transport from the factory to storage, I am finally feeling confident enough to make campground reservations for my first Oliver journey. Normally, I love trip planning, but this late start might land me in a pickle. Any recommendations for places between Hohenwald and SW FL are greatly appreciated. Meandering is good, I'm looking for the slow roads and practice practice practice. I really don't like the interstate, and would rather take extra days on the slow road than reduced hours on I75. I can spend about 3 weeks to get back home. Then I plan to head to the Rally (yay!) so I'll be reversing course in May. So far, here is what I have: RESERVED: Oliver camping 3 nights at Davey Crockett SP Thanks in advance for ideas, suggestions, and DOs and DON'Ts.