John E Davies

??? The "factory optional" mattresses are very good, unless you have some reason to avoid the manufacturer and the relatively high price ($600 each). Mattress-Mobile-Sleep-Components-Flyer.pdf We have the ten inch mattresses and they are _super_ comfy. They do make accessing the underneath compartments harder, due to their thickness and much greater mass. That can be solved by installing additional access panels so you don't have to disturb the bedding, OTH, the foam padding used in the regular seat cushions is crap, pardon my language, and Oliver should be very ashamed for supplying such squishy and unsubstantial foam in a high end trailer. John Davies Spokane WA

I think that will be a fine tow rig. The only thing you ned to be aware of is the short wheel base and soft springs will make it less stable than say an F150, so you will need the Anderson hitch for sure. The Tekonsha P3 is sort of the standard "go to" aftermarket unit. I have had several and they work very well. OTH I would try really hard to get an OEM Ford unit installed, if there is any way possible! Sticking an ugly bracket and controller, and exposed wires, on a brand new luxury SUV will make you weep. You might consider one of the Redarc units from Australia. They are completely hidden other than a small lighted rotary dial that can fit just about anywhere there is room for a switch. There is probably an unused switch plate that could be used so you wouldn't have to drill holes in the dash. https://www.redarc.com.au/trailer-brakes/tow-pro John Davies Spokane WA

No bins for ours (number 218); this is one of the two screwed down "No access in here, keep out you idiot" panels. Which I immediately removed the screws from, so I can access it. I keep ropes, a hammock and other non metallic stuff in there, but like Reed, this winter I may build a solid non-conductiiong structure that can take some weight, while also keeping stuff away from the high voltage wiring and the plumbing below... There is also a ton of potential storage between the furnace and the rear cabin wall. Another of those Do Not Use places that I intend to use. Stupid lawyers. John Davies Spokane WA

http://www.rvt.com/Oliver-Legacy-2017-Marysville-WA-ID7628624-UX33083 That is insane. Somebody in the Roy Robinson sales office has been smoking too much weed. John Davies Spokane WA

What dates? How far do you feel like driving from Bozeman? I can report on eastern WA smoke conditions any time, and I will be in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick and the Snake River 30 miles east) on Wed and Thurs. What kind of camping do you prefer? Besides smokeless... ;) State Park, COE or NFS? There are a number of very nice COE campgrounds here that are dirt cheap if you are an OAP like me, over 62. But they can't begin to compare with the stuff in your back yard. John Davies Spokane WA

I'm in Spokane, breathing your fire smoke, and that of BC, we are at 159 right now. There is supposed to be a big break in the weather starting tonight. The winds will finally pick up and shift to SW, so the smoke will be slowly clearing out of the coastal and Inland Empire areas of WA. But it will get pushed right back into MT, so I am not sure what to say to you. The smoke is everywhere, on Wednesday I was in Republic way up near Canada, eh, and it was just nasty. OTH because the winds are light, it does stratify a little. On top of Sherman Pass (5500 ft) it was smoky but way less thick than in the valleys below 3000 feet. I have cancelled a couple of camping plans already due to smoke. We will be staying along the Snake River near Pasco on Wed, and it is supposed to be clear and 82. Maybe consider finding a NFS campground way up high, and use the fire maps to pick a spot that will be out of the plumes...? If you haven't tried the Weather Underground "Storm" app, give it a try. I find it very useful in looking forward 7 to 10 days, since it has lots of wind data and other info. The fact that you can't predict accurately much beyond a couple of days is true, but it makes me feel good to see impending changes even if the numbers turn out to be all wrong ;( I have been thinking about buying a small HEPA filter for my bedroom, that we could also run if we are trapped in smoke while in Mouse. I have this one on my Wish List. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00BWYO3X8/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I22JWOK7HU63U&colid=77ELCXYF0Y8I I have been trying to figure out how many watts it uses, but they don't publish that figure. I am sure it is pretty low, I would be able to run it off my inverter for a long time.... I also bought 20 (two boxes) of these masks, so when we are in central ID in a week, totally eclipsing, we will have a way to filter some of the particles, if it gets bad again ... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00AEXIS4S/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1QNNOE3OVNI55&colid=305M5TXY22I7S I do plan to camp a bunch this fall, this last half of summer has been a real letdown.... at least it is not as hot as some places. It has been up near 125 F in the Middle East. John Davies Spokane WA

It appears to have been sold or traded in to an RV dealer...? I always wonder when this happens, is there a medical emergency, did the owners go bankrupt, or divorced, did they have a simple change of heart, did they decide it was too small? With the sales tax in WA being nearly 9 % this is a very expensive mistake for them..... Asking what it cost new is a bold move by the dealer selling it, but it is very unlikely they will get that much, unless some wealthy Microsoft or Amazon geek sees it and grabs it for a toy. Nice setup, too many gadgets for me, but it has the good crapper, at least. ;) John Davies Spokane WA

Just call and ask for it to be added. There are a number of "unlisted" options, like extra inspection or access hatches. I am not sure why they have not been added to the build spreadsheet. Why don't you see if you can get an answer...? John Davies Spokane WA

Been there, and I have no plans to return: The horizon is way too close. The rivers and streams are sluggish, unattractive and full of brown muck. There are too many people. There are too many big rigs crammed onto the main roads, going too fast. The air is thick and wet. There are too many biting bugs. The weather is violent and unpredictable. The camping opportunities are limited, commercialized, and way too expensive. The freeways and bridges are rough and decayed. It is so darned FLAT. There is a very cool train museum in downtown Omaha, gas is really cheap, and uhmmm, that's about it for me. I was born in Iowa and grew up in St Louis and Nashville. I got out of that part of the country in 1981 and have no regrets about leaving, nor any plans to travel east of Denver any time in my lifetime.... I picked up Mouse in May and nothing I experienced during the 21 day trip did anything to change my mind. Bah humbug. Come out west for a visit. You need to add a few Rockie Mountain states to your travel map. ;) John Davies Spokane WA

You can easily secure it to adjacent cables using a couple of nylon wire ties. Once secured it should never move again, unless you want it to. John Davies Spokane WA

We have two 38 lb labradoodles and our solution is they are not allowed up on the furniture. They have the floor, and a couple of well used dog beds, with their scent firmly imbedded in them. If you cannot keep your big dog(s) off your stuff, I suggest dog training. Trying to keep the covers from getting damaged is a bandaid fix for a dog behavior issue. IMHO, of course. Our dogs sleep on the bed with us at home, they sleep on the floor when camping. It took very little time to get them to understand this. One is smart, the other is rather dim.... OTH Sunbrella is great stuff, looks good and is expensive. No offense intended, I just want you to look at the other side of the equation.... when camping, your dogs are going to get really dirty, buggy (ticks), maybe wet and smelly... do you really want that on your cushions? We need better pics of your dogs. Is one a doodle? John Davies Spokane WA

Apples and oranges, buy what suits your needs. My personal feeling is that all Airstreams are WAY overpriced, but if you buy a heavily discounted one, the value is more comparable to an Ollie. I did not want the maintenance nightmares of a trailer with steel frame, low dangling equipment, and screwed together wood interior. Not to mention the risk of water leaks and hail damage to the exterior. The Ollie is a very low maintenance, tough and capable little trailer. The operational word is "little". Be sure you fit in the bathroom. I just showed mine to a very interested couple who would have ordered one, if he could have stood up straight in the bathroom. He was 6'4" and about 240. They will probably look for something larger. http://www.twopluslu.com/oliver-versus-airstream-review/ John Davies Spokane WA

I have the Yamaha 2400 and it is bulkier but significantly more capable than the Honda 2000. 20A: most RV adapters are 15A to 30A, so if you are plugging one into a 20A generator outlet you are technically overloading both the cable and the socket at the other end. My Yamaha has no trouble providing 19 amps through one socket, but it would be wise to use an "extra heavy" extension cord. Mine is a 25 ft 10AWG cable and it shows no signs of distress whatsoever. I do not plan on regularly exceeding 15 amps. I wanted to eliminate the factory supplied heavy and expensive 30A shore power cord when running the gennie, and this works well. And if someone steals my cord it will be cheaper to replace. 30A: if you plan to use it exclusively for the RV, that is a better choice since the amp capacity of the cable and plug is not exceeded. I haven't owned a Honda 2000 but decided on the Yamaha for its much higher surge capacity, and I already had a Honda 1000, and just wanted a change.... I have the smaller Air Command air conditioner with no soft start, and there are no issues with the Yamaha running it. Just be sure to flip off the breakers for all the other 120 vac equipment so you are not overloading the generator. And start the generator and let it run a minute before applying any load. If you have the surge suppressor you need to have the dummy plug to insert into the generator or it will not connect, unless you turn the SS off. There are a number of recent posts about this. Make SURE you get a generator plug at delivery! You should test your generator to be sure it works well with the Oliver before you leave Hohenwald. That way there will be no unpleasant surprises when you camp without shore power.... Either generator should do the job. Good luck and enjoy your new Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

That is brilliant. Durango CO in late Spring 2018 works for me! John Davies Spokane WA

I suggest that you obtain a hygrometer - something like this: .... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0013BKDO8/ref=sxts_sxwds-tsp_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3155180962&pd_rd_wg=FhpkX&pf_rd_r=6GBFA7CT378JZ1F1YEF8&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B0013BKDO8&pd_rd_w=rLlAR&pf_rd_i=hygrometer&pd_rd_r=N5S99FJY4FRXEM4JN1A1&ie=UTF8&qid=1501951172&sr=1 And keep close track of the inside humidity for a while. If it is constantly higher than outside you still have a leak somewhere. A band aid fix is to buy a good medium capacity 120vac dehumidifier, that could sit on the counter and run the moisture down the sink drain, but I think you should eliminate the obvious possibilities before doing that. And you would need power to the trailer to run it constantly. You could replace the mat in the cargo hold with something that will be self-ventilating, but that does not address the issue of how the moisture is getting inside. You do NOT want this to keep happening or you will get mold problems eventually. http://www.doityourselfrv.com/reduce-condensation-prevent-mold-forming-rv/ Good luck. I am really glad I no longer live in a climate where I have to worry about this stuff..... It's been about 16% RH lately here. John Davies Spokane WA

Call Jason in Service and see if he will send you one. You should have received it at delivery. John Davies Spokane WA

Your surge protector will not allow generator power to connect... it sees some sort of ground fault. You should have received one of these, look in your drawers (the trailer's, not your pants) and see if it is hiding. Plug it into the unused 120 receptacle and it should accept power from the other one. I don't know what to say about the house issue. Perhaps you need to get it checked by a good electrician. Surge suppressor thread here: ... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/progressive-industries-surge-protector/ John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for posting. I do want to comment that "best camping spots" are not always the same as "best places to visit". Not everyone has the same requirements and desires for camping. My "best" is certainly way different from those who want to pay for a spot to plug in all the time on an asphalt slab and play golf. Texas has some very cool stuff but there are hardly any free public lands other than National and State Parks. It's pretty much all private and has limited access, or none at all. For those campers who avoid those types of campgrounds, like me, that really limits my options. If you like to really explore the back country, you have to drive out of the state. Or own your own enormous ranch, I guess... http://www.wideopenspaces.com/public-land-texas-brief-history/ Just saying..... free federal land access really opens up the possibilities. I don't plan to visit Texas, other than en route to somewhere else. John Davies Spokane WA

Where in Idaho? We are staying three nights in the central Panhandle (Saturday night thru Monday night) at the Washington County Fairgrounds (Cambridge, ID) which is about 15 miles north of the Path of Totality. We plan to go south on Monday and find a spot as close as possible to the Path, maybe at 4000 acre Crane Creek Reservoir on BLM land... The lake is dead center...., Maybe we will hike along the nearby bike path from Cambridge, it depends on how intense the frenzy is around there. We wanted to keep a number of options open in case the roads are too jammed. Cost is just $20 per night, no hookups, but there is potable water and showers close by. http://i.imgur.com/CCMG0wu.png http://northwestoverland.com/forums/topic/eclipse-east-siders-cheap-reservable-place-to-stay-in-idaho/#post-197629 John Davies Spokane WA

I think that this is an issue only if you live and camp in a humid climate. I was bothered by the water draining off the back in TN because there was some tree debris on the roof and the water stain was brown and difficult to remove. I needed to use Starbrite marine hull cleaner to get it off. 409 would not touch it. OTH I live and camp in an arid climate and the water will not be a problem IMHO. I have no regrets about the Air Command, but I do recommend that you get the bigger model if you plan to use it a lot. Mine is the 13.5k "equivalent" and it works pretty hard on nasty hot days, but I chose it due to the ease of running it off my generator, and because of its REALLY quiet noise level. I will be giving it a really good test next week. We will be camping two days and nights during a killer Northwest heat wave. But it's a dry heat LOL. John Davies Spokane WA

Hi, I created a new thread and you can download the Word file there: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/my-tow-camp-checklist/ FYI you should NEVER EVER post your personal contact info publicly, use the private message system if you need to. You can edit your previous post and get rid of your email address. John Davies Spokane WA

I made this because the Owners Manual towing and camping lists are simply lame. This one is set up like an aircraft preflight checklist. Feel free to edit and change as needed, some items may not apply or you may just want to do it differently. Mine is laminated and posted inside the closet door: Click the attachment at the bottom to download the Word file. John Davies Spokane WA OLIVER-TRAILER-CHECKLIST-–.docx

We had to move a little since all the action was half a mile south. We ended up in a perfect spot. A Hornet went right over us at about 500 feet agl, flat out, that was glorious. The sound of freedom! Here is my wife Jac in position.. John Davies Spokane WA

This is so cool, we are located in a great big empty field at the end of a dead end dirt road, half a mile from the downwind end of the runway, we can hear the band playing, and we are kicked back in our recliners, under the shade of the awning, with the spotting scope and binoculars handy. I have the generator ready in case it gets blistering hot and we need to run the AC, but right now there is a light breeze and it is about 80 degrees. Also have earplugs but I suspect they will not be needed, since most of the afterburner stuff will be further away. The show starts in half an hour. Pics to follow, I hope to get a pic of Mouse with looping smoke trails above. Or maybe a Thunderbird doing a knife edge turn.... I love this trailer. We are learning that we don't have to camp overnight to enjoy using it as a mobile club house. We will head out late afternoon and be home in 20 minutes. Woohoo! John Davies Spokane WA

Got a picture to share? John Davies Spoakne WA