Steve Morris

We were in the first one sold in January, at the Eggs 'n Smores rally in Florida. The layout is nice, and seems spacious. It obviously isn't Oliver quality, but the one we were in was fully loaded at $59,000 if I remember correctly. The new owner said that a twin bed version was under consideration. When we were shopping, in 2021-2022, the Oliver was beyond our financial reach, and we were looking at Casitas and Escapes. It took selling a number of vehicles and toys to finally afford the Oliver, so if this Casita 24 had been available then, it's probably the direction we would have gone instead. No regrets, and we clearly love our Oliver. It was just a stretch that we might not have made at the time.

However, the GX and the Elite I would be a fantastic combination! Luxury on either side end of the hitch.

I wouldn’t. I’m towing with a 2021 200 Land Cruiser with the 5.7 V8, and it is just adequate. Merging is sometimes scary, and Appalachian hills require my 8-speed to run in 4th often. Tongue weight can be 600 plus pounds, and I’m already at cargo capacity with two rows of seats removed. I don’t think the GX has my 1450 pound cargo capacity. Most will advise that you need a 3/4 or one ton diesel pickup, but a few of us pull with large body on frame SUVs.

I’d like to hear more about what kind (brand, model) was installed From Hank’s FB post: ”Camping Northern Florida. 31F this morning and a very comfortable 76F inside. A small space heater on the low setting only. 12VDC warming blankets on the beds. Using only 11 amps shore power. Basement temperature is holding at 66F. Two small 12VDC fans, one port and one stbd side keep a gentle air flow circulating thru the basement. With the bathroom vanity port open, cabin air is flowing into the basement and returning thru the return grill below the bed. The basement partitions have been removed and a 700W Xtreme heater is mounted inside (auto on at 43F off at 55F) for very cold conditions. Last week camping at 14F the Xtreme heater did come on to maintain a temperature well above freezing in the basement while we were gone.” If you are a member of the Oliver Owners of America facebook group, look up member Hank White, and scroll through his group posts. This one was from January 2025, with several photo. Hank has done a *lot* of cool modifications, and having seen them in person, I’ve added several to my list to things to do.

Several of us have added a simple recirculating valve to the bathroom hot water. Add a diverter in the hot water feed line under the bathroom vanity, with the return line going to a T in the tank fill line. Some of us have also added a separate shower mixer while under there. I too have a crazy amount of cold air coming in through the hot air return under the curb side bed when not using the furnace. I attribute it to having the roof vent open to keep moisture down, hot air rising, and drawing in cold air somewhere. Hank White removed most of the basement partitions, added a fixed 110V heater under the nightstand, and then a circulating fan under each bed, one facing aft and the other forward. He says an added benefit is that this also heats the floor a bit.

Three that we picked up at Oliver in February of this year were $19.04 including tax.

My 2023 has the same outlet, and I think Tom is correct in that it is for AC power to the fridge. I used that outlet with a 12 ga extension cord to supply power to my exterior AC outlet under the folding table. I tapped into the fridge's 12V DC power for the cigarette outlet.

Hank White has used a portable pump as you’re describing, so it does work. Another option is to plumb your pee bottle to the black tank. Several owners have done this. An additional step would be to swap the bathroom sink drain from the gray tank to the black. Just connect the sink drain to the vent pipe and it will go to the black tank. This gives you 15 gallons of pee and sink water, and the soapy water dilutes the urine and prevents crystallization. I use a macerator pump on the sewer drain at home to pump black and gray water to my septic tank 50 feet from my driveway. Works great!

Wow, those have increased in price! I got the same one in November for $62. It is more powerful than I expected, and comes in handy in the shop. Did you by chance see it on Project Farm on YouTube? It was the top choice in his testing. It looks like it was $90 when Todd tested it, so there must have been a sale when I got mine.

If you do a cruise, definitely consider one with a land portion at one end or the other. In 2006, we took Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver, BC. From there we spend the next seven days sailing northward along the coast of Canada and Alaska. We stopped in Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Hoonah, finally to dock in Seward Alaska. I wasn't a fan of this portion, because everywhere we stopped, 2500 people got off the ship to see the same few sites. These days, that would be 5000 or so at each port. From Seward, we flew to Fairbanks, and spent the next six days on railcars heading south to Anchorage, through some of the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen! Each night was spent at a wonderful lodge or mountain hotel. This was my favorite portion of the Cruise/Tour, and the part that I'd like to do again. Finally, from Anchorage, we flew back to Ohio

I got one for my phone three years ago, and find it really useful! Trying to run wires through a wall chase at home, but getting blocked? You can easily see what's in the way. Can't see the model number on the back of the stacked washer/dryer? Easy peasy! One nice feature on the one I have is that it does not plug into the phone. Instead it has its own transmitter that sends via Bluetooth to the phone. That makes it easier to manipulate the camera without the screen moving all over the place. Plus, when I bought it my phone used a lightning plug, and the current uses a USB-C plug. With the bluetooth version, it still works fine. There are also models with attached screens, but I've never used one of those. Here's mine, but it is discontinued: https://a.co/d/00RnxN3L

He did, on the Facebook Oliver group: John Koss says: ”#18 here, have been doing as much hiking here as possible. I live nearby so lots of running back and forth to graduation and grandkids soccer games. I do come occasionally for birding week. I find the bird enthusiasts more interesting to watch than the birds!” I was there for the big week back in the late ‘80s before it got to be such a huge production. I’m not sure I’d want to be anywhere near there the next two weeks!! 😵‍💫 Not quite as productive, but less known Old Woman Creek is only about 20 miles from me, vs 80 for Crane Creek.

We are at Maumee Bay State Park on Ohio’s north shore. #18 has been here a few days, but the times we’ve come by, no one was home. I think this is the oldest Oliver we’ve seen in person. Mid May on the south shore of Lake Erie is the largest gathering of birding enthusiasts in North America, attracting people from all over the world. I don’t know if that’s why #18 is here, but might be the reason. Sorry we missed you.

We have the 640A/h Lithionics batteries, and in addition to the 400W of solar on the roof, I have three 200W folding panels. While 1000W of solar sounds like a lot, you'll quickly realize that (at least here in the eastern US) the roof panels are frequently shaded, the portable panels are sometimes a nuisance to move around, and that even on a perfect sunny day and constantly moving the panels, it would take 8-10 hours to completely recharge a battery from zero. The only time I've gone this route was in the heavily wooded Adirondacks last year when we were seven days without any hookups, and I don't have DC-DC charging. I only had two panels then, and the only AC we used was the microwave occasionally and the coffee maker once a day. Mid day, there were times that with 800W of panels exposed, I was getting less than 100W into the batteries. Driving home and one rainy night in a Harvest Host, we arrived at the house with somewhere around 46% state of charge. I thought that was pretty great! We didn't try to conserve power use. We just didn't need much. The biggest power draw was out fridge/freezer in the truck, which I had plugged into an Anderson Powepole outlet on the trailer.

Here’s the latest as of this week. Probably gonna change any day again… BTW, these guys are a wealth of information, and owned an Oliver several years ago.

This newest change only applies to the $5/month Standby plan. The $50 and $165 plans still allow roaming at speeds under 100 MPH (down from speeds up to 450 MPH, which has angered private aviation. Now there are new $350/month or $1000/month aviation plans.)

Hank White has made some fabulous modifications to their Oliver, including the propane setup. He’s mounted a block on the inside wall of the housing where a manifold and regulator are located. Stainless covered hoses go to each tank, eliminating the need for the OEM regulator mount on the threaded rod. Low pressure gas is sent to the two LP ports, and two full pressure lines go out; one to the Oliver’s interior and one to a high pressure port for devices that have inbuilt regulators such as a fire pit or grill. I didn’t take any photos…

We were in Hohenwald today, and signs of how severe this storm was are everywhere! We came into town from the east on 412, and saw broken trees and power poles by the hundreds. There seemed to be a pile of debris collected along the road every quarter mile or so, some as big as cars. Then we left to the north on Rt 48, and it made the eastern side look like a teaser. Thousands and thousands of downed trees for miles! The worst ice damage I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, no one was injured and folks are somewhat back to normal now.

Our 2023 is the same, and we were surprised to see it in the middle of the compartment, especially after seeing older models with the vacuum formed tray in there. But I suspect it is to ease the cable angle as much as to prevent using the bay for storage. Our TP and paper towels get stored in there.

“Curiosity” is currently parked next to “Dickens” at CGI Detailing’s shop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Getting the shine even shinier!

Our first day in a week without being sub-freezing overnight. 52 and sunny. Despite being chilly, this Florida sun is hot when sitting in it! Wide brimmed hat and sunblock required for my pale complexion. Fort Pickens Campground on Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Home in northern Ohio. That mailbox is about 30” off the ground, and you can’t even see the road our daughter says 12-14” reported. Here on Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida’s panhandle. Lunch

For those camping in chilly conditions, here’s what we did to avoid bumping a bare leg, butt, or shoulder against the trailer wall. I got a 30”x84” yoga mat, cut it in half lengthways, and tuck it between the mattress and wall. This is more comfortable, and has the added benefit of allowing any moisture from condensation on the window to run between the wall and the mat, and then under the Hypervent, keeping the mattress dry. The 84” length doesn’t quite cover the entire side and end of the wall, coming up short by about a foot. We have that gap next to the nightstand. https://a.co/d/eJCYCXD

It’s an old Emerson basic WiFi thermostat with the Sensi app.

Here’s the usage chart this week. Orange is heating and red is emergency/auxillary electric heat strips. Temp has been single digits to the 20s, with wind chill as low as -10. The thermostat is set at 63 degrees. It’s a comfortable 71 degrees here in the Florida panhandle. 😁