Steve Morris

Interesting to see if it generated any sales. I was chatting with Bob while you guys were out there. I was in his Kimberley S3 before he was while visiting family in Bellefontaine. He had the Land Cruiser at the time, and I was disappointed that the two were a poor combination without a weight distribution hitch. So I was letting him know I'd ordered an Oliver. Anyway, I'd mentioned that it was sort of an odd thing to bring a trailer with a mostly retired ownership to an off-road event mostly attended by young #vanlife and truck campers. Seemed an odd choice. He'd said that you all wondered the same thing! 🤣 I guess we'll see if anything comes from it!

This is a bit disappointing. The switch to Victron for 2023 models was one of the three improvements (depending on your point of view) I was glad to see; the others being the Truma AC and the 12V compressor fridge. After seeing a bunch of Victron/Battleborn conversions the last few years on vans, off-road trailers, etc., I was hoping that part of Oliver's big cost increase for 2023 was the full Victron suite, incuding their smart shunt and inverter/charge controller. I'm sure it will work fine, just not what I was hoping for. I didn't ask during our tour, because I don't think Anita was familiar with what was coming, but also because I was going to order, regardless of the components.

Both, on the live version of Tobacco Road! 🤘🤘🤘

I almost never get bit, and if I do, I, the bites only itch overnight. If Deb gets bit, hers lasts days or even a week. We use citronella candles, and Cutters or Off pump spray. But on the last two outings, we both got clobbered! I must have had 20-30 bites on each leg, and I had what looked like a rash for at least a week. So when we got home, I ordered a slew of things, including the Thermacell linked above, along with the three refill pack, a pack of 100 cheap citronella sticks, and a pack of 36 better rated citronella sticks that last 2.5 hours each. And, two tubes of After-Bite, as ours must be 20 years old. If that doesn't work, I'm staying inside! 🙂

Since we will be picking up our Oliver in March, we would like to attend the 2023 rally. You all took most of the spots already, and there's only a few available in section B. Is this more or less a parking lot? Can't seem to find any photos of the area, and any drone video I find online looks like its over the ridge from the rest of the campground. What's the best area in section B if we end up there? For some reason, site A01 has been open for a long time. Something wrong with it? It is the closest site to the entrance, but is it worse than section B? We can always wait until closer and hope to snag a cancellation, but that might not happen, and we'd be out of luck. Thanks for any input, Steve

We have the Luminoodle string lights, and I added the optional dimmer. I hate bright lights around camp, and especially the folks in campgrounds that leave them on all night. Might as well camp at Walmart. 😁 With the squaredrop, we hang a string inside the outhouse tent for those middle of the night excursions. We won’t need to do that once our Oliver is ready!! inside our Clam, we use either Luci inflatable lights at the lowest setting, or, more likely, citronella candles. @Katjo that’s not my bag holder. I was just noting that we use one of my old tube socks. 😉 Steve

That looks a lot more elegant than mine, made from an old tube sock with the toes worn through. 😂

My Midland MXT115 GMRS radio has several National Weather Service stations programmed into it, so one is usually available. I also have one of those windup emergency radios in the truck that the girls gave me many years ago.

Thanks for the link! Yea, I don't think the awning would support any weight without poles, from what we saw at the factory. Just looking at various options. I'm thinking the Clam might fit strapped to the top of the rear bumper, but I'll need to wait until March to find out. Gonna be a looooong winter's wait!

Ahhhh!!! *That* KenB, from MUD! No wonder the handle sounded so familiar in my time here! Hi from "Slow Paddler" 👋

It looks like it has a bolt rope slot in the bottom, so it should work. (Assuming the G2000 is the current model offered by Oliver.) And looking the wiring, it looks possible to add a toggle to the hot side of the switch to disable. Seems doable if I ever wanted a sunshade. The Clam is great, but it sure gets hot inside!

Probably a silly question; to override the automatic retracting in much more than a mild wind, is there a power switch to disable it? Or simply pull the fuse? I'd prefer a manual awning, but that's no longer an option; both are fully automatic.

Our style of camping is still a little primitive compared to what it will be when our Oliver is ready. 🙂 We too really enjoy the benefits of the CLAM shelter, since we don't really have any indoor space in the trailer. Our biggest complaint is how hot to gets inside due to limited airflow with the fine screen material. If you ask Deb, she'd probably say the changing room with CleanWaster folding toilet for the middle of the night needs. One that's really been handy, and probably will still be in the Oliver with its limited storage, is a pair of GCI Pico folding arm chairs. Much more comfortable than cheap bag chairs, and roomier than our Helinox Sunset chairs that are always in the Cruiser. They're sorta like directors chairs, but they fold up the size of a brief case. Pricy, but very convenient (wow! pricier than I thought. They were $89 when we bought ours last March) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N71DDXW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

When we bought our fridge/freezer in 2016, there were very few choices, and all of them expensive. The "in" fridge was the ARB50 at $850 plus $150 shipping. We were visiting the Conqueror trailer importer in our home town of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and he was swapping out the National Luna 90 Twin fridge that came in the trailer for another combination fridge/freezer. At the time, the NL 90T retailed for $2700, and we got one from him for $1000. That's a lot today, but a steal six years ago. National Luna is what is in UN vehicles, and what the Red Cross uses to transport organs in Africa and other remote areas. They have since designed their own more efficient version of the previously used Danfoss compressor, and reduced the price by about $1000. If you want the best available, check them out at the sole US importer, Equipt1.com Their custom service is second to none, and owner Paul May goes out of his way to accommodate your needs, often at his own expense. Mine has been running in the back of my black Toyota 4Runner and now black Toyota Land Cruiser for 24 hours a day, March through Christmas since early 2016. We've not had a single regret. https://www.equipt1.com/collections/fridges

Shrimp, pineapple, onions, snow peas, and broccoli with a home made teriyaki sauce. (This was last night)

Thanks for the frozen corn on the cob tips!! I had no idea this was possible. I too grew up on a farm until I was about 12. Grandma canned everything, though. I don’t recall a freezer other than what was in the fridge.

That works!?! I figured the thawed cob would get mushy. Gotta try this!

Coincidentally, I received an email reply today for my inquiry to KTT: I replied that I was likely the reason for the latest bunch of requests, due to posting about Oliver not giving the customer a choice in suppliers. I also got the following from Southern Mattress yesterday: I'm heading out tomorrow camping with my brothers, but when we get back Friday, I'm going to contact The Original Mattress Factory, who made all of our current coil spring mattresses, about a custom mattress to match Oliver's spec. The drawing that's been posted is 29" wide, 74.5" long, with a 15" radius. But I've read 30"X75" Is that the tray dimensions?

@Kirk Peterson Cool, what brand? Wrappon has been unavailable for months.

Has anyone used a Wrappon toilet? It’s sorta like the Cleanwaste folding toilet we use now in our squaredrop, but it “flushes” at the touch of a button, sealing the bag and loading the next one. Not pretty, but definitely functional. https://www.setechnologiesltdusa.com/wrappon It is similar to the Laveo, but 50 flushes for the same price as Laveo’s 17, and much more compact refills.

Welcome, and congratulations!! We just order ours on Friday for a late March delivery. We want to come out and explore eastern Oregon as well as revisit the Washington and Oregon coast. What a diverse area!!

Yep! Note that I don't have the RV version, so I don't know if the additional hose length would fit. I also have one with tools in it. I use the included Viair inflator and gauge to inflate my Land Cruiser and current Hiker trailer tires, but usually overinflated a bit. Then bring them down to the desired pressure using an accurate gauge from my autocross days. I also have auto-deflation gizmos for off-roading. Screw them on and they drop to the pre-selected pressure.

In the supplied bag, yep! The 450P, hose, power cord, and nozzle/gauge fit nicely in a Cabela’s plastic ammo can. Still occupies the same volume, but easier to stack. A tip I found a few years ago on the Toyota 4Runner forum.

The Viair 400P-Auto is recommended on many off road and travel forums for a portable compressor/inflator. I have the 450P auto. The 450 has a 200% duty cycle while the 400 has 33%. But the 400 pumps 2.3 cubic feet of air per minute, while the 450 does only 1.8. So either works fine. both have auto power at the nozzle, so when you release the lever the compyturns off. The non-auto versions only have the switch on the compressor itself. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X9B32M/ref=emc_b_5_mob_t

That's what I understood Anita to mean. They had the newsletter article about no further orders on the Elite 1, and the response was very heavy from people wanting to order before the shutdown. So they resumed orders and production of the current Elite I for the foreseeable future. If you're waiting for the redesign to make a decision, I certainly would contact Oliver directly to be sure. I may have misunderstood.