Steve Morris

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.

Original post edited to include our thoughts on the change of upgraded mattress supplier. Short version: KTT and Takata are both available, but the buyer doesn’t get a choice in what’s supplied.

Thanks John. I’ve read and bookmarked that thread when I first joined here. Similar posts on MUD, too. Definitely two separate lines instead of two combined. Seems common sense. :shrug: I appreciate the input!

No trailer yet, but for jobs like this here in the rust belt, I use Eastwood’s original chassis paint. I see that there’s now an extreme and ceramic, but I’ve never tried them. https://www.eastwood.com/search/?q=Chassis Before: After: 14 Years later:

Thanks John. I’ve already had the Firestone link as well as Redarc’s brake controller bookmarked for months. 😉 As noted on MUD ( I’m Slow paddler), the HE model has very slightly larger wire diameter for the coils, but I think one fewer turns. Consensus is a barely stiffer spring. My fridge is mid-ship, so the only weight aft is just junk. No rear seats, and the 60% second row seat is out. So no stiffer springs unless I get a 24 gallon tank down the road At least two more outings planned for the Hiker this year. We may keep it and let our daughter and her fiancé use of if they store it for us. Else sell it to them. I could sell online for about 30% more than we paid for it, but theyretent camping now and would appreciate the enclosed box.

Storm:

Desert

@AZ Wonderer Yep. Here are photos of 2023 samples. Midnight:

Thoughts and discoveries from yesterday's tour and purchase in no particular order. I'll add more if I think of anything. Anita was very helpful and knowledgable. When she didn't know an answer, she said so instead of faking her way through. I appreciate that. When we scheduled our tour, I selected the 1:00 slot. Anita countered that the plant gets unbearable in the afternoons, and suggested we schedule the 9:00 tour instead. As it was 91 out, I really appreciated that! The plant works four 10 hour days, so Friday was mostly inactive. This is good because you can hold a conversation and get closer to the assembly line, but you can't watch employees at work. Seeing the final inspection area where any errors were noted by employee name was interesting. Making the offender responsible has to be beneficial. We toured with another couple. We knew that was going to be the case beforehand, but by their response, I'm not sure they did. This might be offputting if you're not comfortable discussing questions in a group. Having spent 40 plus years in manufacturing, I had a lot of questions. This might have taken away some of the time the other couple could have been asking questions. We weren't rushed, and they said they were okay with the time given, but if I were them, I might have preferred to not have me along. 😉 I was taking photos of the wiring and plumbing between hull halves, and Anita stopped me. It seems an email was sent out just the day before that photos are no longer permitted during plant tours. This was somewhat irksome, as I want to know what's behind the walls. Especially with no wiring diagrams available. Several surreptitious photos may have been taken anyway... The 2023 fabric is different than the previous offered material. It seems softer, but maybe thinner and not as rugged or course feeling. Deb has samples of both and I'll try to post a photo later. The Midnight fabric is also darker. No Truma furnace or AC were on the line, as they are still building 2022 models. No Victron components were on the demo unit, but the Truma AC was. It's as quiet as reported! They resumed Elite I orders and builds due to an overwhelming number of orders placed when it was announced they would stop for a redesign. That's now on hold. The rumored larger model is still being considered with no timeline discussed. Forgot a huge point as far as I’m concerned, and caused us to change what we were going to order. When Sue and Matt offered to let us visit them to see their Elite II Twin, we found that they had the upgraded KTT mattresses. Deb and I didn’t see the value of that $1750 option until we laid on their bed. Thick, comfy, and much more firm than I expected. We were sold on the upgrade. Fast forward to this past Friday and our visit to Hohenwald. We sat in the demo trailer, and I asked Anita if they had one with the upgraded KTT mattress. She said that I was sitting on the upgraded mattress!! Go look at the option list. It no longer says KTT. They can’t get enough mattresses from KTT, so they are also getting them from Takata. And the buyer does not get to choose which they get! Deb and I both thought that the Takata that we were sitting and later laying on felt cheap, soft, offered no support, and definitely not worth the upgrade! Deb was sitting on it, and not just on the edge, and the mattress compressed enough that her thigh was resting on the edge of the mattress tray. Very uncomfortable! I said it felt like an old worn out mattress in a cheap motel. By comparison, the standard free cushion felt luxurious! Not as great as Sue and Matt’s KTT, but much better than the Takata. Anita said the difference in support was because Sue and Matt had Hypervent and the Takata didn’t. Can’t be that much difference! So, we saved $1750 and $850 by ordering the standard cushions and no Ultra fabric upgrade, and Oliver lost whatever profit they make on both. 👎👎👎👎👎 We both found the Nature's Head toilet very uncomfortable. As someone who takes a while for things to happen, I don't think it would work for me. We ordered the standard toilet with the intention of likely replacing it with an AirHead composting toilet instead. Placing our order was painless, and picking the delivery date to fit our schedule was nice. There were earlier days available that didn't work for us. Here's where we're at right now: - Elite II Twin Bed - Standard Mattresses - Standard Fabric - Midnight - Hypervent - Omnidirectional Antenna (local weather etc. if we don't have cell service) - Street Side Awning - Frosted Doors - Convection Microwave - 20 Gallon Propane (to keep tongue weight down) - Front/Rear Propane Quick-Connects - Standard Toilet with possible AirHead composting replacement - Full Truma Package AC, Furnace, Water Heater and Antifreeze kit - Largest Lithium Package - No Backup Camera: Probably add our own later - Anderson Hitch - Aluminum Storage Basket - Basement Door - No Graphics

Midnight, with standard fabric and standard mattresses.

Elite II twin configuration. With Truma, lithium, two awnings, convection microwave, and a few other goodies.