Galileo

We initially towed with our 2021 GMC Canyon Denali with the 2.8 liter Duramax diesel - handled the Oliver with zero issues. Only traded it for the Sierra 2500 Denali with the 3.0 liter Duramax because I wanted to trade it before it got too many miles. We were based in NE Texas - which as also pretty flat - but we had no problems towing the Ollie over the continental divide several times and negotiated plenty of mountains. From Florida to PEI to Yellowstone and NM. The diesel gave us exhaust braking, so at 80,000 miles our TV brakes looked near new. Your Tacoma has more HP - but the Diesel has more torque - and it comes it at 2,000RPM - so plenty of guts to get up to speed without the engine screaming. We also enjoyed stellar mileage - 20mpg towing was pretty typical on flat interstates.

Why not? As they say “everything is for sale - the only question is the price.” More than once I’ve thought that “the bare bones are great, it’s the accessories and layout of some of the utilities that have issues.”

Yep - our drain holes are clear, tracks are clean, and rig is level. Almost certain our issue is the way they mounted the window stop/bumper by drilling a hole through the bottom of the frame. Anything fit a perfectly dry track equated to a steady drip of water between the shells - or into the interior. Only other suspect is a similar hole drilled through the bottom of the frame to hold the center vertical muntin in place. Both really terrible design & construction.

Yeah @Tony and Rhonda I don’t know why some things work great for some folks and not at all for others. I’ve just had my fill of Thermocell products even though many people swear by them. I guess I’m the type where once something lets me down (aka pisses me off) I swear them off forever. I would think that if it’s the same chemical in all the devices - it should just plain WORK so long as the device was operating. Though I think it’s more of a “long term” kinda device - I may look at the things they hook to a propane cylinder. They create CO2 (great, greenhouse gas) to attract the mosquitoes, then suck them into a bag. They may not even make them anymore. I’m a former organic gardener / small stock raiser - so I try to avoid the nuclear option. Spraying a bunch of insecticide around doesn’t mesh with my hummingbird feeders. the search goes on….

Thanks for the suggestion. We’ve been down the path with the Thermocell lantern style repellers. Definitely a bust for us. Even when they were actually operating - the difference we experienced was negligible. Still got just as many bites. They’re also expensive to run. Between the non-refillable butane cartridges, and the little pads with the repellent chemical, they cost a lot to feed. The ones we had also used AA batteries to power the integral light. One of the two I bought quit working (igniting) about a week into service. Those things have tiny - microscopic - orifice to meter the butane. I’m guessing some kind of impurity or contaminant in the butane cartridge - or the unit itself - from manufacturing - clogged that tiny port and that was the end of the road. In a former life, I had experience with Thermocell cordless curling irons. Basically the same butane cartridge and metering system. They had the same issue. Really dismal reliability. We’ve resorted to citronella candles. They probably aren’t very effective either - but they smell nice and it makes you -think- you’re repelling mosquitoes. I detest shattering myself with chemicals or fragrances to repel bugs. For me, long sleeves and sitting close to a campfire are the best deterrent I’ve found. Of course, neither is great when it’s 95F…

Staying here at Glacial Lakes State Park as campground hosts for the month of July has had me researching how to deal with all of the various annoying flying critters here. Minnesota is called “the land of 10,000 lakes” and humorously “and 10 million mosquitoes”. (I think that’s a low estimate between you and me…) Last year, the park manager told me that this time of year, flies are the bigger nuisance. She was right. We put if a cheapo screen house to sit in (when it’s not 95F of course) but when you’re walking, the deer flies have you at their mercy. The familiar stinky traps don’t attract deer flies, just “filth flies” (house flies). Have one up anyway and have harvested many thousands of those pests. A disposable trap fills up in about three days(!) A little research told me that deer flies go after moving targets, and go for your head or the highest point of whatever critter they’re annoying. I also read that they’re attracted to the color blue. I found a few articles - typically on equestrian sites - that told how to “troll” for deer flies using blue Solo cups and a sticky goo like “Tangle trap”. I used to use the stuff in my garden, so I was familiar with it. Amazon conveniently has a vendor selling a kit with the blue Solo cups and the sticky stuff. Since I couldn’t find any in the local hardware stores or Walmart, I bought the kit. I tried it out by painting the outside of one of the blue cups with the goo and taping the cup - upside-down - to my side view mirror. I took a slow drive through the campground and was shocked at how many deer flies I caught in just 5 or 10 minutes. I discovered that the flies attack - and stick to - the BACK surface of the cup. (Hitting their target from behind) So the next time I tried trolling, I put a cup on each mirror and only put the goo on the back side. Well, as I’ve rambled quite enough, so I’ll show you the pics of my 2-ton deer fly trap and the results. Now - if I could just find a way to ruin 10,000 mosquitoes’ day - I’ll be a very happy camper! (Here’s the kit if you want to make your own fly trap: https://a.co/d/00v6uY1Q ) ps - yes, I did get several quizzical looks as I drive through the campground with blue Solo cups taped to my mirrors….

I forget the name/chemical shorthand - for the stuff that’s common in mobile homes. We used to have people looking for it at the hardware store I worked at. I think it’s the MH (manufactured Housing) industry little joke they play on folks. It’s -just- different enough size-wise that PEX and Shark Bite fittings don’t work on it. I wonder if that’s the “translucent suction like” you mention and show. My water pump is acting kinda lackluster at the moment - so it’s in my list of things to tear into when I’m not occupying the trailer. I’ll attend to the “plastic” piping at the same time. I don’t know if I’m feeling ambitious enough to do the electric valve upgrade like @jd1923 did. I guess having to tear up the king bed to change the valves at the start and end if the season has become a big enough PITA to motivate me.

I see the added piece behind the dinette tabletop, but where get you get the deeper pantry shelf - as well as the matching pattern for the dinette?

I guess I’ll look closer next time. (I go in that area so seldom because it’s a PITA to wedge up the mattress topper, cushions, access cover just to reconfigure the valves to winterize/boondock/nornal.) I wonder if the “engineers” that put valves, breakers, and fuse holders in places that require moving bedding and cushions might have come up with better ideas if they had taken a prototype out first for a few months - changing configurations and the like.

We actually like the Velcro. I don’t know if others had this small storage area shown to them as a “secret compartment” - but I think the Velcro is more apt to keep it that way. Anyway - we go in that compartment so seldom that there’s not a huge convenience or time saving benefit for us. I’m also fond of leaning on that surface or putting quite a bit of body weight on it while extricating myself from the (king layout) bed. So making it readily movable will make it easy to bend those slides at least, and likely to send me crashing to the floor in the middle of the night at worst.

I don’t think I’ve seen any white plastic (PVC) pipe - only PEX. Where is there PVC?

My windows may be a bit different. Mine font really have much of a “felt” liner. They have a rigid plastic inner track that is inside of the frame channel. I tried to (gently) pry it out, but it started to crack. I do have the pick set similar to what you used. I guess I could see if I can draw the sides of the plastic track in, the whole thing may lift out of the channel. It isn’t a “U” channel - more of a squared off “C”

Hanging out at Glacial Lakes State Park (near) Starbuck Minnesota. Our second time here as the campground hosts. Been here since the first of July and leaving the 29th. I saw a camp host at another campground that put out hummingbird feeders, so I thought I’d give it a try. This isn’t “elegant” by any means. I grabbed an old fishing rod and secured the handle end under the edge of the A/C - twist-tied it to the TV antenna to keep it from coming loose. (Extreme vibration of our love-to-hate Dometic Penguin 2) Hummers showed up less than 24 hours later. I have it rigged just outside of the rear window so we can relax in bed and watch them come and go. IMG_9854.mov

I think I mentioned in a previous post that the shades staying tightly attached to the frames is dependent upon two things: The clips The channels on the back side of the shades On our problem child shade, one of the “fins” molded into the plastic frame of the shade is cracked. So there is no firm channel for the clip to snap into. I attempted to remedy this by moving the clip to a different position behind the shade. Unfortunately, once the crack on that fin is started, it creates a stress point that causes the crack to grow and extend to wherever force from the clip is applied. If the clip can be moved far enough away from the crack, you -may- solve the problem at least for a while. Though the shade doesn’t -always- fall off while towing, to make it stay up reliably, another method to hold the shade to the window frame is required.

Wow. Seems like OTT still hasn’t found a decent window.

That’s kinda my next thought. With the inner/plastic “track” in place, you really can’t get too the hole where the screw holding the stopper is. Unless you’re an endodontist and used to working down inside small, wet areas. 😂 I figured I could cut off that end of the track as the stopper & screw fit down inside of it. That would give me a better look at the hole in the frame and the option of either replacing the stopper & screw and having better access to seal it and having the screw length be able to get a better grip. Or - just doing as you suggest with some waterproof sealant. And a pain? By all means. These windows are a disaster from design to operation. WHY in heaven’s name would someone design a window that is so fussy that a little dirt or some bits of tree cause it to leak? Even worse - making holes in the wet part of the frame to install things that are GOING to get bumped and dislodged. (Slide the window a bit too far open? You just compromised that weak seal. It really makes me wonder about Oliver’s selection of these windows - and some other accessories as well. The fiberglass hull is great - but not many of the things bolted onto it are equal to the hull.

The ones I got don’t have that. They’re just a simple on or off.

We all have our priorities. There is a definite advantage to not adopting the latest and greatest technology. If I tore the P2 out when the -first- “so much better” Air Conditioner (which I think was the Truma) - I’d be kicking myself now wishing I’d waited fir the Houghton. Oh wait, the flavor of the month is now “Chill Cube”. Who knows, maybe by the time I get around to replacing our original A/C - the ChillCube with be a couplea hundred bucks cheaper. More likely - something even better will be on the market by 1Q27 - which is the first opportunity I’ll have to rework anything. Same with my “obsolete” flooded cell lead acid batteries. Lithium is cheaper NOW that it was when we first purchased our trailer - and there’s more options. My original batteries still have some life left in them. But - WHEN it’s time to retire them, I’ll consider the options and likely have a bigger selection and the lower prices that come with not buying when everybody’s rabid about the latest and greatest. We did replace the OEM television - but only with another same size television that’s a bit less flaky. But come to think of it, we didn’t buy a travel Trailer to sit inside and watch television. Word is - that people go to different places to go outside and look around. We’ve even “hiked”! (Can you believe it?!) OMG! I never realized you were so addicted! Don't people go “camping” to disconnect? Maybe even commune with nature?! Put aside the “devices”? (BTW - the folks who accused us of “glamping” consider “camping” to be that thing that people do with tents and sleeping on the ground in “sleeping bags”. Camping apparently isn’t a black or white proposition.)

I thought it was “all boots” but - I’m not a native Texan. 😂

Not sure if this is the same one we bought. Also from Amazon (where all good things come from) and has a physical pushbutton as well. As @Boilermaker Chemist notes - a real ‘switch’ means that when the power is off - it’s off. With the touch light, they’re always “on” and waiting to sense your finger. We had some weird ‘on’ conditions on the same (over the sink) light that preceded full failure: flickering, inconsistent operating, half-brightness. That kind of behavior always worries me. Maybe it’s obvious, but the most frequently used fixtures are the ones failing. I wouldn’t expect that with a “switch” that shouldn’t “wear out”. Of course, the second most commonly-used light - over the dinette - is showing signs of failure. Luckily, the package from Amazon had two lamps. Replacement as @Boilermaker Chemist describes are similar to my experience - except I did soldered splices with heat shrink tubing to insulate.

We’ve been accused of “glamping” because we have a nice trailer. I’ve heard of ‘glamping’ obviously, but didn’t think we qualified. Now, if you’re cruising around in one of those 4mpg 40 foot coaches with a laundry room, hot tub, 4 slides and a 50” TV - THAT’s “glamping”.

Our old/original lock has an obnoxiously loud lock/unlock sound. The new one is much more subtle. It even had voice guidance. Just putting batteries in gives you a “Welcome to RVLock!” Anyway, it’s the only part of the “Electronics Package” I’d buy again. I actually just disconnected the power from the cell booster. We keep spare bedding in that compartment - and having anything remotely flammable pressed against something that looks like a heatsink is obviously worrisome.

So long as your keys for your manual lock are always in you’re pocket, you’re golden. I never have to carry a key. Even when the lock “failed” it didn’t fail in a catastrophic way. We got the keyless lock as part of the electronics package. Honestly, the lock is the only thing in that package I’d buy again. We never use the backup camera, the cell booster is a joke, and the “auto-vent” isn’t really “auto”. I guess if someone wanted to be truly “manual”, they’d still have a knob on the dash for the choke, you could makes the same argument for that. Automatic chokes would frequently fail open or closed - causing a no start/hard start - or flooding. Maybe even a lever on the steering column for spark advance. (Let’s see how many know that reference!) Like I said - I’d gladly deal with the RVLock failing every six months than to have to put up with windows that can’t be opened - even a crack - when it rains - and leak even when they’re closed. It’s all a matter of scale. I can deal with RVLock via email and they do the right thing. Of the things that vex me about the Oliver - the RVLock barely merits a mention. I only bring it up because we’ve all agreed the windows inhale deeply and with great force, and the Dometic A/C is like putting a class D fluorescent ballast in a library.

Just been daydreaming about the subject and wondering about alternatives. I’m definitely with @jd1923 as far as 7’ v 8’ width. Extra room comes with a price and I don’t want anything wider. I don’t find the 7’ width confining or anything. I’m feeling like the Oliver “bones” is really about all it has going for it. If I were modification happy, I could see myself changing a LOT of things. (Like everything we all ***** about here - and a few more of my own.) I guess when we park in one place for four months this winter (Texas) I’ll see how I feel about reworking some things. Not sure I want to spend the $$$ it will take to remedy the Window and A/C woes - much less rework the heating and hot water systems to make sense.

Yes, but it’s a no-pressure kind of situation. I already have my “spare” RVLock installed, which I’ll just cycle out when the new one arrives. It’s either that, or toss out an item that still has life to it. Besides, I have so many spare parts I can keep these things going for years! As for our least favorite things - if EVERYTHING went smoothly ALL the time - we’d get bored. If only my leaky windows and LOUD A/C were so easily fixed - and at no cost to me - I’d be a happy camper. Actually, I’ve come to realize that -everything- that you own - car, home, board, trailer - requires maintenance, repairs, cleaning, etc, etc, etc. To avoid all of that - you’d have to live in a cave. (Aw nuts - I have to haul firewood and keep these things sabretooth tigers away?!)