Heresy

[Toby]

My wife and I own an Oliver Elite tandem (Hull 329) and love it. We have traveled extensively and it seems like the duration of our trips is increasing. With the duration of our trips getting longer and an occasional visit by our adult daughter we are feeling cramped and would really like some additional space. If Oliver made a larger travel trailer we'd be the first in line to buy one but even with a call to Oliver to inquire about plans for a  larger rig its just not in the cards. Here's the heresy part...has anyone made the move from their beloved Oliver to another brand with more space?  We've looked at other brands and the only one with a travel trailer that has a modicum of quality is Airstream. I've looked very closely at the build quality of a 25' and 27' Airstream and while it seems to surpass other brands it does not have the same level of build quality as our Oliver. So we are at a crossroads: do we sacrifice some quality for more space or do we retain the quality of an Oliver but feel cramped? I know this is a personal thing as some Oliver owners may not feel cramped at all. Thoughts, recommendations (like other brands to check out), or personal experience on the leap from and Oliver to an Airstream would be appreciated. 

[johnwen]

We (just 2 of us) fulltime in our Oliver after living in a smaller Casita, so we see the Oliver as a big trailer in comparison.  If you think you need something bigger....then you need something bigger.  We looked at Airstream but could only see rivets and an oncoming hail storm.  And when you approach the 27 footers you're talking serious money.  New models of fiberglass trailers are coming as people see the benefits...so keep looking...we would definitely stay with fiberglass.

Good luck,

john 

[Toby]

Thanks John. We are fiberglass "fan boys" but just wish there was some sign that someone is planning to manufacture something larger. Unfortunately we see no evidence. Safe travels. 

[Steve Morris]

We’ve been in the Escape 23 a couple of times. For a similar size trailer as the Oliver, it seems larger, mostly due to the extra width. It has some nice features, especially the much larger fridge. But it is a step down in quality for sure. 

Another option to look at might be the Bigfoot 25 fiberglass trailer. We haven’t been inside one, but hear the quality is very good. 

Edited April 28 by Steve Morris

[routlaw]

Agree with Steve the Escapes are nice but there are some short cuts. We have been in a few of them and just were not that impressed. Regarding Airstreams, granted they have some very nice interiors but I have lost count of the times having conversations with AS owners and listening to the issues they have had. Most people actually carry a pop rivet gun along due to the rivets popping out, insulation is minimal at best. My wife thinks of them as a bear can on wheels, a bit harsh for sure. 

I do agree the Bigfoots are nice too, very well built and about as 4 season as anything out there. In addition I would also add the Lance Travel Trailers to the group of very well built. They have a state of the art facility in CA and while they may look like a typical stick built trailer they are anything but. If I were to ever change from the Oliver the Lance is the first thing I would be looking at. That said I don't particularly care for the models with the slide-outs. But their construction quality is truly a cut above. 

Hope this helps

[Mike and Carol]

If you aren’t set on fiberglass I would give Outdoors RV a serious look.  Well constructed and true 4 season.  Another one (related to Outdoors RV) is Arctic Fox.  Mike

Edited April 28 by Mike and Carol

[Golfnut]

Look at Intech campers.. I haven’t been in one , look well built.. They have size from 20 to 30 ft..

[rich.dev]

39 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

 

If you aren’t set on fiberglass I would give Outdoor RV a serious look.

 

X2..  @Toby look at the creekside 19 MKS titanium!

 

[Rolind]

Airstream makes a great trailer that is visually stunning and iconic. We loved our Basecamp; our trailer before our Oliver. I would recommend however doing a deep dive in Airforums before purchasing one. Things that immediately come to mind are a long history of poorly addressed front end separation by the factory, a devastating hailstorm at the Jackson Center production facility, and exterior skin failure at the mounts of the segment protectors.  You may already be aware of these issues, and they often are not a deal breaker.

Edited April 29 by Rolind

[routlaw]

@rich.dev good video thanks for linking. Watched it yesterday. Great solar battery setup but for the life of me I cannot imagine using that much electricity while camping. Am at a loss for for what they would use this much amp hours in day, but its nice to have. Clearly their installers did a fantastic job and the Victron display is really nice too. Loved the self leveling hydraulic system. Thanks

[rich.dev]

36 minutes ago, routlaw said:

Great solar battery setup but for the life of me I cannot imagine using that much electricity while camping. Am at a loss for for what they would use this much amp hours in day, but its nice to have. Clearly their installers did a fantastic job and the Victron display is really nice too. Loved the self leveling hydraulic system. Thanks

They downsized from a huge class A and boondock pretty much 100%, I guess that’s why the large battery/solar system. I have watched a bunch of videos from MYT solar, he’s really good and does a quality job. Must say, I know it’s personal preference but I think this 19MKS has probably the best layout for such a small travel trailer. Outdoors RV make a really good product, if I knew about it before we bought the Ollie it would’ve been a very strong contender. Love the large kitchen counter top, large tanks, dry bath, hydraulic stabilizers and the 2 la-Z-Boy style seats, just not keen on the slide out and all the wood! 

[routlaw]

Yeah I hear you on the interior part. In this regard the new Lance travel trailers have more appeal to me but perhaps not as good a floor plan. The exteriors of any of these boxy trailers takes a back seat to the Oliver by a long shot though. I wonder what that titanium package adds to the cost of the base model though, has to be significant. Would love to had a more detailed view of the suspension on this trailer too. The shackles look very similar to the Dexter upgrades I did years ago. Never cared for slide outs either but like their mod to theirs. 

Funny my wife and I for the most part rarely ever camp with hookups and the most amps we have ever burned through is about 85-90 on very cold nights running the furnace. Thus my fascination on how much energy they were consuming. 

[Mike and Carol]

Our local Oliver dealer also sells Intech and Outdoors RV.  We looked at the 19MKS, it is a nice layout.  The queen bed is easy to fold up and makes the area spacious.  The two recliners are a real plus, too.  Their trailers are very well insulated and the Titanium has a bunch of nice features.  We’ve been following the RV Geeks for a while, too.  Mike

[Steph and Dud B]

I'd look at the Bigfoot (25RQ) and the InTechs.

[Gliddenwoods]

Checkout Bowlus trailers

[Steve and MA]

9 hours ago, Gliddenwoods said:

Checkout Bowlus trailers

The disadvantages of an Airstream for 2-3 x the cost 😉

[Jstone]

If and when we outgrow hull 997, Elite II, we’ll go with a certified pre-owned Living Vehicle. So far, we haven’t felt the need to scratch that itch, but I am interested in the LV’s.

[routlaw]

Base weight of 12,000-13,000 lbs and gross of 16,000. Better have a huge towing rig for that kind of weight, but they are nice for the most part. I shutter to think of what these things might cost.

[Toby]

I would like thank everyone for your advice and I have checked into each of the recommendations. As stated in my original note we love the Oliver specifically and the "fiberglass egg" concept in general. What I forgot to mention was the Bigfoot brand was a serious contender for our next travel trailer but they are currently not shipping to the US until this tariff thing is resolved. I talked to a very nice lady at their manufacturing facility a short time ago and she sounded deflated which is the only word I could use to describe her tone. She said that the majority of their trailers are sold in the US and maybe she was concerned about the company staying in business is the only thing I can think of. 

We have moved on from looking at Airstreams as a number of the comments in this thread indicated some real quality issues.  In digging fairly extensively these issues appear to be real. We did purchase a new small(ish) Outdoors RV as it ticked most (not all) of our boxes and I plan to sell our Oliver through this forum's Classifieds. in the next couple months.  Safe and fun travels. I'll honk if I see any of you Oliverites on the road!  

 

[rich.dev]

7 hours ago, Toby said:

We did purchase a new small(ish) Outdoors RV as it ticked most (not all) of our boxes and I plan to sell our Oliver through this forum's Classifieds.

Congrats on the new Outdoors RV, is it the 19MKS?
Happy travels, and let us know all the good and bad vs Oliver please! 

[Jim and Chris Neuman]

The Legacy II is a two-person rig which is realistically limited to one child sized visitor.  There is good and bad news there.  Bad news is that you really cannot realistically sleep more than 2 adults comfortably.  Good news is that you really cannot realistically be expected to sleep more than two adults comfortably.

 

Edited May 4 by Jim and Chris Neuman

[Geronimo John]

The Airstream skin used to be near bullet proof. Not so for some time now.  I saw one a few years ago where 1/2" hail destroyed it.  The owner said it was to be totaled.  Only other option was to have it reskinned at $48K.  That's when I chose to go with Olliver.  MaxBurner saw six ollies take 1.5" hail at the mother ship with zero damage.  

As far as I am concerned, push outs are a maintenance nightmare! 

GJ

[Jason Foster]

On 5/8/2025 at 5:54 PM, Geronimo John said:

The Airstream skin used to be near bullet proof. Not so for some time now.  I saw one a few years ago where 1/2" hail destroyed it.  The owner said it was to be totaled.  Only other option was to have it reskinned at $48K.  That's when I chose to go with Olliver.  MaxBurner saw six ollies take 1.5" hail at the mother ship with zero damage.  

As far as I am concerned, push outs are a maintenance nightmare! 

GJ

Exactly my reasoning with the addendum that AS dealers near me are jerks.