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What Can I NOT Carry in my Oliver Travel Trailer Across State Borders?


J-Rhett

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I'm a new RV Camper and just wondering what is legal or I should say Illegal to carry across state lines or have in my trailer at any time.  Such things as RX prescriptions, open alcohol spirits, firearms, marijuana, opiates for medicine, ammunition, and such.  If my trailer is my second home I should be able to carry any and all of the above, right?  I should add gasoline and diesel fuel, kerosene too.   When looking at the other side of this question I find that we living here in the USA are really blessed too.  We can travel extensively for 1000's of miles without being inspected at the border and can easily venture into two other countries with few questions and little impediment.  BTW when crossing into Canada, do they and can they search your Ollie?  I don't think I want to venture into Mexico, do you?

J-Rhett


Oliver Legacy Elite II (Irog)


1995 Ford F-250 x4 Turbo Diesel


Trek Bikes, Hobie Cat Kayak

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J-Rhett,

 

Being new to this also, I will recommend to you to also check the Airstream Forums over at http://www.airforums.com, the Oliver forum is relatively pretty young and doesn't have the extensive knowledge and experience base that can be found there.  With this not being an Oliver specific issue,  you may find you can find a lot of information already covered, without even having to join. I often use it as another resource to more general things.

 

Good luck with your research, either way.

Randy


One Life Live It Enjoyably


2017 F350 6.7L SRW CC LB


2015 Oliver Elite II Hull #69

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Um, no. It's your travelling second home, but it's travelling. You still have to respect and honor state laws, which may differ from your home state. And travelling into Canada, you can expect an inspection. In at least fifty percent of our crossings, someone inspected the interior of our Ollie. I don't know much about Mexico crossing, as I have not done that. they don't like guns, anymore than Canada, from what I have heard

 

 

As far as States, don't even think about transporting a hand gun through new York, or several other states. Leave it at home, even if you have a permit. Unless you have a new York permit, you are subject to arrest and jail and fine. Check out the websites. If your tail light flickers, you could, possibly, be in big trouble.

Open alcohol containers, in the unoccupied trailer, no big deal. Unless you are trying to bring big quantity into Canada. check the website for admissable quantity before duty.

Rx drugs. Most ok. If you have Rx for med marijuana or scheduled drugs, carry a prescription copy with you. States that don't allow med marijuana will not tolerate it within their borders. Second home or not, your home is on the move. Federal law will likely prevail, which means no, and arrest, and consequences.

Many states do not honor reciprocity on guns, bear spray, pepper spray, even if you have the proper permit in your state. Some, and many, do. It's up to you, if so inclined, to know the rules on visited states, and comply, appropriately.

It may seem that we are a homogenous country with open borders, but we are not. Every state has rights to limit or expand certain freedoms as they see fit, and it's up to you as the traveller to know, understand, and keep them.

 

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Some states have agricultural inspection stations and will confiscate some live plants and animals.  Be careful about hitchhikers.  I once picked up a lady and her small child walking on the interstate.  It was  VERY HOT  Arizona day and and they needed water.  I thought I would take her to the next town and get her help.  In the middle of nowhere was an immigration blockade.  I was able to convince the Border Patrol that I was merely concerned, but I was detained until they throughly checked me out.  The point is, not all inspections are done at the state lines or international borders.

 

 

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I don’t think I want to venture into Mexico, do you?

Two years ago I went on a 60-day guided caravan (20 rigs) through Mexico to Belize and back. It was one of the best trips of my life and I'd do it again in an instant!

 

Having said that, I'd never do that particular trip alone. And don't even THINK about guns or ammunition, drugs, or anything else the Mexican Government condemns. At the border, they X-rayed several of our rigs from bumper to bumper. There were also quite a few random inspections throughout the country. Travel into Baja is a little easier because it is considered  the "frontier", but the same restrictions on what you can bring will apply.

 

http://adventurecaravans.com/tour/yucatan-colonial-mexico/

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Junior BirdMan!

 

WowZER!  That is so cool Junior BirdMan and I'd like to do exactly that sometime.  I still don't think it's very safe as I've heard some really bad things, well, read where some roads the bandidos are mean and nasty.  Besides that they will kill you!  Maybe with a long caravan like that is safer, but I'd want the guides to be heavily armed.  Yeah, I think joining a group and going anywhere with 15-20 Olivers or Fiberglass RVs would be really cool.   You can be the wagon master BirdMan!   Oh what fun we're gonna have!  See you on the trail sometime.  Cold here now and windy in central Illinois, like 20 degs.

J-Rhett


Oliver Legacy Elite II (Irog)


1995 Ford F-250 x4 Turbo Diesel


Trek Bikes, Hobie Cat Kayak

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I just wanted to add that firearms laws are so darned different and confusing across the USA that you have to be extremely careful about transporting handguns. If you want to have protection while living in your Ollie, consider a conventional (non tactical) shotgun carried in a locking rack. Santa Cruz makes excellent ones that can be activated with the push of a hidden button. ... http://santacruzgunlocks.com/by-weapon/pump-shotguns/

 

If we get national reciprocity passed under the new administration, then you will be able to legally carry a concealed  handgun anywhere in the USA if you have a carry license in your home state. Until then, I only plan to travel in gun friendly states. The restrictions are not worth the hassles for me. With my WA resident permit and my UT non-resident permit, I am legal to carry concealed in 33 states.

 

If you plan to cross into Canada, a shotgun is your best choice since many handguns are verboten. Just keep in mind that you legally can't have a loaded gun in your camp unless you are hunting and have a Canadian guide and hunting permit. Certainly, you can't have a loaded one in any Provincial park. If you are roughing it in the woods and are rightly concerned about brown bears, load it up with bear ammo and just don't tell anybody ;) Importing any firearm into Canada absolutely REQUIRES a fee and the proper paperwork presented at the border crossing, and the gun(s) must not be on the lists of restricted or illegal models.

 

Open carry is perfectly legal in a bunch of US states... just be aware that you might not be wise to do so in urban areas. Around a wooded campsite in the National Forest it is not a problem. In a city KOA, it might get some startled looks from visitors from a red state.... If you do want to open carry, a stainless revolver in a tooled leather holster looks completely unthreatening to most people. Avoid tactical guns and gear completely if you want to pass unnoticed.

 

Open Carry

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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Hard rock, thanks for bringing up the agricultural inspections. If crossing into Canada, it's important to go to the government website and know before you go. Fresh poultry products and fruits and veggies can be a problem, but if you're like me, and like to travel with a well stocked kitchen, you can find current and specific dos and donts, on the Canadian website. I prefer to download the info, and keep it as a PDF so I can review without wifi, as that can be hard to come by outside of cities.

The us entry from Canada is often very strict as well. Both countries, and corresponding states and provinces with ports of entry, are simply trying to stop or slow the progress of diseases that will affect their economies.

I typically run down fresh supplies before a border crossing. And since my cousin lost a hundred dollars in unlabelled dog food in a bin one year, I keep our little dogs food and treats in original packaging.

Sherry

 

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Another important topic we haven't yet addressed is firewood.

You do not want to have a stick of firewood in the bin in a Canadian crossing, either direction. And with the rapid spread of the emerald ash borer, and other pest species, you are often limited to a small radius of purchase for usonf and transporting untreated wood. For a very good reason, I think.

If you are driving more than twenty miles the next day, leave your locally purchased, untreated wood for the next camper in your spot.

Sherry

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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Open Carry is now legal in Texas (as of Jan 1, 2016) but you must have a License to Carry issued by Texas or a permit/license Texas honors. If open carrying the firearm must be either be in a shoulder holster or a belt holster. These are the only two accepted ways to open carry under Texas law. I don't personally have any inclination to open carry so this info is for those that do.

 

The most accurate site for handgun information is the one Topgun2 mentioned: handgunlaw.us. The two guys that own it are constantly updating it and it always contains very up to date info.

 

Regarding the transportation of firearms across state lines and through heavily regulated states (think Illinois, California, New York) you should be aware of the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, or FOPA. The NRA has an explanation that is easily understandable by the lay public.

 

We spent a couple of months this fall up in the Northeast, a week in Massachusetts, a week in Connecticut, a week in Maine and time passing through the other states in that region.  A close examination of a map will show you that it is virtually impossible to get there without passing through New York state.

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2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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California has the agricultural inspection stations at all of the crossings coming in and they are mostly looking for Oranges and apples bought outside the state that seem to usually come from Mexico from what we have seen. So as long as there is no Mexican fruits or vegetables, your ok here. But every other state that we have been in including cities that cross into California, the Mexican Oranges are common and tasty :)  You can either toss them before you get to the station or just hand them to the guard at the crossing is what we do if we have some in the trailer. This link has a list for other crossings as well -

 

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/exteriorexclusion/borders_faq.html

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Happy Camping,


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