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Hope for input from those with experience


wponder

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We are considering getting our first TT and are largely down to AS ( 23CB or 25FB) Olli Elite II or a Travel Lite Falcon ( Hard to get real world info ). We are lucky enough we have an opportunity and flexibility to travel and explore for some extended periods of time upwards of 1-3 months at a time. We are still sorting out how often and for how long but expect it to be in waves of extended time. Beside the two of us we occasionally will have two early teens join us from time to time and a dog as long as he stays with us, he is getting older.

 

We have been doing our research in the forums and learning from others shared experiences. We also plan to meet with some friends who have a 16' AS as they have a lot they want to share on what they would do different etc.

 

We started off thinking a 16' AS but have slowly settled into thinking a 25'FB or 23CB is the best option considering tradeoffs between bigger and smaller models. My SO would like something she feels she could pull on her own if possible so the 25' is a little intimidating. She is willing to go to the 25' if I plan to spend more time vs. less on trips.  She is also concerned with entry cost, tow-ability, boondocking / off-road ability  and is leaning more toward the Falcon. I am more concerned with comfort, quality, durability and investment protection.

 

We spent several hours at our local AS dealer going in all sizes and floor plans and felt the best about the 25'FB. We even considered the 23'FB but like the bigger fridge, windows and extra sitting space of the 25'FB. Have not been in the Ollie or Falcon but hope to see both in Montana in a week or two.

 

We keep coming back to the olllie. I was down on it but its growing on me. I think its going to be less maintenance and the better boondocker. My only hang ups right now are...

 

- King bed: Seems like such a waist the way its done. Uncomfortable looking and I am NOT looking forward to setting it up every day. My SO says just leave it. I agree but think there is so much lost storage space there. I wish it was a fixed in place queen with more storage on the sides and underneath with a wall / divider for closing.

 

- Dinette: Wish it had a slider for extending out and more space for games / working

 

- Not going to be enough from the dinette bed / conversion for when two teens join us from time to time. So one or both will have to tent camp

 

- With the both beds being conversions not looking forward to tow conversions daily even if from time to time

 

I have already compromised on less windows, wet shower and less space overall vs. the AS. Although nice to have. I do not think they have to be deal breakers.

 

Price. We are seeing amazing deals on excellent condition lightly used AS. So we are likely to be 20K more with an Ollie tricked out for boondocking like Two Plus Lu laid out.

 

Thanks in advance for any input and guidance.

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My only hang ups right now are…King bed: Seems like such a waist the way its done. Uncomfortable looking and I am NOT looking forward to setting it up every day. My SO says just leave it. I agree but think there is so much lost storage space there. I wish it was a fixed in place queen with more storage on the sides and underneath with a wall / divider for closing.

 

You could opt for the twin beds.  Ours are raised and have 13 cubic feet of storage beneath each one.  No set up or take down. A dividing closure is doable.

 

...Dinette: Wish it had a slider for extending out and more space for games / working – Not going to be enough from the dinette bed / conversion for when two teens join us from time to time. So one or both will have to tent camp –

 

I have seen threads with people outlining the way to extend their dinette tops and realistically, how often will these teens be joining you guys?  Usually we eat outside anyway when there's more than just the two of us.

 

...Price. We are seeing amazing deals on excellent condition lightly used AS. So we are likely to be 20K more with an Ollie tricked out for boon-docking like Two Plus Lu laid out...

 

From what my AS buddies tell me, to get an AS tricked out with the solar and extra batteries will cost in the neighborhood of $10K.  That assumes, of course, you are not looking at a used one already so outfitted.

 

Good luck with your search, both Oliver and Airstream are the best in their respective classes.

Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

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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Don't limit yourself to just these 2 brands. Do you need a 4 season trailer? If not, then the airstream and escape trailers are both good. Better would be the 4 season Oliver or a 25B25FB Bigfoot would hold you all comfortably and still be a good 4 season trailer. Personally, with 2 teenagers, if their going to be with you a lot then the Bigfoot would be the way to go because they would each have their own bed plus room for the dog, but if it's going to be the 2 of you 90% of the time then you can't beat the Oliver. We have the King bed that we leave up all the time and we also have roll out storage underneath that is easily accessible and takes up the entire walkway underneath. So there's no storage space wasted. Plus the wet bath in the Oliver is way bigger then the bathrooms in the other brands above. Wet baths win the race on size and comfort every time... We love ours and have had 2 grand kids sleep head to foot down one side of the bed, while we slept on the other with plenty of room. As long as they're good kids and get along, it works great. We use a queen size bed at home so half of the big Oliver King bed is empty anyway :)

 

Here's a Bigfoot floor plan.

 

06_25B25FB.jpg

Happy Camping,


null


Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle


2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II  Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4


Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel


Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II


 

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We have the king size model, and while it's doable, I kind of wish we had went with the twin bed model. We keep the bed made up all the time, it's too much trouble taking it down every day, you do lose the walk way between the 2 beds. On the other hand you have the space under the bed to store stuff.

 

Stan

Stan and Carol


Blacksburg, VA


2014 Dodge Durango 5.7 Hemi


2014 Legacy Elite II Standard  Hull 63

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We moved from the Legacy Elite II to Airstream 28 and love the extra space.  If Ollie made a larger trailer that would be my preference because of lower maintenance, but alas they don't.  A good choice for now might be the Bigfoot.  Get inside a few trailers and imagine yourself living therefor a few weeks or months.

 

Check out RV rentals for units near you.  Staying overnight in a trailer will give you a good feel for what you need.

 

one thing about a Queen bed in a narrow trailer is that one person will have to crawl over the other for bathroom breaks.  A real pain.  If you choose the Ollie go for a twin bed model.

Current 2007 Airstream Classic Limited 31


2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II (Sold)


2016 Ram 2500 HD 6.7i Cummins turbo diesel


 

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Great input and thanks so far! The twin is out we like to sleep together especially during the colder months. @karenlukens as I looked closer I did see we could come up with a storage option for under the bed in the walkway and make use of it. We largely ruled out the Bigfoot because the interior leaves much to be desired its becoming quite dated.

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Given your comments, I'm inclined to think the Ollie is not your best bet and as others have suggested I would recommend you look into the Bigfoots, its a larger heavier trailer but they are made extremely well. Their floor plans are much better than the Escapes, IMHO. In fact the only floor plan we liked in the Escapes are their 21 foot 5th Wheel, which we didn't want because our truck gets used for other things. Another trailer to look into which I recommend are the Lance. They are built like a tank, and while they may look like a conventional stick built trailer they are anything but. They do have a slide out dinette, queen bed that can be walked around. I'm not particularly fond of their obnoxious graphics or interior design but otherwise I think its a good trailer, though probably not perfect. The Airstreams look really cool, but to me they just aren't worth the money. In another thread here on this forum, just recently I posted about a very nice couple who pulled up behind me in their 25" Flying Cloud. They knew about the Olivers and were excited to see the inside and get the tour. As it turns out in the two years they have owned their AS everything one could imagine has gone wrong it with it, just one constant repair after the next apparently.

 

All that said, we do have the king bed in our Elite II, live in Montana so if your coming up to this neck of the woods you're more than welcome to see ours. I disagree that the twin bed model is a better solution, we like our king, never use the larger dinette so it stays in place as a bed. We are fine with smaller dinette and if we need something larger there is always the great outdoors sometimes with picnic tables. We do use the area underneath for additional storage, works great so there is no lost space at all.

 

Hopefully this helps.

Legacy Elite II #70

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Please try not to get hooked into the "Must Have a Slideout" mentality. OTH it is almost impossible to find a new stick built trailer on a dealer lot without one. They are horrible nightmares in terms of poor safety, mechanical failures and water leaks.

 

Get an Airstream or an Ollie, no slide out headaches! During the very rare times that we stay at a commercial campground, I wander around looking for delaminating walls and sagging slide outs, and often we are the only trailers there with no slide out, pop up tent trailers excepted, and the rare Casita or Escape.

 

If you plan to go onto rough back roads or forest roads, please consider the frame, hull and interior construction differences that set Oliver well apart from other brands. There is no way an interior cabinet or sink will fall off during a bumpy expedition, as can happen with even Airstreams. When you have a component screwed to the wall, it will eventually shake loose.

 

There are a few people that have bought a Oliver as a first RVs, but IMHO it is a big mistake. You should buy something really mainstream and inexpensive (heavily discounted), use it for a season and see if you like the lifestyle, then you can trade it in on something well built, and specced to to your satisfaction. If you buy an Ollie or an AS and you decide it was a mistake, that can be expensive, especially if you live where the sales tax is very high like WA.

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/recreational-vehicle-standards-and-why-is-the-average-build-quality-so-low/

 

Good luck.

 

John Daves

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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@Routlaw Thanks!! I am guessing your the Bozeman owner we were planning on reaching out too. We are going to be near there part of next week and part of thew eek after and were hoping to to take a look!! Thanks again

 

 

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If your SO is worried about towing Bigfoot will be a problem. The bigfoot is  8 foot 4 inches wide. It is a pain to tow. My husband hated it. The Airstreams are wide too. For ease of towing Oliver or an Escape would be better bets. Width is a big deal when towing for us anyway.

 

Yvonne

Yvonne & Doug


2017 Legacy Elite II, twin bed


Hull #223


2017 Ford F-250 Lariat, crew cab

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@routlaw Thanks!! I am guessing your the Bozeman owner we were planning on reaching out too. We are going to be near there part of next week and part of thew eek after and were hoping to to take a look!! Thanks again

 

Yep, that would be me. Come on by.

Legacy Elite II #70

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If you would like to make the towing experience the easiest, one of the trailers with width around 7 ft or less, like Oliver, is the easiest. Trailer tires and body width closely match the tow vehicle.

As far as teens camping with you, I'll share our experience in the little 08 Oliver.

We have the little side dinette drop down to a "twin" 24" bed, 6 ft long.

Honestly, according to our nephew, it's not the bed size, but the independence of his own tent, that draws him to a tent beside our trailer. Our adult daughter brings one or two friends, who love our eight person tent.

I would not consider sleeping really small ones in the tent. But, teens, they'd likely be happier.

Beyond that, I'm with John Davies, for the most part. I hate slides.and, I don't like wide trailers, beyond the 7.5 width. Even the Bigfoot and Airstream are pretty wide. Too wide for us, though the extra width allows more floorplan flexibility.

 

I saw that initially you thought 16 ft was long enough. Rent a tiny motorhome or van , or a tiny trailer like a tab on rvshare, and see how it works for you.

You don't want to buy a trailer too big, just because you might have a couple teenage grandkids from time to time, anymore than you would want to build a house to hold the whole family at Christmas, to clean and condition the rest of the year.

Just my thoughts. 17 ft is plenty for us. Room for one small grandchild, if and when we get so lucky.

Good luck in your decision, and happy travels.

Sherry

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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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This is our first RV. We got the twin beds for a couple of reasons - the walkway and nightstand between the beds and ease of getting up at night. We like sleeping together too and have doing so for over 40 years, but we're still glad we got the twins. With the Ollie heat at night does not have to be an issue. The kitchen and dinette surfaces are big enough for what we need to do. We cook and eat outside whenever we can. We're very happy with our choice.

 

If ease of towing is a concern, the width of the AS might be a challenge. The Olivers are easy to tow.  AS's also seem to come with an initial set of QC issues. You might also want to look at the T@B 400, quality is good, nice size and easy to tow.

 

Mike

Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

ALAZARCACOFLGAIDILKSKYLAMDMSMOMTNENVNMNYNCNDOHOKSCSDTNTXUTVAWVWYsm.jpgALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMS

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Fisher2 - just type Micro-air in the search box and you will get most of the info that I think you need.  Also, note that effective August 31st the company that sells them will no longer be offering a discount directly to Oliver customers.  However, if you order one from Oliver it is possible that they will get you a discount.

 

Bill

 

oops!  I mis-read your post.  However, I still think that you will get some helpful info if you do the search.  But, I don't know if there is anything specific to the Honda EZ Start.

 

Bill

2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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