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So, we're home from camping season. Where do we put all this stuff?


SeaDawg

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Every year, I try to whittle down the stuff we carry.

We rolled the camper back into the side yard a few days ago.

Honestly, the storage in the Ollie is better than I thought, every year. When I unloaded everything, I was stumped for a place to put it all .

This year, I'm going to not worry about conditioned space for most of it. I'm not storing anything in the guest room closet anymore.

Some will just go back into the trailer after cleaning and interior wax.

This year, I think I will do a big purge on what we actually used, and what we simply carry.

Too much stuff..

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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We're constantly purging also. It started in the Casita a few years back and I don't honestly think it ever stops. When something doesn't get used, it stays home the next time. There is lots of room in our Ollie's and that closet really packs it in. We have the King bed and the isle under the bed is one of our main storage areas for things that we don't use often but need at Rally's. It's nice having so much room :)

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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I have to agree, it's nice to have the room. I just get a little overwhelmed when I try to unload everything. .

It's amazing how much "stuff"hangs out through camping season that we never need.

BTW, belated happy anniversary.

Sherry

  • Thanks 1

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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As one who is only a camper wannabe, it would be both fun and informative to know what items you thought you just had to bring, but never really used.  I often wonder if I would need things like my blender, my food processor, my George Forman grill...etc.  Thanks!

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Some will just go back into the trailer after cleaning and interior wax.

 

You wax the interior? Hmmm... Never thought of that, I mean I wash and clean it all, but waxing it.... Benefits? Anything not temperature sensitive, stays and lives in the trailer, that way I don't forget to put it back in.

Randy


One Life Live It Enjoyably


2017 F350 6.7L SRW CC LB


2015 Oliver Elite II Hull #69

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For the past two years I've used a product called "automotive detailer" for the entire interior of the camper.  It does not streak and leaves a very light smooth feel to everything while leaving no residue.  You can get it at virtually any auto parts store or WalMart.

 

For the first time, this year, I left anything in the Oliver that would not otherwise be harmed by heat/cold.  Then, once I got this removed stuff into my workshop I proceeded to take the batteries out of everything.  Just exactly why was I carrying 6 flashlights and four lanterns?

 

Bill

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

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Since we brought the Oliver home, I clean the interior, and once a year, wax it with the same 3m wax we use in the outside.

Maybe it makes no difference. I don't know. But the interior still looks shiny and nice after almost ten years. I (think?) it makes in between cleaning easier. Just one of those habits .

Sherry

  • Thanks 1

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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As one who is only a camper wannabe, it would be both fun and informative to know what items you thought you just had to bring, but never really used. I often wonder if I would need things like my blender, my food processor, my George Forman grill…etc. Thanks!

 

Well, none of the above have made it into my trailer, but, then, I try to keep things simple at home, and on the road.

I carry two or three good knives, one or two small cutting boards. One pot, one fry pan, one lid. (Aluminum foil can always be a 2nd lid, if necessary).A teakettle and a pourover funnel make great coffee.

 

My goal is always to carry only daily essentials, leaving space and weight allowance for parts and tools. Doesn't always work that way....

 

Where I probably tend to go overboard is not in the kitchen,( though I am a pretty fair cook, according to my family), it's is in "what ifs and spares, ".... particularly cold weather gear. I hate being cold, and take way too many jackets, layers, blankets, etc., most years. And, too many towels.

And, I don't think I will put the little electric heater back in the rear storage compartment this year. I have carried it for five or six years, and haven't plugged the trailer in, so.. kind of useless.

Sherry

  • Thanks 1

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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  • 1 month later...
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So, I've been working on the stuff, off and on, since we got back.

Definitely, no more than two sets of sheets. Two towels each. Amazingly, my kitchen gear isn't that bad. I'm keeping several days of flatware, just because I hate eating with plastic forks. But, I'm going to divide dinner ware in half. When we have company, most people have their own dishes, or we us compostable paper...

One fry pan, one pot, one lid. Two cutting boards, three good knives. A few cooking utensils. One thermometer.

So far, I have "archived" two big bins to the crawlspace. Working on more.

 

One under seat storage bin is full of manuals. At home, I have tossed most of them, as everything is available online. Since signal is often hard to get where we love to camp, I guess we'll keep them. But I will cull the manuals for gear we have discarded.

At home, the new year's week is my purge week. I hope I can do as well on the camper this year.

I feel like every year, we carry too much stuff that we didn't touch the last year, just in case. At home, what I don't touch in a year usually goes to the salvation army.

Should it be different? Im not sure on a few items.

Sherry

  • Thanks 1

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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Isn't there a LAW that comes into effect just as soon as you throw out or donate that "thing" that you have not used in ten years, you suddenly have a real need for it?

 

Both my wife and I came from families that had very limited means.  Because we take care of our things they tend to last a very loooong time - we both are still wearing some of the same cloths that we had in high school!  We actually get enjoyment from finding new uses for things that no longer can be used for the original function.  However, at some point, enough is enough!  We have just got to start getting rid of "stuff"!  But, the Velcro on our finger tips makes it so hard to do.

 

Bill

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

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One piece of advice.  If you carry a small vacuum with a rechargeable battery, don't leave it in an unheated Ollie during the winter.  The battery in my "Shark" vacuum didn't survive its first winter.  A replacement battery costs almost as much as a new vacuum, so I threw the whole thing out.  Purchased a small auto detail vacuum from Griot's Garage online to replace it.  It plugs in and with the solar package and inverter, I won't have this problem again.

 

 

 

Don

 

 

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Don

 

2020 Kimberley Kruiser T3

 

 

2019 Ram 2500 Diesel

 

 

States I visited with my Ollie (Sold October, 2019)

 

 

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Don - great advice!  I would add that I either take out all batteries (like from the smoke detector) and/or remove the related equipment from the camper when putting it to bed for the winter.  I do, however, leave the four Trojan 105's in place.  Given that I have a cover over the Oliver I do uncover it for two or three days about half way through the winter so that the solar panels can do their magic on those Trojans.

 

Bill

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

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We’re still in the stage of figuring out how much we can stuff into the Ollie, but we’ve put some thought into organizing it all for easy removal and repacking. I’d like to be able to completely empty the trailer after each trip for a thorough check and cleaning. My goal is to be able to unload everything in less than an hour and reload it in the same amount of time.

 

So most everything inside is packed into easy to grab containers of some sort. Clothes and linens are in packing cubes and most everything else is in shoebox sized plastic boxes with latching lids. In the basement, I have three of the larger milk crates - the rectangular ones that are 50% larger than standard. Those fit perfectly into the basement and I have one for electrical hookups, one for water hookups, and one for tools and spares. That leaves room in the way back that will hold 6 of the shoeboxes that are accessible from inside. Works well.

 

Kitchen drawers have full trays so that I can just pull everything at once.  That stuff goes straight from the Ollie to the dishwasher and back.  Stuff that isn’t kept in a shoebox can be packed quickly into three milk crates - one each for dishes/cookware, bath stuff, and pantry. Bedding and towels go into a dirty clothes bag and straight to the laundry room.

 

All that stuff comes out, the mattresses are removed, and then we sweep, vacuum, clean and wipe down every surface, inspect for repairs, and then it’s all repacked for the next trip.  Since we're still working, a lot of our trips will be short, and organized on short notice, so we plan to keep the trailer as ready to go as possible.

 

It worked well this last trip though we’ve made a few adjustments. It was nice being able to take it over to Oliver for repair completely empty so that they could work without our stuff being in the way.

 

As far as storage in the house goes, we have small bedroom that had evolved over the years pretty much into a staging and storage room for camping, which means it's been a mess.  Getting ready for our Ollie, you could barely walk through it.  But now that all of that can go into the Ollie, it's actually freed up a room that we've never been able to use.  I moved a stereo and speakers into it and went to Ikea for some cheapy furniture and now it's my little music room.

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There is lots of room in our Ollie’s and that closet really packs it in. We have the King bed and the isle under the bed is one of our main storage areas for things that we don’t use often but need at Rally’s. It’s nice having so much room ????

 

Re the King bed, do you leave it in be mode while you are traveling or do you move from bed to table and back on a daily basis? Thanks in advance for your input!

 

 

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Bikechuck - Just in case Reed & Karen don't see this until after Christmas - I believe that they leave their bed in the down position all the time unless they happen to be having people "in" for dinner or cards.

 

Bill

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

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Bikechuck – Just in case Reed & Karen don’t see this until after Christmas – I believe that they leave their bed in the down position all the time unless they happen to be having people “in” for dinner or cards. Bill

Thanks, my wife and I plan to tour the factory this Jan or Feb. There are trade offs between the King and the twins.  The twins are nice if traveling with a friend. The king is nicer if traveling with your spouse.

 

Decisions, Decisions

 

 

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We also have the king bed model. We have found that we really like to have the large table available during the day, so we do set it up and break it down daily. We use a memory foam mattress topper in a duvet on top of the cushions. That gets rolled up with all rhe bedding still on it and serves as the back cushion during the day. At night, it rolls back out and we have an instant made up bed. Working pretty well for us so far:) Twist

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We used to roll up the cover in the Casita but we prefer the full-time bed. We do bring in chairs for cards and guests.

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 used to roll up the cover in the Casita but we prefer the full-time bed. We do bring in chairs for cards and guests.

Thanks, do you have the King or the twins? Is sounds like most of the people that have replied so far have the King which is interesting and different from what I had assumed.

 

It is helpful to hear what current owners experiences have been. I very much appreciate everyone's comments so far.

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Bikechuck - Thought that you were only asking about the king bed in that it is the only one (besides the dinette) that can be taken up and down.  I have the twin bed model and I think I was told that it is the most popular.  Since I travel alone about 80 % of the time, I have the street side made similar to a couch.  Of course, the back cushions can be removed and it is then a standard single bed while the curb side has a regular bed mattress on it.  We really like having the "nightstand" and not having to climb over each other or disturb each other in the middle of the night while making trip(s) to the bath.  We have found that this bedding arrangement does not get in the way when amorous intentions come calling.  With the one side being set up like a couch, we had reading lights installed near the pantry and in the rear street side corner.  This way, we both can sit on the couch in the evening and read.

 

Bill

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

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  • 8 months later...
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I'm resurrecting this thread because of our last two an a half week trip...

 

We stripped everything out of the Oliver when we came home. Put everything in bins. Added back the bins. Plus clothes and toiletries before departure.

 

I forgot one entire huge bin. The only thing I truly had to buy was a dish pan,  because I prefer to wash dishes outside when I can.  Not needed for the sink... a lit of duplication and unnecessary items in that forgotten bin

 

Guess which bin I will intentionally leave home next trip. I loved the empty cupboard space..

 

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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