Hello From Boise, Idaho

[AdamG01]

My name is George Adam.My wife Joanie and I are considering the purchase of a Legacy II to replace our Airstream. Earlier this week we visited with John Davies to view his 'Mouse'. We were very impressed with both it and John's tour. Thanks again, John. I will likely post some questions shortly to get all of your views based on your experiences with your Ollies. Thanks in advance.

 

George

[Professor57]

Hi George, Don here in Louisiana. I too am in the process of considering an Elite II, but I don't have the experience with travel trailers that you have. I reckon that makes me a true novice. I've been voraciously reading the posts here, and I've found them to be very enlightening about the OTT. But, just as importantly I've learned a lot about this respectful community of OTT owners. Since I am such a novice I don't know what I don't know, thus I'll be very interested in both the questions you ask and the responses given.

Glad to meet you.

Don

BTW, Boise is on my short list of places to retire to in a few years.

[KountryKamper]

Welcome George & Joanie!

[Mike and Carol]

Hey George and Joanie, welcome to the group. Airstream makes a good looking trailer but the Oliver is something quite different!

 

Don, this is a great place to get your questions answered. We picked ours up 2 years ago and it is our first travel trailer. We had lots of questions too. After about 30K miles since May 2016 and mentoring and help from fellow owners I think we’ve got it figured out! Mike

[topgun2]

In just over a month (July 5th) from now I will be leaving the mountains of Western North Carolina for two months of fly fishing in the mountains of Idaho. If I can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to Private Message me. Welcome to our world!

 

Bill

[AdamG01]

I have a few questions about OTT's:

 

Rock Damage: I saw John Davies' rock guards from Australia, but they are probably overkill for what we do. What have others done about this problem, or is it minimal when mostly driving on paved roads?

 

BTT Mattress Upgrade: Has anyone purchased this upgrade and, if yes, do you think it with the extra $'s?

 

Contoure Microwave: Does anyone know the model number? I have seen Contoure convection/microwave models on-line which look exactly the same as the model used by Oliver. Is there a reason a convection/microwave can't be used in an Oliver:

 

Composting Toilet: If one opts for the composting toilet, what happens to the black water tank and its corresponding space?

 

Batteries: Are the standard 2 batteries adequate if not boon docking?

 

Repairs: Have any of you who own a 2014 or 2015 Legacy II experienced what might be considered an excessive amount of repairs?

 

2nd Awning: Have ay of you purchased one and how often do you use it?

 

That's it for now. Looking forward to seeing any replies.

 

George

[donthompson]

Hello, George. I can answer a few of your questions. I have the extra awning and I rarely use it. Once in awhile, it's nice to create shade on that side of the camper depending on where you are camping and the time of day.

 

I added the composting toilet to my '16 Elite II last fall. The black tank remains. I don't know if Oliver deletes the black tank if you order an Elite II with the composting toilet, but I doubt if they do. I know that others have asked Oliver to consider adding additional fresh water capacity in lieu of the unused black tank, but I don't think this has gotten any traction.

 

I ordered upgraded mattresses in October 2015 for my '16 Ollie. I think they are worth the money. Oliver now offers a latex mattress upgrade. I sleep on a latex mattress at home--wish I had one in my camper.

 

I don't have anything on my Ollie to protect it from rock chips. I've driven on gravel and dirt roads. My strategy is to go slow. I have driven in construction zones in Colorado with loose rock. I was more concerned about my windshield so I stayed as far to the right as I could, drove slowly and left a lot of space between my vehicle and the one ahead of me. I've towed my Elite II nearly 20k miles and I don't have any fiberglass damage.

 

Don

[topgun2]

George -

 

Rock damage - I believe that you are correct regarding John's solution, but then again, not many owners are doing what John is doing. There are a number of threads on the Forum regarding both temporary and more permanent solutions to this problem.

 

Mattress upgrade - Since my Oliver is a 2016 model I do not have the current or even any aftermarket mattress upgrades. However, I did get the mattress upgrade that was available at the time directly from Oliver just for one side (twin bed model). While the standard cushions are adequate for a week or so, I'm very happy that I got the upgrade given that I'm on the road for as much as 12 to 15 weeks at a time, usually not with my wife along.

 

According to the folks at Oliver, there is simply not enough ventilation space in the microwave compartment for a convection oven.

 

Toilet - the black tank remains in its present location but is not used.

 

Batteries - the answer to this question is - it depends. If you are getting the solar option then the four batteries are just about a done deal. If you don't want the solar and if you are frugal on energy and/or take short trips (3 or 4 days at a crack) or are plugged into shore power virtually all the time, then, the standard two would probably be enough. However, it sure is nice to not have to worry about running out of electric juice when you have the solar and the four batteries.

 

After the initial 12 month bumper to bumper warranty ran out I have had virtually no repairs - just normal stuff like re-packing the wheel bearings and greasing the EZ-Flex suspension.

 

2nd awning - if you intend to spend a fair amount of time in very sunny/hot areas then give the second awning a serious look (I'm thinking desert southwest here). If not, skip it - you can always add it later fairly easily.

 

Is that all you've got?

 

Bill

[KountryKamper]

I have applied clear automotive paint protection film made by 3M to the front of the trailer. I cant say yet how effictive it is but it appers to be a nice product. It applies like window tint and can be purchased in bulk. I put a 18" high piece across the front. The nice thing about it is you cant see it unless you really look hard and it can be easily removed. I will tell you in a year or so how well it works. ?

 

You can see more information and videos here.

http://www.invisiblemask.com/imask/

 

 

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[Mike and Carol]

George, I agree with the answers given so far. We’ve got a lot of miles on our trailer and have no noticeable rock damage. When we decide to go to Alaska we will go with some kind of protection. John Davies has done a lot with this. Pete Marks (Bugeyedriver) also has a good rock protection solution.

 

We got the upgraded mattresses that were available in the fall of 2015 and would definitely recommend it.

 

We have the four AGM battery upgrade with the solar and are happy with the off grid capability.

 

We have a single awning and regular toilet and have no issues.

 

We had a couple of QC issues early on that were addressed under warranty but since then it’s just been routine stuff.

 

Mike

[Hikegsm]

Welcome to the forum! We have towed our Oliver on many forest service dirt and gravel roads. The place where we have a few dings is underneath behind the trailer wheels. I wish we had mud flaps there. We have the latex mattress upgrade currently offered by Oliver and find them very comfortable, I think some people have custom mattresses made by Southern Mattress and that option might be cheaper. If you are planning off grid camping for more than a couple days at a time, I highly recommend the solar and battery upgrade . We do not have a composting toilet or second awning. In our experience, Oliver is a high quality product and company. I do not think you could find a company that stands behind there product like they do. Any problem we have had, they have resolved above and beyond our expectations. We have owned a Casita and a Bigfoot in the past and Oliver is by far the best.

[ScubaRx]

There is a promise that I (and I believe most owners) would be comfortable making to any prospective owner...

 

“You will never be sorry you bought an Oliver”

[John E Davies]

Welcome Adam, I enjoyed meeting you and Joanie and it was fun showing "Mouse" to an appreciative audience. I think you will find that this forum is an extended family, and when you buy your Ollie it will be a great place to start and maintain friendships.

 

Natures Head toilet: the black water tank and associated dump valve, plumbing and vent system is kept. The composting toilet has a powered vent that tees into the existing 2" tank vent under the bathroom sink. The little 1 amp fan circulates fresh air through the toilet main compartment, then sends it out the roof. We have discussed converting the black tank to additional potable water, but I do not think anyone has done it yet.

 

From what we talked about, you don't really need an extra 18 gallons, with its associated weight (150 pounds) located toward the front of the trailer. For a boondocker who normally would have to carry extra water in his truck, then yes, it could be a great mod., The factory will not do anything like this, they have to meet RV plumbing standards and those do not permit any connections between fresh and waste systems.

 

Rock protection: Some regular towing flaps on your Mercedes, that could be removed with the hitch, plus urethane film on the front of the trailer would be plenty. I do think that trailer mud flaps should be a factory option and they will really help to protect the underside of the hull and the water fittings. Even if you do not intend to go off pavement, sometimes yo get stuck on a detour or on road construction and it is unavoidable. Sometimes you cannot creep along at 15 mph due to other traffic doing 35 or more..... I did more damage the first year going 20 miles down a freshly "chip sealed" highway, and also through several long construction zones in ID, where I found stones the size of my thumb lying on top of the rear bumper. They got there by ricocheting off the rear bumper and then off the rear lights. It really is best to deflect them down onto the road instead of up onto the trailer.

 

Ask Oliver about factory mud flaps. The more people who ask, the more likely it is they will offer them as an option.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA