How Many Seasons?

[Popcorn-Billy]

All,

Realistically, is the Ollie a 2-3 season camper or is it more than that?

Edited April 21, 2020 by Popcorn-Billy

[carnivore]

I don’t know what the technical definition is but we have camped several days with weather in the teens while utilizing the onboard water system without a freeze problem.  The furnace seemed more than adequate to warm the cabin and keep the pipes above freezing. 

[Overland]

3 season. The AC noise is unbearable.

[Overland]

Joking aside, ‘realistically’, it’s 4-season. I think what you’re asking though is whether it’s ‘absolutely’ a 4-season camper. And absoluteness is an impossible bar to pass. 

What I mean is this - I’ve been camping in  November and December with freezing weather and snow and nothing broke or froze and my wife and I were comfy and warm the whole time. That doesn’t mean we could winter in Fairbanks. (Or maybe we could, with some extra prep and common sense. Don’t know; haven’t tried.)  Point being, nothing about trailer ownership is absolute. Winter or summer, you’ll have to prepare, have to do maintenance, have to make repairs, have to use common sense.  
 

I’ll be the first to say that there are things Oliver could do to make the trailer more cold-worthy.  All the same, I have no problem with them calling it a 4-season trailer. 
 

But it’s true I’d much sooner take our Ollie out into nowhere in January than July. 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Overland

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, Overland said:

3 season. The AC noise is unbearable.

There’s some truth to that!  We camp in the Fall, Winter and Spring.  If we go out in the summer it’s to some place cool.  Like others, camping in the teens has not been an issue.  It’s a four season trailer.  Mike

[John E Davies]

If you live where they spray salts on the roads, winter camping will damage your metal parts without a doubt. If you can accept that (I can’t), then cold weather camping is practical and certainly way easier than with most RVs of any type. I think the 4 season description is fine, but Oliver should warn owners about this and about the many hazards of towing over ice and packed snow. I am not sure if some RV policies have exclusions about towing in nasty winter conditions....

John Davies

Spokane WA

[katanapilot]

So John, how did you get an Atwood Air Command (quiet) a/c installed in your Oliver?

[WhatDa]

For winter camping, the Oliver has a few things going for it that many others don't: small air volume and surface area (size) mean there is less to keep warm.  No slides and good seals mean less air leakage.  The insulation is better than any other camper I have been in, and while it could be better and some areas could use a better thermal break, we were able to keep warm with a 1200 watt heater in 11 degree weather with 40 MPH side winds when we got caught in a blizzard in South Dakota.  Note that I would never camp like that by choice as going outside was pure misery.  Note that was October, so I guess that is only "fall".  There are a few things that can be done to make your winter experience more pleasant: dehumidifier - moisture will be an issue in any camper in cold enough temperatures, electronic drain actuator(s) - lets you dump tanks from inside - not letting freezing air into basement or you standing outside waiting for tank to drain), and a space heater for the inside (or with remote) and basement.  The space heaters allow you to supplement/replace the propane heater.  Propane becomes less viable at altitude/low temperature - plus if you have free electricity with your site - use that instead of paying for propane and having to stand outside to get your propane refilled.
 

We weren't really prepared for the situation in South Dakota (forecast had been in the 30's to 40's up to a day before hand), so we used internal fresh water.  For our winter trips this year we used a heated hose and punched a hole in a foam faucet cover for the RV side of the connection.  I had to get some pipe insulation and heat trace to make sure the faucet side of the connection didn't freeze.

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Four seasons for us, since 2008. I will say, we don't intentionally camp in the snow, but it can be beautiful.  And, it does require extra precautions. 

I wouldn't want to overwinter in Fairbanks, either, in the Ollie. Not even in a cabin. 

But our 2008, with less insulation than the newer models, has been fine into the teens. Surprise overnight snow, in late October,  2008, was our unintentional introduction to winter camping in an Oliver. It was quite pretty, actually. And not terribly cold, maybe into the twenties, but we were snug and warm.