New members from northern Indiana!

[LongStride]

Mike (LongStride) and Yasuko (ShortStep) here.  Greetings to all!  

We are both retired and enjoy hiking the trails of our county, state, and national parks.  We normally stay in park lodges, cabins, or nearby hotels.  COVID has made those accommodations less appealing.  

I used to tent camp many years ago and considered going that route again.  Not forgetful of the joys of setting up camp in the rain, I quickly ruled that out as a long term solution.  I started looking at teardrops but ShortStep said that if it had wheels it had to have an onboard potty.  Happy wife, happy home right?  

Quality is of utmost importance to me, so I immediately began researching single axle Airstreams due to their stellar reputation.  It seems that reputation has become tarnished in the past few years since being bought out by Thor Industries (king of the stickies).  I read quite a few disturbing owner reviews that had me wondering if "top of the line" did not now mean "the least crappy".

It was in an Airstream owners forum that I stumbled upon a thread about Oliver Travel Trailers.  Wow!  I was shocked to read a number of reviews raving about Olivers, and even a few who unabashedly said they wished they had purchased and Oliver instead of their Airstream.  

I started researching Olivers and ultimately scheduled a visit to Hohenwald.  We were very impressed with the factory tour and Oliver's obvious commitment to quality.  We are expecting delivery of our Elite l in early June of 2021.  Excited about the new opportunities this will open up for us.  We love REMOTE areas and small secluded campsites where we might struggle with a larger trailer.

Really appreciate this forum.  I have learned much already and think it is wonderful that you folks share your knowledge so willingly.  We need to start thinking about finalizing our options before too long.  I am sure I will be hitting you up with questions soon. 

Happy Holidays!

[topgun2]

And - that's the long and short of it.

Really, welcome.

There are a bunch of us that got here in a way similar to you guys.  Congratulations on joining the family.  And even though June might seem a long ways away, there is plenty to do between now and then.  In the meantime, let those questions fly, get to reading, get to planning all those Ollie trips, and, Merry Christmas to you two too.

Bill

[SeaDawg]

Wow! Welcome to another Elite I, from an original gen Elite. (#12).

 

[Patriot]

LongStride,

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Elite l, very exciting! This forum has a wealth of knowledge and a great Oliver family to become acquainted with. Everyone is more than willing to lend an ear and answer your questions. You also have plenty of time to study up on your Ollie and become Oliver University Alumni. Being fairly new Oliver owners ourselves, Oliver University has been extremely helpful. Oliver even takes there customer service to another level with great maintenance videos. So dive in snd enjoy.

Welcome to the Oliver Family, now hit the books. 📚👍🏻😄

-Patriot

[Mike and Carol]

Hey Mike and Yasuko, welcome and congrats on your in-process Ollie.  We’re here to help you get ready for delivery so let us know if you have questions.  Merry Christmas!  Mike

[jdmmtx]

Except for the being retired part, this sounds exactly like how it all unfolded for us a few months ago. I love the nostalgia and aesthetic of Airstreams and, after ruling out teardrops, thought that was what I wanted. Nope...turns out I wanted an Oliver! 

Edited December 24, 2020 by jdmmtx

[LongStride]

Thank you all for your very warm welcome!

[Mainiac]

Welcome from Maine.

Of all the options I don't believe there is a 'camper stretcher'. Is the bed in the Elite I wide enough for a "Longstride"? As the bed goes side to side as opposed the to 'for and aft' for the Elite II. Plus the panty and extra drawers provide some real nice storage for extended remote stays. At 23.5' the Elite II is still shorter that most pop-ups today and with the higher ground clearance will fit where most campers won't. Of course depends on tow vehicle too.

Merry Christmas!

[Time2Go!]

Welcome from Texas! We are in the waiting queue as well. Lots of info on these boards to fill your time between now and pick up. Congrats and Merry Christmas to you both.

[SNY SD UP]

Mike and Yasuko, Greetings from North Dakota, OLE II # 665 "SNY SD UP". 

At 6'7" I too have a long stride, so if you have a Height related question inside the Ollie, let me know.

 

Bryan & Maggie,

[LongStride]

Perhaps "LongStride" was a bit misleading as a handle for a forum.  It has to do with the height disparity between my darling wife and myself.  She is a petite little thing and I need to mind my pace when going down a trail so she doesn't have to scurry about like an excited chipmunk.  Seriously though, it's not quite that dramatic and she always keeps up without complaint.  I just like to tease her about it!

We did visit the factory and checked out an Elite l to see if I would be comfortable with it.  The port/starboard arrangement of the bed will be fine.  I am a bit shy of 5'-11" which leaves me a few inches, and I seldom sleep all straightened out.  Cabin height is fine.  Toilet compartment is a little tight because of the raised shower floor but I can deal with it.

If we were to go with the Elite ll, the fore/aft twin beds only offer one more inch in length over the Elite l as I understand it.  Twin would be the only arrangement we would consider because we don't want to deal with bed assembly every night.  We plan on leaving the bed set up on the Elite l and using the space underneath as storage.

Thanks Bryan and Mainiac for your concern and advice, it is appreciated.

[JRK]

Hello Mike and Yasuko. My wife, Kazue, and I, John, will be picking up our first Oliver, and Elite I, in March, we trust. After Kazue let me know that she would not be joining me in a tent - our honeymoon was a tent camping trip along the California coast when I was 18, she was 19 - I began looking at reasonable trailers. I found teardrops which would have been fine for me, but they were a bit expensive. Looked at other fiberglass trailers; Scamp, Casita and Escape, Bigfoot, then discovered Oliver. Oliver offered the positives of the others, the wait list wasn't as long, and they seemed to be as well or better made. Hope to see you out on the road. We are still based in southern California in Ventura County.

[LongStride]

Hi guys!  Congrats on your upcoming delivery of an Elite l.  Always exciting to hear of another Elite l owner.