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Exploring Ollie!


KRLarrick

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My name is Kendra & I’m in the beginning process of exploring ownership of a travel trailer. 
I’m a newbie! I know nothing. I don’t even like to camp. I absolutely love to travel and want to see this great country we live in. 
I like to do my research before I jump in. I want to learn more about Ollie’s and the travel trailer community to see if I would like it. 
Any tips on the best place to start? 
should I rent a travel trailer and take a trip? 

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My suggestion is to get ahold of a camper, pickup with a shell, van or even a tent and sleeping bag and pad and get out there and try the lifestyle.  Whether you buy, borrow or rent doesn’t matter. Trying it (for a few days or a week at a time) will tell you quickly if you find peace in the experience or are freaked out by the changes you encounter. 
 

If you find that you like camping then see if you can find a small camper to buy, even if you end up placing a order for a Oliver.  While you wait to make your decision, or wait for your trailer to be manufactured you will gain invaluable experience which will serve you well in the ling run

Have fun!

 

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2021 Elite II, Hull# 898

2018 Toyota Tundra, 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 5.9l SRW

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6 hours ago, KRLarrick said:

My name is Kendra & I’m in the beginning process of exploring ownership of a travel trailer. 
I’m a newbie! I know nothing. I don’t even like to camp. I absolutely love to travel and want to see this great country we live in. 
I like to do my research before I jump in. I want to learn more about Ollie’s and the travel trailer community to see if I would like it. 
Any tips on the best place to start? 
should I rent a travel trailer and take a trip? 

Hi Kendra, 

There is quite a difference between tent camping and “camping” in a travel trailer.  We view it more as traveling while pulling our “home away from home” that we park in campgrounds, on beaches, in the woods and mountains.  

Yes, I would recommend renting a trailer, or if you don’t have a good tow vehicle (TV) rent a class B that you can drive and live in and then take a trip to a scenic spot.  Our Oliver is our first travel trailer.  We like the lifestyle and the ability to travel and see and experience this great country.  

Lots of experts and opinions here, so ask any questions you have as you start to explore!  Mike

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

ALAZARCACOFLGAIDILKSKYLAMDMSMOMTNENVNMNYNCNDOHOKSCSDTNTXUTVAWVWYsm.jpgALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMS

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Some people find themselves very freaked out by the whole trailer towing experience, it can be highly daunting if you have never towed anything before. Add in zero camping experience and it gets really challenging for a newbie. Am I correct that you will be traveling solo? If so, a SMALL van based RV or a truck camper will be orders of magnitude easier for you to adjust to and drive around. Go by an RV dealer and ask to see a number of different SMALL RVs, sit inside and contemplate without the sales droid hanging around. Imagine yourself in that space for many days, how does it feel, could you stand being cooped up inside over a long rainy period? I really like Northern Lite truck campers, try to go inside one of those. It would require a heavy duty truck to carry it, which is a downside. A truck camper with electric remote control jacks is really easy to take off the truck, you just unplug one electrical connection, unhook four tie downs, raise it and drive out from under, and it can even be done while camping, though most people don’t do it. Putting it back is more time consuming….  https://northern-lite.com/

These are also very nice, and they have a wonderful indirect Alde heating system.  ….. https://nucamprv.com/cirrus-truck-camper/

Here is a good truck camper resource. …. https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

We had a new owner that was determined to full time in an LE1, she ended up hating the whole thing and sold her trailer a few months later. Try before you buy. That may difficult these days, do you know anybody who could take you along on their next trip? Offer to pay for a days worth of gas and bring doughnuts, or offer to take them out for a nice dinner en route. There is a really big difference between traveling between full hookup RV resorts and boondocking away from any services. Most western National Parks and Monuments do NOT offer any kind of services. it is way more common in the East.

Welcome to the forum.

John Davies

Spokane WA


 

 

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: 

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

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Rvshare.net is a good place to rent a travel trailer or rv. These are owners who use the reshape website to broker their own trailers once in awhile, or often, to defray their own costs. 

When my sister and her husband thought they wanted to buy a tab, we rented one for several days in Asheville.  They learned something about basic rv life, boondock camping with us, and learned specifically that the tab wouldn't work for them. 

Some of the owners will deliver, set up, and instruct, as well. Not a bad way to start.

Here in Tampa Bay, we have a couple companies that deliver vintage  trailers to state parks, and rent the trailer for long weekends or weeks. 

One piece at a time. Next time, maybe, drive yourself. 

The systems (dumping, three way fridge, ac, etc.) Are similar in most rvs. They are very different from tent camping.

If you like visiting cities, I'd look at a van camper. If you like exploring,  and visiting the parks, etc., a towable, trailer is the choice of many.

I agree with Mike. Camping in an Oliver is so much easier and nicer than tent camping. Furnace keeps you warm, ac keeps you cool (if you have hookups), a nice comfy bed that doesn't deflate during the night, and everything you need for daily life is in your own trailer.

Still, the life is not for everyone. 

 

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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Hi Kendra,

I agree with the recommendation to rent first. My process started three years ago when I rented a Jayco for a three week trip around the West. I had a full size pickup so towing was no problem. I learned a lot! I went through Outdoorsy.com and everything went very smoothly. I repeated that process twice more with different size trailers and learned a lot more each time. So, when the time came to decide on the Oliver and put down my  deposit, I felt very confident with my decision. 

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2021 Elite II #841, 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4, 3.0 diesel

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