First time RVer, and joined the queue today

[June_Liu]

My Elite II is supposed to be delivered next March. Frankly speaking, I am quite nervous about what I just committed. I am not a handy person at all, hope the quality of Oliver will make my RV life easier than expected. 

[Mike and Carol]

Hi June, congratulations on your upcoming Oliver.  There are a lot of not-handy Oliver owners.  You may know that your home-on-wheels bounces around while you travel and issues will come up. The good news is that Oliver service fixes all kinds of problems and folks on this forum will go the extra mile to help out when things don’t work quite the way they should.  If you have questions before your delivery in March be sure to ask!  Mike

[SeaDawg]

Hi, June. Welcome to the forum. 

You have lots of time to learn about the Oliver systems, virtually,  through the Oliver University manuals and videos, and I'd encourage you to do so.

I'd also encourage you to visit with friends who camp, and/or, rent a camper to learn a bit. Everything is doable, but trying to learn everything,  at once, can be daunting.

Everyone is a newbie once. Later on, you can help others with your experience,  when everything becomes routine.

[LongStride]

You don't need to have above average mechanical skills to do this.  What you do need is patience and willingness to learn.  Like any other vehicle, a travel trailer requires care and regular maintenance.  Click on the "home" link (at the top of the page) and explore until you find the Oliver University.  There you will find manuals, videos and other resources that will help you to learn how to operate and care for your Ollie.  

The quality of your Oliver will make owning and maintaining a travel trailer less of a burden than other brands.  You won't need to worry about cabinets falling off the walls or other maladies common to stick built trailers.  

Don't let posts on the forum about complicated electrical mods, suspension changes, etc. scare you.  Most changes are simply generated by the owners preference, and are not necessary for safe and enjoyable operation. 

Use the forum as a resource.  It is a wealth of knowledge.

YOU CAN DO IT 👍

[Cameron]

Welcome! I know how excited you must be. When I comes to camping in the Oliver, I don't think it takes too much more than the skills you already have if you have done tent camping. You already know how to break down and set up a camp. You already know about how to operate a propane stove and prepare meals. You already know how to improvise when something breaks or goes missing. Granted, a trailer is more complicated than a tent but it's your attitude that's the most important thing. If you were ever camping in a tent when a rainstorm hit or when bugs got into all your food, and you survived, you'll do fine in the Oliver. In fact, you'll quickly see why they call it "glamping"!

[Mainiac]

So why did you order an Oliver? Be glad you did! The hardest part of the journey is over.

What experience do you have with an RV, or the camping experience? Are you a seasoned veteran or a complete novice? 

[John E Davies]

Have you ever towed any kind of trailer? If not, you really need to get some driving time to see how different it feels. If you can’t deal with a little rental U Haul utility trailer, you will definitely have problems adjusting to an Ollie. I welcome all newcomers here, but I am not in the “no worries, everybody can do it” camp. It takes a certain practical mind set, plus some driving and fix-it abilities. Little stuff happens all the time, and you just can’t go running to an RV dealer every time. They are all back-logged for many months, partly due to the huge number of RV newbies. We have had more than one member here who bought both tow vehicle and trailer, and within days discovered that their dreams did not match reality. A month or two later their rigs were for sale….

I have towed stuff for close to six decades. If I were solo I would not have a travel trailer, NO way. A small (maneuverable) self contained Class B or a truck camper might make a much better fit for you. I just finished a 4500 mile trip into BC and YT, and there were a whole a lot of times I wished my rig were much more compact and easier to handle! Please tell us a little about your background and where you hope to travel….

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[SeaDawg]

Spend a little more to rent a small travel trailer for a few weekends, not a Uhaul. That will allow you to learn to tow, AND learn about basic rv systems like using a 3way fridge, a propane stove,  dumping and filling tanks, etc. Though it won't likely have the SAME stove, fridge,  etc., they're mostly pretty similar. Something like a Tab or small Rpod will give you an idea of what it's like to camp in a small space. And, you'll appreciate the Oliver difference even more.

Some of the owners on RVshare will even deliver, for a fee. That's not a bad way to begin. Then, you can focus on learning about camping, first, then towing next trip.

My sister and her husband had tent camped a bit, but not trailered. They rented a Tab for a long weekend to camp with us. We picked it up, and showed them how to set up the trailer. We were able to show them all the basics in 4 days.

They hooked it up, and towed it back at the end of the four days. They discovered two things. They loved the camping experience,  but didn't want a Tab any longer, and bought a different brand.

https://rvshare.com/rv-rental/asheville/nc?location=Asheville%2C NC&start_date=2021-09-23&end_date=2021-09-27&lat=35.5950581&lng=-82.5514869&rv_class=Travel Trailer

[June_Liu]

Thanks a lot for all your replies! That helps a lot.

I actually towed a travel trailers 4 times so far: one time with Ford 250 + some 23 ft RV of 3000lb dry weight, and 3 times with a Cadillac Escalade + 22 ft Airstream (dry weight 3900lb and GVWR 5000lb). Comparing all these trips, of course the Ford 250 + 3000lb trailer was the easiest drive simply because it was such a powerful TV dealing with a relatively small trailer. The Cadillac Escalade + Airstream was not as a good driving experience, but Airstream itself is really a good camper, and I enjoyed the camping part so much and those trips convinced me about owning an RV.

However, even with Airstream, I observed the owner dealing with all kinds of small to medium issues (loose screws, faulty furnace etc) all the time, and the Airstream dealer was not helping much in those cases (The Airstream trailer belongs to one of my closest friends, so I know lots of those live examples). I expect that for all travel trailers, owner needs to fix some issues, but with better quality and customer service, the burden is much less. That's why I ended up order Oliver instead of the Airstream I loved, for its simplicity, quality and good customer service. Still kinda of nervous on if I can handle the fixes and other things later, but I guess I have to learn and adapt as probably Oliver is the one with least concerns.

As of towing a trailer, I have to admit I still need lots of practices 🙂

Thanks a lot for all your support! Looking forward to my journey together with all of you!

[Jim and Frances]

Congrats!  We too are in queue and have passed the ENDLESS days going through all the Oliver University info along with lots of YouTube time.  While arm-chair RVing is better than nothing, gaining some actual trailering experience as stated above is a great thing.  You also have a great group of owners who are so willing to help - both here on the forum and on Facebook.  We are excited for you!

[SeaDawg]

John Davies had a valid point about van conversions and class b and c small units. The flip side if the coin is, it's another motor vehicle to maintain, licence,,and insure, which in many areas is pretty expensive,  compared to a travel trailer. 

For us, it's a no-brainer, as every vehicle we drive can tow the trailer. 

If I were camping solo, I  "might " consider a van. I drove a van for a number of years, I've van camped a lot, in the US, Australia, and Iceland,  and I  actually like it, for travel camping.

It's not for everyone.  It's more cramped, have to disconnect and stow everything to travel, and, well, it's really, really small. It's ok, if you're good with really  tiny storage, and often no  (or a very tiny) shower and bath. 

Conversely,  a small trailer, like our Elite, has everything we need, and nothing else. More storage in the truck. 

[Mainiac]

I have had the 5th wheel, the conversion van, a Scamp, a van hauling a Scamp and a Class A. The Oliver, for us, is the best of all worlds. Plenty of room, you don't have to pack everything up to go get a loaf of bread or an ice cream, and it fits through some covered bridges.

Two things to remember: when backing up, put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. The way you turn the wheel is the direction the trailer is going to go. The other is a slow and small turn of the wheel s a big move way at the back of the trailer. (The camera helps).