Chris

[Chris Pedemonte]

Hello everybody.  My Name is Chris Pedemonte and about to retire at 67 years old from vineyard management here in the Napa Valley.  I am seriously thinking of purchasing my first RV.  I am getting a little old to be crawling out of a tent and freezing while waiting for the sun to warm thing up!  Clearly an Oliver ( Elite) is the RV of choice, but am considering a Casita too as and entry into the RV life.  I am purchasing my work truck, - a 2020 F 150 3.6L eco boost with Max Towing package- as my tow vehicle - thus the smaller Ollie.   If anyone on the west coast is selling a Casita to move up to the Oliver,  Or selling an Elite to move up to an Elite II I'd be more than interested in talking.   In the mean time I am renting an Airstream Bambi to get the feel for trailering.   Thank you for reading... C

[Mike and Carol]

Chris, welcome to the forum and good luck in your RV search.  Elites pop up for sale from time to time so maybe your timing will be right.  We’re big Napa Valley fans and have visited many wineries along Hwy 29.  I envy your knowledge of and experience in the premier wine region in the US!  Mike

[AZ Wonderer]

A Casita was my first RV too.  I bought in in 2019 and kept it about 6 months.  They are very well built and I really had no problems with it.  I discovered I love RV'ing but also concluded the Casita wouldn't meet my needs long-term.  It has really no insulation other than the carpeted walls.  That means it can get very hot in the Arizona sun, and the A/C could not cool it adequately.  The battery disconnect placement, right below the small dinette, meant I was routinely hitting and cutting my ankle on it.  The size also was too small for me with 2 people and 2 small dogs.  If you find you like RV'ing based on your experience with the Bambi, I suggest you consider what will work for you best in the long run.  If it's the Casita, perfect.  But otherwise, you may find yourself, like me, upgrading in the not too distant future.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Chris Pedemonte said:

Hello everybody.  My Name is Chris Pedemonte and about to retire at 67 years old from vineyard management here in the Napa Valley.  I am seriously thinking of purchasing my first RV.  I am getting a little old to be crawling out of a tent and freezing while waiting for the sun to warm thing up!  Clearly an Oliver ( Elite) is the RV of choice, but am considering a Casita too as and entry into the RV life.  I am purchasing my work truck, - a 2020 F 150 3.6L eco boost with Max Towing package- as my tow vehicle - thus the smaller Ollie.   If anyone on the west coast is selling a Casita to move up to the Oliver,  Or selling an Elite to move up to an Elite II I'd be more than interested in talking.   In the mean time I am renting an Airstream Bambi to get the feel for trailering.   Thank you for reading... C

Hi Chris, and welcome! Nice to have another westerner on the forum. We are a minority here 🙂. I was sorry to see Stone Brewery closed. We were there last weekend they were open. 
We get our camper December. W came from tent camping also. There are several people on the forum that were previous Casita owners. Hopefully some will chime in. 
Kirk

[SeaDawg]

Hey, and welcome!

Renting the Bambi is a great way to learn if you enjoy camping/towing/trailer life.

Kudos to you on the "soft opening," and congratulations on your retirement. 

We camp a lot with a friend who owns a Casita.  They're good decent trailers, heavy tongue, very different interior to an Oliver. 

Enjoy your trial. Ask away. We're here to help.

[John E Davies]

Welcome, the Elite and F150 3.5 EB will be a great match for a solo older person. Significantly easier to maneuver and park than an LE2, reversing especially, NO equalizing hitch needed on your truck, more campsites available, especially in the numerous older state and national parks, and most Forest Service ones. Less long term maintenance cost (one fewer axle/ brake/ wheel assembly). Easier and cheaper to upgrade the suspension or brakes (plug and play disk brake kits are available for the bigger axle - LE2 owners have to replace their axles with heavier units!)..Better towing fuel economy. Once you decide that you want an Ollie, then you need to decide what features are mandatory for your needs, and what ones are fluff. Fluff isn’t necessarily bad, for example a sat tv antenna, but stuff like that shouldn’t heavily influence your purchase of a used unit. Since there are no new Elites being made - we are waiting on a complete redesign - you might find yourself buying one of the first new and improved units. 😬

You do need to See an Ollie, use the link so Sales can connect you with a nearby owner for a tour. No obligation at all, the owner gets a commission if you buy a new one, but doughnuts would be a nice way to tip…. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/see-an-ollie/field-visit-request/ …If you are big or tall, much over 6 feet, the Elite may not work for you. The LE2 is bigger in all dimensions including headroom. Headroom in the toilet area is limited in both versions because of the raised floor there.

I have mentioned it before here, if I were traveling solo, I would not have an LE2.

BTW, when buying a light duty truck make SURE it has plenty of payload, this usually means not buying a fully loaded unit. You will be adding lots of accessories like a tonneau or canopy, bed liner or slide, perhaps LT tires, tools, generator, and personal gear when camping. Plus say 450 pounds tongue and hitch weight for the trailer. You don’t want to be constantly facing an unusually low payload. 4WD is mandatory IMHO, for the Western states. If you think you might become a full timer, or will make months long trips, say to Alaska, a HD truck will work better in many ways.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Steve Morris]

Welcome! If you are on Facebook, there's an "Oliver Travel Trailer for Sale" Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/OliverforSale

Good luck with your search.

[Katjo]

22 hours ago, Chris Pedemonte said:

Hello everybody.  My Name is Chris Pedemonte and about to retire at 67 years old from vineyard management here in the Napa Valley.  I am seriously thinking of purchasing my first RV.  I am getting a little old to be crawling out of a tent and freezing while waiting for the sun to warm thing up!  Clearly an Oliver ( Elite) is the RV of choice, but am considering a Casita too as and entry into the RV life.  I am purchasing my work truck, - a 2020 F 150 3.6L eco boost with Max Towing package- as my tow vehicle - thus the smaller Ollie.   If anyone on the west coast is selling a Casita to move up to the Oliver,  Or selling an Elite to move up to an Elite II I'd be more than interested in talking.   In the mean time I am renting an Airstream Bambi to get the feel for trailering.   Thank you for reading... C

Chris, Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Very smart to rent first to get a feel for RVing and pulling a trailer.  Wishing you all the best in your quest for the perfect fit for you to travel in and enjoy the glorious days of retirement.