New Competitor for the Elite I?

[Mike and Carol]

Cortes camper - some nice features but some not so nice.  Double hull, lightweight.  Interesting.

https://youtu.be/KoZVLSFQB-s

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

Cortes camper - some nice features but some not so nice.  Double hull, lightweight.  Interesting.

We looked at those as an alternative. If they make a larger size with a double axle, they will definitely be after Oliver’s market for the E2. 
Kirk

[Tom and Doreen]

Looks like a nice quality build.  I do like the awning / swing-out windows. The refrigerator is a nice size too although I would prefer a true marine style refrigerator that you find in some of the over-land camper builds that have separate slide out refrigerator and freezer sections.   Overall I would still choose the Olly given the quality build, components, service support,  and styling. 

[Steph and Dud B]

That company got off to a rough start. Apparently, the CEO was indicted for fraud a few years ago. Here's a link: https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-spivak

Their initial website was pretty sketchy looking. Today, their 27 footer is just a CAD drawing with no wheels. Be interesting to see if they can hang in for the long run.

[Patriot]

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. 😊

An interesting attempt to copy the The Legacy Elite. They might carve out a tiny market share of the fiberglass TT industry. I just don’t see Cortez Campers as a competitor in the same fit/finish class as an Oliver. Actually not even remotely close. Interestingly enough they are actually listed at the Charleston RV show today for $52,981.00, a slight difference from the below internet price. 

Patriot🇺🇸

                    A dealer listed this one in Charleston SC. 😳😳😳

[BBL]

And now for something totally different.  This is an interesting design but I can only imagine the price!  It will likely be made from pure un-obtainium! (A rare material that takes it way out of my reach!)

Doubt that it will ever see light of day but, it might.

Check out this new concept Airstream.

 

Brian

[MAX Burner]

M&C: concur - very interesting.  I'm liking the two-tone paint option - wonder if Oliver has ever considered offering a 2-tone???

[topgun2]

17 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

wonder if Oliver has ever considered offering a 2-tone???

This too has been discussed here on the Forum many times.

Oliver did produce 4 Olivers (red, blue, black) plus, of course the white ones we all know and love.  Simply put - the man-power cost of adding color as compared to the volume of units produced simply didn't make economic sense.  This primarily is due to the need to get every spec of color out of the equipment and environment where the shells are manufactured prior to producing anything of a different color.

Bill

[rideandfly]

Speaking of a different color, the new US built egg shaped Barefoot camper, 3,000 pound GVW weight, originally designed & built in the UK, is available for around $47,000 to $49,000 at dealers.

https://nucamprv.com/barefoot-camper/

https://www.rvtrader.com/Nucamp-Barefoot/rvs-for-sale?make=Nucamp|765337120&model=BAREFOOT|764982013

[Rivernerd]

23 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Cortes camper - some nice features but some not so nice.  Double hull, lightweight.  Interesting.

I find the standard tank heaters on the Cortes intriguing.  Some folks would love to have those on Olivers.  Oliver aggressively markets their products as "4-Season Travel Trailers," yet offers no tank heaters.

Does anyone have experience with tank heaters?  Are they 120V only?  If so, not much help when on the road on below-freezing temps.  If 12V, how large a battery bank is required to operate them?

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Rivernerd said:

yet offers no tank heaters

There was at least one Oliver Elite II that has tank heaters.

It was ordered by a guy from South Carolina that did what I believe was oil shale work in the northeast during the winter.

Bill

[ADKCamper]

I like the heated tank concept. I *assume* this is electric, but have the same questions as Rivernerd above.

Interesting thought - for trailers with propane heat, I wonder if its possible to make double-hulled tanks, with the fluids in the inner tank, and the outer tank being essentially an air plenum that you run the hot air through on its way to the other end of the trailer. If the air around the (inner) tank is above freezing, the liquid in the tank will not freeze.

If you didn't want to run the furnace output directly around the tanks, you could instead use a separate blower (either manually switched or on a thermostat) to cycle cabin air around the tanks and back into the cabin space again... assuming that the furnace would run as needed to maintain the desired cabin temperature.

Very little additional electricity would be required (more 12v watts for slightly longer furnace blower run-times). This design would use slightly more propane to heat the trailer's interior to the same point, but you'd probably have warmer floors as a bonus 🙂

[CRM]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:21 AM, Mike and Carol said:

Cortes camper - some nice features but some not so nice.  Double hull, lightweight.  Interesting.

https://youtu.be/KoZVLSFQB-s

Love to have a fridge that size..

[Mike and Carol]

3 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

I find the standard tank heaters on the Cortes intriguing.  Some folks would love to have those on Olivers.  Oliver aggressively markets their products as "4-Season Travel Trailers," yet offers no tank heaters.

Does anyone have experience with tank heaters?  Are they 120V only?  If so, not much help when on the road on below-freezing temps.  If 12V, how large a battery bank is required to operate them?

Outdoors RV and cousin Arctic Fox offer tank heaters, on some ORV models they are standard.  My understanding is that they are 12V so you can use them while driving.  We recently looked at a few ORV models at Princess Craft, the same dealer that made this Cortes video.  They also carry Intech trailers, all very interesting.  Mike

[bugeyedriver]

Very interesting product.  With that petite 5 Ft tall salesperson it looks absolutely HUGE on the inside!

 

[MAX Burner]

I'm thinking a heating pad upgrade for the Ollie is a good idea (if you're into winter/cold camping).

Amazon has several options for holding tank heating pads - thermostatically controlled, nominally "ON" about 40F and "OFF" at 68F....   Some of the brands don't get very good ratings, however.  Here's one option with a "3-pack" of heat pads:

https://www.amazon.com/Heater-Holding-Gallons-Toggle-Switch/dp/B07ZJJ7MB6/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=316H654FZVYJR&keywords=rv%2Bholding%2Btank%2Bheater%2Bpad%2B12v&qid=1679165067&s=automotive&sprefix=rv%2Bholding%2Btank%2Bheater%2Cautomotive%2C150&sr=1-2-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&smid=A1V7TJOE3FVDYM&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSVFMOUVOMTE2T1c3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzg4MTk1SzBLWFJWRlpXUkI2JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1NzE0MzFHVEw5Q1hQQkdCQTgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

Just FYI...

 

 

[Geronimo John]

1 hour ago, ADKCamper said:

I like the heated tank concept.

From my understanding of Ollie winter camping it is not a problem with freezing the tank water, its all the water lines that are at risk first.

GJ

[Steph and Dud B]

8 hours ago, rideandfly said:

Speaking of a different color, the new US built egg shaped Barefoot camper, 3,000 pound GVW weight, originally designed & built in the UK, is available for around $47,000 to $49,000 at dealers.

Just saw one at an RV show today. Cute, but no storage and forget the shower if you're over 5'5".

[Steph and Dud B]

6 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

Does anyone have experience with tank heaters?

Our last fifth wheel had heaters on all tanks, plus heat tape around the exposed tank discharge plumbing outside the trailer. Nice setup and it all ran on 12v. Didn't use it much so can't speak about battery draw.

[Guest]

I ran across this trailer during  my egg camper search.  Although it has a double hull, I thought of it more as an Escape competitor, given the price.  I do like the large frig and oven, but that one person table up front, exterior batteries, and some of the finishes kept it out of consideration.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

if you're into winter/cold camping)

It can be an issue for anyone living in the Rocky Mountains, the northern US, or most of Canada. We have had several worrisome drives in the past couple of decades heading south for a spring or fall trip, having hard freezes on our way to the warmer climates. 
Kirk

[rideandfly]

5 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

Just saw one at an RV show today. Cute, but no storage and forget the shower if you're over 5'5".

Yep, very small. Looks like it has Dometic Seitz RV style windows. Our previous camper had those windows. Leave them open when it rains.

[Steph and Dud B]

13 minutes ago, rideandfly said:

Looks like it has Dometic Seitz RV style windows.

Yes, it did. And they are very nice.

[SeaDawg]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:06 PM, MAX Burner said:

M&C: concur - very interesting.  I'm liking the two-tone paint option - wonder if Oliver has ever considered offering a 2-tone???

If you like two-tone, you could always take your trailer to a marine painter, and get a nice finish, one or two part poly.

Lots of mega yachts do the same.

[SeaDawg]

Cortes built their (imo goofy floorplan  trailer) unabashedly by copying/cloning/creating a mold plug  from  a used Casita , creating an "unusual", unfriendly,  and weird floorplan. 

Look closely at their videos. Fit and finish is lacking. The ceo/owner is now the wife of indicted original owner.

I've been following them for over two years. If I were in the market, I'd steer clear, honestly.  I'm not in the market, as I'll never likely sell my Oliver, but I'd be very cautious if I  were looking now.

I haven't checked their site lately, but here are  a few screenshots,  from about 25 months ago, where they were happily using a Casita as a base for their molds/plugs.