Greetings and very interested in the 17' Oliver

[DavePhelps]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking hard at fiberglass trailers for over a year now and have very favorable impressions of the Olivers and their incredible attention to detail. I have a question to those of you that started out with the 17' and have decided to move up to the 23'. I have not seen either yet, though hope to see a 23' soon. This will be our first trailer. Our camping style is rustic and we will be boondocking most all of the time. I'm used to seeing other 17's like the Casita around, and they seem to fit well into almost any space. So I'm wondering for those of you that have sized up if you've noticed any drawbacks to finding places to park your rig. 6' is quite a bit of extra length. Towing either size for me is no problem. Any thoughts anyone might have regarding their experiences with these two sizes good and bad would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[SeaDawg]

Hi, Dave, and welcome to the forum. It's quite true, the 17 fits just about anywhere.. We've picked up some wonderful "leftover" sites on trips because of that. In six years and 50,000 miles plus, we've probably had less than two dozen nights with hookups. Having the extra battery capacity, water capacity, etc., can make a difference in allowing you the extra time to enjoy that special spot.

 

Good luck with your search.

 

Sherry and Paul

[mountainborn]

Hi Dave ! Welcome to the Oliver forums ! Betty and I pulled a 2014 Oliver Legacy Elite II that measures 23' 6" hitch to bumper, for ten thousand miles earlier this year, through every state on the Eastern Seaboard and also the entire Gulf coast. We were pulling with a class C toy hauler and our total length was right at 57'. We discovered that even in campgrounds rated at a 40' maximum length, we could often back the Ollie's rear axle, back up to the wheel stop and still fit quite nicely.

Hope you can get to see the legacy and put your hands on one so you can get a feel for how substantial it is.

Good luck in your search for the camper that fits your camping style.

harm & bett

[DavePhelps]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's hard to forecast what my needs are as far as trailer size having never owned one.

I do know I would like to keep it on the small size. But after just coming home from Yellowstone Park and seeing some of the rigs out there, the 23 footer seems pretty small!!

Sherry and Paul, I assume you folks are in the 17'? This rig seems like it would be easier to get around in some of the smaller, more primitive sites, but maybe that 6' extra in the 23 wouldn't make all that much difference... Everywhere I go now I'm looking at various sites figuring how I could get a trailer in there!

Mountainborn, I've been following and appreciating your blog. That was quite a trip you and your wife had there. I bet that seat in your fishing boat feels pretty darn good about now! Didn't you folks used to have a 17? Do you miss anything about it? Or has the 23 just won you over?

Soon I hope to arrange a visit with some new owners who just got a 23. That will go a long way to help me figure things out.

To get a feel for the 17, I suppose I could track down a local Casita as the overall size and floorplan is the same.

Thanks again!

Dave

[blodn2]

Hi Dave, and Welcome! I don't have my Oliver, yet, but will order the Elite as soon as I sell my house.

 

I started out the same as you - wanting a smaller trailer. First, it was a small Class B motorhome, then I fell in love with the 13' Casita. But then, I saw the Lil Snoozy - 17', and changed my mind, again.

 

I went to a rally in Tennessee to see several on-the-road trailers in person, and there's where I saw Steve and Tali's wonderful Oliver. There's no looking back, now.

 

Maybe a nearby rally would let you see several trailers so you could compare the different sizes. Size and the quality of the Oliver (and the heated bathroom) were what sold me.

[DavePhelps]

Thanks blodn2,

you are right about checking out a rally to get a feel for the different sizes.

Of course I'm sure I would love the 23 and it's extra room. The questions I have about size are being able to (or not) park the trailer in the smaller campsites in the out of the way places we like to go. Seeing the 23 will be a great help and I hope to accomplish that in the next few weeks or so. I just wish Oliver was also getting the 17 on line a little faster, but I know they've had their hands full and are doing a great job. So I'll just have to be patient!

Thanks again to everyone for their responses.

Dave