Newbies taking the plunge - Are we missing anything

[Dennis and Melissa]

We've never owned a truck or a trailer.  My wife and I are retiring in 6 months and diving in with all 4 feet.  Tell me what we don't know please.

We looked at lots of trailers and are finally pulling the trigger on the LEII.
I've read a bunch of threads on here over the last year.  Very helpful.  But if you can point me to some that have already discussed this sort of  thing, I'd appreciate that, too.
We prefer simple: Everything we need, but nothing we don't.  So....

LEII - starting the ordering process today 🙂.  Scheduling factory tour soon.
Standard except as follows:
Twin Bed Floor Plan Two Upgraded Foam Mattresses
Hypervent for Twin Bed Floor Plan
Front & Rear Propane Quick Connects
Backup Camera with 4.3” display
Aluminum Storage Basket
Inside Basement Access Door
Auto Drain (push button drain valve) - What is this?
Door lock (do I need the electric one?)

TV - bought yesterday 🙂
Ram 1500 Laramie, 5.7L 8 cyl hemi, 4wd, max tow, air shocks, class iv hitch, 9 pin connector, rear video
Approx 1,700 load capacity
Locking hard tonneau cover, bed liner

Miscellaneous side purchases (yet to be made)
Generator that runs on propane - to be carried in Ollie's storage basket
Surge protector (no idea what sort of electrical equipment I need for generator or shore power)
TPMS for trailer
Screen house
carpet for under awning
hoses, leveling blocks, antitheft?
tools?

Storage - We intend to use these toys a lot. Maybe even 6 months a year.
But, inevitably, they will get placed in storage when not in use.
We live in a FL subdivision, with no garage space for this size stuff.
So, I thinking I buy a cover for both.

[MobileJoy]

In your list I saw a half ton pickup but no Andersen hitch. This TV/RV combination requires weight distribution. From what I have read, Andersen is really your only option because of the aluminum chassis. Best to let Oliver install it. Perhaps you already thought of this and left it out of your description. Be safe!

You didn't mention your intended camping style. Will you always (or almost always) be at a campground with hookups? If you intend to boondocks, you should consider one of the higher capacity battery solutions, either the 4 6-volt AGMs or a lithium option. You should add solar charging. If your intent is to boondock more than 2 consecutive days you should also consider the composting toilet. The standard power and toilet options are fine if you will always camp with full hookups.

I don't have the compressor fridge. I know it consumes less power (in DC mode) than the Norcold 3-way. Keep in mind how long you might want to operate your fridge without hookups. This might also affect your choice of power option.

The push button drain valve and the electronic lock are both conveniences. Neither is necessary. A manual valve is used instead. In either case, you have to open and close the valve manually when appropriate. I think the electronic lock also comes with a remote so you don't need a key or to enter the code each time.

The Domestic Penguin is VERY loud. If you're going to camp in hot weather, you should consider the Truma Aventa option, or plan to replace it yourself with a Houghton Recpro or Dometic FreshJet. There are a number of postings on all three options.

Get a tongue lock to prevent anyone from hooking up and towing it away. There are a number of options. I use The Collar and an A-Bus disc lock. This can be left in place while hooked up. 

[MobileJoy]

Do you want to bring bicycles? If so, you may want to consider getting the bumper hitch option.

[Dennis and Melissa]

My ommission.  Anderson hitch for sure.  And some sort of hitch lock.

Going to pass on lithium/solar for now

We will look into the sound levels of the AC

TYVM

[Dennis and Melissa]

we considered the bicycle thing, but are going to pass for now

[Mike and Carol]

Good choice on the truck.  I towed with two different Ram 1500s, both with the 5.7 V8.

It would be helpful if you told us what kind of camping/traveling you think you’ll be doing, if you know.  We had never camped when we ordered our trailer.  I didn’t think we’d do much boondocking but went ahead and ordered solar.  Lithium wasn’t an option then.  As it turns out many National Parks have campgrounds with no hookups.  Many other desirable camping locations are also no hookups.  We’ve utilized Harvest Host locations and they are mostly no hookups.  So, I would recommend thinking about where you will go and how you’ll camp before going without solar.  Mike

[Golfnut]

Dennis& Melissa,  It’s great you’re in the planning stage..  I only have a LEI., I was not going to get solar,  but we had planned a national parks for the summer of 2022 ( took delivery July 2022). It’s the best money I spend..  you might consider the 30 lb tank.. since you getting  Lp generator..  good luck with your choices..

[Dennis and Melissa]

We will be visiting plenty of places with no hookups, but for relatively short periods.  Our demands for electricity in those cases should be relatively small (mostly just the fridge to be honest).  I feel like the generator will be enough.  (If I'm wrong, I'll be shelling out another $10K or so next year in Hohenwald.)

In no case am I worrying about running the AC or TV (or ???)  when off-grid.

I'm still in the mindset that this is a very comfy, hard-sided tent.  😀

[topgun2]

I realize that "having never owned a tow vehicle or a trailer" the question of "what kind of camping are you going to do" becomes a bit of a problem - you don't know what you don't know.

But, try answering questions such as:  we are interested in traveling to visit family, we want to see national parks, we want to see America, we want to go to Alaska, etc.

And/or:  we have experience camping in tents or backpacking and prefer getting out away from people; or, we enjoy a good meal and visiting museums.

Do you have to have air conditioning?   Living in Florida the answer is probably - yes.  I have found that living in western North Carolina I only actually use my air conditioner less than 6 times a year.  During those times I can stop at a campground that has full hookups and this saves me from having to have a generator.  The standard air conditioner is noisy.  Can you sleep with ear plugs or even the noise just may not bother you

The standard battery setup on Oliver is fine if your intent is to virtually always use campgrounds that have electric hookups.  However, if you really want to travel, the Oliver solar setup can't be beat.  It allows you to camp virtually anywhere without having to sacrifice (much) in the way of electric usage.

I've lived with the standard toilet for 8 years.  But, normally I travel alone and I use rest areas and campground restrooms whenever possible.  There are many ways around the issue of disposing of human waste.

Lean on your Oliver sales agent "hard".  Search this Forum for help on just about any topic that enters your mind regarding Olivers and camping.  But, enjoy the process!  It is a great learning experience that we all continue to have.

Bill

p.s.  Welcome to our world!

[SeaDawg]

Welcome to the Tampa Bay Ollie contingent!

Since you plan to carry and run your generator in the basket, you'll want to tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front. Also, make sure you have a neutral ground plug in your tool kit. (While you're at it, get a decent 12v meter, dedicated to the trailer kit.)

If you plan to chase the cooler weather up north during our hot summers, as we do,  the standard ac is probably fine, as you won't use it much, anyway.  If you later find it drives you crazy, the new Dometic freshjet is a quieter upgrade (not available from Oliver, yet), using the same interior distribution unit and drain, for much less than the full Truma package. The Truma ac requires a bigger generator than the Freshjet. (We changed our dometic ac to a Houghton after 12 years of mostly boondocking because of its age, and a severely cracked shroud.)

The 6 gallon standard water heater is fine for most people, very simple, and if you're bringing the trailer home to tampa, you'll never need the easier winterizing fearure of the Truma, anyway. 

If you've never had an rv or trailer before, the simpler the better, imo. You can spend more time enjoying the great outdoors, and less time reading manuals and fiddling with features you rarely use.

Pretty much everything but the rooftop solar can be upgraded fairly easily if you decide later that you "need" some features you didn't order. A portable solar option is easy. Adding rooftop, since Oliver no longer pre-wires for solar, is not as simple. 

Battery choice is the last conundrum. We have a 12v danfoss compressor fridge, similar to the one Oliver now installs, with just two 12v agm group 31 (105 ah capacity) , and we manage fine with solar, and the occasional use of the generator. Without solar, you will need to plug in to a power source (generator or campsite) pretty much every day, or every other day, with the standard batteries, a bit less frequently with the 4 agm 6 volts. Some of that decision  depends on which batteries Oliver is using now. I've seen a number if issues on here with the Brightway base batteries, but I heard they are not using that brand anymore. (Ask your rep.) Upgrading batteries is also a pretty straightforward process, from flooded to agm or battleborn lithium. 

 

[Dennis and Melissa]

19 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

I realize that "having never owned a tow vehicle or a trailer" the question of "what kind of camping are you going to do" becomes a bit of a problem - you don't know what you don't know.

But, try answering questions such as:  we are interested in traveling to visit family, we want to see national parks, we want to see America, we want to go to Alaska, etc.

And/or:  we have experience camping in tents or backpacking and prefer getting out away from people; or, we enjoy a good meal and visiting museums.

Do you have to have air conditioning?   Living in Florida the answer is probably - yes.  I have found that living in western North Carolina I only actually use my air conditioner less than 6 times a year.  During those times I can stop at a campground that has full hookups and this saves me from having to have a generator.  The standard air conditioner is noisy.  Can you sleep with ear plugs or even the noise just may not bother you

The standard battery setup on Oliver is fine if your intent is to virtually always use campgrounds that have electric hookups.  However, if you really want to travel, the Oliver solar setup can't be beat.  It allows you to camp virtually anywhere without having to sacrifice (much) in the way of electric usage.

I've lived with the standard toilet for 8 years.  But, normally I travel alone and I use rest areas and campground restrooms whenever possible.  There are many ways around the issue of disposing of human waste.

Lean on your Oliver sales agent "hard".  Search this Forum for help on just about any topic that enters your mind regarding Olivers and camping.  But, enjoy the process!  It is a great learning experience that we all continue to have.

Bill

p.s.  Welcome to our world!

"Do you have to have air conditioning? " the whole point is to go places where it's not required.  If we are still in FL, I'd be happy to be using full hookups.

" have found that living in western North Carolina I only actually use my air conditioner less than 6 times a year."  Exactly what I hope my future holds.

[Dennis and Melissa]

18 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Welcome to the Tampa Bay Ollie contingent!

Since you plan to carry and run your generator in the basket, you'll want to tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front. Also, make sure you have a neutral ground plug in your tool kit. (While you're at it, get a decent 12v meter, dedicated to the trailer kit.)

If you plan to chase the cooler weather up north during our hot summers, as we do,  the standard ac is probably fine, as you won't use it much, anyway.  If you later find it drives you crazy, the new Dometic freshjet is a quieter upgrade (not available from Oliver, yet), using the same interior distribution unit and drain, for much less than the full Truma package. The Truma ac requires a bigger generator than the Freshjet. (We changed our dometic ac to a Houghton after 12 years of mostly boondocking because of its age, and a severely cracked shroud.)

The 6 gallon standard water heater is fine for most people, very simple, and if you're bringing the trailer home to tampa, you'll never need the easier winterizing fearure of the Truma, anyway. 

If you've never had an rv or trailer before, the simpler the better, imo. You can spend more time enjoying the great outdoors, and less time reading manuals and fiddling with features you rarely use.

Pretty much everything but the rooftop solar can be upgraded fairly easily if you decide later that you "need" some features you didn't order. A portable solar option is easy. Adding rooftop, since Oliver no longer pre-wires for solar, is not as simple. 

Battery choice is the last conundrum. We have a 12v danfoss compressor fridge, similar to the one Oliver now installs, with just two 12v agm group 31 (105 ah capacity) , and we manage fine with solar, and the occasional use of the generator. Without solar, you will need to plug in to a power source (generator or campsite) pretty much every day, or every other day, with the standard batteries, a bit less frequently with the 4 agm 6 volts. Some of that decision  depends on which batteries Oliver is using now. I've seen a number if issues on here with the Brightway base batteries, but I heard they are not using that brand anymore. (Ask your rep.) Upgrading batteries is also a pretty straightforward process, from flooded to agm or battleborn lithium. 

 

"the simpler the better" if I ever get a tatoo, this will be it
"Without solar, you will need to plug in to a power source (generator or campsite) pretty much every day, or every other day, with the standard batteries, a bit less frequently with the 4 agm 6 volts." exactly what I was wondering.  And I'm good with that.

[Dennis and Melissa]

I'm realizing that in my haste I've replied to some of you without saying thanks.  How rude of me.
Please know, ALL of your comments are so very much appreciated.  TY!

[Dennis and Melissa]

36 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Since you plan to carry and run your generator in the basket, you'll want to tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front. Also, make sure you have a neutral ground plug in your tool kit. (While you're at it, get a decent 12v meter, dedicated to the trailer kit.)

"get a decent 12v meter" - yep.  on the list
"tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front" - OMG.  Great idea.  Never even knew that was a thing.

[topgun2]

16 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

"tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front" - OMG.  Great idea.  Never even knew that was a thing.

Certainly not a necessity but it will make your life much easier if you plan to use the generator in the front basket.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Welcome Dennis & Melissa!

I’m another advocate for solar, it’s so much nicer than listening to a generator one or two times per day.  Your camping neighbors will appreciate it as well.  

Sun is the enemy of every RV, and UV rays degrade sealant and components, and is hard on gel coat.  If possible, find a covered storage site to protect your investment. 

[Dennis and Melissa]

2 hours ago, Wandering Sagebrush said:

Sun is the enemy of every RV, and UV rays degrade sealant and components, and is hard on gel coat.  If possibly, find a covered storage site to protect your investment. 

We are working on that.  But I fear a cover may be the option we end up with.

[Ollie-Haus]

Just a thought to consider. Upgrading to a solar package is not as easy as starting with one from the factory. This includes a factory upgrade after the camper is built. There are numerous components that must be changed besides the batteries, as well as adding the solar panel system. This question came up at the rally last spring as numerous owners of older models were considering upgrading to Lithium. Jason made it clear that the initial build was the best time to install a solar/lithium system, especially from a cost perspective. It can and has been done by several owners but the add on system is not very comparable to the factory system. We have the larger lithium package on our 2023 LE2 and it actually requires less maintenance attention than standard lead acid battery system. The lithium batteries have a much longer service life than the lead acid batteries as well. Just my thoughts. Either way you go, battery management becomes a part of your life owning a travel trailer. 

[Steph and Dud B]

Count us as another saying that solar is worth it. Our previous trailers were lead-acid batteries and generator. The solar package is so much better in every way.

[topgun2]

4 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

But I fear a cover may be the option we end up with.

Indeed - putting your Ollie inside a building when you're not using it is the best storage solution.  However, I've been storing my Oliver for almost the past eight years at a storage yard that is totally open (except for the fences and cameras, etc.).  For each of those years it has been stored under a CalMark cover.  I make sure that it is clean before storage and that the cover is always snugged down with the rear bumper and the solar panels padded so as to not tear the cover.  There have been no signs of abrasion due to this cover.  It should be noted though that the cover is not waterproof .  Therefore, when taking the Ollie out of storage it still needs a bath before hitting the open road.  But, this bath is much easier than cleaning the grime off of it that would have accumulated without the cover.

Bill

p.s.  Once a year I also give the cover a bath.

[Dennis and Melissa]

How long can I run the AC

1) on 20 lb of propane with generator

2) on the standard battery pack

3) on the Li batteries

I assume there are 2 sets of answers, one for standard AC and one for the new, quieter one.

[John E Davies]

You still need to do a LOT of research before you start checking options in the order form. This is a good start:

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6629-how-to-find-happiness-with-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-solacity-article/

I **** STRONGLY ***** recommend that you delay your order and rent a small travel trailer for a few weeks. You will learn more in a single day than you will thru months of videos. You may even decide that you do not like the whole concept, or that you are uncomfortable with towing. You might prefer a Class B or even a truck camper, neither of which will work with your new truck.

The basic rule is to buy the camper first, then the truck that works best for it! Doing it the other way causes lots of heartache. And it is so very common. There have been several excited Oliver newbies that  discovered that they just could not adapt to the lifestyle and the many technical challenges, and they sold their trailers shortly afterwards. This is very preventable. Take it very slowly and be sure you know enough to make educated decisions. 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Steph and Dud B]

19 minutes ago, Dennis and Melissa said:

How long can I run the AC

1) on 20 lb of propane with generator

2) on the standard battery pack

3) on the Li batteries

You can't run the A/C off any of the non-lithium OEM packages.

With the Platinum lithium package you can run the standard A/C for a few hours. But, you still have to put that energy back in the batteries somehow. That leaves you either running the generator or going to full hookups to recharge. In actual usage this summer we ran the generator on the Platinum battery system for about an hour before bed on a few nights of a 2 week trip. The solar wasn't able to to completely replace those watts the next day but we had enough total capacity to get through the trip without needing the generator.

In other words, we were able to run the A/C off battery for short periods on the really bad nights. I think each hour used roughly 10% of our total capacity. When I get a chance, I'll check my notes.

[Steph and Dud B]

8 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

I **** STRONGLY ***** recommend that you delay your order and rent a small travel trailer for a few weeks. You will learn more in a single day than you will thru months of videos.

John is right on the money here. The YouTube videos don't give you the whole story and those people aren't you. We rented before we bought our first trailer and it was very instructive as to what we needed and wanted. RVing has as many problems and frustrations as regular house living (maybe more) and those problems are different than the ones you're used to.

[Dennis and Melissa]

I hear you.  And I sincerely appreciate the input.

We have tent-camped many, many times.  We know we are done with that.

We have rented a truck/trailer precisely once.  Many years ago with the kids.  We loved it.  I know I DON'T want a class A or B or truck camper. I admit the possibility I might fail with the trailer, too.  But, that would leave me with hotels.  😞 So, we are gonna try to make this work.

I'm very comfortable that we have enough truck to be safe.  I'm also very comfortable that we are getting a better trailer than we could have ever hoped for.

But I'm not at all familiar with the everyday use of the machinery.  So, I have lots to learn.  For the most part, I figure I will just live with whatever the answer turns out to be.

For example, I already thought I knew that shore-power/generator were the only really practical ways to run the AC.  We don't plan on using it much anyway.  And, for trips where it's required, I'm cool with getting a spot with hookups.

But I don't know what kind of surge protector to buy or what amperage to connect to or.....

One of my original posts, and the conversation I frequently have with my wife, is: "If someone gave me a base Ollie from 10 years ago and I had to live with it...."
Well that would exceed anything I've ever had before.

So, all of the "options" are well and truly that for me: optional.

Still, I have a lot to learn.