Oliver No More

[GAP]

Hey All,

We recently sold our 2021 E2.  Sad to let it go as we really loved it and had done months of comfy camping in it.  The reason we decided to go another way was strictly due to what, in our experience, was a lack of capacity, when not winterized, in winter conditions.  We do the majority of our camping in those conditions and after extensive modifications and testing, we were unable to keep all pex lines from freezing.  We just returned from a 10 day trip with our new rig where temps were consistently in single digits with lots of wind. Warm showers and no problems. Not the same finishing build quality but the drivability and functionality in cold is top of list for us.  Very different animal with it's own pros and cons.

The reason Im writing today is to make sure it is OK for me to keep active in the forum.  I've been super impressed with the depth of knowledge and kind communications and can find no better resource for working through complex issues.  I'd be appreciative if I could continue to monitor and occasionally interact.  I've tried to update our status/profile but have not yet been able to do so.  Any suggestions would be welcome.

All the best to you all.

Gerry

[Ollie-Haus]

You guys are true hard core adventurers, very much like the Vikings of old. I've enjoyed reading your posts and following. 🍻

[SeaDawg]

I'm truly sorry to see you go, but hang around. Once a member of the family, always a member of the family.

To change your signature, go to account, account settings, then signature. 

It's not very intuitive,  I know,  but it is what it is.

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

Good luck with your new camper!  Hang around here whenever you want.  As Sherry said, once in the family you’re always welcome!  Mike

[Patriot]

Gerry,

Wishing you all the best with your new rig! And glad your going to still hang out here on the forum.

What did you decide to roll with in a new rig?

Patriot🇺🇸

[GAP]

3 hours ago, Ollie-Haus said:

You guys are true hard core adventurers, very much like the Vikings of old. I've enjoyed reading your posts and following. 🍻

Cheers back at you.  Hope to see you out there.  Thanks for kind words.

[GAP]

2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Good luck with your new camper!  Hang around here whenever you want.  As Sherry said, once in the family you’re always welcome!  Mike

Very kind of you all.  I feel attached to this community so would be appreciate of lurking around the edges.  

[mossemi]

4 hours ago, GAP said:

Very kind of you all.  I feel attached to this community so would be appreciate of lurking around the edges.  

Congratulations!  Sounds like you found an RV that is more suitable to your camping style.  We are looking forward to your reports of some of your new camping adventures.  And please remember that you are always welcome to join us!

Mossey

[MAX Burner]

Hey, Gerry;

Congrats on finding a new rig that meets your style of camping/adventuring!  Everyone's style of RV'ing is different, for sure.  It will be good to hear about what you've learned with your new rig in the challenging single-digit camping environment.  Who knows, sharing those experiences with these forums may help Oliver owners also!

Keep in touch and stay safe down the road...

Best,

A & D

[Steph and Dud B]

Definitely stick around. Looking forward to hearing more about your new rig and your adventures in it.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

IMOP, it’s always good to keep knowledge in the group.  Would you mind sharing what the new RV is?

[GAP]

We ended up going with a Winnabego Ekko.  Couldn't be more of a different animal.  Similarities in length, width, fiberglass exterior and it has wheels.  That's about it. Gets the same MPG as my 2022 F150 did while towing.  Absolutely not the same build quality or sense of interior open space as the Olivers.  Also not molded fiberglass so will need to keep an eye on seams.  On the flip side:  Better driving on snow (AWD) as opposed to towing and have heard folks claim comfortably at -40.  More storage for toys - I think comparable to Oliver and full sized truck bed with cap filled to the hilt.  Cassette toilet as opposed to our composter which is different but working out fine.  50 gallon fresh tank, innovative convertible bathroom design, 640ah of lithium, ducted AC and a dedicated alternator for charging batteries at 160a while driving.  Replaced my truck with a Honda Fit (the sensible guy's mid-life crises sports car) which we could and sometimes will flat tow behind the rig. 

We found a unit with 3k miles on it and it ended up costing twice what we paid for our E2 in '21.  Hmmmm.  Would be a questionable purchase were it not for the better fit with our camping style.  Long trips but short stays at any one place.  Oliver was certainly a more luxurious and open space with Ekko being more of an "adventure" platform.  Every time we turn the key we are focused on some combination of skiing, kayaking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, etc...  We mourn the passing along of our Oliver and feel it felt more like a home away from home.  It's very likely that once we get over our outside toy addiction, we'll may circle back around.  Wish we could have kept both.

Thanks very much to you all.  We are deeply appreciative that you would welcome a couple of Benedict Arnolds to stay in the group.  We follow quite a few such forums and feel this is the best informed and supportive of all.  Hope to see you all out there.

[rich.dev]

1 hour ago, GAP said:

We ended up going with a Winnabego Ekko

Congrats Gerry! We also looked at the Ekko, but at that stage the Ekko was still in its infancy stage, so we decided on the Oliver. Did you end up getting the Sprekko or Trekko! 

[snakeriveridaho]

2 hours ago, GAP said:

We ended up going with a Winnabego Ekko. 

Sorry to hear about your need to change rigs. We looked at the Ekko also. 

Carrie and I have been disappointed in the cold weather capabilities of the Oliver. We are treating it like a 3 season camper. I have toyed with the idea of getting a true 4 season camper. I would appreciate how it goes for you. Is the large storage are on yours heated? 

Good luck! 

Kirk

[GAP]

3 hours ago, rich.dev said:

Congrats Gerry! We also looked at the Ekko, but at that stage the Ekko was still in its infancy stage, so we decided on the Oliver. Did you end up getting the Sprekko or Trekko! 

Good question.  For those not up on this unit, the Sprekko is on a Sprinter platform, 2-3' longer and $20k more.  I got the Trekko which is on a Transit platform.  Prefer that for ease of finding qualified repair places and smaller footprint.  Rich.dev, you may have stepped into a real pile of trouble if you had picked up one of the early models.  They were filthy with recalls and poorly installed systems.  Later models have been much better about minimizing the kinks.  

[GAP]

2 hours ago, snakeriveridaho said:

Sorry to hear about your need to change rigs. We looked at the Ekko also. 

Carrie and I have been disappointed in the cold weather capabilities of the Oliver. We are treating it like a 3 season camper. I have toyed with the idea of getting a true 4 season camper. I would appreciate how it goes for you. Is the large storage are on yours heated? 

Good luck! 

Kirk

Kirk, yes, all the storage areas are heated.  Water control compartment, exterior shower, battery locker, big gear garage, etc..  We put up a clothes rack and dry our kayak and ski clothing in there.  As to heating efficiency, we bought VanMade inserts for those big windows in the Transit.  There is also an included insulated curtain that snaps in to block off the entire cockpit which we use overnight when temps are below 10 degrees.  Apples to orange but, in single digit temps, when boondocking with water system on, we go through a 20lb tank of propane every 3 + days.  In our Oliver E2, winterized (= no water in system) , boondocking, we went through a 30lb tank every 2 days.  The Oliver used propane for the fridge and had no water to heat while the Ekko has a 12v fridge, heats all exterior compartments and water heater.  

On another note, I think crafty Oliver owners have been great about improving cold weather capacity and the manufacturer themself has started adapting some of these mods but, in my experience, Oliver is now about the best reasonably priced trailer out there for cool weather use. Without the price shooting way up, it's the best trailer available.  

[Shawna and Scott]

I think someone on here went with the Black Series RVs and I thought they were off road travel trailer with 4 season capabilities. 

[snakeriveridaho]

19 minutes ago, Shawna and Scott said:

went with the Black Series RVs

We had a Black series. All there plumbing ran exposed under the frame of the trailer. Definitely not a cold weather camper. We sold our and bought an Oliver. 

Kirk 

[SeaDawg]

Raspy, who still stops by here occasionally,  bought a black series, and did a bunch of work on it to beef it up for four seasons. He has a different brand now. 

[GAP]

47 minutes ago, Shawna and Scott said:

I think someone on here went with the Black Series RVs and I thought they were off road travel trailer with 4 season capabilities. 

 

[Steph and Dud B]

1 minute ago, GAP said:

walked away thinking it was designed to look higher end than it actually was.

That pretty much describes just about every other RV out there. They look flashy and cool, until you look inside the walls. Ragged holes, construction debris everywhere, fasteners that missed studs, rats nest wiring.

Last year we looked at a really expensive Super-C motorhome. Beautiful full body paint, leather seating, etc. Walked away after taking one look at the drawer construction.

[snakeriveridaho]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

black series, and did a bunch of work on it to beef it up for four seasons. He has a different brand now. 

I believe, while it is possible, extending the cold weather use of a Black Series is much more difficult than extending the cold weather utility of an Oliver. We looked at some options before selling ours. 

Kirk

[Steph and Dud B]

14 hours ago, GAP said:

We ended up going with a Winnabego Ekko. 

Nice rig. Should suit your lifestyle well, I would think. Enjoy.

[Cameron]

There are pros and cons with the Oliver. It's a company that only makes one type of product (Elite 2 is just a stretched Elite 1). Yes there are cool options, but it's basically one product. If it fits your style, you're in luck. If not, there are many other RVs, and many companies that offer multiple products. Many of us have made minor or major modifications, but ultimately your camping style has to match the trailer. For most of us, it's a match made in heaven. 

[jd1923]

I'm getting cold just reading this! We left the cold 25 years ago and we're not going back.

When we have a northern destination in mind, we'll make late spring/summer travel plans. Mostly we camp anytime but summer in the great southwest, so the Oliver works fine. Blow the water out of the lines each time we get home after a winter trip. Will fix the ducts at some point, so the bathroom and closet aren't 15 degrees colder than the open cabin, but she mainly works for our needs.

Please do continue to share! 😊

Edited March 8 by jd1923