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Old 11-01-2014, 04:44 PM   #101
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Cathi, I know what you're saying, truly. I KNOW Oliver is a top-of-the-line trailer. I'm not trying to take anything away from that.

To me (and right now these are my words), upgrading sounds arrogant like there's something wrong with any other brand or size. AND I KNOW, that was never the intent for the start of this thread.

Okay... so words are my living. I'm a communications facilatator for a world wide company...

Love the one you're with!
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Old 11-01-2014, 05:13 PM   #102
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I'm with Donna - I always refer to the action as "upsizing"
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Old 11-01-2014, 05:50 PM   #103
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I agree that we should love the one we are with. But of course, if the Oliver has any features at all that your current RV does not have, it is an upgrade.
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Old 11-01-2014, 06:30 PM   #104
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Donna,
To some extent I understand your feeling, like you I come from a lowly, short, used Scamp, though one only 23 years old instead of your 27 year old beauty.

I have often said that road time is more valuable than two more feet, because what you're likely to get is 6 feet.... under.

The darn reality is that life is short.

If you have time to wait to get the perfect trailer, the money to spend do it, but don't trade it for fun.

We have spent 14 years traveling. My wish is not for a bigger trailer but for ten more years on the road knowing it would have been better if I had started 100years earlier.

Nothing against new, larger, more expensive, Oliver, Escapes, or.... It's the trip not the mode of transportation. Safe travels and a nice additional perspective Donna. I do believe the original poster had no bad intentions.

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Old 11-01-2014, 06:55 PM   #105
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To put it more simply, you can only upgrade a trailer you have. You cannot upgrade TO another trailer. At least, that is the definition I am seeing.

So a Scamp or Surfside or Airstream or anything you might buy would not be an upgrade, just a "new" to you trailer which may be new or not.

As we all know, we can "camp" in any of them, whatever that means!
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Old 11-01-2014, 07:07 PM   #106
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I just I don't understand this rabbit hole were are traveling down. The OP clearly asked for input from people familiar with the particular model Oliver. Instead, we offer him quibbles over the word "upgrade" like it's some kind of insult to some members. Whether in his mind that getting a bigger trailer is an upgrade, or the technical differences are an upgrade to what he already has is just irrelevant. If some members can actually provide the information he's requested, then please do. Otherwise, this thread should probably fade out.
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Old 11-01-2014, 07:10 PM   #107
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Thanks to all that have responded to my "upgrade" concerns.

Just get out and go... make memories. Maybe your "upgrade" has more to do where you go and do... than the size (brand/model) of trailer you own. HOPING SO!

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Old 11-01-2014, 09:25 PM   #108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron Merritt View Post
I just I don't understand this rabbit hole were are traveling down. The OP clearly asked for input from people familiar with the particular model Oliver. Instead, we offer him quibbles over the word "upgrade" like it's some kind of insult to some members. Whether in his mind that getting a bigger trailer is an upgrade, or the technical differences are an upgrade to what he already has is just irrelevant. If some members can actually provide the information he's requested, then please do. Otherwise, this thread should probably fade out.

I understand your concerns Ron and I have no agenda when I say this but the vast majority of threads on the FGRV forum seem to go down a "rabbit hole" that has little to do with the original post. It seems to be a common occurrence. I'm not condoning getting of topic because I consider it rude to the OP, but many here have a different opinion. One can only hope with all the extraneous discussion in almost every thread that a few responders address the OPs question adequately. Frankly, I read very few threads here that do not take all sorts of forks in the road. I don't believe that it is necessarily bad when this happens, nor would I say it is good. It is just the way it is.


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Old 11-01-2014, 09:57 PM   #109
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Originally Posted by J.R. View Post
Just curious if anyone here has upgraded from a smaller trailer to the larger Oliver? We toured the factory and were impressed with the new unit that is 23 feet long. Also, is anyone willing to share their experiences with this particular unit? I am not interested in the smaller trailers.
We "up*****ed" from a 17 foot Oliver to a 23 foot Oliver. Since it's a longer trailer, there's more room. We travel with three dogs. Maggie and Lucy are small lap dogs, but Reacher is a 100lb Doberman. He takes up as much room as another person. Bottom line, we needed more room.
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Old 11-02-2014, 12:48 PM   #110
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Upgrading might not be the proper term to use, but I think we are putting too much semantics into this wording here. I would suggest we go on the intention of what was written.
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Old 11-18-2014, 08:19 PM   #111
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Lightbulb

Jack, congrats on selling your Casita. Now the search in ernest begins

I know all of this searching/pondering/acquiring is very personal and we are a diverse family of campers! That said...

On "smaller trailers" vs ....larger?

One thing i'm surprised that i've not seen more of is the idea of two-rooms on wheels as a solution like my wife an i are doing in our adventure rig(s). This gives one possibly the best of both worlds.



A DIY full size Van Conversion can be as affordable to get into as any typical SUV/TV i see peeps using these days (our AWD van's original loan that included the installation of our 24" fiberglass top for 6ft interior headroom was $28K). We have a full time bed and bath inside the van for sleeping at night, or taking a quick overnight up a trail to a hidden lake without the trailer.

Then we use the travel trailer (15ft Parkliner) as a great-room during the day/evenings. We've been playing with the idea of "Upsizing" (thx Donna) to a larger TT down the road (several years) and think the two-room concept should still be valid. What we would expect in the larger unit is not necessarily more room, but rather more capacity as some have pointed out such as larger battery bank and adequate solar, etc.

A side benefit to the two-room on wheels idea is that in the mornings i can get up and out of the bedroom (van) and head into the trailer to get some hot water brewing for coffee/tea and do some morning reading while Cari readies herself for a day of adventure.

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Old 11-18-2014, 08:56 PM   #112
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I've had vans and hate driving vans due to visibility. I much prefer my daily driver - Tacoma pickup. With only 2 people we do fine with 1 room (trailer.)
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Old 11-18-2014, 09:03 PM   #113
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The Tacomas are nice rigs. Cari and i had one (a 2007 4x4) as her daily driver that was used as the TV for a 17' Aliner TT. A fun package and saw many enjoyable and memorable adventures.

I had the idea that a van might be a nice next step in adventure-rig evolution and the first time my wife drove in a full size Chevy van she was sold. For us the visibility and commanding view from the cockpit is quite something (granted we have aftermarket wheels/tires and a lift kit). We can drive in it for 1200 to 1500 miles in a day, and have. The van is also my wife's daily driver.

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Old 11-19-2014, 09:37 PM   #114
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AIAC's...it's our experience that in "most cases" no single brand or size fit's everyone's needs through all the years of their life's.
Class A Motor Home owners find out quickly that having a Mini Floridian condo on wheels constricts their choices of locations, parks both public and private that have limitations.
So, they upgrade to a smaller fiberglass trailer unit that is so much more flexible for their usage needs.
Casita, Escape, Scamp, Bigfoot, Boler, Oliver and all the other great fiberglass trailers rule!
No "Stickies" allowed...lol
What say you?
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:21 AM   #115
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Listening to the reasons for ever growing size of trailers almost steers one to small class A motorhomes.

There are a wealth of used class A 28 foot motorhomes that can fit in most public and private campgrounds that are no more expensive than an Oliver. Particularly when one considers the cost of the trailer and the cost of the tow vehicle. With a motorhome the tow vehicle can be an inexpensive vehicle.

These motorhomes usually contain a real shower, a true walk-around queen bed, thermopane windows, generally mini-condos.

The mileage may not be much less than some of the trailer/tow vehicle combinations and less when one considers you're generally towing a small vehicle that gets great mileage. The motorhome tow vehicle can be a true go anywhere vehicle, though not the case for the motorhome.

We've owned both and both were fun.
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:24 AM   #116
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You must have forgotten about how easy motor homes break and how expensive and inconvenient they are to fix. I've been down that road too. Give me a trailer any day!


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Old 11-20-2014, 09:46 AM   #117
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I have gone on a few trips with friends who have a gorgeous (and expensive) motorhome. Guess who does the driving around to places from the campsite?
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Old 11-20-2014, 09:57 AM   #118
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Likewise I don't care for the motorhome concept either, but each to his or her own. For us due to our lifestyle (very active) a MH would never get us to where we want to be or go, but a suitable TV like our F150 does. And if I want to take off and go photograph, no problem, jump in the truck and head out while the wife stays in camp reading, knitting etc. This setup is on an order of magnitude more flexible. Granted the price of admission isn't chump change, but then there isn't another drive train to take care of either.

Get back home and I can head out to the lumber yard to pick up just about anything I want or need for the next at home project. Or I can head out on the dusty backroads or hit the trail head to photograph. You can't do these things in a MH. A condo with a drivetrain just isn't my cup of tea.

I'm quite comfortable with my decision and have no plans to change anytime soon.
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Old 11-20-2014, 11:15 AM   #119
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Ron,

Our motorhome was 13 years old when we sold it. Most of the failures, and they were few, they were failures of RV things, a circuit board in the fridge.

The structure of the motorhome, engine and major components were solid. The furniture was outstanding, great bed, chairs and couch. I had no complaints with my motorhome.

Great 3300 watt generator, fully integrated into the electrical system.

We had our's for 8 years and drove over 100,000 miles, the engine never hada hiccup and it was a Ford gas engine.

If you're looking for space and comfort it's hard to beat a motorhome. We bought it when it was four years old with 20,000 miles, price $35,000.

As well you can tow a four wheel drive vehicle or a highly efficient small vehicle for driving around and our experience was that little tow vehicle hidden in the wind shadow of the motorhome had virtually no effect on mpg.
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Old 11-20-2014, 12:36 PM   #120
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I have mused over a class B motorhome, but always come back to have an extra vehicle. We need two vehicles for everyday use and my truck is also the tow vehicle. A motorhome would add a third along with all the additional maintenance, insurance, etc. There may come a day when the act of hooking up the trailer is difficult due to age and physical condition and if I am still able to drive, a van camper may be my only option. For now the Oliver 23.5 suits us just fine. Counting down to our Dec. first delivery in Hohenwald.


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