Coming to the 2018 Rally in preparation for delivery of a 2019 Ollie

[hobo 0]

Myself, Paul, and my wife Donna have a deposit down for an Elite II.  We went to the factory last week and placed the order for our trailer with a scheduled delivery of May, 2018* in anticipation of our pending retirements in December of this year.  Donna has worked for a utility company here in VA for almost 40 years (but too young to retire until this December) and I am going to depart from Federal service at the same time with just over 39 years of service.  I could have fully retired several years ago but Donna (who works from home many days) advised me that she "married me for-better-or-for-worse, BUT NOT FOR LUNCH!"  To that end, I have continued to commute 150 miles a day and enjoy doing so. (I am told, that's how I feel).

 

*(We have since changed our production date to a 2019 delivery due to significant tax considerations which actually works out best since we won't have much free time in 2018 anyway.)

 

Having never owned an RV before, we are intending to attend the rally this year (staying in a cabin) so we can meet other trailer owners and get some ideas/suggestions of the essentials that we need to obtain before taking delivery of our trailer next year.  We don't want to show up and go to the complimentary overnight campground the factory provides and look at each other and say, "Honey, did you bring something to make coffee in?" or "I thought you brought the toilet paper!"

 

When we took the tour last week, Bill and Elaine (from NM) were taking delivery of their new Elite II and we noticed literally a truck load of things they brought with them to put into the new trailer based on their experiences from having owned several  trailers.  We apparently have a lot to learn.

 

Again, looking forward to meeting up with current Ollie owners and if anyone has suggestions to pass on even prior to the rally, please feel free to send them our way.  Interior items, exterior items, "must-haves", "nice-to-haves", and "it's just plain decadent but this is something we really like...".

 

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

Paul & Donna (near Winchester, VA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[topgun2 0]

Hobo - Welcome and congratulations on getting that Oliver and retiring!  The good news is that you have a bunch of time to read and re-read things on this Forum regarding varying opinions as to what to have with you in your new Oliver, you have time to ask questions, you have time to see what makes sense for you.  The bad news is that you have time to WAIT!

 

Bill

[Jack & Trish 0]

Welcome! We picked our Ollie up December 19th and were in the same position as you are, it being our first experience in owning an rv. I am big on being organized and having the right things for the right places so I set about reading all I could and researching items on Amazon as their ratings tell you all you need to know about what the item is supposed to do or perform and in actuality, how it rated. We are really happy with how everything turned out for us. I will send you some detailed pictures later today to give you some idea how we approached the set up. It is a very exciting time for you, our retirement started in 2017 but we haven’t started our traveling yet because of some health issues we are getting out of the way that began with Jack breaking his leg in late November. Best of luck, we will look forward to following your journey!

[Mike and Carol 1]

Paul and Donna, welcome and congratulations on your upcoming retirements!  We too were first time RV owners so we had a steep learning curve as well. Since we are list people we looked at a number of checklists folks had posted to come up with our own. Then we started accumulating trailer stuff before our pick up date. It’s like moving into a small house - bedding, cooking things, dishes, cleaning stuff, etc. Our trailer has its own set of stuff so it is ready to go, less food and clothes.

 

Latch on to some owners at the rally and see what they have and what they carry around. Some things will work for you and some won’t. We all seem to have different camping and traveling styles. Also ask about arrival and departure routines.  We’d be happy to spend some time with you at the rally to show and discuss. Mike

[Maverick 0]

Paul and Donna welcome to ownership of a Oliver travel trailer.  The Oliver Elite II is our 7th trailer we have owned and enjoyed traveling throughout the USA.  What utility company is Donna retiring from?  I retired 10 years ago from Dominion Energy and have enjoyed every minute.

 

 

[hobo 0]

Maverick,

 

Yes, Donna (Polk) works for Dominion too.  Training specialist for the past 20 years or so.  Donna has worked Fairfax, Herndon, Fair Oaks offices as well as visiting offices throughout the system for training development.  If you don't know each other, I'm sure you have common acquaintances.

 

She is VERY excited about retirement.

[donthompson 0]

Paul and Donna,

 

Welcome!  You're going to enjoy a very fine camper. One thing to keep in mind is how often you plan to travel with your Ollie and how long you'll be on the road when you're out and about.  What people take with them when they are full-timers will probably include many things you won't need if you take 2-3 trips per year and your trips are usually 2-3 weeks long.

 

I tend to be a minimalist.  I traveled to London, Sicily, Tuscany, and Marche last spring (not with the Oliver!).  I was gone for 6-weeks and managed with a small carry-on roller bag (21.7” x 13.7” x 9” Weight 7 lbs. Capacity 38L Dimensions include wheels) and a small daypack.  In 2017, I traveled 4 times with my Ollie.  I took a long trip to Big Bend NP and other places in January/February for a little less than a month, a couple of trips to Minnesota that each lasted less than a week, and a trip to Hohenwald and points south for about a week and a half.  In 2016, I was gone about 2 weeks when I picked up my new Elite II, took two big trips (about a month each) to the mountains of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and 3 or 4 short (less than a week) trips.

 

I carry what I need and have discovered that I don't need much.  I now travel with fewer clothes than I did when I started, for example. However, I've added an outdoor stove and table in addition to the small grill I traveled with on my first trip.  I always take at least one bike depending on where I'm headed.

 

When you talk to people about what they carry and why, make sure you ask about how frequently they travel, where they go and how long they stay on the road.  Compare what they tell you to how you plan to travel.

 

The Elite II is a great camper, but it's small and has limited storage.  If you don't like clutter, be judicious about what you carry!

 

Don

[DavidS 0]

Hi Paul and Donna,

 

Like you, our Ollie is our first camper, and we had a lot to learn. Also like you, we delayed our pickup, in our case because of work obligations. During this waiting time I did a lot of research on what was needed for a trailer, as well as where we wanted to camp. The anticipation was lots of fun!

 

There have been many discussions on this and other forums as to what to bring for pickup. Rather than putting my list up here, I am posting the sites that I found most useful in making my list of what to buy and bring for pickup.

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/preparing-for-your-oliver-pick-up-day/

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/supplies-for-picking-up-oliver/

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/buzzys-delivery-day/#post-34668

 

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/things-to-get-started-144940.html

 

http://rvroadtrip.us/library/what_do_i_need_in_my_new_camper.php

 

http://www.backroadtravelers.com/outfittingrv.html

 

http://www.rvtechmag.com/tech/45_outfitting.php

 

http://travellogs.us/Technical%20Info/Essential%20equipment.htm

 

http://travellogs.us/Technical%20Info/Check%20list%20RVing%20Things.htm

 

Our tow vehicle was packed to the gills on pickup, and we brought the must-haves, and some nice-to-haves. In our household coffee makings things are must-haves! In the past year and a half, the number of nice-to-haves and decadent-items has certainly increased, but that has been part of the fun.

 

The search functions on this forum are certainly lacking, and hope there are improvements when Jason rolls out the new forum. Try the search to answer your questions, but if that fails ask away on the forum. This is an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful group.

 

Look forward to meeting you at the rally.

[hobo 0]

WOW!  Follow ups to my note this morning are amazing and the information is most appreciated.  Donna and I will be at the rally Friday, Sat, Sun departing on Monday.  We're going to be in a cabin next to the lake and we'll advise as to the cabin # when we know that detail which I forgot to ask for when I made the reservation.  Seems that the Ollies will be spread out somewhat in different sections from what I'm seeing.  All are welcome to come visit us cabin dwellers when we're there.

[Maverick 0]

Maverick, Yes, Donna (Polk) works for Dominion too. Training specialist for the past 20 years or so. Donna has worked Fairfax, Herndon, Fair Oaks offices as well as visiting offices throughout the system for training development. If you don’t know each other, I’m sure you have common acquaintances. She is VERY excited about retirement.

I was a IT/Telecommunication Manager, spent 17 years in Richmond after that they transferred me to North Carolina for a few years and then transferred me to Norfolk, VA where I spent the rest of my years with Dominion.

 

 

 

Hopefully we will meet some place camping, good luck with you trailer.

 

 

[Commanche 0]

Welcome Paul and Donna, looks like you are just "up the road a piece". We spent some time at Loft Mountain Campground last fall which was just a start on exploring what the mountains of VA has to offer. Hope to meet up with you guys sometime.

 

Stan

[ShallowGal 0]

I am big on being organized and having the right things for the right places

 

Trish, I  would love to hear/see how you organized your Ollie. Today is our first day in ours (& first time campers) & I am overwhelmed. (Thankfully we took this maiden voyage without our dogs.) Neither my husband nor I are very organized & I must tackle this before it gets out of hand.

[MikeandGerri 0]

Welcome to the Oliver family!!  You have chosen a fantastic RV!!

 

Each person/couple is different in their style of camping and traveling.  Going to the rally is a great idea especially since this is all new to you all.  We have owned several RVs including 4 motor homes....one in which we full-timed.  We now full-time in our Ollie!!  Because we full-time we carry a lot of items you might not need to carry with you.  I am very organized and you literally have to be in such limited space!!  We plan to attend the rally so feel free to look us up and ask any questions you might have!

 

Happy travels!!