2022 #5: Shopping trip

On October 25, 2021 we talked to our Oliver sales rep and put a $2,500 deposit on an Oliver Legacy Elite 2 with the twin bed floorplan. Our estimated delivery date: late July, 2022 - 9 months away. What to do while we waited? Shop for stuff, of course!

Weirdly, even though we've been camping for 20+ years, we had to buy more stuff to move to a smaller trailer. Some of the things we carried in our fifth wheel were too big for the Oliver and had to be replaced by smaller versions, or alternate devices. Others were things we never needed before, like a ball hitch for the pickup truck. We pored over the Oliver forums, looking for tips and tricks, and started making shopping lists on Amazon and other online retailers. When something went on sale, we grabbed it. When Christmas came, we asked for gift cards. Here are some of the things we've bought so far (we have no affiliation with any of these vendors and have not been compensated for any of these links):

• Weigh-Safe 4" Drop Hitch. We needed a ball hitch for our GMC Sierra dually and I wanted an aluminum hitch to reduce weight. Weigh-Safe makes nice hitches. Getting the one with the built-in tongue weight scale was a bit of overkill, but I did want to see how our tongue weight would change as we adjusted our cargo packing and added fluids to the tanks. https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-drop-hitch/
• CLAM Quick-Set Escape Sport pop up screen room. With the Oliver interior being so small, outside living space becomes more important. The CLAM products come highly recommended but their website is a little confusing as to the differences between the models. We chose the Escape Sport for two reasons - it fit well in our truck, and it has zip open side screen panels to let more breeze in during the summer. (CLAMs can get hot in the sun.) We also bought the optional side panels for rainy/colder weather. https://shop.quicksetshelters.com/escape-sport-screen-tent.html 
  
  
  
• Blackstone 17" Griddle. Like outdoor living space, the small galley in the Oliver makes outdoor cooking more important. Our fifth wheel had a propane grill that hung on the side of the trailer. Now we'll need something to put on a table. The Blackstone griddle came highly recommended: https://blackstoneproducts.com/products/17-tabletop-griddle We also purchased a hose and adapter to run it straight off the Oliver's quick-release propane ports.
• Magma Induction Non-stick Cookware Set - 7 Piece. With smaller cabinets, we wanted nesting pots and pans to save space. Magma makes high-quality cookware that's induction-ready. https://magmaproducts.com/collections/cookware-sets/products/nesting-non-stick-cookware-7-piece
• Manual Food Chopper. Steph bought this for the Oliver, but she likes it so much she's keeping it for the house and buying another for the Oliver. Compact and no electricity needed. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PYRL7PW/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_N5Q139CW8W4G222FZZ6J?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 
  
  
  
• Xtend+Climb 12.5' ladder. For accessing the Oliver roof while traveling. https://xtendandclimb.com/products/all-products/770p.html
• Metal tire valve stems. For our tire pressure monitoring system. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/xtra-seal/tire---wheel/tire-valves---caps/tire-valves---cores/aede909cf322/xtra-seal-bolt-in-valve-fits-rim-hole-diameter-5-8-inch/xts0/17428
• Camp Chairs. We have a pile of camp chairs in the basement of our fifth wheel. Straight back, reclining, rocking. We needed to settle on one type of chair. We chose a pair of these because they are compact, recline and have removable foot rests: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0831G9TKK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 
  
  
  
• Lounging pillows. Since the Oliver twin beds will also be lounges for reading/watching TV, we wanted pillows for reclining. A lot of people choose Husband pillows for this. We're going to try something else: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085W4NLZ4?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details  Not sure if this was the right decision or not. We'll let you know after we camp with them a bit. 

• The Hook. The Oliver basement is long and narrow. I wanted something to reach in and hook boxes to pull them out easily, but I didn't want it to take up a lot of room. This extendable awning hook should do the trick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZDERX0?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details  Bonus: It's great for pulling things out from under our truck's tonneau cover, too. Might even get a second one to keep in the truck.
• Neutral-Ground Bonding Plug. You need something like this so your Oliver's electrical management system doesn't reject your generator power: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F4R7BDL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details 
• Turd Taxi. The Oliver's holding tanks are pretty small. A portable tank allows you to empty your tanks and tow the waste a short distance to a dump station to empty. Size matters. If the portable tank is too small, you can't empty your black tank in a single dump, which you want to do. On the other hand, larger portable tanks are very heavy (8 pounds per gallon of waste water) and harder to transport/store. We settled on this 21 gallon model: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQ1WC72?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details 

• Tool kit. I have several different tool boxes and sets of tools in our fifth wheel. For the Oliver, we'll need something more compact. We're giving this tool set from Harbor Freight a try: https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-set-with-case-130-pc-63248.html?_br_psugg_q=tool+set  These are my first Harbor Freight tools. I've heard good things about them. On first inspection, they don't stand up to my Craftsman, Stanley, and Snap-On tools, but we'll see. It is a pretty comprehensive set and the price was definitely right. 
  
• 1/2" hex wrench. The water inlet fittings on Olivers can be prone to coming loose. A 1/2" hex wrench can tighten them up. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001HW8YYO?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
• Various storage bins, packing cubes, etc. to make storage more efficient in both the Oliver and the bed of the truck. 

We now have the majority of the things we need to pick up our Oliver and start camping in it this summer. One big item we haven't picked up yet is a hitch lock. There are two in consideration, the Fort Knox and the Proven Locks. At the moment, we're leaning towards the Fort Knox due to it's high visibility, better puck lock, and price. We'll update the blog with our decision on that and reviews of the other items listed above as we start putting them all to use this summer.

And, I doubt we're done shopping yet!