Thoughts on an Oliver Legacy Elite II after three weeks of full-time camping
Overall, an outstanding travel trailer
A little over three weeks ago, we jumped into the deep end of RV travel when we skipped doing two separate two-week warm-up camping trips and instead headed out on a 3-4 month full-time adventure instead. As I write this, we have completed 22 nights in our Oliver Legacy Elite II, Hull #961.
Some standard features we absolutely love:
Overall quality and features. We bought the Oliver for its quality construction and high-end features and after three weeks of travel and living in it full-time, it’s been one of our favorite aspects of the trailer. By this, we mean collectively all the standard features throughout the trailer. We are proud to call it home and despite being small, it’s extremely comfortable. The all white interior makes it feel bright, clean and bigger than it it otherwise would and the quality is as though it was built by Tesla or Space X. I tell everyone that the Ollie is what you would expect Tesla to build if they got into travel trailers.
Rear bumper sewer hose storage. As the owner of the Kleen Tank Tennessee dealership, I deal with RV sewer pipes all the time. I’ve not yet seen a sewer pipe exit an RV anywhere other than on the street side of an RV except on the Ollie. (I’m sure there are some, I just haven’t encountered them yet.) On the Ollie, the sewer exit and hose storage are in the aluminum bumper and this has proven to be very nice. Clean, neat and convenient.
The twin bed floor plan. While we would prefer to sleep together in a Queen, the twin bed floor plan option has given us so much more space and it looks great. It also makes making the beds easy.
Closet and pantry. These have both proven to be plenty spacious and well-designed.
110 volt AC, 12 volt DC and USB outlets. These are placed in logical locations with a sufficient number installed.
Frosted cabinet doors. Our favorite interior lighting option is to keep the overheads off but to use the cabinet lights for a softer look. If we had the black cabinets, this would not be possible.
Optional features we could not live without and would recommend to ALL potential buyers of this trailer:
2022 Power Package Option for Legacy Elite II. For our model year, this was called the Lithium Pro Package — lithium batteries (390 AH), 340 watt solar panels with a Zamp solar charge controller, a Micro-Air Easy Start for A/C, a d a 3000 Watt Xantrex Pro inverter. When we stop at rest areas for lunch, we can use the AC, coffee maker and microwave (not all at once) using just the onboard lithium battery power. Pretty awesome. And if there is short shore power interruption, the trailer continues to operate normally just like a notebook computer does when you lose AC power and it switches to battery.
Aluminum front basket. I use this for my three-stage water filter and softener along with freshwater hoses and wheel chocks. It could be used for most anything, and on a small trailer, storage space is at a premium.
Backup camera. My wife and I comment all the time that this is an absolute safety ‘must have’ option. While the visibility we get from the mirrors of our 2013 F-150 Platinum is excellent, to know with certainty we are clear to change lanes, or so see what’s behind us when backing up, is invaluable.
Electronic Keypad. We have never used the key. It’s simply unimaginable to us to have to have a set of keys on us once we’ve set up camp and aren’t driving anywhere.
Truma AquaGo ® Comfort Tankless Water Heater with electric antifreeze kit. We have an on-demand water heater back at home, so we wanted one in the trailer. After a long, hot day of being outside, it’s nice to know you can take as long a shower as you want to as long as you’re hooked up to city water. If you intend to take advantage of the Oliver’s 4-season capability, then this is a must-have have for camping in freezing temps. You don’t have to winterize the heater at all!
Shower track and curtain. The wet bath is tolerable because our toilet isn’t getting all wet when we use the shower. Wiping down the sink, counter and walls is easy with a chamois given the water is contained to this area. To have to go and wipe down the toilet too would not be fun. This really should be a standard feature.
Optional features we could live without, but highly recommend:
KTT mattress option. These Talalay latex mattresses are simply outstanding and just like the Saatva Zenhaven mattress we have at home. If you are unfamiliar with Talalay latex, read this. They are firm. If you prefer a soft mattress, these will not be for you.
Second 30 amp shore connection on curb site. This is the side I use when parked at home, so it’s been invaluable to us. I didn’t have to buy a longer cable for use at home nor do I have to run a longer cable under the trailer all the way to the other side.
Street side awning. We’re really pleased with this option as it helps keep the temps cool when the sun is beating down. It also keeps rain out if the screens are open. Just be advised that these Girard awnings have an automatic retract feature when the wind picks up. Sometimes it would be nice to have them out, but the wind prevents it. You could, of course, override this feature at your own risk. We don’t.
Auto drain. More appropriately called an electric gray tank back flow preventer valve, instead of having a pull handle at the foot of the toilet where the shower curtain would block it, we simply use a rocker switch in the closet. Very convenient. Note to Oliver Travel Trailers: What would be incredible would be to have three electric rocker switches inside the cabin that would open this valve as well as the gray and black tank like high-end motor coaches have. Right now, you have to open the outside wet bay door to access the black and gray tanks and it’s not possible to leave the gray open without leaving the bay door open as well. Inconvenient to say the least, But electric controls would be a great combo with the sewer discharge being in the bumper. Dump on demand from inside!
This post will be updated from time to time as our journey continues. Please be sure to comment and share!