It’s hard to believe I’ve been on the road as a full-time RVer for 28 months now. And, harder still, to believe it’s taken me this long to write an Oliver Travel Trailer Review. I’d planned on writing this post at my one-year anniversary as a nomad. When that came and went, I had it on the schedule for the 18-month and then the two-year anniversary. In the end, I’m writing about it now. Just some random day along the road. But, at least after 28 months, I feel I can make these assessments with confidence.

Although you can do the math, let me say here that for this Oliver Travel Trailer review, I own the 2017 Elite II model. Each year, Oliver makes changes and adjustments. It’s possible that some of the items on this list as well as the next two weeks’ lists (5 more things I hate and 12 things I love) are no longer the same on newer models. Likewise, they may not be the same on older models either.

I started these posts with the more general topic of fiberglass trailers. In this Oliver Travel Trailer review, I’m talking about things I hate. Therefore, I wanted to fully explain my thinking and it takes a lot of words. So, the post needed to be divided between two weeks. The first six things I hate are here. And, next week, I’ll finish my thoughts with five more things I hate about my molded fiberglass trailer. And to properly balance things out, that post will be followed by the many things I love about the Oliver trailer.

To be fair, a few of the items on this list, I knew about before I made the decision to purchase the trailer. So, they weren’t things I discovered after the purchase but, rather, things I continue to hate.

Round Walls

This was my number one con of molded fiberglass trailers last week. And last week wasn’t the first time I talked about it. Still, I cannot create an Oliver Travel Trailer review without mentioning it again. The lack of square corners means you cannot optimize space in the overhead cabinets. Lack of flat walls means there are a limited number of places for artwork or space-saving gadgets like spice racks or knife magnets.

Uncomfortable/Cannot Convert Dining Table

Again, a repeat from last week. When you have a fiberglass trailer there are some things the structure itself dictates. As a full-timer who spends a good deal of time on the computer, I’d love nothing more than a comfortable, functional work space. Between the dining table, my bed with a mini desk as well as an outside foldable desk, I make do. But, oh, how I long for a desk with work space and storage and a back-supporting cushiony office chair.

Lack of Storage—Inside and Out

This “hate” is probably more noticeable to me as a full-time RVer. I’m sure people with a sticks-and-brick home base who take their trailer out for road trips don’t notice this nearly the way I do. But when you carry your entire life with you, space is king.

And this isn’t a case of needing to downsize more.

In an RV bathroom. The tiny window is on the bottom half while the black door of a tiny cabinet is above. In this Oliver Travel Trailer review, the cabinet is much too small to hold all that's needed.
The little cabinet door above the bathroom window is 14 inches wide. Its the only place for your toiletries. Heck, my shampoo bottle won’t even fit in there.

For example, I have an Instant Pot that won’t fit in any cabinet in my trailer. For a while I kept it on the bathroom floor. An Oliver wet bath is bigger than many other molded fiberglass trailers’ wet baths so there was still room to get in there. Turns out, I didn’t use the Instant Pot often enough to justify taking up that space. So, I moved it to the closet. The closet is actually decent space but it’s awkward. And if it’s full, getting the appliance in and out was a pain. Now, the Instant Pot travels in the van, in the passenger’s footwell. I don’t use it often enough for it to bother me that much but, still, it would be nice to have kitchen appliances in the rig.

Another example is in the bathroom where there is the tiniest of cabinets. That’s it for storage. It means bathroom items are piled on the floor around the toilet. I keep mine in little bins to prevent things from tipping over during travel. Then I have two bins of bathroom things above dining table and the first-aid kit (which I consider a bathroom item) lives in the closet. I know other owners, for example, who keep their toothbrushs and toothpaste in a kitchen drawer.

That’s the inside, but the outside storage it limited to one small bay that runs the width of the trailer but that only opens on one side. It’s a lengthy space but, even so, it isn’t large enough to keep the bins with everything I need for setting up at a camping spot (blocks, hoses, cords, wheel covers, etc. I end with some items in the bay and another big bin in the van.

Wet Bath and No Oven

Even though I knew both of these walking into the purchase, it doesn’t mean I can’t still hate them. Mostly, I feel like I have figured out a work-around. I generally stay at RV parks which have bathhouses so end up showering there.

The wet bath can still be a pain just because it’s so small which means no storage for bathroom items. And many people use their shower as a place for a laundry basket or a cat box because it is separate from the toilet but that’s not an option in a wet bath unless you want to move the items each time you need to use the bathroom.

My workaround for the lack of oven is multifaceted. In sticks-and-bricks, things like frozen dinners I would make in the oven rather than the microwave because I thought they tasted better. Obviously, now those go in the microwave. I also use my air fryer with regularity as I’ve discussed many times before. I have a tiny one and I’ve decided when it needs replaced, I’m going to go with something bigger. That’s how often it’s used. Finally, on occasion, something that is supposed to get baked in an oven, I can cook on the stove top.

I’ll be honest, though I don’t like being without an oven, it isn’t so bad. But that said, some days, I really miss the roasted vegetables I used to make. And, now and again, I wish I could make a casserole.

Condensation

Along the way, I have learned there are things you can do to mitigate moisture problems. Of course, I truly wished I’d understood this the day I moved into my Oliver. Instead, I learned it 30 days later when I found mold covering the bottom of my brand new, expensive mattress.

The nature of fiberglass is that is doesn’t breathe the way, say, wood or other RV material might. There’s nothing to be done but I hate that every time I change my sheets, I need to allow several additional hours to flip over the mattress and blast it with the space heater to ensure it’s completely dry.

Close up on the back side of a white mattress dotted with black mold spots.
30 days after picking up my trailer, I found this disgusting mold on the bottom of my mattress.

The moisture problem has made many appearances on the Oliver Facebook group and forum. I even noticed that with the current year’s model, Oliver now offers a mattress liner to help with the problem. (The link is to a different brand; mine is Hpervent Aire-Flow but they are similar.) One note: I also have the same liner and, while it helps, I still end up with a moist underside of the mattress during the winter months and when I’m in humid climates.

Oliver Travel Trailer Review: The Dark Spot

When I first picked up my Oliver Travel Trailer, I did a long (words and photos) post introducing it to the world. One of the things I commented on was how incredible it was to me that a trailer as small as it was had so many lights. There are three sets of lights outside, four if you count the one on the electric jack post. On the inside there are airplane runner lights near the floor, lights inside the cabinets, individual lights over each bed (it would be each side of the bed for those who choose the King bed option). A lot of lights.

Photo of the hook referenced in article. A starfish on the wall above.
My poor solution to the entry way dark spot which is most noticeable when trying to use the bathroom door mirror. A battery-operated light.

So, it’s almost in disbelief that I report one of my “hates” is a dark spot in the trailer. It’s near the entry door. I wouldn’t say I notice it when I’m going in and out at night because the outside light, once the door is open, makes for plenty of illumination.

How and why I notice it is because using the bathroom door mirror at night is almost impossible due to lack of light. The overhead light isn’t enough. The dining room light isn’t enough. The bathroom door is closed to use the mirror so the bathroom light doesn’t offer any help.

It drives me crazy.

My solution? And it’s not a great one. But I have a small battery-operated LED hanging bulb that lives on the hook between the bathroom and closet doors. When I need more light, I turn that on.

Why might there not be a light above the door? See number one on this list. Yep, no flat space. The door entry way follows the same curve as inside the cabinet.

To read about five more things about my Oliver Travel Trailer review of the things I hate, click here. And to balance things out here is 12 things I love about my Oliver Travel Trailer. In the meantime, what do you hate about your trailer or RV?

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