Subscribers RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, June 29, 2025

Issue 1215
Ads have been removed in this newsletter
for our much-appreciated volunteer paid subscribers.

Today’s thought 

“Sometimes the most scenic roads in life are the detours you didn’t mean to take.” —Angela N. Blount

Essays and opinions

Forest River slammed by Wall Street Journal; RV media stick heads in sand

In yesterday’s newsletter, our cover story was about a major article last week in which the Wall Street Journal reported on deep-rooted quality control issues within the RV industry—especially at Forest River, the second largest RV manufacturer. The major mainstream media (what remains of it) has historically ignored the RV industry. Now, finally, a major national newspaper has stepped up with an article that should have then resulted in headlines in RV industry publications and in newspapers all over Indiana, where 85 percent of all RVs are made. But guess what? None has written a single thing! Read more, and why this is important.

Are quick-release hose connectors worth having? Oh, yeah!

By Gail Marsh
Setting up in an unexpected downpour of rain was all it took for quick-release hose connectors to become one of hubby’s favorite RV gadgets. Do you use them? We’ve put them on our drinking water hose and black water rinse hose, and they really live up to their name! If you don’t have these, you’ll want them after reading this.

RV awnings are reminiscent of a simpler time in America

By Chuck Woodbury
When RVers think of awnings, most think of a sheltered area outside their RV’s front door. It’s a place to enjoy fresh air without getting soaked from the rain or burned by the sun. For many RVers, it’s also an extra room in an otherwise small living space. Some RVers go to great lengths to furnish their “awning room” with chairs, tables, a rug — all to make the space more inviting. What this area is — if you boil it down — is the equivalent of the old front porch. Continue reading.

How to keep your home safe while you are away

By Dave Helgeson
We all take steps to keep ourselves and our RV safe while on the road. But how many take extra steps to deter burglars from our homes while on the road? Pages have been written about staying safe from crime while RVing. However, little has been written about how to deter burglars from burglarizing your home in your absence while RVing. Full-timers no longer have to worry about a sticks-and-bricks house, but what about the rest of us?

Today’s RV review…
Grand Design Lineage Series M 25TK—A very impressive Class C

By Tony Barthel
Today’s RV review is of the Grand Design Lineage Series M 25TK Class C motorhome. Wait, motorhome? Yep. Grand Design has heretofore only made towable RVs, but the company recently announced that they will be shipping motorhomes. In fact, this is the first example of what the company promises will be a larger line of motorhomes, including Class C and Class B (vans). Continue reading.

Yesterday’s top news for RVers

• Wall Street Journal alleges serious quality flaws in Forest River RVs
• Public lands sales overruled — for now
• Starlink satellite messaging and data available to all carriers’ subscribers this fall
• Some new Starlink customers face up to $750 fee
• Love’s ‘campgrounds’ are popular with RV Travel readers

Read the rest of the news in yesterday’s newsletter here.

RANDOM RV THOUGHT: A flashlight is like magic—a beam of light from your hand. There are plenty of neat devices in this world, but, really, how cool is it that you can hold a small cylinder in your hand and with the flip of a switch or the push of a button it will light up the night? If you were lost in a dark forest, what would you rather have—$1,000 in your wallet or a flashlight in your hand?

Avoid disaster and tighten those valve stems correctly!

By Nanci Dixon
I was adding air to the motorhome tires and was turning and turning the valve stem cap when I realized the cap wasn’t coming off. The stem itself was unscrewing! I figured it out just in the nick of time before I unscrewed the stem all the way. Having had a valve stem come out while on the road, I knew just how bad it could get… Continue reading.

Publisher’s Roadside Journal
The crook who grew up to be a shoe

By Chuck Woodbury
A while ago, at the Carbon County Museum in Rawlings, Wyo., I checked out the display of Big Nose George Parrot, the only man in American history to be turned into a pair of shoes. George was a rustler with a big nose. Somewhere along the line, he met up with the James Brothers, Jesse and Frank. Along with a guy named Dutch Charley, they decided to rob a train. Wait until you read the rest of this story which reads like a tall tale, but which is true!

Pilot turns Southwest Airlines catering truck into incredible RV

By Gail Marsh
Mark Pankey is a Southwest Airlines pilot. He’s also the owner of an RV he built out of (wait for it!) a decommissioned Southwest Airlines catering truck! His may be the only RV in existence equipped with a scissors lift, generally used by airlines to load snacks and beverages into its airplanes. It’s a fascinating story and a truly unique RV, so let’s get into it.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reader learns about dog CPR from RV Travel. Then revives a dog that’s stopped breathing

Dear editor,
I have been a reader of your newsletters for many years now. I have learned so much about RVs! This morning [June 28], thanks to watching your video the other day about doing CPR on a dog, I saved my friend’s dog! Where I live, they have a dock diving pool for the dogs. My friend was swimming her dogs, and the next thing I know she was hollering for me. I went running to the pool and pulled her dog up out of the pool and onto the dock. She was unresponsive and not breathing and I immediately went into CPR on her. She eventually came around and started breathing and seems to be fine! If you could, please direct me to that video again. I would like to share it with my friends! —Mary Masters

Mary, thank you! What a good thing you did!! If that were my little Archie I would have already taken you out to a fine dinner to thank you for being my hero. Our article, as pointed out by reader Warren G, is here. — Chuck

RV electricity
Don’t pay for more solar than you need, part two

By Ken Arnold
This is the second in a series of articles on RV solar system sizing. Before you continue, make sure you read part one to discover just how much power and energy you need. The right answer is “it depends.” How much solar (and battery) capacity you need in an RV varies widely depending on how and where you use your rig, which is very difficult to estimate accurately, but relatively easy to measure… Continue reading.

Genius golf ball trick solves low airflow issue in RV’s A/C

By Gail Marsh
It’s been unseasonably hot and still getting hotter at our current campground in Colorado. Our two air conditioners struggle to keep up. I was cleaning the return air filters (make sure you’re cleaning yours, too) when I noticed something rather odd. The RV’s A/C vent looked different somehow… Continue reading.

Reader poll (and article)
The RV laundry conundrum: Do you/would you remove unattended clothes from washer/dryer?

By Gail Marsh
Perhaps it’s happened to you. You arrive at the campground “wash house” only to find all three washing machines and dryers sitting idle. Before you pat yourself on the back for getting to the machines ahead of your fellow campers, take a look inside the machines. Every washer is full of clean, wet clothes. This is the RV laundry conundrum! What’s an RVer to do?

Take another poll:

• Have you ever experienced food poisoning when RVing?
• Have you ever had a bear wander into your campsite?
• How do you feel about your RVer neighbors hanging out wind chimes?
• What kind of roads do you dislike driving the most?

Sunday giveaway 

How would you like to win this patriotic Bigfoot yard/campsite decor?

How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today by 7 p.m. Pacific time. You can only enter once and after we notify you by email that you won, you have 24 hours to respond.

Click here to enter or see last week’s winner!

RV gadgets and gizmos
Six new RV accessories everyone will want in 2025

By Cheri Sicard
For RV owners, the new model year always brings plenty of gear upgrades and accessories. This season, the focus is on smarter tech, stronger protection, and more convenience inside and out. Here, Ross from RV Tips & Travels shares six innovative RV accessories that promise to solve real-world pain points—no fluff, just practical value.

TODAY IS: National Waffle Iron Day! This is by far our favorite waffle iron. (Yes, we have a favorite!)

Travel destinations
Home run destinations: Visiting MLB stadiums and where to camp nearby

By Gail Marsh
Touring America’s iconic baseball stadiums as you travel is a grand slam for baseball-loving RVers. Plan to tailgate, attend a game, or take a stadium tour at your favorite parks. Major League Ballparks are well worth your visit. Or, if you’re a diehard fan, plan a road trip to visit several parks. Excellent parks are located throughout the U.S. Here’s to home run travel!

Brain puzzle

Quick! Count the number of times that the letter F appears in the following sentence:

“Finished files are the result of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.”

How many did you find?

(Answer below.)

Highlights from this week’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter

• How to wash and wax an RV, plus pro detailing tips
• 16 helpful tips and tricks for your RV kitchen
• Using ketchup to clean your RV’s BBQ grill, plus other tips to keep it like new
• RV gray tank smells worse than black tank? What to do
• Have a loose screw? Here’s how to fix it

In the RV shop with Dustin
How do I prevent an RV LP gas leak?

In this video, we talk about a Facebook post that went viral involving an LP gas leak. Two campers were not aware that their RV had an LP gas leak. One of them lit the propane stove to cook breakfast, and it caused the RV to explode and catch on fire. Read and watch this!

RV tire safety
Sidewall bulge equals bad tire? Probably not

Roger Marble discusses the difference between tire sidewall bulges and depressions, including possible causes, how to get them checked, and when tires need replacing. All that and more here.

Ask Dave

This past week’s questions that Dave answered:

• What is Bar Keepers Friend and where on my RV can I use it?
• Do NOT use WD-40 on these parts of your RV
• Do I need to clean the tree pitch from RV roof before recoating?
• Do I need to change oil in inverter generator as often as recommended?
• With different truck towing capacities listed online, which is correct?

BUMPER SNICKER: Spotted on the rear of a honey wagon tank: “Do you smell bacon? I smell bacon!”

Video of the day
RV nightmare: How to prevent mold on a memory foam mattress

By Cheri Sicard
Memory foam mattresses are a popular way to upgrade RV mattresses. But did you know that mold on a memory foam mattress can turn your RV sweet dreams into nightmares? It’s true that mold issues with memory foam mattresses in RVs can be a common headache. And once memory foam mold issues set in, there is sadly not much you can do besides get rid of that mattress. Don’t let your mattress get moldy!

RVing with dogs
Yes, dogs can get sunburned!

By Gail Marsh
Now that warmer (hotter!) weather is here, you and your furry RV companion are undoubtedly eager to begin this year’s camping adventures, if you haven’t already. Here are some ways to protect your dog from sunburn. Yes, dogs can get sunburned like we do.

Readers’ pet of the day

“Kismet (Chihuahua mix, age 4) has been RVing for three years now since joining our family. Her favorite activity is hiking and jumping on boulders. She loves traversing city streets as well as relaxing on the beach.” —Carol Seithel

• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.

Want to see your pet in this newsletter? Please send us a photo of your pet with a short description. No blurry photos and please do not submit your photo more than once.

Trivia

From the book Word and Phrase Origins by Robert Hendrickson: 

buttercup. Centuries ago, English dairy farmers believed that if their cows ate the little yellow flowers that commonly grew in the meadows the butter they yielded would be colored the same rich yellow. Experience seemed to prove that this was true and so the flowers were named buttercups. Actually, the field buttercup (Ranunculus acris) did improve the quality of Bossy’s output because the flower grows only on good pasture and thus provides good feed.

Sunday funny

Thanks for sending, Max H.! Hilarious!

Did you miss last week’s RVtravel.com newsletter?

Read it here | Back issues

Brain teaser answer:

If you counted three, you’re not alone. Most people said three. There are actually six! So why do so many people miss the “f” in “of?” First, the f in “of” makes a v sound, so we might not process it the same way we would otherwise. And second, we read the word “of” so often we process the two letters as one unit. Fascinating, huh?

Vintage postcard of the week

Postcards owned by Colleen and Ed Weum, Pacific Northwest Postcard Club. Read more about their 90,000 postcard collection here.

Today’s weather forecast across the nation
THIS MAP UPDATES TWICE A DAY

Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
Current fire and smoke map from AirNow

Headed on an unfamiliar highway? Learn if it has low bridges you might not fit under.

And finally… Songs from the past
Vintage Fourth Of July Playlist | Old Time Radio

RVtravel.com All Star Team

Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.

Our policy on using artificial intelligence.