Volume 2. Issue 14
Welcome to the Full-Time RVer Newsletter, published every other Wednesday by RVtravel.com. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and full-time RV living tips from the pros, travel advice, and anything else of interest to full-timers or those who aspire to be. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.

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Quote of the day

“The glories of a mountain campfire are far greater than may be guessed.” —John Muir

When arguing, two people can both be right

By Chuck Woodbury
What do you see in this illustration? Do you see a wine glass? Or do you see something else? You might see something different than what I see.

At first, I saw a wineglass. Then I stared at the illustration for a while and then, in a split second, I saw something entirely different! After I saw that new image, it was hard to see the wine glass again.

This illustration taught me a lesson long ago. I once knew a person who saw the world differently than me. To me, this person usually dwelled on every little problem that came along: I have always been the opposite. Where this person saw problems, I either saw nothing or saw obstacles that were easily overcome. If a giant boulder were to roll in the middle of the road in front of us, this person would experience great anguish at the obstacle and would often say something like, “Why does this always happen to me?” – as if there were a cosmic force at work. In the same situation, I would immediately look for a way around the boulder. No problem.

Continue reading for a valuable lesson, and learn why it’s especially important for full-time RVers living together.

Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?

If so, here is some of what you missed…
• Why RV park owners don’t want every site occupied
• Canadian snowbirds find creative way to get RVs across the border despite it being closed
• Amazon invades RV manufacturing capital: Will RV workforce jump ship? 
• Campground Crowding: Last week’s comment sparks debate: Are we campers or travelers? 

PLUS: Our latest RV Travel Podcast, hosted by Scott Linden.
This episode:
Save your life with Mike Sokol’s hard-won advice and horror stories about RV electrical systems. Also, who’s fooling whom when it comes to the national RV inventory … an on-the-ground report from the nation’s biggest RV show and dealer lots.

Features

Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter. 

Stranded on the side of the road, should you trust a stranger’s help?

By Nanci Dixon
One of our first RV trips in our renovated, newly rebuilt, Class C RV was to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Long story short, the motorhome quit on a long, desolate, two-lane highway literally in the middle of nowhere. No cars, no towns, pre-cell phone… we were stuck. After a long while, a pickup truck whizzed by before we could hop out to stop it. Thankfully, he turned around to offer his help. My husband explained which part had burned up and, amazingly, the man had just picked up that part at the junkyard. Too good to be true? I wondered… Read this incredible story.

Rust: How to prevent it from damaging your RV

Left unchecked, rust can quickly ruin more than just your RV’s look. Rust has the potential to make your rig unsafe as well. Gail Marsh lists the causes of rust and its potential damage, how to prevent it, and how to get rid of it, here.

Dump your holding tanks from inside your RV

What modification have you made to your RV that has had the most positive impact on your RV lifestyle? For RVtravel.com publisher Chuck Woodbury it’s a device that allows him to dump his RV’s holding tanks without ever stepping outside his RV. All he needs to do is flip a switch in his bathroom. That’s it. Read about how this works for him and could for you, too! Learn more.

Protect your RV’s slideout with this rubber seal lubricant
If you don’t take care of your slideout you’re asking for problems, including costly water damage. This Thetford rubber seal lubricant prevents fading, cracking and deterioration. It cleans, conditions and shines, keeping seals flexible and protected from sunlight damage. Also use on door and window seals. The mineral oil product acts as a lubricant. Learn more or order.

Don’t miss today’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter! Tons of good stuff inside! Read it here.

Reader poll

Do you miss living in a sticks-and-bricks home?

Respond here, please.

Quick tip

Five-fingered hitch ball cover

Tommy Molnar says he read in all different RV sites and blogs about how to cover your hitch ball when not towing: plastic thingies with magnets inside, tennis balls slit to fit, even the ones you buy at RV supply places (that you can’t get on or off in the cold). Tom says, “Well, you know those boxes of ‘rubber’ gloves you buy at Costco? I keep several boxes around all the time – in my shop, in the garage and in our tow vehicle. I use them for everything to keep my hands from getting dirty, greasy or wet. I always put one over my hitch ball as soon as we unhitch. I can even get more than one use out of one. But even if I only use it once, it’s SO cheap it doesn’t matter. However, it doesn’t keep me from banging my knee from time to time. It just keeps me clean, and the ball, too, if I happen to drive somewhere on a gravel road.” A high-five to Tommy for this tip!

Nite Ize Gear Ties – essential for your RV toolbox

Your RV’s toolbox should have some string, some duct tape, a set of bit drivers, a hammer and some WD-40. Let me suggest one more thing you should always have – a set of Nite Ize Gear Ties. The Nite Ize Gear Ties are reusable rubber twist ties that have a soft, grippy rubber coating and some sort of metal inside that allows you to bend and flex them over and over into whatever shape you need. Continue reading why Tony Barthel likes these so much.

RVing the U.S. Civil Rights Trail: Top destinations

Expand a National Parks bucket list by traveling the United States Civil Rights Trail. The past year or so has been unprecedented with regards to social and political unrest. It was a year where the lessons learned should not be forgotten, and one of the best ways to not forget is to learn more. There are more than 100 sites to visit on the Civil Rights Trail in 15 states, mainly across the south. Continue reading.

Your assignment

What advice would give an aspiring full-time RVer?

From the editors: We asked our readers this question. Here is one response: 

“Once you become a full-time RVer, you, your loved ones and pretty much everything you own (except maybe for that storage space you still need to clean out) will be rolling down the road in search of adventure. But that also means you’re just one traffic accident away from losing some or all of it. So if you’ve never driven a big rig before, or towed a 20+ foot trailer, whatever you do, make sure you know how to drive it safely by taking a hands-on class.

“Also, RVs conjure images of carefree 24/7 living-like-you’re-on-vacation. But the reality is, RVs require maintenance and lots of it, especially if you live in it full-time. So make sure you learn how to take care of your new land yacht so it can take care of you and your new lifestyle.

“Finally, if you’ve recently downsized from a sticks-and-bricks house or apartment, you will be tempted to bring far more with you than you actually need and to stuff every cabinet and storage bay with all your ‘must-haves.’ Now, an overcrowded house or apartment is merely that – overcrowded. But an overloaded RV is a recipe for disaster: Tires can pop, suspensions or axles can break, your tow vehicle’s engine, brakes or rear axle can fail, etc., perhaps even while you’re zipping down the interstate at 60-70 mph. Not a pretty picture! So, by all means get your new RV, and all the stuff you just crammed into it, properly weighed by people who are trained to do it right.

“Don’t get me wrong. RVing is incredibly fun and the feeling of freedom it gives you is simply priceless; but with great fun comes great responsibility. Be smart, be prepared, and pass along what you’ve learned to the next generation. We’re all on the same roads together!” —Warren Dawkins

10 Best-selling products from Amazon on RVtravel.com in September
Here at RVtravel.com we recommend a lot of products to you. If we know something works for our RV or someone else’s RV, we tell you about it. Just about every Amazon ad you see on our website has been tested by one of our staff members or someone we know. If we think something doesn’t work, is poorly made, or is just boring, we won’t recommend it. We like cool stuff, exciting stuff, neat stuff! Here are the top 10 best-selling products on RVtravel.com from Amazon for September.

Featured recipe

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
by Kim Wiese from Rockwall, TX

The aroma of this chicken soup while cooking makes you practically giddy to fill up your bowl and give it a try! It’s creamy and filled with Southwest flavor. Easy to make, this is guaranteed to warm ya up on a cold night.

This sounds delicious! Get the recipe.

If you want to have a wonderful day, send $10, $50 or $100 to a local food bank. There are millions of our fellow citizens, including little kids, who are going hungry because their parents lost their jobs. You will feel so good if you contribute — helping people less fortunate than you go to bed without the pain of an empty stomach. Here’s where to donate.

RVtravel.com Staff

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Mike Gast. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, James Raia, Kate Doherty, Randall Brink, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, and Chris Epting. Podcast host and producer: Scott Linden. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Linda Brady. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.

Honorary Correspondents: Loyal readers who regularly email us leads about news stories and other information and resources that aid our own news-gathering efforts.
Tom and Lois Speirs • Mike Sherman • George Bliss • Steve Barnes • Tom Hart + others who we will add later. 

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.

RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.

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