Volume 2. Issue 60
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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This newsletter is sponsored by our friends at Wholesale Warranties.
Page Contents
Quote of the day
“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” —C.S. Lewis
Are you doing it wrong? Here’s how to correctly perform a zipper merge
By Gail Marsh
I’ll begin with my confession: I’ve been doing it wrong. All wrong. I’ve watched other well-meaning drivers do it wrong, too. I’ve even seen professional truckers block other drivers and prevent them from doing it correctly! Pay attention, RVers! Here’s how to correctly perform a zipper merge.
These are two words that RVers often dread. Road construction often means heavy traffic and slowdowns. Maneuvering an oversized RV through a road construction’s narrowed lanes with merging vehicles can be nerve-wracking. To make things easier for all drivers, a unique merging technique was developed. It’s called a zipper merge.
Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?
If so, here is some of what you missed…
- How absentee RVers are limiting access to boondocking campsites
- When these RVers picked up their RV from the shop, the dealer didn’t even reconnect the brakes… and that’s just the start of it
- Used RV market report: Towables OK, but motorhomes volatile
- Resistance grows against the Bureau of Land Management’s conservation-centric public land rule
Features
Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter.
Found inside a barn, this perfectly preserved RV is an amazing 1955 time capsule
This 1955, 24-foot Boles Aero Ensenada was sitting in the back of a massive barn on a wheat farm in eastern Oregon. This was a real barn find! … Not one piece or part was missing or broken. The original curtains, Venetian blinds, upholstery, knobs, gaskets, and Bakelite handles, were all there. All of it! And even more amazing, each and every item was in perfect condition, including the beautiful birch interior. Read more and check out the pictures here.
Around the Campfire: Plenty of discussion about replacing the RV mattress
By Gail Marsh
One of the “newbies” around the campfire the other night was really out-of-sorts. In fact, he, Matt, admitted to his grumpiness. The cause (according to his wife) was their RV bed. Specifically, their RV bed mattress. “It’s a joke,” Mara said. … Almost everyone around the fire agreed. The mattresses RV manufacturers install are junk. What we didn’t necessarily agree upon was the best way to “fix” this predicament. Here are some comments and suggestions heard around the campfire.
Break in your new generator the right way for long service
By Randall Brink
The small, efficient gasoline generator is a practical necessity for extended RV boondocking or any time spent away from a source of alternating current for energizing appliances and battery charging. I recently switched from a Class A coach with a hefty 7.5 kW Cummins Onan generator to a tiny towable with a single marine deep-cycle battery and no generator. My boondocking plans would require a generator. I wondered what the best way was to break in a new generator so it had a long life. Here’s what I found.
Reader poll
Quick tip
The pros of flat-towing
It just takes a minute to hook up the car for towing (plus a couple minutes of running the engine). We have a much better turn radius while flat towing versus the dolly. I’m not worried about our car falling off the tow dolly and smashing into someone. It’s less stressful knowing we have a Brake Buddy auxiliary braking system that will pump the brakes when we drive downhill and stop the car should it, for whatever reason, detach from the tow bar. Conclusion: Towing flat behind the RV is our clear winner, because we can’t think of any cons. From–Beginner’s Guide to Living in an RV: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Full-Time RVing Across America. Available on Amazon.
Don’t you dare miss today’s brand-new RV Daily Tips newsletter!
If you do, you’ll be missing out big time! Read it here.
This man’s injury is proof you don’t want to camp near a hawk’s nest
When you are camping on their land, nesting animals, including hawks and other birds, view humans as predators, making attacks much more possible. Here are some tips so you don’t get injured like this man did.
How it happened: How Buc-ee’s convenience stores got so famous
RVers see a fair share of roadside pitstops. But one stands above the rest. Far above. That’s Buc-ee’s roadside stores. First, realize that your Buc-ee’s visit will not be your ordinary “fuel-quick-and-get-back-on-the-road” kind of stop! Instead, this roadside mega-store will cause your jaw to drop. Your eyes will go wide, and you may even forget your urgency to locate the restrooms! No, really. “Go big or go home” might be an apt motto for the Buc-ee’s brand. They’ve certainly upped the ante among convenience stores. Read on and you’ll see what Gail Marsh is talking about.
All aboard! The Orient Express vintage trailer is a sight to behold
How can a voyage on The Orient Express inspire someone to create a custom vintage trailer? This 1954 Boles-Aero Montecito was originally purchased new in Burbank, California, where it was manufactured. After several owners, Dave and Billie O’Neel bought the Boles in 2015. Recalling their dream vacation aboard the Orient Express from Venice to Paris, Dave and Billie decided that they wanted to recreate this ambiance in their vintage trailer. Wow! Did they ever!
Featured recipe
Chinese-Style Hamburger Casserole
by Shelley Simpson from Swartz Creek, MI
Easy, easy, easy weeknight casserole recipe. Once you brown the beef, everything else is a breeze. Thanks to the soy sauce and rice it has an Asian feel. Fresh onions and celery add tons of flavor and texture to this hearty casserole. We loved the addition of mushrooms but they can easily be left out if you’re not a fan. This may not be the prettiest dish when served. But, one bite and it will be on your regular dinner menu.
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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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 $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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At 6’6″ I go through life ducking.
Bump my head every once in a while by sticking it inside a space and not pulling it out far enough before starting to raise my head. In other words, totally my own fault. Being mostly bald, my headlight equipped ball cap has saved me more than once from a scalp scrape.
I can’t remember ever hitting my head inside the RV. However outside is a different story. In fact I have started wearing a hard hat while setting up our campsite. I have included the hat with my kit which includes knee pads, disposable gloves, and heavy duty (blue) paper towels.
Da*n near every time! RoadTrek D190P. @#$! low ingress side doors!
Thinking about getting a helmet!
I rarely if ever bump my head INSIDE my RV but outside is another matter. OOFTA!
Exactly what I would have said !!!!
Reference “The pros of flat-towing”. I have been flat-towing for 27 years and have had one incident that was a con. We were stopped at a traffic light in Lincoln City, OR the weld on one side of the baseplate broke and slung the car past me as I was pulling away from the traffic light. Fortunately, no one was in the path of the car as it came to rest against a small tree. Obviously the weld had received severe stress sometime before this incident. I continue to flat tow after a new baseplate was installed.
Interesting, I regularly inspect my tow arms and towing equipment however never thought of the base plate. To inspect it I would need to remove the bumper, guess I will need to pray it doesn’t crack!
No disrespect but full detachment could have been avoided if you had used safety chains and detached toad travel reduced with a breakaway cable.
Somewhere in tow, my hitch pin lost its retainer clip and walked out. I didn’t discover that by observing my Wrangler cruising by but by seeing it at the next fuel stop. The hitch was still in the receiver and my safety chains kept it there. Huge non-event.
And I agree, I consider flat towing far more appealing than dollies and trailers. Flip the tow bar into its stow position and disconnected storage is done. Not quite that easy with tongued devices in the driveway let alone a shallow campsite. Ground clearance is mentionable as well.