Volume 2. Issue 64
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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Page Contents
Quote of the day
“I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” ―
Finding your lane within the full-time RVer lifestyle
Reader Josie B. sent us this article she wrote about full-time RVing and the pros and cons that come along with it. We loved it and wanted to share it with you, our other full-time readers. Do you agree with Josie’s thoughts?
Josie writes:
They say life is like a box of chocolates, but I think life is also like a road trip. It’s full of twists, turns, and the occasional unexpected detour. And for some adventurous souls, that road trip becomes a way of life: full-time RVing. Just like choosing between a scenic mountain route or a speedy freeway, full-time RVing isn’t a one-size-fits-all adventure. It’s the perfect fit for some RVers and not so much for others. Here’s why…
Did you miss last weekend’s RV Travel Newsletters?
If so, here is some of what you missed…
- Now in the U.S.—You must see this 17′ Micro Class B motorhome!
- The sneaky white lies and tricks some RV salesmen use when selling an RV
- A class B RV that won’t break the bank. Revisiting Wayfarer Vans
- I’m looking at getting a Class A RV, but I hear they’re not as safe as a Class C
Features
Some of these articles are from past issues of RVtravel.com and have been updated for this newsletter.
Take an RV trip to ancient ruins—right here in the U.S.!
Wait a minute! Ancient ruins? Here in the U.S.? Yep, you read that right. There are several ancient ruins you can visit! The wonderful thing about RVing to ancient ruins is that they are scattered all over the United States. Here are a few of Gail Marsh’s favorites.
Know Your RV: Sanitize your “new” used RV fresh water tank
In the market for a used RV? That’s how many get into the RV lifestyle. Careful shopping can yield a pre-owned RV for far less than the price of a new rig. In many cases, “new” rigs come with factory-equipped glitches that can take forever to get rid of. Buy used and, hopefully, those problems have been fixed. A thorough inspection is always in order before you buy; but even if you hire the inspection out to a pro, there’s likely one thing you’ll never see: the inside of the fresh water tank. We highly recommend you sanitize your new rig’s tank and fresh water lines! Find out why, and how, here.
Heat stroke in pets can cause death. Know the signs
with Karel Carnohan, DVM
Hot dogs … and cats! Heat stroke is a danger to your pet. Having recently moved to one of the hottest places on Earth (Palm Desert, CA), I am very much aware of the dangers of extreme heat for pets and their owners. It really doesn’t even need to be extreme heat to put your pet at risk. A dog in a car for 10 minutes in 75-degree weather is exposed to temperatures exceeding 120! A dog on a strenuous walk in the sun on a mild day can also fall prey to heat exhaustion. Here are some tips to avoid expensive trips to the vet and even the death of your pet.
Reader poll
Quick tip
Screening out bright light
Pestered by brilliant light shining in their rig windows (including the windshield) but not wanting to go to a “black out” situation, Phil came up with a hit: “I bought some solar screen material like you would use for south-facing windows, cut it to shape (slightly oversized) for the windshield and side windows. My wife hemmed the edges, into which I inserted some flat, round, super-strong magnets. The magnets have no problem holding the screening on the metal body that surrounds the doors and windshield. Now, I can quickly cover all three windows and keep the intense heat buildup under control, no matter which way the rig is facing.” Here are some disc magnets on Amazon.
Make your RV’s bed more comfortable without buying a new mattress
By Nanci Dixon
Finally! I had a good night’s sleep on an RV mattress! RV mattresses are notoriously bad. All you have to do is visit any RV-related Facebook group and read the comments to learn that! We started out with a “premium” factory-installed foam mattress. It was so soft we automatically curled into the fetal position when getting in for the night. It was so uncomfortable that we turned it over to the hard base side. … Read about Nanci’s long search and what she finally found for a good night’s sleep here.
Camp near fossil-finding locations and bring home a piece of history
By Gail Marsh
Do you know a budding paleontologist? We do! Our grandkids love digging, searching, and finding things in the earth. When they recently found “weird-looking marks on a rock” they showed it to me. It was a brachiopod. (We looked it up on the internet.) That’s when a light bulb flashed in my head: Let’s take the grandkids and go RVing for fossils! Learn all about it here.
Around the campfire: Who’s to blame for lack of quality RVs?
Terrible RV quality. This ongoing theme runs rampant throughout RV blogs, forums, social media threads, and (you guessed it) around the campfire. But just who is to blame for the lack of quality RVs? Read what RVers had to say in this discussion around the campfire, as recorded by Gail Marsh.
WAIT! Before you go… Make sure you read today’s brand-new RV Daily Tips newsletter issue. Inside: When it comes to limited RV storage, think vertical, not horizontal • A sneak peek at the new 2024 Winnebago Access 30BH bunkhouse • Andersen trailer jack blocks broke. Why? • RV trip meal (meat) prep for a 5-week family trip • A feel-good way to help beat high fuel prices… and much more!
Featured recipe
Sea’s Salisbury Steak
Sea’s Salisbury Steakby Sea Sun from West Des Moines, IA
This easy homemade Salisbury steak recipe will become a regular in your meal rotation! It’s delicious. The French onion soup adds a rich and robust flavor. This brown gravy has a different flavor than other Salisbury steak recipes since it’s savory with a hint of sweetness.
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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We use a low wattage string of multi-color patio lights on a timer (dusk + 4 hours). They add more glow than anything else. It allows us to walk the dog or participate in a park game night and find our way home when the park has no street lights. We have solar charged, motion detection, walkway lights bolted to the LP tank cover so we don’t mash our knees into the trailer tongue. And another such light at the entrance so we can get the key into the lock. The walkway lights shine a spot at our feet rather than fill the entire site with bright light.
Had one RV neighbor that put a pair of residential flood lights with a motion detector on a 2X4 propped next to the trailer. The motion detector would pick up motion clear across the road and into the opposing site. Pretty much blinded every evening pedestrian or driver from up to 40-50 feet away . I wasn’t a happy camper.
Boondock where you have some space! Then you can leave your lights on or off whatever you like. Seems to me expensive crowded campgrounds breed all kinds of disagreement amongst the occupants just saying.
Be safe enjoy the ride!
We also keep underbelly lights on from dusk to dawn. They are on a photosensor timer, so we no longer think about them, but I agree they help guide us back to our RV when we have to take the dogs for their evening walk. We installed them because of unwanted rodents at a campground that we stayed at for 3 months. The last month of that stay showed us that we didn’t plug up ALL the holes in our RV. So, we redoubled our efforts to plug the holes, used some DeCon outside, and installed the underbelly lights with timer ourselves. No more rodents for over a year and that includes a return trip to that same campground. The light shine down so they don’t bother our fellow campers.
I’m not a fan but my wife insists on putting out a string of blue rope lights around the camper. She insists that it will help keep thieves and such away from the camper at night. It makes her feel safer so what’s a guy to do! One of the reasons I don’t make a big deal about them is that because they are a darker blue so they aren’t super bright and doesn’t badly intrude on the other campers where we go. If they were obnoxious I would be a bit more vocal about it.
People that have their outside lights on all night on their RV do not bother me. When you are inside and in bed with shades down how can lights bother anyone? I turn off my outside lights at night and go to bed but those that leave their lights on do not bother me. Maybe they are using and thinking the lights keep animals, etc. away.
My lights stay on all nite. There is no way I am opening that door if I have to in the middle of the nite to creepy dark. I turn them off once the sun comes up.
Why would you open the door in the middle of the night in creepy dark? Do you go to an outhouse?
I hope to never park in the same campground as you. If you like the light so much just camp in parking lots.
I only use white under chassis led lights. No colors and/or crazy flashing.
Only when Rats and Mice are showing their presence
Other then that we like to look at the stars
I only put on the underbelly led lights. I like the soft hue as well as it helps guide us back to the MH when out and about the resort in the evening. Our lights DO NOT drown out the night sky or shine into another campsite. We too, love to star gaze as well as sit outside around a fire so we try to respect our neighbors. What we do not like is turning on bright porch lights, outside door lighting, LED under awning lighting, etc. Please turn them off once you are done being outside. Thank you.
Thank You!!!
Thank you
Real campground etiquette is slowly fading into the sunset. Examples:
Lighter fluid/gas on a charcoal grill
Scare light on all night
Couples arguing. Giving the campground all your cheating business
Outside TV , hail the gangs all here at midnight
Big dog ,who has never bitten anyone, off leash, licking his chops at you.
Managers who don’t believe in rules. Aka common sense.
Paid for 3 nights, no refunds.
I like the soft lights that some RV’s have underneath the rv but I don’t understand those who turn on the bright lights on the nose of newer 5th wheel RV’s & then go inside for the night. Last year an RV’er who I know asked me about his bright exterior lights. He said that the thought they were “really cool”! I asked why he turned them on then went in for the night. We had been sitting outside enjoying our propane camp fire while watching that night’s super moon rise over the horizon. Our neighbor across the avenue turned his lights on & promptly went inside for the night. The bright lights took away from the experience we sought to enjoy. He failed to understand that part of camping was enjoying the fire & views. He reemphasized how “cool” he thought his lights were but failed to understand what I was telling him. One can’t tell another to turn their lights off so I let it go……..