Issue 1071 • March 21, 2019
Welcome to another fabulous edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here, you’ll find helpful RV-related, and small-space living, tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate your readership.
If you shop at Amazon, would you use one of the links below to do your shopping? The link in the blue bar above also works. Thanks.
U.S. shoppers: Shop at Amazon.com
Canadian shoppers: Shop at Amazon.ca
QUICK TIPS
Do-it-yourself kingpin lock
With commercial kingpin locks costing upwards of $40 or $50, I thought I’d make my own. You can too!
Take a length of angle iron, cut kerfs into it so it will bend nicely, fit it to your kingpin, drill two holes, buy a lock and you’re done.
Nothing will stop a determined thief, but this would certainly be a deterrent and will prevent someone from just hooking up and driving away with your fifth wheel RV. Leaving your slides out, when possible, would also be a great deterrent to having someone steal your rig.
Thanks again to George Bliss for his frequent (and valuable) contributions!
Keep your shoes (and floor…and suitcases) clean by putting shower caps over them. It’s the best trick to keep the dirt out of your luggage and storage. Have a lot of shoes? Here’s a 100-pack of shower caps on Amazon for less than $7.
Stay for free at more than 700 wineries and farms
With a Harvest Hosts membership, you can stay overnight at more than 700 wineries, farms, breweries, etc., for free! Harvest Hosts offers an alternative to traditional campgrounds, where members can meet interesting people, taste great wines, eat fresh produce and stay in peaceful settings. (RVtravel.com recently stayed in a blueberry orchard.) Save 15 percent by using code HHFRIENDS15 at checkout. Learn more.
MORE QUICK TIPS
Keep mice out of the RV
RV rodents are unwelcome guests. Here’s one of several tips to deal with the unwelcome marauders, courtesy of loveyourrv.com. “Fashion metal rings out of sheet metal and place on the ground around tires and jacks. Make them tall enough so mice can’t get over – usually around eight inches will do the trick.”
Bugs in the awning track
It’s an unusual situation, but if it happens to you, it’s sure to be in the “drive you nuts” file. Here’s the story from Jeff-Z.com: “Some sort of mud-nest-building critter kept making a mess in the accessory track of the awning roller tube. So I stuck an earplug in each end of the track. An earplug needs to be removed when we set up our Carefree Sunblocker. But the earplugs are disposable and easy to get in and out.”
Do you have a tip? Send it to Russ (at) rvtravel.com
WEBSITE OF THE DAY
Why I hope to die at 75
What is a healthy life expectancy? How does age affect creativity? This isn’t a website but it’s an interesting article about why one man thinks he should die at the age of 75 and what that means for his life and our world.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
Q: What did the sick chickpea say?
A: I falafel.
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY.
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Become a Member!
This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Thursday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you! IF YOU APPRECIATE THIS NEWSLETTER and others from RVtravel.com, will you please consider pledging your support? Even a single contribution of $10 or $20 is appreciated. Many readers set up an ongoing contribution, typically $5 to $10 a month. Your contributions make it possible for us to produce more than 250 highly informative newsletters every year. Learn more or contribute.
Join us: Facebook • Twitter • YouTube.
RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Mike Sokol, Greg Illes, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising director: Emily Woodbury. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
ADVERTISE on RVtravel.com and/or in this newsletter. Contact Emily Woodbury at advertising(at)RVtravel.com.
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.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2019 by RVtravel.com
Sorry but the mice hack won’t work. Mice can jump higher than 8”. They can jump out of a 5 gal bucket ( check you tube mouse bucket trap)
Not if you put water in bucket
I’ve never seen a bucket shaped and sized to put RV tires inside, much less while it’s on the RV. Lol
Roll flashing not sure how you hold it together to be able to remove it. Hard to store when moving, lots of sharp edges. Guess best for when putting in storage long term
Using a solid piece of tin at the top instead of the cans or cardboard works great and filling the bucket with old used antifreeze for winter use in campers stored a long time at campgrounds. I caught 16 in one winter alone
We get our books at garage sales, much cheaper than even thrift stores. My wife can go thru 4 to 7 books in a week, myself not so much. I would rather pay 10 to 50 cents each than the cover price.
Very interesting article about “Why I want to die at 75”. A lot of what the author talks about makes sense. Thanks for sharing.
It’s obvious you are quite a ways away from 75, my wife and I are over 75 and are in good health (especially for our age) and remain very active. Age is a number, if you’re afraid of numbers then maybe you and the author of this article will be laying down to die at 75. We got married 2 3/4 years ago and look forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary. We do not accept the theory that because we reach a certain age we should quit enjoying life. We recently returned from a 5 month trip to south Texas and plan on another 5-6 month trip to Fl. next winter plus maybe a couple more short trips this summer. If you accept the authors theory I feel sorry for you, stay active and don’t listen to what these “experts” say, LIVE.
I agree with Ezekiel Emmanuel except 80 is my croak point. And when I do finally die, I hope it’s before I’m too ill or weak to still take care of myself and I die either quietly in my sleep or by getting hit by a speeding bus driven by Sandra Bullock.
I only read e-books now. Dead tree books cost too much, are too bulky to carry around, are a waste of perfectly good trees, and take up too much room after they’ve been read (I keep my books since I will eventually reread many of them).
I disagree with hoping to die at a specific age. There is always something new to see and learn. In 7 weeks I’ll be 80, my doctor who is 57 said he wished his labs were as good as mine, which are excellent. Nobody has ever thought I’m the age I am. I’ve been told I look amazing, OMG, I thought you were in your 50s, are you KIDDING me? etc. A few years ago I was sitting in the car waiting for my husband who was in the bike repair shop arranging to leave his Harley for some work when a guy walked in and said “I sure wish I had that little school girl ridin’ on the back of my bike” so my husband said, “I don’t think so, she rides on the back of mine”. We never think of death, we’re always making plans for the future. Remember…dead is forever!!!
And how do you think Sandra Bullock is going to feel about that?
I’ve been a full-time RVer for 12 years, am always concerned about extra weight in my rig, and love to read. Many RV parks have a book exchange library – leave one, take one. That works!
Already 75 and still going strong. Work out an keep busy is clue to longer life. My eyes cannot take the ebooks so library, garage sales & trailer parks library’s keep me going.
I’m exactly the opposite. The Kindle screen is easy on my eyes and I can greatly enlarge the type.
Both my wife and I get virtually all of our books through internet sites like BookBub, etc. most of them free or very low cost. If we are looking for a particular book we go through amazon.com. Sometimes our local library.
Buy shower caps to cover shoes in luggage? I re-purpose plastic bags from the store for this, they are free.
Until the plastic police take away the plastic bags but then they will take away the plastic shower caps also…guess you can’t win!
Most libraries have a digital library. I can check out 5 books/audiobooks at a time through my “home” library (we are full timers). I love to listen to stories as we drive down the road or go on long hikes.
But you have to keep up with your library card. Mine has expired and I haven’t had time to walk into the library , show ID and then get it renewed. Plus I am fighting mine about some library fines I have no idea where they came from. So screw the library go to Amazon and get them for free.
A few years ago my father told me he was going to live to be 100, and then get shot by a jealous husband.
Excellent group of “tips” today. I like the kingpin lock, will try the earplug trick this spring, and I can vouch for the anti mouse rings. I used to have a small plane and mice were a constant threat. Another pilot showed me how to wrap rolled flashing into a ring and place it around the landing gear. 18+ years and no mice in the plane. They were in everything else but could not deal with the metal despite small gaps at the bottom with uneven asphalt.
In his graph he showed 1st contribution starting at 23ish and ending at 60. Most of us were “contributing” long before that and after that, at least in my case. And in any case I have earned my non contributing time. I get to read things I had no chance to read and see things I was too enslaved to see. I can also begin to set aside those temporal things and dwell more on the spiritual. Hopefully, he will change his attitude when he grows up.
I agree with you John. Three years ago at age 72 my wife and I sold our house, put everything is storage and started full time RVing. I designed a website, http://www.urkeytoheaven.org, that explained how you can know without a doubt that you will go to heaven when you die, and put it on a big sign on the back of the RV that said “Heaven Or Hell” “It’s Your Choice”. Everywhere we go thousands of people see the sign and can visit the website for assurance. At 75 I am still able to minister to others and you can too.
I agree with you as well. As a retired home health nurse I have long felt that it is not until 85 that I saw old age affecting all patients. Some had illnesses and old age symptoms long before that and many were still vitally active after that but showed the signs of aging that changed their behavior and routines. Based on that I have often said I’d like to die at 85 but my caveat is that it is really that I want to die when my life becomes a burden to my loved ones and when I feel it isn’t worth living anymore. (I also say the day I don’t learn something is the day I want to die.) . Having worked in a war zone and with Hospice, death does not scare me. I respect it. It is as much a part of our life as being born and the ONLY sure thing from the moment we are conceived.
The graph also bothered me as at 45 I had my child after years of working as a relief nurse overseas, and in various arenas here in the US (not all of them safe or pleasant.) . Since 45 I have raised, with my husband a wonderful and compassionate and active young man and do/did not see a lessening of my contributions to community or any other realm.
Lastly, his reasoning for opposing euthanasia (regardless of whether one is for or against) is utter BS. Perhaps he should work with someone suffering from ALS, or Alzheimers, or incurable cancer-people suffering constant debilitating pain that renders them immobile. Depressed? Yes, some are although in my experience most are more vital than many healthier beings but they have also been dreadfully concerned with the burden they are to their loved ones, desperate to get rid of the pain that is with them 24/7 and mostly aware that things will only get worse until they die.
I ,too, hope he’ll change his attitude when he grows up.
Mr. Emanuel’s article is well thought out and reflects my current situation as I’m 72 and watching my mother of 96 experience failing health basically due just to old age. Not only are we dealing with her reaction to this failing (basically denying that this faling is normal) , but coming to terms with my own slow decrease in certain areas of functionally. After watching my mother, I am concerned about causing stress on my children as I age. Great article!
Book Bub, freebooks, 2 day – never buy another book; have them on my
Kindle. FREE! Go to Amazon and sign up.
I have 6 links of E Books suggestions that come to my emails every day. Amazon has a lot of free books and I pick them up when it looks interesting. Now to read them all. Need to retire just to listen not read the audibles. Happy reading.
the article on hoping to die at 75 is disturbing. I am not talking about the particular number, I am talking about the underlying philosophy. As long an one takes a breath, God has a purpose for your LIFE. We should use our time however long it is, working toward fulfilling whatever it is He wants you to do.
Re: buying books. I buy books online for my Kindle eReader. I haven’t bought an actual book for at least 7 years.
Area grocery store chain has discount on paperbacks.
I down load books free to my Kindle from the Library System~ love it!
If I want a specific book I check the website Abebooks.com, which often has what I am looking for. They sell used books, often for $3-4 each. Sometimes they come with a library label on them so I imagine libraries sell their extras on this site. Shipping is very cheap or free.
Our local library has an App called Libby, you can down load it to your cell phone. As long as we have internet, I can go on line to our library and download audio books to my cell and listen to them while driving. Or using our local library using a “CW/MARS” , click on a book you want to read and it sends us to Amazon and we can download it to either of our Kindles for free for up to 21 days
The Mrs. loves being able to enlarge the print and the adjustable back light on her Kindle
A website called Bookbub sends a newsletter everyday with offerings of free and low cost books. If something strikes my fancy I buy it (mostly the free ones). I have discovered some great authors through them that I probably wouldn’t otherwise have tried. Of course the library is always great for downloading books. I have about a half dozen of my favorite real books in the RV and keep a couple of paperbacks incase I see one I want to read at a campground and exchange for.
About 50 years ago a then-boyfriend mentioned that he didn’t want to die of “old age.” I had never thought about that concept before. (BTW — He got his wish.) I just don’t want to outlive my good health and physical/mental abilities and be a burden on my family. —Diane at RVtravel.com
Beneful dog food containers with holes punched in them ,(use a paper punch). Place half doz’ Moth Balls in container ,put lid on and place in all basement compartments. Use Irish Spring bar soap (0r a knock off) in the same type containers ,inside the RV ! In storage I just throw a few Moth Balls under the coach. Never had rodent problems since doing these things .Hope this helps .
P.S. Also a good Idea to fill any holes in the coach where rodents could enter, our first fifth wheel had BIG gaps around the landing gear legs where they went thru the bottom or the coach A stapler and some metal window screen stopped that problem, then used spray can of foam insulation to keep the Wind out!
Re: Books – we buy from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, so I wasn’t able to provide just one answer for you.
I listen to books. Most come from Audible (Amazon), but some come from the library to my phone.
The authors perspective is easy to see if you are far from 75. Though quality of life is as important as quantity of life, as he approaches 75, I would be interested to see if he also finds it difficult to “just let go”.
Library
What an insightful & inspired article from Mr Emanuel.
Makes total sense and should make all couples to have this discussion with their mates
Quality should always trump quantity.
It should also be noted that the cost of health care, as you becomes a financial burden to not just the person or family but the whole health system. How many seniors have a hard time just paying for their meds now and at what cost do we say enough.
My wife & I will have this conversation so that we’re on the same page moving forward. This conversation should also lead to…..what do you do with your R.V. when one of the spouses dies?
I understand that these are uncomfortable topics but nevertheless need to happen, so that there aren’t any surprises moving forward into the future.
Thanks again for the great article