Monday, October 28, 2019
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.
Page Contents
If you are not already receiving an email reminder about each new issue of this newsletter, sign up here.
Today’s thought
“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.” —Dodinsky
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Chocolate Day!
• Did you miss our Sunday recap of all important news for RVers from last week? Click here to read it.
• Oh, and if you missed Mike Sokol’s RV Electricity Newsletter, also published yesterday, it’s here.
Tip of the Day
RVing in cold weather
If you’ll be using your RV this winter in areas where the temperature can dip pretty low, here are some tips from the RV Industry Association about how to RV efficiently.
• Check your water system. Some RVs are constructed and insulated so the entire water system can be used, provided that heat is maintained in the unit. Look in your owner’s manual to find out if your unit has this feature and how low the temperature can go before a potential freezing problem may occur.
• If you’re not sure about your vehicle’s capabilities, leave the water system winterized and use a portable water source. Also, remember to add more non-toxic antifreeze to the holding tanks, as waste water added to the tanks during the trip will dilute the antifreeze.
• Heating an RV in the winter requires an adequate LP gas supply. LP gas tanks should be full for extended cold-weather trips. RVers should also make sure only propane is used in the tanks, not butane. Butane will not work in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Winter campers should select a sunny campsite over a shady one, near a wind break if possible. Park with either the front or rear of the RV into the wind. It is wise to make reservations ahead to ensure the campground is open. There may not be many choices in a particular area in the off-season.
• Driving speeds should be kept down on icy roads. RV drivers should frequently check the “feel” of the road when no other vehicles are near to determine limits for safe acceleration and braking.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
NEW FACEBOOK GROUP ABOUT FREE RV CAMPING
We have created a new Facebook group, Free RV Campgrounds. Share great places you know of or learn about from others to camp for free in your RV here.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session:
Why did this plug burn up? A member of Mike’s Facebook RV Electricity group wonders why his RV’s 30-amp power connection prong was charred and semi-melted from his last trip to a campground.
• Sign up for Mike’s monthly RV Electricity Newsletter.
• While you’re at it, be sure to join his popular Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Can you afford to snowbird?
Are you an RVer tired of the cold winter weather and ready to become a snowbird? Worried you can’t afford it? Here from Russ and Tiña De Maris are a few things to help you figure out whether or not you can fit the snowbird lifestyle into your financial limits. Learn more.
This nightlight with bears roasting marshmallows around a campfire would look so cute in your RV. Click here
AMAZON AFFILIATE AD
Reader poll
What did we learn about you from our reader polls last week? Find out here.
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION.
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION.
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT.
• LATEST RV RECALLS.
Want to camp for free? Make sure you keep the 2019 edition of this Walmart Locator around. It’ll give you all the overnight parking information you need. Plus, it list stores that do not allow overnight stays.
AMAZON AFFILIATE AD
Quick Tip
Women who want to RV after death of a spouse
Women, more often than men, end up alone after the loss of a spouse. At such a time, a woman may decide that she no longer wants to live in her big home. Her thoughts may turn to traveling full-time by RV. But what to do with the house? Should she sell it and give up what amounts to a good investment — and sever the ties with her fixed-foundation past? One solution is to put the home’s contents into storage and rent out the house for a year. After the time has passed, either move back home or keep renting it and continue to travel. Or, as some do, sell the home and its contents and then return to the road as a truly free spirit.
Camp for free at wineries and farms.
Check out Harvest Hosts, and save 15%.
Random RV Thought
It’s hard to know for sure if you’re in an earthquake when camped in an RV. A few wind gusts can create pretty much the same effect.
Make phone calls, get the weather from Alexa, and listen to your favorite music on this tiny vintage radio.
This adorable retro radio charges via USB, and wirelessly connects to all your devices through Bluetooth. It also connects to Alexa, so you can place your Amazon orders, get the weather, listen to the news, and more. It couldn’t be cuter, and it comes in many colors. Order one here.
AMAZON AFFILIATE AD
Website of the day
Find a National Park
Let this be your guide to locating U.S. National Parks and what they offer visitors. From well-known places like Yosemite and Yellowstone to out-of-the-way National Monuments and historic sites, you’ll find it here. Search by state.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Sanitizing the RV’s fresh water system.
• What kind of parking pad for your RV at home?
#863F
Fire Extinguishing Aerosol, Two-pack
The First Alert Tundra Fire Extinguishing Aerosol Spray is easier to use and discharges 4 times longer than traditional fire extinguishers. With an aerosol nozzle and portable size, it’s suited for the kitchen, car, garage, boat or RV. The formula wipes away with a damp cloth & is biodegradable. Learn more or order.
AMAZON AFFILIATE AD
Trivia
In October 2000, Mark Hogg gobbled up 94 live worms during the Regis Philbin Show, earning him the world’s record. Hogg’s worm-eating abilities were strengthened during U.S. Army training in the Panama jungle where he lived on earthworms, grubs and wild vegetation.
Leave here with a laugh
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com.
AMAZON AFFILIATE AD
Join us: Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • RVillage
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Become a Member!
This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Friday 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? Learn more or contribute.
RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
This website utilizes some advertising services. 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.
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
I will never EVER recommend people rent their houses. My dad rented his, and tenants burnt half of it down. We rented my wife’s unwanted pre-me house, and most years I spent 10K in damage repair to collect 5K in rent (when they paid at all, since landlords have ZERO rights in NY).
Do NOT rent your house. Sell outright, travel, and buy somewhere else when you’re ready to stop again.
My husband wants nothing to do with full time RV. I do. My child is taking what is hers and when she buys a house I told her to take what she wants. I told the husband I am having someone come in and take the rest except for bathroom kitchen and the family room. Rest of the house will be empty. I told him I am not coming back. I am gone. I would love to sell but he wants to mole troll. So what ever. I just do not want to be bogged down with junk when he passes. I see it way too much currently. So good luck to those who go it solo. I plan to.
I wonder, did the Black Lab get adopted?
You could call and ask. 🙂
Just for general information and maybe to make your US winters not feel as cold I present this little bit of hard-earned knowledge.
A minor issue with propane, at least in the US, at -43c propane doesn’t flow either!
As we discovered with our propane fueled trucks here in Ontario.
With the second order of propane pick-ups we got, they came with “120v block heaters” in the propane tank that activated at -20c; when the truck was running and the engine warmed-up, the tank was kept somewhat warm by a (engine) water heater line connected to it.
When I winterize, I connect the pump to a bottle of anti-freeze to fill the lines. Then I connect another bottle and use it to flush the toilet with anti-freeze.
Regarding cold weather camping, I found it impossible to get manufacturer information as to how low of temperature the system was rated. We have a 2016 Keystone Cougar TT with a “polar package”. It has an enclosed underbelly and a 4” vent to pump warm air there when the furnace is running. Nothing in the manual, and after several minutes on the phone with Keystone, all they could tell me was to take precautions when temps dropped below freezing, even suggesting the use of straw bales around the trailer.
No manufacturer wants to commit to specific advice that can be held against them in court if it proves inadequate or misunderstood and results in damage later…
“family’s rv woes ‘” won’t show the video. States “it’s private …
Thanks for letting us know, Tom. It’s a bummer they made the video private, it was a good one! –Emily, RVtravel.com
I was a dedicated daily crossword player for decades. I subscribed to the daily newspaper for over 30 years. But the decrease in writing skill of young reporters coming on staff and the unabashedly socialist bias of the editor and publisher finally made me cancel my subscription. I miss the crosswords.