Monday, November 18, 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.
Today’s thought
“We don’t go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.” —Helen Thomas
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Princess Day!
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday news for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Winterizing the RV – More than just plumbing
Winterizing the plumbing system in the RV is what most people think about, but what about the rest of it? Think about the following, as well:
• Have you removed all the freezables from inside the coach?
• Is the inside clean and free of any food debris? Think mice.
• Have you removed or sealed any materials that can be made into nests? Think mice.
• Is the roof and its seals in good condition? Think melting snow in the spring.
• Have you covered your RV? This really helps to protect the RV and extend its life.
See more winterizing articles here.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session:
AC meter basics. How to use a digital meter.
• Sign up for Mike’s monthly RV Electricity Newsletter.
• While you’re at it, be sure to join his popular and informative Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Secure compartment locks — Can the cams be replaced?
Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician. He received a question from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor about combination compartment locks. The reader wanted to know if the flat cams on his current locks could be replaced with offset cams. Here’s Chris’ response.
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.
FREE 2-Day Shipping when you spend $35+ at Walmart.com!
Quick Tip
“Shirt closet” shelf storage
Do you have one of those shirt closets next to your bed but don’t need it for hanging? Facebook member Beth Haizlip fixed her problem with wire shelving and Command strips from Lowe’s. “I bought a wire shelf from Lowe’s and cut it down to the sizes I needed. Then attached Command hooks to the sidewalls and now I have shelves. Easily removed if I need more hanging room.”
Great gifts for RVers!
Check out the first part of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guide right here.
Random RV Thought
Always be extra sensitive to the moods of your RV traveling partner. It’s good to count to 10 to calm yourself before responding to a remark that might make you angry. Living quarters are usually tight in an RV, so there is often no place to escape to when emotions flare. So be nice.
Make an omelette in seconds!
Tired of making omelettes and dealing with the mess, cleanup and timely preparation? This microwaveable omelette maker saves the day! This handy gadget makes omelettes in just three easy steps: beat eggs and milk, add ingredients, microwave and eat! It promotes healthy eating by cutting out butter, oil and grease. Buy this breakfast-saver here.
Website of the day
America’s Byways
“America’s Byways” is a great website for RVers and is especially useful for those of us that boondock in the western United States. The website lists National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads across America and offers a wealth of information to the traveling public. Since the majority of western byways meander through portions of public land, boondocking is quite often an option while traveling these byways with an RV. Learn more in this article from veteran boondocker Dave Helgeson.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Casinos offer RVers secure overnight camping, games, cheap buffets.
• RVing today is a far cry from what it was a decade or two ago.
• KOA: Where are the RVs?
• Near disaster as bus crosses bridge with weight limits. (video)
#869-1
Camco’s insulated skylight cover keeps the heat in your RV from escaping this winter. More.
Best-selling printed directory of free and inexpensive campgrounds. Click.
Trivia
Obsessive nose picking is called rhinotillexomania.
Leave here with a laugh
A man had just bought a shiny new sports car. He opened the front door into the street when WOOOOOOSH, a large truck bombed by and took off the driver’s side door right off. “MY CAR, MY CAR!!” The man yelled. Immediately a policeman rushes over to the scene. “SIR, MY CAR WAS JUST RUINED BY SOME FOOLISH TRUCK DRIVER. GO GET HIM!” The policeman looks at the man and says, “Sir, you seem to be very materialistic. I think all you care about are your material possessions.” “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?” the man yelled back. The policeman smiles and says, “You were so caught up in your car, that you didn’t even notice your left arm is gone.” The man looks down and sees all the blood. He screams, “MY ROLEX!!!!”
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY!
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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.
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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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A followup question to your reader poll is “when you are home do you attend church service?”
So sorry to hear that only 11% of people attend church services while on an extended trip. We all need to praise God and thank him for the gift of traveling if nothing else. There is no better way of praising Him than to attend church services regularly.
Amen!
Patricia, we do need to gives thanks for the good life we’ve had and are having. The problem I see is not new but centuries old. There’s so many Gods, icons and Saints etc many folks actually may be “practicing” but at different times, in different ways and in different locations than you.
Regarding key locks, cam locks, or any other type of lock you put on your storage doors, for most RVs, have a look at what the door is made of when you remove the lock. There is a very thin sheet of metal on each side with the core of the door being made of press board or similar light weight material. The lock cylinder you use has two flat sides and two rounded sides to fit in the lock hole. Anyone who wants into your storage area simply puts a pair of pliers on the head of the lock and gives it a twist. There is nothing in the door to keep the lock from turning. The lock will deform the cheap press board and the cam will turn thus unlocking the door.
I think you’re trying to be helpful, Impavid, but you just told everyone how to break into RV compartments.
re: CH751 locks
The most common locks for underneath cargo bays on RV’s and trailers. Basically everybody has a key to your lock if you have one of these. So I replaced these with a different lock, and to the point. the extended side facing outwards has a taper ~ 45 degrees. This taper makes it virtually impossible to use pliers, vice grips, etc to grasp.
Here is a link to view: https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-symantec-ext_onb&hsimp=yhs-ext_onb&hspart=symantec&p=rv+cargo+door+locks#id=3&vid=80c3a4a466502ae5c7f7df4a13cba50a&action=click
Change over was simple. I did doubled the cam locks on the battery / gen set compartment door since these items attracts thieves when RV is in storage.
Trivia: Why do they have to have a medical name for everything? Excessive Nose Picking?
Could be simply put as: “Excessive b****r Harvesting”, LOL!
Jeff, Good answer you make me laugh Thank You I need that !!
Your Welcom Bob!
I’m sure there are other good ones out there too. This was just the first one that came to mind.
Take Care,
Jeff
“We don’t go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.” —Helen Thomas
Helen must be turning over in her grave. most of today’s “press” does decent job of reporting hard news…floods, fires, etc. but anything even remotely having a social or political angle today’s reporters operate backwards…a conclusion is formed and the reporting then supports that conclusion. in general today’s press is corrupt and unworthy of trust. there are exceptions but not many.
Helen Thomas was a very biased liberal, spinning the “news” constantly.
I agree! Rick most journalists today do about half the footwork the good old boys and girls of past generations did to collect the news and get it to your tube or doorstep. Today the wire service fed by the New York Times and a few other large news organizations gather the news (or make it up – check with Bernard Goldstein on that) that eventually controls the thought dial – therefore the population.
We all have a bias when we hear reporting from any source, it is, however, our duty to question not only the reporting, but also our tendency to hear what we want to hear. It can be difficult to question our own judgement.
Website of the day link is bad. This is the correct one.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/states
Thanks, Glenn. The link in the newsletter isn’t “bad” — all you have to do is click on the state you want or type it in the search box. The link we provided gives a brief explanation of what “Byways” are, so I think I’ll leave it as it is. But thank you, anyway. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Unless the campground we are at has a church service we almost never get in the car to drive to a church. We will however stream our home churches service on our tablet to our TV.
Do you ever get in your car to drive to a restaurant? Get in your car to drive to a movie? Get in your car to do any shopping? Get in your car to drive anywhere?
Why does one need to *go* anywhere to praise God?
Great tip about converting hanging closets to shelf closets without permanently attaching shelves. Thanks!
I’ve converted my shirt closets similarly; except by screwing cleats into the walls (shelves can lift out but cleats remain). If Command hooks stay in place when desired, they are better for repositioning.
Steve great idea and as always why didn’t I think of this !! Thanks Bob
No duplication today.