Thursday, December 26, 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.
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“The value of a life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them; a man may live long yet live very little.” —Michel de Montaigne
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Thank-You-Note Day!
Tip of the Day
Save money outfitting your RV kitchen
Do you need pots, pans, dishes or silverware for your RV? You have several choices. The most common way is to stock up at your nearest big box store. The second is to borrow from your supply at home (few RVers do this). The third choice, which will save you a lot of money, is to visit Goodwill or another thrift store to buy what you need. It’s easy to supply a kitchen this way and you’ll pay a fraction of what you’d pay buying “new” — and your purchases will often support a worthy cause.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Bent motorhome door fazes RVer
Chris Dougherty, certified RV technician, received a question from an RVtravel.com reader. The reader explained that the side entrance door on his 2004 Jayco 27DS motorhome was slightly bent and wouldn’t close completely. He wondered if he could bend the door back in place. Read Chris’ answer.
The most recent featured article: See more through your RV window awnings
Reader poll
Quick Tip
Extra safety when traveling
Concerned about safety when traveling (and who isn’t!)? If yes, consider adding a “peephole” viewer on your entry door. Even if your door has a “re-lite” glass in it, you can install the viewer to the side of or below the glass.
No more sticky windows!
An RVtravel.com reader recommended this white graphite powder as the perfect fix for sticky windows. Frames can contract in cooler weather, making things tight. He said his fix is lubricating the window tracks with a simple “puff” of white graphite powder. Why the white? “It doesn’t make a mess like the black stuff!” he explained.
Is covering RV tires for even a few days worth the effort?
RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury talks with RV tire expert Roger Marble of RVtireSafety.com about RV tires. In this case, Roger answers the question, “Is covering your RV tires for even a few days worth the effort to save them from exposure to damaging UV waves?” Watch the short video.
Random RV Thought
When you are in a campground where bear warning signs are posted, it is very comforting to know you are camped in an RV and not a tent. (Although we posted awhile ago about a bear who ripped through the side of an RV. Did you see?)
For less than $20 this could save your life. Keep one in your RV at all times. Millions sold. Click.
Website of the day
Coachmen RV helpful tools
If you own an RV made by Coachmen, you should bookmark this page. Even if you don’t have a Coachmen, there’s lots of useful information on this website regarding types of RVs, tow guides, how-to videos, and much more.
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 1,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 11 percent rented an RV before buying one of their own.
• 47 percent prefer 30 amps when hooking up to shore power.
• 40 percent would prefer their neighbors to not have wind chimes.
• Protect your RV’s slideout! Use this rubber seal lubricant. Learn more or order.
• Attention Big Rig RV owners! This annual road atlas will keep you away from too-narrow roads and low bridges. Learn more or order.
• Camping at Corps of Engineers Campgrounds. Many RVers consider these the very best places to stay. Learn more or order the directory.
Trivia
New Zealanders have more pets per household than any other country! More than 68 percent of households have a pet. In the U.S., just over 50% of households have a dog or cat (or both!).
In which country is KFC eaten for Christmas dinner? It’s an interesting fact! Read it in Tuesday’s issue.
Leave here with a laugh
“My Darling,” said a husband to his wife, “I invited a friend for dinner.” “What? Are you crazy?” the wife snapped. “The house is a mess, I haven’t been shopping, and I don’t feel like cooking.” “I know that,” the husband replied. “Then why did you invite him?” “Because the poor guy is talking about getting married.”
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. Advertising 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.
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This newsletter is copyright 2019 by RVtravel.com
Recycle 100% home and on the road. We have recycle bins @ home, Black for garbage, blue for paper/plastic/glass, tin, and green for lawn and garden waste. Also have a can for aluminum cans. We did a 4 month + cross country trip, TV went out in Texas about the 3rd day out..went to buy a new one, everyone just said toss the old one in the garbage..NO way, we spent 4 months without a TV in the RV because every where we asked, no place recycled..We had no place to store a broken TV, so just left it in place..recycled it @ home {California} Hardly missed it @ all.
Recycling……. we recycle everything we possibly can at home, and on the road. Our rural trash collector does not separate or pickup that material. So, we bag it in large bags and take into town each week for grocery shopping or whatever – putting it in city collection bins. A bit of a hassle but it is also nice to visit many parks in the upper Midwest (and probably elsewhere – I hope), noting picnic tables, benches and playground equipment etc, with a tag on them “Made from recycled plastics or materials”. Maybe we are sitting on some of our milk containers etc, and just maybe we saved a few ounces of crude oil too!
Regarding the link above about straightening Rv entry doors. I left a comment on that page which helped me.
We recycle at home. Used to have to separate different types of recyclable items. Now one bin. So easier. However, as mentioned by other posters, much of it is a scam. Plus there is so much recyclable material some places are refusing to accept. I try to be diligent, but some of it doesn’t make any sense. Not going to rinse out mayonnaise containers (especially the plastic ones). In CA they keep telling us to conserve water, although none of the watersheds we voted for…a rare time we vote yes on anything $$$ related) have been built so rain runoff goes to the ocean. But I’m suppose to waste water trying to clean out something that isn’t easy to clean and consumes lots of water. When we are traveling we are amazed how many states/counties/cities don’t do recycling. We try to look for bins at RV parks, surprised how few have them.
Put a little hot water in mayo jar, put lid on shake well, drain , rinse, put in bin!! Really was that too hard AND hardly wasted water!!
If we JUST recycled plastics, that would save space in the landfills for stuff that actually decomposes. I was appalled to read how many SQUARE MILES of plastic are off the California coastline. I know! I know!
Less secure packaging would lead to more tampering but then Seniors would be able to open the packaging without getting a teenager to open it for them!
Re: Recycling, my B&M base is charged extra to have a recycling bin, charged to collect that bin, charged to put that bin in with the regular trash despite claiming they are going to recycle at some later magical point, and then charged for the honor of being charged (OK, I added that last one… the rest are true). Recycling *as done* is a SCAM — experts admit that people don’t recycle “properly” so they have to “throw entire truckloads into the landfill to avoid contaminating the recycling lot” [sic]. If they DO recycle, they run diesel machines all over moving it around, vastly outweighing the benefit to the environment, and then use chemicals to break it down (ditto…) and extra energy to make it into something else (compared to new fabrication). It’s a loser all over.
What DOES work, and matter, is WISE USAGE. One option not mentioned in this poll is boycotting stupid packaging — I don’t buy plastic wrapped, styrofoam trayed stuff. I buy as few cans as possible. So, soup that comes in a wax paper carton is 100% recycled as heat in my fire — zero waste. The cow comes in paper wrap from the butcher — zero foam. I would seriously say that I fit my entire “trash” for a month of 4 people in the average 13 gallon kitchen can. This week at Christmas, all the toys in stupid plastic bugs me, but even then I burn everything that can be safely incinerated.
I am amazed at the lack of recycling opportunities on my trips. My wife makes me carry the bags of recyclables until we hit an area that does have opportunities.
Ah yes, the recycling debate. When we had a stick-n-brick I had the space to sort the trash as it happened. Now, FT in a 38′ DPMH not so much.
A comment on today’s poll about recycling. We make a big effort to recycle while at home, and if we’re camping for a few days we take our recycling home. The challenge is when we are camping for a long period of time and recycling facilities aren’t available. That’s the case where we are wintering. It makes me sad to not be able to recycle.
I tend to camp “off grid” (I still laugh to even have to specify that), so I don’t even think to look for trash bins when they are available. “Pack in, pack out” still applies to my RV like my tent. As stated elsewhere, I intentionally don’t create a lot of waste to be packed out, so hunting down a trashbin takes too much effort compared to just bringing it home.
I like the idea of recycling, but I despise all the ideological fanatics on the recycling bandwagon who have manipulated the public with lies and fake science to implement mandatory oppressive recycling programs in many cities and states. It is as bad as the climate change fanatics who forecast global apocalypse within 10 years. I think cutting co2 emissions is generally a good idea, but I will resist efforts to mandate it when the justification is based on lies and false data and models.
Oppressive? I only need to put the recyclable items in a second container. This also reduces the about of trash going it to the main can that I am charged for. I can have unlimited recyclables but if that trash can is over full then I get an extra charge.
This is hardly oppressive it is a win for me.
Just think, if we reduced the co2 emissions to zero, all the plants would die. THEN where would our oxygen come from?
Just think, if we reduced the co2 emissions to zero, we would all have to die. We along with every animal emit co2 with every breath.
Agree Steve flippo:
The largest problem with things like recycling and global climate (cooling/warming) is that almost everyone knows what they know from watching 45 second clips on the evening news or the newspapers who across the wire service, copy what the New York Times wrote in an OP Ed. Equal horrible manipulation of fact!
The Gorons of the world running these schemes, tapped into that fault of humanity many years ago, and have done very well for themselves – the political side of the sciences. All you need to do to confirm that statement is look at the loot they had stored in accounts all over the place prior to taking up “the cause” and what their worth is today – every single one of them.
“Schemes” you might ask. As it pertains to recycling here’s my situation.
The CEO and I were among the first adopters post WWII to “recycle” stuff. We didn’t need to be reminded to buy at thrift stores. 50 years ago I tore down a small 100 year old garage to salvage the material from which I built a 300 foot fence still standing today. However we have been most effective by backing off on unnecessary consumption – mostly buying quality second hand.
Our city was one of the last in Canada to implement a recycling program. Prior they studied the thing to death hiring consulting outfits from Largo FL & Superior CO to develop programs which would serve as working models prior to implementation. City council all but ignored both reports, because autocratic unions run our civic governments performing pretty much as they please. There’s not much resemblance of a democracy.
So today we have a very expensive program, giving a complete pass to Construction, Demolition, Industry, & Institution, waste streams, and full on forced compliance of the residential component – who as the studies found are responsible for a meager 6.7% (the recyclable portion) of the total waste stream.
So while the residents of my city “recycle” like all get out, 93.3% of all the waste (recyclable or not) generated by the aforementioned sectors are landfilled for a set fee.
That plan is really saving the earth – the environment- isn’t it???
Smart well informed folks will sleep better at night , especially those who worry they can’t recycle because of a situation, knowing that only 50% of what left your property in one of those stinking diesel rigs picking it up, has any chance of actually becoming anything other than fodder at the land fill. Elizabeth Royte, wrote a dandy book on the topic awhile ago, ” Garbageland”. There’s many more providing feet on the ground facts.
As far as climate goes, for facts there’s no better source than Dr. Patrick Moore who will educate you on the essential merits of CO2, – (eg why greenhouse operators pump the stuff into a greenhouse in PPM four times what we live in outside of that greenhouse). His book “Confessions of a Greenpeace dropout” is my textbook on the topic – it should be yours if you want to learn the truth from a scientist as opposed to a newsreader or politician, making millions off human ignorance.
To the POLL on Recycling. I used to recycle aluminum cans and plastic. However, there was just a lenghty article on the Recycling Scam that goes on!
Briefly, the article showed evidence where those people who recycle and take their products to recycling center, NEVER actually get recycled, but simply put in large Trash dumpsters and taken to the local Landfil and openly dumped and covered with DIRT!
So, it makes you wonder!
I recycle (or at least put in community recycle bin), cardboard boxes and other clean paper, and grocery bags. Have read, for whatever it’s worth, that glossy paper is not recyclable. Also read that plastic grocery bags that have even a spec of spillage or wet cause the entire bundle to go to the landfill. As for milk jugs and anything that has to be washed – no. Figure the water and sewer usage negates the value of recycling such items.
Karen K. Willis. Good on you for doing what you believe is the right thing to do. But you should know that recycling cardboard is not as easy as getting it to the curb in front of your home, in the right bin.
Almost everything falling into the “cardboard ” category is derived from organic material, and can only be reconstituted a set number of times before that organic fiber coaxed into the product consumers know as “cardboard” can be made into anything useful again. This presents a mammoth problem for industry – which volumes of data is available on – information you will never get on the 6 o’clock news or those shaming you do “do your part” to “save the environment”!!
I am a Paying supporter of this Newsletter and yet I have never received a REPLY to this question: Why are the Daily Tips and some articles in the Weekend Newsletter 3 years OLD or more?
Do You not have enough NEW Content to post new daily tips?
Due to so many ANGRY People out there, I have greatly reduced my comments and in many cases don’t even comment at all where a comment is appropriate!
I agree with you on the Angry people with angry comments. I glance at a comment and if it is cutting someone down, I ignore it and go on. There is enough negativity in the world.
I believe there are new people joining all the time that have not had the advantage of seeing all the tips. Have a little patience. This is not a masters class on RVing.
Angry people we do not need more of. More information. More informed folks offsetting the anger I’d like.
Info “3 years old” may be new to someone who just signed on.
The institutions of higher learning still have Shakespeare, Beethoven, and Leonarndo…. ,and the like in the classroom, and they’re centuries old.
Heck jeff some of us (me included) could read the same thing every week and it would seem new again. LOL.
Alvin, seems we are nearing the point in life where we can hide our own Easter eggs.
Ha, like trying to find the pickle in the Christmas Tree. I’d search an hour then ponder if I put it in there or not. No anger though , just confession time -lol.
Hi Jeff, I plan to respond to you in this coming Saturday’s newsletter.
Funny, you sound a lot like one of those ‘angry’ people, just sayin’.