Issue 1492
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
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Monkey Day!
On this day in history: 1903 – The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
RV winterizing do’s and don’ts
Steve Savage submitted this article to RVtravel.com when he was a Master Certified RV Technician with Mobility RV Service.
Every year folks ask me questions about winterizing, and every year I go through the same steps. I try to keep things as simple as possible, but some folks just seem to want to try doing things that do not work. Here are some things that do and do not work.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Dynamax DynaQuest XL 3400KD Super C Motorhome. As he reports, “I don’t see a lot of Super C motorhomes but for those for whom this makes sense, this would certainly be a nice way to spend the day at the races. Or anywhere else, for that matter.” Learn more.
Tony’s reviews from this weekend you may have missed:
• 2021 Airstream International 27FB Travel Trailer
• TAXA TigerMoth Travel Trailer
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Is this your RV?
If it’s yours and you can prove it to us (send a photo for comparison), tell us here by 9 p.m. Pacific Standard time today, Dec. 14, 2020. If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV here (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.
This past week three people claimed their $25 gift card: Jim M. of Fort Mill, SC, Dianne K. of Hollis, OK, and Rob B. of Helena, MT.
We’ll have another photo in tomorrow’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter (sign up to receive an email alert so you don’t miss the issue or those that follow). Some of these photos are submitted by readers while others were taken by our editors and writers on their travels around the USA.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session
Can you just “drop in” Lithium batteries?
Dear Mike,
I noticed something on your Facebook Group last week about Lithium batteries not really being a direct replacement for my old batteries.
“Beware of plug-and-play lithiums – you may not get their full capabilities without additional changes to your system….”
So what’s the scoop? Can I just drop in a new Lithium battery or not? After all, that’s a lot of money to goof up. —Kevin J
Read Mike’s answer here.
• Join Mike’s Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Fire danger avoided in RV with questionable wiring
RVs burn, and they burn very fast: If not caught within a minute the coach will usually be a goner. Fires can be caused by many things: poor engine maintenance, a blown tire that catches fire or faulty wiring. In this video, an RVer shows you a great example of faulty wiring on this motorhome. Watch the eye-opening short video.
Reader poll
In the past month, have you ordered a take-out meal delivered to your home or RV?
Finish eating, then tell us 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.
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS.
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
You’d have so much fun playing with this!
Quick Tip
Make your TV/cable connectors in basement storage more accessible
If the TV and/or satellite cable connectors are stashed away inside a basement storage unit (and probably under a “weather-tight cover,” too), you’re probably tired of skinning up your fingers and breaking your back when hooking up. Phil Piazza has a workaround. “What I did was get two short sections of cable that would reach to the outside of the trailer. That way I would only have to fight my way thru connecting to the RV once. I then put male adapters on the ends. I have one hooked to the cable input and one to the satellite input and it makes life a lot easier and no skinned fingers!” Thanks, Phil!
Website of the day
National Park Maps
This website from the National Park Service offers all the park maps for free. There are apps for maps, too, so you can have them on your phone when you need them!
NEW: Check out all our favorite websites of the day! We compiled a list of (almost) all the websites we’ve ever listed, and we’ll continue to update it.
Save even more on a SoftStartRV!
Check out this special holiday savings offer on the incredible new device (a game changer) that allows you to run your RV’s air conditioner in low-power (or alternative power) situations when you could never run it before. SAVE BIG NOW! Learn more.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Sewer hoses: Lacking honor — but we all gotta have one
• How to deal with unwanted noise
• Trucks rule, but safety improvements necessary
#947F
You won’t “wine” about this!
Well, it’s official. We have a new RV accessory that we’re obsessed with. How cute are these?! This motorhome wine stopper (and this trailer one) belongs in every wine drinker’s RV! It would also make a cute gift.
Trivia
You know how they’ve been saying not to go to a gym during the pandemic? Well, this might have something to do with it… FitRated.com collected samples from 27 pieces of gym equipment from three different gyms and found there were more than one million germs per square inch on every piece of equipment – hooooooly cow! The equipment with the most germs was the treadmill, followed by the exercise bike, followed by free weights. Free weights, they found, had 362 times more bacteria on them than a toilet seat.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Here are our dogs, Gizmo and Ellie, who are 10- and 9-year-old Maltipoos. They love camping and laying on their raised camping cot while watching the scenery in the campgrounds we visit.” —Marsha Breen
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.
Boondockers Welcome. Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee. Learn more.
Leave here with a laugh
Why do Dasher and Dancer enjoy coffee?
Because they’re Santa’s Star Bucks.
Thanks for the joke, Tom Hart!
Did you miss the laugh in Saturday’s newsletter? It was a very good one.
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the latest Sunday News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media and special projects 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 2020 by RVtravel.com
I have to admit that I can’t visualize Phil’s idea about his cable/sat. hookups. If Phil isn’t there maybe someone could post a picture. Thanks
He added a short extension cable to them basically.
I’m unable to locate the app for the National Park Maps. There are several, which one is it that you are indicating in the article?
Me 2
Hi, odomcb. The National Parks Service has its own app, where you can find maps for each National Park. There are several other apps that do similar things, such as National Park Trail Guide, National Parks Pocket Maps, and Chimani: National Park Guides. All of those are highly rated so I’d recommend downloading whichever one is easiest to use for you and start exploring from there! Take care, Emily –RVtravel.com
If you’re interested in an RC helicopter, send Chuck a few bucks to offset the Amazon deal, and then order a Blade brand helicopter from horizonhobby.com. Trust me on this. It will cost you a bit more, but if you value your peace of mind, avoid the toy-grade machines such as the one linked.
I’m going to have to wait until the day after to read this news letter so I can see the comments. RVers must sleep late.
I don’t have problem seeing them when I read the newsletter around 7am here in Oregon. Those that live on the east coast and want to read the current day at 7am can figure that for us on the other side it is 4am. Good time to head out fishing in the summer but still 3 hrs to sunrise this time of year.