Issue 1495
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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Today’s thought
“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Maple Syrup Day!
On this day in history: 1989 – The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”.
Tip of the Day
Setting up trailer light wiring
There are several common mistakes that often pop up when folks attempt to replace their plugs and receptacles that power their trailer lights and brakes.
The first mistake is pulling a wiring diagram off the Internet that designates wire colors. Owners often assume the colors on the diagram will match the wires on their truck or camper. You need to remember colors are irrelevant. What the wires do is important, not what color they are. Continue reading.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new 2021 Riverside Retro 225 Travel Trailer. If retro is your style, you’ll love these little trailers. “Riverside has done a nice job echoing an era,” Tony writes. Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2021 Gulf Stream Vintage Cruiser 23TWS Travel Trailer? If you missed it, you can read it here.
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. 17, 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: Dianne K. of Hollis, OK, Rob B. of Helena, MT, and Bruce G. of Texas.
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.
Are deer reading “deer crossing” signs and putting motorists in danger?
Is this for real? Nobody can really think this, can they? In this tape recording posted on YouTube from a Fargo, North Dakota, radio station, a woman calls in to complain that the state is inviting danger to motorists by posting signs that tell deer where to cross highways. Really? Listen and laugh (it’s hilarious!).
Yesterday’s featured article: Visit the world’s only Corn Palace
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Guys, give these pajama pants to your favorite lady for Christmas and she will go wild with delight. No kidding!
Reader poll
Have you ever earned more than $100,000 in a single year?
Please tell us here.
Quick Tip
Storing items in your medicine cabinet
Inside the medicine cabinet, store smaller items on the bottom, and the big stuff on the upper shelves to help prevent objects from tumbling out. An alternative is to use a spring-loaded curtain rod across the door opening. Also, use small, clear plastic containers inside the cabinet to hold things like toothpaste, tubes, or small, odd-shaped items. Thanks to Ron Jones, AboutRVing.com.
Yikes… Boondocking gone wrong. Here’s one woman’s experience.
Website of the day
Work with the NPS
Want to work or volunteer with the National Park Service? We think you should! Learn more about these great opportunities on this website.
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.
Camco vent insulator keeps you warm and cool!
Is your RV too hot in the summer? Too cold in the winter? Camco’s vent insulator and skylight cover features a thick layer of foam which helps stop heat transfer, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Installation is easy. The insulator is designed to fit standard 14″x14″ RV vents. Learn more or order here.
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:
• 12 percent say their childhood home is still owned by their family
• If offered a hot dog, hamburger or pizza, 42 percent would choose to eat a hamburger, followed by 38 percent choosing pizza.
• 7 percent have replaced or refilled their RV’s fire extinguisher(s) within the last few months
Recent poll: Have you begun trip-planning for 2021 yet?
Trivia
The CDC estimates that every year more than 86,000 fall injuries are caused by pets. Dogs are the biggest culprits, responsible for 88 percent of the injuries, while cats cause about 12 percent. Most falls occur when people either trip over their pet or if they were pushed or pulled by their pet.
*How fast do your fingers move when you snap? The answer is shocking. We told you yesterday.
If you drink wine, and you are an RVer, it is simply not right that you do not have one or more of these. See if you agree.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Brimley is ready for the campfire!” —Nancy Dahl
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.
Leave here with a laugh
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
Today’s thought was our senior class motto – in 1961.
Newton Senior High, Newton, Iowa
Must agree, with wireing statements above, I worked on delivery of all makes and models trailers all over the USA and many times had to change out wires to be road worthy. Weather, goose neck pull behind or fiver people horse or auto hauler, make it a habit to check lights before moving a trailer, there could be a short or other problem to deal with. Happy trails
For the rocking chair inspectors. 1. The trailer is level. Line up the background tree with vertical edge of trailer.
2. The hose is blue. Compare color to green grass.
3. Front jack in firm on the ground. Leveling blocks are off to the side.
4. The pad is concrete. Note the expansion joint in middle front to back.
5. Who cares if they pulled in backwards.
Just sayin.
Got not much else better to do, myself. Seemed like fun. I do agree with your comment though. 😉
All this coming from a bar stool inspector? 😉
Got to agree with Badwolf. Not much else to do!🤔
the camper is level based on the trees being perpendicular to the roof. What is being called a blue water hose, is actually a blue electrical extension that runs midship to the driver’s side electrical. The water connection is on the driver’s side rear and has a regular RV RV hose running to it. It does sit on a cement slab with expansion joints as opposed to a rug that someone thought.
I’ve got a question on the Quick Tip, why big stuff up higher would of thought big stuff lower. I’d rather get hit by something small falling from higher up. Sorry am I missing something?
Exactly my thinking!
Oh ya, larger items only FIT on my bottom shelf anyway. But the rods work perfectly.
I liked the points the author made on trailer wiring . Color codes do vary somewhat. Orientation is key . Now maybe the next installment could include a diagram with the labeled positions of what each position controls & the orientation .
Look up trailer wiring diagrams on line/ You will find the different plugs and what position does what. Having done mechanic work for over 50 years I must say I love wiring diagrams. There is some manufacturers who at one time deviated from standard colors but in today’s world most manufacturers use standardized color coding for the lights.
If I run into a problem or question the color of the wires I will pull out my test light (which is a handy tool that should be in your tool box) and find what each wire does. Then you have the problem where someone has wired the trailer wrong.
re: Is this your RV
Who travels with a HUGE rug and parks on it?
(The trailer looks way out of level.)
Looks like a concrete slab. Note the expansion joint running under the trailer.
Looks like its a pull through as the post is on the wrong side, but I wouldn’t advise leaving the tongue jack off the ground.
I think I see a green garden hose being used for the water line as well. Is this possibly someone new to RV’ing?
It’s a blue hose
Looks like pulled in the wrong way with everything running under camper, hose, electric.
trailer picture is taken at an angle,thats why unlevel look,this could be a drive threw, trees in back not as close as they look
I wondered if the photo was taken off level but I don’t think so. The trees directly behind are a good indication that the camera or phone was held level. The tree on the left has a lean inward but that is the result of typical linear distortion in the photo. It’s an odd looking trailer setup for sure. Leveling should have been easy on that concrete pad.
Just from looking at the photo, I see the large slide out on the opposite side. My first assumption was that they deployed their slide outs, then the stabilizer jacks.
Given the other interesting aspects (opposite side utilities, garden water hose, front trailer jack), I just assumed a new RV‘er…
Ya, probably.
The picture was taken with a wide angle lens or setting if using a cell phone. You can’t judge by using the trees if the trailer is level. Wide angle lens or settings will change the appearance
Re: $100K/year salary???? My wife and I are both retired teachers in MO. We still haven’t stopped laughing.
Retired USAF and work at the NH DOE not even close to that kind of money even with savings in a bank account after raising 4 children no where close.
And yet, more said they have than haven’t.
Just pajama pants, no top…
you would be surprised at how many womens PJ’s are just bottoms.
I don’t think the trailer is parked backwards. If you look closely you can see there are woods and brush behind the trailer. The pedestal is on the wrong side or is a “shared” pedestal. I have stayed in a few CGs like this. Usually privately owned and not like KOAs or other chains.
Yup. Last fall in Maine, my wife and I got a campsite with the pedestal on the “wrong” side. Fortunately they were able to let us move down a few… as our elec cable didn’t reach in the first site.
I attached strips of elastic to the back wall of our medicine cabinet with small screws to hold items like toothpaste, tooth brushes, etc instead of having to search through a little basket for these small items. Works great.
that’s a great idea!!! thanks for sharing
Brilliant! I am going to do that in several places.
In desperation, I discovered you can hang a few lightweight things off the headrest posts in a motorhome; one now has a carabiner and hair elastic to hold an umbrella upright, a basket to keep ‘stuff’ handy is wired to another. The other seat has a ‘real’ backseat organizer with pockets.
Trailer Probably on a pull thru site and looks very unlevel
For what it’s worth, it appears that the trailer in “Is this your RV?” is parked backwards in the campsite.
Or is the pedestal on the opposite of the usual side?
I thought about that, but who doesn’t know that when setting up campsites?
I have, on occasion, parked our motorhome “backwards” because the view was better.
We have as well. Also, when camping with a friend, I’ve let them park the right way, and we have parked backward so we could make a small compound like camping site (both doors facing each other and awnings facing). But those times are the exception for us.