Issue 1557
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
“Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Artichoke Hearts Day!
On this day in history: 1802 – The Army Corps of Engineers is established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Tip of the Day
Why you should exercise your RV generator and how to do it
By Mark J. Polk, RV Education 101
If your RV has an onboard generator set, or you use a portable generator set around the house, this video will be helpful.
The video explains why and how to exercise your generator set. Fuel-related problems are the number one reason for exercising the generator, but there are other reasons, too. Moisture buildup can result in damage to the generator. When you exercise the generator, it heats the generator windings and eliminates moisture. And, it helps lubricate the engine seals and internal components, which can prevent carbon buildup. Continue reading and watch the video.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new MeerKat Ultra Light Travel Trailer. As he reports, “The MeerKat is a very light garage-able trailer that weighs only 920 pounds. The company claims it makes it towable by almost every four-cylinder car on the market.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of Mountain View Adventure Vehicles? 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 Daylight time today, March 16, 2021. 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.
Last week two readers claimed their $25 Amazon gift cards: Joni W. of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Frank Moy of Pierre, South Dakota.
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.
Leave the RV behind! Camp in a cave!
Looking for an unusual camping experience, one you can talk about later for years? How about spending the night in a cave? You can do just that through September 30 at Oklahoma’s Alabaster Caverns State Park. It’s one of the largest natural gypsum caves in the world open to the public and the only gypsum show cave in the United States. The cost to camp overnight is $45 (but let’s be real, the experience is priceless). Read more.
Yesterday’s featured article: What to do when encountering a bear in the woods
JUST TWO WEEKS LEFT TO SAVE!
Harvest Hosts membership increasing – join now and save!
Harvest Hosts NEW member prices are going up to $99/yr. in April 2021. If you buy a membership now, it’s only $67.15 a year after our 15% discount. This link will lock in this rate forever, regardless of how much the prices increase in the future. Use HHFRIENDS15 at checkout. Save over $30 off the new price on a whole year of unlimited overnight stays. Learn more.
Reader poll
If you had to remove 250 pounds of cargo in your RV for safety, how easy would it be?
Think about it for a moment, then tell us here.
TONIGHT! RVelectricity: Ask the Expert with Will Russell from SmartPlug
Join Mike Sokol TONIGHT, March 16, at 8 p.m. Eastern time for his Ask the Expert live stream interview with Will Russell from SmartPlug. Sign up for a YouTube reminder here.
Need mail forwarding? Choose the best!
Choose Americas Mailbox! It’s the best, endorsed by RVtravel.com which has toured its South Dakota facility and interviewed its very customer-oriented owner. Many plans available. Learn more. Or view the video interview RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury conducted with Americas Mailbox owner Don Humes.
Quick Tip
Seal the windows
Many RV windows are only sealed to the side of the coach by a small foam gasket. These can fail under certain circumstances, allowing the wall to leak and causing delamination and rot problems. To fix this, use window and door silicone sealant where the window and wall meet. A small bead will do, and be sure to tool it properly so it looks right!
Website of the day
7 ancient ruins to explore in U.S. National Parks
If you’re suddenly feeling a bit old, you certainly won’t after scrolling through this list. Check out these incredible ancient ruins you can explore in U.S. National Parks.
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
This would make bathing so much more fun! Make sure you click through and see the other options too. Click here.
Is triple towing legal? Is it safe? Should you do it? All those questions answered right 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:
• 25 percent say having cell service in a campground is critical
• 19 percent say they were at the top of their class in high school
• 12 percent travel in their RV alone
Recent poll: Is RVing Australia or New Zealand on your bucket list?
Trivia
Spend too much time on the toilet? The average person spends three months of their lifetime sitting on the pot. That’s a lot of time!
*Speaking of toilets (sorry, folks) did you see yesterday’s trivia? We tell you where you can use the bathroom while admiring a piece of the real Berlin Wall. And nope, it’s not in Berlin.
New book for camping areas managed by the NPS
This recently published book from The Ultimate Public Campground Project describes 2,241 camping areas across the United States that are managed by the National Park Service. If you’re looking for new places to camp, this is the book for you. The project has been growing since 2008 and now has a website and an app too. Learn more or order.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Jasper and Yoda.” —Mike Mountain
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
I was at a bookstore this past weekend and saw a book titled, “How to Solve 50% of Your Problems.” I bought two.
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 2021 by RVtravel.com
Chaco Cultural Center. The road from the East is ten miles of rock and ten miles of washboard rock. I do not know about the other roads. However, Chaco is magical.
The photo of “Is this your RV” today is a beautiful scene. Any idea of what park that it was taken at?
The best sealer I have found for RV vertical surfaces is ProFlex RV from Geocel. It comes in white, bright white, black and clear. It is not for use on EPDM roofs. Can be found on Amazon.
On todays Triva, I was wondering if there are different statistics for men & women, one would think soooooo!
Snoopy
The Cavern’s Inn and the Cave Motel Room are located at the Grand Canyon Caverns has a place you can spend the nite in. And it is supposedly haunted as well. My family says they are in. There are other places that are haunted but they say no one is able to spend the nite at this one. Saw this on a paranormal show. This is on my bucket list.
I’ll take the Kentucky Whiskey, wine would make me smell like a lush.
Thanks Bob you are exactly right. Any sealant used you better make sure it’s for RV use or get the book out on curse words and find one you haven’t used in the past cause your going to use it a lot getting off the non recommended sealant.
The tip to use silicone sealant around windows is misleading. Silicone (RTV) is almost impossible to remove and nothing will stick to it, not even silicone. There are many RV specific sealants available.
Totally agree. I use Dicor products only, RTV has it’s place but this isn’t it. Darn near impossible to ever get it all cleared off too!
I’ve used Dicor on our roof, but for a window, I don’t think that ‘runny self leveling’ stuff would work.
https://dicorproducts.com/product/seal-tite-window-foamcore-kit/
They make other products.