Issue 1596
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
“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of the air, that emanation from the old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”—Robert Louis Stevenson
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Shrimp Day!
On this day in history: 1908 – Mother’s Day is observed for the first time in the United States, in Grafton, West Virginia.
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
What you should know about buying a used RV
Sometimes a used RV can be a great buy. There are many affordable used RVs with little use everywhere. You just need to find the right one. But just like buying any RV, there are things to look out for. You don’t want a disaster on your hands! Note: This video is also helpful if you’re getting ready to sell your used RV! 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 Jayco Jay Feather Micro 199MBS Travel Trailer. As he reports, “An ever-increasing number of buyers are going down in size to more maneuverable, easier-towing trailers and looking at things that don’t require a heavy-duty pickup as the tow vehicle.” Read more and peek inside.
Tony’s previews from this weekend you may have missed:
• Pearl Caravan prototype
• CyberLandr™ camper for the Tesla CyberTruck2™
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 time today, May 10, 2021.
If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 gift certificate at Amazon.
If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.
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
How many watt-hrs are in a gallon of gasoline?
Dear Mike,
You keep talking about energy storage for batteries, and energy charging from solar panels, but you’ve never written about how much energy is in a gallon of gasoline for my generator. Any idea? —Karl P.
• Join Mike’s Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Win an RVtravel.com coffee mug
In yesterday’s newsletter (Sunday, May 9, 2021), the Secret Phrase was about Melvin and his wife. The phrase began “Melvin’s wife loved _____.” So what was it? We will send an incredibly cool RV Travel Mug to two randomly selected readers with the correct response out of the first 100 readers to email us by 10 p.m. today (May 10, 2021, Pacific Time). We can only ship to addresses in the USA and Canada (sorry to our many readers in far off lands). And remember, we guarantee that coffee tastes better in this mug! Enter the contest here. But only one entry per household!
The world’s largest collection of the world’s smallest versions of the world’s largest things…
(Say that five times fast.) …is in Lucas, Kansas. Read more about what artist Erika Nelson does with her miniature replicas of the world’s largest things (including some of our favorite roadside attractions). Click here to read.
Reader poll
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Quick Tip
An overlooked RV weight rating
One weight rating that is often overlooked is the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). This applies to any vehicle pulling a trailer or any motorhome pulling a vehicle or trailer. The GCWR is the maximum permissible weight of the tow vehicle and trailer COMBINED when both are fully loaded for travel. Look for the GCWR on weight labels or in the vehicle owner’s manual. Tip from Mark Polk, RV Education 101.
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HAHA! Betcha wish you could say this to a lot of people on the road…
Website of the day
SignUp.com
We love learning about helpful websites! SignUp allows you to plan events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, projects, festivals, etc., all without sending long emails or dealing with the hassle. You create a plan, your friends/family/whoever sign up, and SignUp reminds them of the event, voila!
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• What if disaster strikes and you can’t get back to your RV?
• Amazon CamperForce: Quick cash, tough work
• Losing cell service? Try these tips to reconnect or keep the signal
Recipe of the Day
Shrimp Au Gratin
by Mikekey from Seattle, WA
Rich, creamy, cheesy, and buttery, this shrimp au gratin is definitely not a recipe to try if you’re watching calories. But, oh my, it’s delicious! Super simple to make, it’s impressive when presented. The sauce just melts in your mouth and Panko crumbs on top add a nice crunchy texture. Simply divine.
Remember, it’s National Shrimp Day, so you’ll want to get the recipe for dinner tonight!
Did you miss this weekend’s recipes?
• Scalloped Potatoes With Bacon
• Healthy Oven Fried Chicken Strips
Inflatable foot rest is comfortable for couch and passenger seat
Now that’s cool! Missing your favorite recliner? Miss it no more! This inflatable foot rest is perfect for lounging on the couch, in the chair by the campfire, or in the passenger seat for long drives. Take it on a plane ride, or take it to the grandkids’ soccer game (we know those can get long). It weighs less than 1 lb. and folds down small for travel. Learn more about this comfy foot rest here.
Trivia
If you have a mustache, you’re not allowed to kiss anyone in Nevada! Yup, it’s illegal. Now we don’t think too many people abide by that silly law…
Readers’ Pet(s) of the Day
“Jax and Stormy. Our pets love camping. They get to meet new dogs and people on our long walks. Occasionally we camp at a park that has a lake and both dogs really love the water. Camp without dogs? I don’t think so.” —Julie Sterling
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. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
The best book on RV electricity, hands down!
Mike Sokol is America’s leading expert on RV electricity. He’s taken his 40+ years of experience to write this book about RV electricity that nearly anyone can understand. Covers the basics of Voltage, Amperage, Wattage and Grounding, with additional chapters on RV Hot-Skin testing, GFCI operation, portable generator hookups and troubleshooting RV electrical systems. This should be essential reading for all RVers. Learn more or orderÂ
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.
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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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This newsletter is copyright 2021 by RVtravel.com
Ok, I have to admit, I did burst out laughing at your “leave her with a laugh”! 😉
Potato salad, yum! But French fries are good too, except in The States where it is almost impossible to get vinegar to sprinkle on them.
Malt vinegar!
I think vehicle payload at least in the tow able arena, is probably the most overlooked and often ignored weight rating. I do not understand how some truck manufacturers can claim a 10000 lb tow rating with a truck that only has 800 lbs of payload. A properly balanced trailer will have more that the trucks payload in tongue weight.
+1 (Really I’d like to add an infinite number of up-votes.) Tow Ratings are a huge scam.
I wish Ford would come out with an F-200. It would have the creature comforts, drivability, and features of an F150 plus a reasonable payload rating so it could safely tow most trailers.
Having a mustache and annually visiting Nevada I would be interested in knowing the Nevada statute/law citing this, I believe it would be a great opening line plus an invitation to take a chance to live dangerously.
Our two dogs just add to the fun of camping.
For the last several years of my employment a CGVW of over 20,000 lbs. triggered the need for me to have a DOT physical, training & a road test before operating any such vehicle combination. I also had to stop at weigh stations, keep a driver log and limit my daily driving hours but, I didn’t need a CDL. Only applied because they were commercial vehicles.
Mayo on French fries? Must be a West Coast thing.
I don’t think so! Must be a Southern cuisine!
Could it be he’s referring to potato salad for which potatoes and mayo are the main ingredients?
Yes. I agree. Tater salad.
Not Southern
Maybe he is referring to potato salad.
I agree.
Holland
Yep.
It’s a French thing, when we were in France they gave you mayo with fries you had to ask for ketchup!
I wish they did that here, as I hate catsup!!! I always use mayo with FF’s
I am with you, I do not like ketchup. Mayo or ranch for me.
Yeah, he didn’t say french fries, he said potatoes.
However, when I was in the navy, we would occasionally (ahem) imbibe in too much adult beverage and stumble off to the “gedunk” (on base burger joint) and get french fries. One of my ‘shipmates’ ordered his fries with mayo instead of the customary ketchup. We ribbed that poor guy to no end. But, I decided to try it. Hey, not bad! So now I occasionally STILL do that.
“French” fries? Where’d that come from?
More of a European thing. They call it frit sauce. I like it.
The English are really big on it.
Is there a good app for GPS for RVs
I use the RV Life app. Works well with the dimensions of my 5er, only downside is that it is on my phone so the display is smaller.
Dedicated GPS from Rand McNalley. 7″.
Oboy! Wet dogs in the RV. Great fun.
If you love dogs it is “great fun” 🙂
Help me we live in Florida cannot seem to find a decent lake for our RV to stay a week or so any help?
Try Pahokee Marina and RV Campground. City of Pahokee Park. Okeechobee Lakefront. Full hookups, fish from your campsite, or just sit and enjoy the sunset.
You live in FL and can’t find a lake? You seriously need to have your vision checked! We visit FL and see lakes everywhere.
ðŸ¤
Lake Okeechobee in south Florida near W Palm Beach. Or if it’s fresh water you are looking for, Crystal River has water side sights. In Florida, you shouldn’t have an issue finding water side sites near fresh water.
I can see why mustaches are problematical in Nevada or anywhere, actually. One does not want to participate in the breakfast or convivial drink of a friend. There is a reason it’s often called a “strainer.” For my wife, it’s my mustache up her nose! 🙂
Once the mustachioed ladies and gentlemen of Nevada take to the streets in protest, this law will be rewritten. 🙈🙉🙊 Until then, we’ll have to move along to California. 🤣