Issue 1625
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
“Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Go Fishing Day!
On this day in history: 1923 – Checker Taxi puts its first taxi on the streets.
Tip of the Day
Defrosting the RV freezer correctly
By Chris Dougherty
Chris Dougherty is a certified RV technician. Here is a letter he received from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.
Dear Chris,
Thank you for all your available helpful advice! Can you please tell me the best and fastest way to defrost the Dometic fridge in our coach? The fins get completely covered in ice every few weeks and there’s no temperature control. We are full-timers and defrosting this often is really inconvenient.
My husband was so impatient the last time that he did not even turn it off. He stuck a hair dryer in the fridge and freezer compartments, closed the doors and ended up melting one of the freezer door compartments, then put the food back in again while it was nice and hot. I will not let him do it like that again! Please help! —Ardis
Yesterday’s tip of the day: Readers’ “hidden” storage tips revealed
→ Listen to this week’s RVtravel.com podcast
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Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Northwood Nash 18FM Travel Trailer. He writes, “Northwood has done a good job building hefty, solid trailers that offer a lot of boondocking function and good cold-weather specs as well. No wonder my wife was looking at these.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2022 LOKI Basecamp Falcon Series Pickup Camper? 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 time today, June 18, 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 one reader claimed their $25 Amazon Gift Card: John Battistoni of Nixa, Missouri.
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.
Truck camper “recipe for disaster” folds down on the street
Take a short-bed pickup, add a long-box truck camper, add a little highway bounce and the result? It looks like an origami disaster! File this under “And you think you’ve seen it all.” Check it out.
Yesterday’s featured article: Skip the repair shop; do it yourself with a “how-to” notebook
Mini dehumidifier removes moisture from RV
This mini dehumidifier from Pro Breeze quickly and efficiently removes moisture from the air. It is perfect for use in small areas like RVs. It extracts up to 9 ounces of moisture per day with a large 16-ounce capacity water tank that will automatically shut off when full. Very quiet, too. Learn more or order.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Is the demise of mom-and-pop campgrounds really such a bad thing?
- Ex-RV park owner’s story on RVtravel.com goes viral; half-million views in one day
- Campground and RV Park News, June 12, 2021
- Is this stupid RVer behavior or not?
Reader poll
Are you a birdwatcher?
Tweet tweet! Tell us here.
Quick Tip
Leaky gutters
If your rig is parked and leveled but condensation or light rains ooze over the top of the gutters and down the side of your rig, don’t immediately condemn the manufacturer. Time to get out the ladder and check over the gutters – they may have debris in them that prevents the water from running where it needs to. Or you may find a gap between two pieces of gutter that needs to be filled in. Now, go ahead, condemn the manufacturer.
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Things like this are exactly what RVers need – it’s like it was made for tiny living!
Website of the day
20 Costco Shopping Secrets Only Die-Hard Regulars Know
If you’re a full-timer, you probably don’t shop at Costco too often (don’t deny you still stop in for samples every once in a while though…), but the secrets on this list are good to know!
Clubs and useful organizations
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.
• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
• AllStays: The best website for RVers! Your membership will become your RV-bible.
• 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.
• Escapees: Best Club for RVers: All RVers welcome, no matter what type of RV, make or model.
This is one cool puzzle!
If you’re like a majority of people, you’ve done a puzzle or two (or 10) during quarantine. If you’re in need of a new one, check this one out. A vintage car with an Airstream on the beach. Puzzles don’t get much cooler – plus the sunset is beautiful! Get one for yourself here. It’s the perfect stay-at-home activity!
Recipe of the Day
Dorito Taco Salad
by Kristina Talkington from Centralia, KS
Serve this taco salad as a meal or a side dish at your summer cookouts. It has a nice mixture of flavors and textures. The Dorothy Lynch dressing is sweet and has a little spice and it goes well with the savoriness of the salad. There is just enough to coat everything. The nacho chips not only add flavor but give the salad a nice crunch. Taco meat adds heartiness to the dish. Yum!
Oh, boy! This sounds delicious! Get the recipe.
SEE YESTERDAY’S YUMMY RECIPE: Spinach Artichoke Lasagna Rolls
→ SIGN UP FOR THE RV KITCHEN group on Facebook.
Trivia
The Girl Scouts have a surplus of 15 million boxes of unsold cookies after the pandemic hampered the spring selling season.
*How long can an earthworm live and how big can they grow?
A.) 2 months, 6 inches
B.) 1 year, 1 foot
C.) 8 years, 10 feet
Yesterday’s trivia tells you!
Not enough power to run your air conditioner? Think again!
When the summer heat arrives and your 110 power is from a small portable generator or a 20-amp household hookup you’re out of luck running an air conditioner. That is, unless you have a SoftStartRV. It’s inexpensive, simple to install, and makes running your A/C possible when you never could before. Order at a discount. Money back guarantee if not 100% satisfied. Read more.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Henry, our three-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, is so inquisitive about the world-at-large. Whether riding ‘shotgun’ with my wife or sniffing out the smells of the ‘great outdoors,’ Henry is always ready for his next adventure. After a hard day’s travelling or foraging, Henry sleeps on our bed pillows with us. Needless to say, Henry is the love of our lives.” —Eddie and Diann McMullen
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!
Leave here with a laugh
What do a dog and a phone have in common?
They both have collar ID.
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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Wholey Carp! We’ve stooped to bitching about Girl Scouts and Girl Scout cookies? Ya gotta be kidding!
I have been an avid reader of rvtravel.com and have been RVing for many many years. My wife and I were full timers for almost 12 years. The one thing I wish you would help promote is a list of bad bad campgrounds. We have stayed at some really bad ones. Power pedestal doesn’t work, water from a well, and managers/owners with such bad attitudes you want to walk out but they charged your credit card (no refund). We were recently moved from site to site for power reasons.
Agree! Campgroundreviews.com is a good resource.
Re: recipe of the day –
I’ve made this so many times, using Fritos instead of tortilla chips, and Catalina salad dressing.
Great for a camp out dinner, cook the meat ahead of time and take it in your cooler.
Love the cute puppy!
Please don’t classify RVers as cheapskates! We buy 6 boxes every year and yes, foodbanks and pantries would be a great choice for unsold and the not-cheapskates could donate cash to local Girl Scouts.
To save on your salt content omit the doritos and use low to no salt tortilla chips. I make my own nachos and do it this way. That dog is absolutely so cute.
One of the many reasons the Girl Scouts have a surplus of cookies is.. Theyre organisation has become politically “Woke” and many will not support this….
Baloney! They were not able to sell during lockdowns…
COVID-19 shut down door-to-door sales and cookie sales stands in front of supermarkets and other stores. Some stores have helped by displaying and selling GS cookies m their stores and giving all proceeds to the group or in some cases to the entrepreneurial individual Girl Scout. If your political/social mindset is such that you will penalize these young folks fund raising efforts then I am really sorry for you.
In my area the Boy and Cub Scouts were selling their popcorn outside many businesses all during the COVID pandemic! It was done by at least 1 parent their son or daughter (girls are in the Scouts) and sales were done with no contact. Did they sell as much in past, I don’t know? Being a past Boy-Scout,Cub and Scout Master I usually buy 1 item ever time I would see them or give a cash donation again no contact. If the Girl Scouts tried the same approach I would have done the same! Where there is a will there is a way! I don’t give a HOOT about the political correct, I’m always happy to see a young person out learning and participating in something other than sitting at home buried in the sofa. All of these groups do good and many of a child has learned what it takes to be an achiever and have gone on to a successful life. In my Son’s Patrol of 7 boys 6 earned their Eagle and 1 earned Life. All 7 went onto great careers and some with families.
Bill N Stacey have lost sight of what’s good or bad. Young girls selling cookies
is a great way to build confidence and communication skills. We buy our years supply from them every year (two or three cases) and freeze them. They keep really well. Get off your high horse and buy from them, then donate to your favorite charity or public service, such as the fire department. Makes you feel really good!
Awwww, Henry looks so sweet and lovable!
Volunteer at local food bank. We had pallet loads of Girl Scout cookies to pass along. The cookies are a bit pricy, I just give the local adult leader the price of a box and let them keep the cookies.
The selling of the cookies serves 2 purposes, social interaction and fund raising.
I am with Tony. This is a fund raiser not a multi-national gouging with an overpriced product. I always support Girl Scouts in the U.S. and Girl Guides in Canada. Buying a box supports the adventures and leadership it teaches the Girl’s. Buy a box it won’t kill you, stop being a Scrooge.
The Girl Scouts would not have so many left over if the price for a tiny box was not so over priced.
AMEN to that! Smaller cookies and big price! Sell the rest of them at half price and get rid of them!
So you drive a 50-100,000 dollar RV (or more) and gripe about the price of Girl Scout cookies, which is a fund raiser? You better get a VW bus and wear torn jeans from now on.
Wake up and look around, many grocery item prices have gone up over the years and the packages have gotten smaller. As a past Cub-Master we had a difficult time finding a large enough place to hold our monthly meetings (around 100 boys plus family members) I went before our local small town borough committee and begged them to let us use the town recreation hall. I finally asked them if they wanted to have a good wholesome environment for the children of the area or to have them breaking into their houses in a few years, we got the use of the building and then some. Buy the small overpriced box and be happy that you are supporting something positive!
The solution to the Girl Scout cookie surplus is so obvious! Food banks and homeless shelters would welcome them.
I’m sure they would, but the whole idea is fund raising. They want to SELL them.
Get out there, girls! Set up in those malls and on street corners.
Smaller cookies and the price has gone up. Sell that at half price, instead of letting them lay around.
That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time! I would be happily surprised if the Girl Scouts would do just that.