Issue 1638
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
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” —Walt Disney
Need an excuse to celebrate? It’s National Chocolate Day! Did you know that eating an ounce of dark chocolate every day actually has some health benefits, including reducing stress and blood pressure?
On this day in history: 1947 – Aliens landed near Roswell, New Mexico. At least that’s what some locals believe. But the government says, no, they were not aliens, just a weather balloon that crashed. Today, Roswell celebrates the historic day with a UFO museum and street lights shaped like aliens.
Tip of the Day
Pack backwards before heading off on an RV trip
Before you start packing for your next trip, unpack. Use the opportunity to clean the interior including closets, cupboards, and pantry and take everything out of the RV that won’t be needed on the trip. Don’t forget the outside storage compartments.
√ Pack backward. What you load first in the RV should be what you will use last or least. So you can get to them easily, things you’ll need while en route, like snacks, games, maps and other trip aids, should get packed last.
√ Snacks for the road. Munching is a typical activity on RV road trips, but try to keep it healthy! Before you leave on a camping trip, set out bowls of raisins, granola and various nuts and let each person fill a bag.
√ Watch your weight. Be aware of your GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), your GVCR (Gross Vehicle Combination Rating), NCC (Net Carrying Capacity), etc. Realize that what your unit can carry is limited.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: Corps of Engineers parks are RVer favorites
Today’s RV review preview…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Rivian Truck Camp Kitchen. As he reports, “The idea behind Rivian’s camper isn’t to be an RV, per se, but does pay homage to all the overlanders out there who put a rooftop tent on their four-wheel-drive vehicles and go places that you can’t find on your AAA paper maps.” He adds, “I think this is a beautifully packaged kitchen.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the Airstream Flying Cloud 25FB with office? 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, July 7, 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 $20 Amazon gift cards: Sarah Stranz of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and Bruce Wallace of Wilsonville, Oregon.
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.
The best way to level a fifth wheel? Make it levitate!
“Ah, look at that, Honey. We’re level!” Do you think these fifth wheel owners had a hard or easy time backing their rig into their spot for the night? We can’t quite decide. Either way, there’s zero tire wear, they’ll have the perfect opportunity to rotate those tires and, hey, they’re completely level. Betcha won’t see such a unique parking job again!
Yesterday’s featured article: Motorhome sideswipes truck. Video captures it all. Ugly! (If the link didn’t work for you yesterday, we apologize. Please try it again today.)
IS YOUR RV BED UNCOMFORTABLE? Get a new mattress. Big selection of RV beds on Amazon at great prices. Check ’em out.
Reader poll
How often do you read the print edition of a daily newspaper?
Respond here and see how other readers responded.
Helpful resources
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Listen to this week’s RV Travel Podcast. It’s a good one!
Run your RV air conditioner with only a small portable generator. Yes, it’s true! Stay cool this summer!
Have you considered buying a truck camper? Maybe you should… Here’s why.
Website of the day
The 41 American Barbecue Joints You Need to Try Right Now
It’s BBQ season, and instead of doing it all yourself stop by one of these mouthwatering 41 BBQ spots across the country. No way you’ll regret it!
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Video: American life in 1957. How things have changed!
• Campground crowding. One reader thinks we don’t need more RV parks…
• RV Review: 2021 Grand Design Solitude 3540GK.
Two guides to free campgrounds will save you $$$
Discover thousands of designated camping areas in the West and in America’s Heartland — real places, not big box store parking lots. Included are areas managed by various agencies — federal, state, local, etc. Learn more about West edition or Heartland edition.
Recipe of the Day
Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cappuccino Cookies
by Becky Hudgins from Joshua, TX
Coffee flavor enhances the chocolate in these fantastic chocolate chip cookies. No ordinary chocolate chip cookie here. You taste the cappuccino but it’s not overbearing. These are crisp but chewy at the same time. As you take a bite, you get a crunch but the center is nice and chewy. Coffee lovers should give these a try.
It’s National Chocolate Day, and these will certainly hit the spot! Get the recipe.
SEE YESTERDAY’S YUMMY RECIPE: Parm Crusted Chicken My Way
Trivia
America’s first president, George Washington, instructed on his death bed that he not be buried for three days over fear of being buried alive.
*”Amazon.com’s warehouses cover an area about __ percent the size of Manhattan.” What’s that percentage? A.) 32 percent; B.) 60 percent; or C.) 87 percent. Find the answer in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Cian hikes trails from New Mexico to Maine, from Texas to Wyoming. Cian has visited more National Parks and State Parks than most humans. 15 years old and still going!” —Lucy Condon
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 handiest lights you’ll ever have
This 6-pack of tiny, battery-powered LED “Button Lamps” is just what you need for your RV’s closets and storage spaces. The tiny lamp is ultra-bright and has all the power of a normal-sized lamp. Backed with a strong adhesive, these little lamps will stick to any surface. They’re waterproof and good to have in case of an emergency. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
Bumper sticker: “I believe in a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.”
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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RVtravel.com Staff
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Managing editor: Mike Gast. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, James Raia, Kate Doherty, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, Randall Brink and Chris Epting. Podcast host and producer: Scott Linden. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Linda Brady. 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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When I tried to open this newsletter via the email notice it wanted me to download ‘link-tracker’ which I did not do. So, I went directly to your website and got it.
Have you implemented a new tracking/control software? I’ve not seen this before.
What’s up?
Hi Andy,
We most certainly have NOT enacted any new systems that require you to download something. Sounds like there is a problem somewhere in between our email servers and your inbox.
I’ll send you an email to follow up!
Just a quick note for everyone: we will NEVER require you to download something when you get our emails. We do track when someone reads the email (or at least when our logo shows up) and we also track when you click on a link in the email. This is all standard stuff to help us keep our email lists up to date and make sure that we’re sending you emails that are easy to read and easy to get to the newsletter from. But this is all passive tracking and it is ONLY used for our internal purposes. No one sells or shares that data and there is nothing that requires anything to download.
Kim
I’m so confused….. All prior comments except one are in regard to an apparent cleaning tip that I see no sign of in this newsletter. The only tip I see references ‘pack backward’. Do I need more coffee this morning?
Agree. What am I missing?
Same here. Don’t see any “cleaning” tips.
The cleaning tip was removed earlier due to the negative comments regarding it. I guess someone decided the tip wasn’t such a good idea after all. 😯 –Diane
I no longer have the energy or ability to wash and (especially!) wax our trailer, so I let Mother Nature take care of that. So far, so good. It shows that we’ve been places and done things with it.
I like my 5er to show my trail dust, just like my Ram tow vehicle. Plus I think the dirt/mud helps keep the screws and nails from backing out 🤪
Well put. [grin]
BBQ article was very nice and we have been to 3 of these.
Pretty ridiculous “quick tip”. Wasteful, expensive , not quick. A wet rag and dry microfiber will do the same thing, reusable.
I have washed and wax all my RV’s, and Mother Nature just dirties them back up. I have decided to let her wash and wax it after she dirties it up, maybe she’ll help keep it clean then. (just a little humor)
Sure generates a lot of garbage, as suggested by others, a waterless product works well, and if you use microfibre clothes they can be washed and reused.
Does the Clorox wipes method of camper cleaning also remove the wax I worked so hard to put on?
I bet it does. I use a product called “Mirage 2000 RV Waterless Wash and Wax” for the times I don’t have access to a proper wash. It works well for those times when the rig needs a touch up and shines up the gel coat nicely without damage to it.
If you research the ingredients, there are some pretty powerful chemicals and acids involved that will remove any wax on the paint. That and the fact that you are grinding the dirt into the finish.
The waterless wash products lift and hold the dirt above the surface.
I have used Gel Gloss for years, it not only cleans but leaves a wax like look after wiping off the haze.