Issue 1649
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.
Be cool this summer!
Now use your RV air conditioner when you could never use it before (like with only regular 20-amp household power!). No kidding!
Page Contents
Today’s thought
“None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate (or relax)? Today is National Hammock Day!
On this day in history: 1893 – Katharine Lee Bates writes “America the Beautiful” after admiring the view from the top of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Tip of the Day
Set up your RV with money-saving dollar store finds
By Gail Marsh
Deciding on what RV to buy is just the beginning. Once you have an RV, you’ll need to outfit your rig with the essentials. Don’t let your wallet panic! Dollar stores are here to help. At the dollar store, you can find almost everything you’ll need for much less than you’d spend in other stores.
It can seem overwhelming to think about setting up an RV. Here are some things I found on a recent trip to my dollar store. You might not need or want all these items. But just in case you do, let’s start with things for the inside of your RV… Click here.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: 12 easy RV cleaning tricks with everyday products
⇒ RESERVE A CAMPSITE AT CAMPSPOT, the leading online marketplace for RV camping (and glamping).
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new 5 Mars Illusion Minivan Class B. He starts his review by saying, “Of all the categories of RVing, Class B RVs are the hottest with a rise in sales of more than 150% year over year. That’s a lot of folks doing a lot of buying. But what if even a Class B van is too large for your garage? Fortunately, there’s 5 Mars in Quebec, Canada, who converts Chrysler Pacifica Minivans into pretty well-outfitted campers.” Continue reading.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2022 Newmar Essex 4551 Class A Diesel Pusher? 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 22, 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.
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.
RVs in Japan are a lot different
Check out this photo from a website that advertises an RV show in Japan. In Japan, apparently, RVs are called camping cars. As you can see in this and other photos, they are far different from what we travel with in North America. Very interesting.
Yesterday’s featured article: You will never see another 5th wheel trailer like this!
Camping activity and puzzle book perfect for summer fun
Even though this activity and puzzle book is meant for children, we bet you’ll have fun with it too. All the puzzles are camping-themed. It’s perfect to bring along in the RV to have fun around the campfire or at the picnic table. Inside you’ll find word searches, mazes, scavenger hunts, animal tracks, hidden pictures, word scrambles, hiking logs and much more! Learn more or order.
Reader poll
What’s more important to you at an RV park: lots of space between sites or good Wi-Fi?
It might be hard to pick, but please do, then tell us here.
Quick Tip
Too hot tranny!
If your automatic transmission fluid ever reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, it must be changed as soon as possible to prevent further transmission damage. From Trailers & Fifth Wheels Made Easy
If you missed yesterday’s Full-Time RVer Newsletter, you’ll want to catch up and read it here.
Website of the day
RVupgrades.com
Once you’re on this site, hover your mouse over “RV Product Categories.” Did you just gasp? Yeah, so did we. This online store has everything (eeeeeverything) you need to repair or upgrade your RV. You may be able to find these products somewhere else for less money, but here they’re all in one place to see and compare. Happy shopping!
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
You might look a little silly in this but, boy, would it come in handy!! Check it out.
RVtravel.com Podcast Episode 16
The breakout star of “Nomadland”, Bob Wells, opens up about making the Academy Award-winning film on this week’s RVtravel podcast. The RVtravel.com podcast is brought to you by SoftStartRV power management, Clear20 water filters and TearDropShop.com.
LISTEN TO A 30-SECOND CLIP OF BOB’S INTERVIEW:
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:
• 39 percent have given blood many times
• 24 percent have been both snorkeling and scuba diving before
• 56 percent admit to having several bad habits they can’t break
Recent poll: Pick a bonus amenity you’d want to see at a campground or RV park…
Recipe of the Day
Chicken Taquitos
by Stephanie Sorbie from Kelso, WA
These taquitos are delicious and simple to prepare. All the ingredients come together for a fiesta in your mouth! The recipe makes a large batch, which makes them great for game day or if you’re having a crowd over. You’ll never want to buy them frozen from the store again.
Yum, yum, yum! Get the recipe.
SEE YESTERDAY’S YUMMY RECIPE: Louisiana-Style Smothered Pork Chops
Block window glare with movable sunshades
[Caveat: Check state laws before using these while driving.]
Kate Doherty writes, “The automatic shades in motorhomes are great for front-facing glare, but sometimes quartering slivers of bright sunlight affect vision comfort for both driver and passenger. We found these sunshades more effective, especially on the middle of our Jeep front windshield, to reduce glare without impeding vision as the sun visors don’t extend far enough. Because they are so flexible, they fit well in curved windshields.” Read more or order some here
Trivia
The term “Dumpster” comes from the name of the company that designed and patented the first large, moveable trash bin. The word was first used commercially in 1936 from the Dempster-Dumpster system, which mechanically loaded the contents of trash containers onto garbage trucks. This was patented by the Dempster Brothers and the containers were called “Dumpsters” – a combination of the company’s name and the word “dump.”
*Are used cars more affordable or more expensive than they were last year at this time? What about new cars? Yesterday’s trivia explains.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“We got our new fur baby, Bella, on October 30, 2020. She weighed only 2.2 pounds and is the cutest little Malshi ever. She loves to cuddle and play with our son’s 80-pound German Shepherd! She’s very smart and social. She’s almost potty and crate trained. She doesn’t shed and loves the motorhome! She’ll max out between 4-8 pounds – perfect! Bella in Italian means beautiful – and that she is!” —Nick Alvanos
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!
JUST GETTING STARTED RVing? Read our publisher’s book The ABCs of RVing for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Leave here with a laugh
This is too funny! Watch it more than once, you’ll laugh each time!
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.
CONTACT US
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Editorial (news): mikegast@rvtravel.com
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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
I’d love to have a retired police dog.
My Dad, a retired police officer, bred & sold dogs to the police force.
I grew up with them…….they really are that smart
Emily, (My Mothers Name btw)
I would like to suggest a new feature in the newsletter where readers would send in their favorite RV improvements or trick outs and you would pick one to write about each day. I’m sure all the readers would love to see what cool ideas other RV’rs have done.
KUTGW (Keep Up The Great Work)
Love it!
Regarding the Camper Cars from Japan, I would be curious as to the Components they use, like the Fridge, Water Heater, Stove etc. And also, what’s the Fit and Finish like compared to what’s made here.
It would be nice to have a Quality Invasion from Japan just to get the attention of our shoddy builders. But do we have some tariff system that keeps their RVs out of our market?