Issue 1664
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
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Middle Child Day!
On this day in history: 1851 – Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine.
Tip of the Day
Buying an RV? Visit an RV show first. Here’s why.
By Mark Polk, RV Education 101
RV shows, like boat shows, are intended to introduce new model year RVs and help disseminate RV-related information to the consumer. These shows are typically scheduled during the slower time of the year, the winter months (though they do occur year-round), to help jump-start the RV dealer’s selling season. RV dealers from miles away bring their wares to these shows.
For the buyer, RV shows put everything you need to see and learn about under one roof, making it the ideal environment to conduct research and make informed RV buying decisions. I mentioned that RV dealers come from miles around – this includes local RV dealers from the area where you live. If possible, try to buy from an RV dealer within a reasonable distance from where you live. This makes it much easier to get service and warranty work done on the unit.
The most important concern is to only deal with a reputable RV dealership. Continue reading.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: Avoid fresh water contamination from nasty waste water
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new EarthRoamer HD luxury overlander. As he reports, “Sometimes you have to dream big and, for those who love overlanding and dream big, something like the EarthRoamer HD might be the stuff dreams are made of. This is a massive vehicle designed to go places mere mortal vehicles can’t go and take a very luxurious RV space along for the ride.” If you dream big, check this out.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7 184BS? 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, August 12, 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 three readers claimed their $20 Amazon Gift Cards: Michael Hampton of Salt Lake City, Utah, Frank Aiello of Danvers, Massachusetts, and Wayne Kinstad of Sioux Falls, 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.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club, a one-stop go-to online resource for RV enthusiasts. He is also the owner of Passport Media Creations, which has developed several RV dealer and safety training programs.
In Dave’s column Monday–Saturday he’ll address a reader’s technical question with his expert advice. You’ll learn a lot!
Is it OK to store an RV with the slide room out?
Dear Dave,
I keep my 38’ 5th wheel stored in a fully enclosed building year-round with the slides out when not camping. Can leaving the slides out for long periods of time cause any damage to the frame or other structural components of camper? —Spencer
Did you miss Dave’s column yesterday where readers asked questions about their Schwintek slide systems? Here it is, with tips to keep them running smoothly: Schwintek slide out system problems – Part 2.
How one RVer figured out how to never do laundry again
By Rick Cain
Most RVers do laundry. But not me. I don’t have to deal with laundry at all. Let me tell you why. Boredom and me have never been a good combo. Once my brain starts to wander it comes up with all kinds of fun stuff. Including this brilliant strategy. Guys, if you want to get out of laundry duties, pay attention. [Gals, you don’t want to miss this either! This is absolutely hilarious!]
Yesterday’s featured article: Reader asks: What to do with nosy busybodies in RV parks?
Reader poll
How many RVs have you owned in your life?
Count ’em all up then tell us here.
TODAY’S SPECIAL DEALS AT AMAZON! Click here to save.
Quick Tip
Help your RV fridge cool down faster
Want to speed up the cooling process when you first turn on your RV refrigerator? If you have room in your home sticks-and-bricks freezer, toss in two or three gallon milk jugs filled not quite to the top with water. When starting the RV fridge, stuff these “cold ones” in the warm refrigerator and it’ll cool faster. Put a rag underneath each to catch condensation.
Help stabilize and keep your RV steps safe
The RV Save-A-Step Brace is designed to be placed under RV entry steps for safety. It stabilizes the RV steps and helps keep the coach from rocking — preventing sag and wear. The brace is made of heavy-gauge steel with a 3/4″ solid metal screw thread, 1000-pound load rating and 7-5/8″ to 14″ adjustment range. Learn more or order.
Website of the day
NYPL Digital Collections
History buff? So are we. The New York Public Library offers 908,647 (and counting) digital items from its collections. Explore everything from old maps and photographs, to sheet music, to letters, to old posters.
RVtravel.com Podcast Episode 19
What they’re thinking on the other side of the RV park check-in counter, this week on the RVtravel.com podcast. The RVtravel.com podcast is brought to you by SoftStartRV power management, Clear20 water filters and TearDropShop.com.
Listen to a 40-second clip of the episode.
Listen to the full episode 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:
• 29 percent have never played golf before
• 31 percent have been RVing around Canada more than once! And 16 percent have been RVing in Canada but just one time.
• 22 percent talk on the phone multiple times a day.
Recipe of the Day
Turkey Tetrazzini
by Tamara Minck from Vancouver, WA
Member’s Choice! Forget turkey sandwiches. This is going to become your go-to recipe for turkey leftovers. This casserole is extremely creamy and super easy. We loved the addition of Parmesan and Asiago cheeses … it adds flavor to the roux and creates an amazing cheesy crust on top. The sauce is super creamy and savory. We thought there might be too much garlic but it wasn’t overpowering and really works in this casserole. Your family is going to request this often!
We’d like to try this! Get the recipe here.
SEE YESTERDAY’S YUMMY RECIPE: Italian Stuffed Zucchini
Trivia
Houseflies process visual information around seven times more quickly than humans, enabling them to identify and avoid attempts to catch or swat them, since they effectively see the human’s movements in slow motion with their higher flicker fusion rate.
*Yesterday’s trivia tells you quite a few fun facts about invasive species in National Parks. Click here, scroll down, and check it out.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Here is Lucy relaxing after a long hike. She is a Mini Goldendoodle and loves to camp.” —Frank Raches
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!
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Everyone in the world could benefit from using this. We’re not kidding!
Leave here with a laugh
On a rural road, a state trooper pulled a farmer over and said, “Sir, did you know that your wife fell out of your truck several miles back?” “Thank God!” said the farmer. “I thought I had gone deaf.”
Run your RV A/C with only normal household power. It’s now possible!
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. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editor: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Mike Gast. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, 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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I use 8 large blue ice containers. I put them in the night before and refer. is cold and ready in the morning. Takes up less space than milk jugs. Also last much longer if I leave them in or I use them in my cooler that I have under the dinning bench.
Lucy looks almost like our Teddy. Our Teddy is a chihuahua poodle. We call him a choodle. He looks more poodle then chihuahua until he is shaved for the summer. Our Teddy does the same thing your Lucy does. Just chillin in the summer shade.
What an adorable picture of Lucy, napping in a camp chair.
One of the best tips I ever got in the RV travel newsletter was using Windex to spray house flies with when they land. They are not faster than my ability to spray them with Windex. It incapacitates them so that you can grab them and get rid of them. Sure, I don’t get them every time but most times. And I don’t have to try to swat them with a flyswatter in places that are not convenient or where breakables are in the way. We usually let them land in the window and then get them. Our windows stay a lot cleaner now. My wife is even better at it than me. She can get the ones that I miss.
About the RV Save-A-Step Brace –
I purchased this and while it is a pain to extend it to support under the stairs, the product makes the stairs solid just like your home.
I use a simple scissor jack. Makes it easy to adjust with the settling of the motorhome. I typically keep it about 1/4″ below the bottom step.
Curious. How do make a housefly hold still and then measure it’s eyes reaction time? Anyway, today’s Quick Tip is what we do, but with milk jugs of ice. Partly because we have a Dometic refrigerator, Model OSKW, only sorta, kinda,works. But it will be replaced with a 12 volt compressor fridge eventually.
The laundry story made my day, Thank you
All you Florida guys, think Hurricane. I’m ready, are you?
Funny story here. We pulled our daughter out of school for her birthday in mid September. This was I think 2005. A hurricane was approaching and our travel agent told us that it was expected to head out to sea. So the trip was on. It hit us. So we get home and she tells everyone about the hurricane that she experienced. I got called into the principal office because our daughter was talking about a hurricane Michigan never gets. I had to explain to him that we got back from Florida and was indeed involved in a class 2 hurricane. And when it was a class 1 we walked in it. She remembers the hurricane over a WDW trip. But what an experience that was.
Fell or “accidently” pushed.