Issue 1709
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 Daily Deals on Amazon.
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Dessert Day!
On this day in history: 1582 – Because of the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, this day (October 14) does not exist in this year in Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.
Tip of the Day
Don’t be stranded! This power pack starts vehicles and charges devices too
By Nanci Dixon
We bought a 1,000-amp portable car starter when our tow car mysteriously wouldn’t start and we did not want to be stranded again. Turns out the shop had not wired the car to be charged from the motorhome as our previous car was. By the time we found out the cause, we had a dead battery and a new car starter!
Continue reading to find out why you should have one of these, too.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: 6 unusual ways to use cupcake liners (no baking required) in and around the RV
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the Airstream Atlas. This RV is “referred to by Airstream as a luxury Class B RV,” but is it really luxurious? See what Tony thinks in today’s review.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the Winnebago Micro Minnie 2018DS FLX? 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, October 14, 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 $25 Amazon gift card: Deborah Butler of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Jacob Southward of Runnells, Iowa, and Randal Neubauer of Apple Valley, Minnesota.
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. 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 addresses a reader’s technical question with his expert advice. You’ll learn a lot!
What is the best multimeter?
Dear Dave,
What is the best multimeter to have in our tool box? If not by brand name, what functions are mandatory to have, good to have, and would be a nice extra to have? —Dr. Mike
Did you miss Dave’s column yesterday where he answered the question: Will solar panels overcharge my batteries?
Lose the shake with a 5th wheel or goose neck tripod
The “king pin” on a 5th wheel is the point where the trailer attaches to the “hitch” of the tow vehicle. Many people do not like the fact that 5th wheel trailers have a tendency to pitch and roll when they are not supported, so they carry a “king pin” support device. These devices come as a bipod or a tripod. Learn more.
Yesterday’s featured article: Yikes! They love RVs so much they got RV tattoos!
Did you miss yesterday’s Full-Time RVer Newsletter? You don’t want to miss it! Read it here.
Reader poll
Men, do you wear cologne or aftershave lotion?
Gents, tell us here.
Quick Tip
The bears right now are hungry. Be careful
This is the time of year when bears are in hyperphagia. It’s when bruins are spending up to 20 hours a day hunting for 20,000 or more daily calories preparing for hibernation. When camping, thoroughly clean up your campsite. Allow grills to burn for a couple of minutes after cooking to burn off grease and to eliminate odors. Don’t allow food odors to linger. If you are sleeping in a tent or soft-sided RV, do not sleep in the clothes you wore when grilling your food. Keep them locked in your car’s trunk.
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
You wouldn’t normally think something like this would work so well, but when you see the review photos, there’s no doubting it works… and well!
Website of the day
Top 15 U.S. Pumpkin Patches
It’s not too late to get yourself out to a pumpkin patch! They’re not just for kids! In fact, many pumpkin patches have beer and wine gardens, not to mention usually good food booths.
RVtravel.com Podcast Episode 27
Is the ”RV shortage” pure propaganda? Also, save your life with electrical system precautions. Brought to you by Clear20 water filters, TearDropShop.com, Campgroundviews.com, and RVtravel.com’s Who Makes What guide to manufacturers and RV brands.
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 say they have given their RV a name.
• 61 percent say their RV has an onboard generator.
• 34 percent know a lot about their family history – they’ve studied it!
Recent poll: What day of the week do you most often read the Sunday newsletter?
The wildest multi-tool gadget…
This wild, elusive, totally unique multi-tool carabiner is perfect to keep on your key ring or backpack. When someone asks you for a screwdriver, wrench, can opener, bottle opener, cord-cutter, or ruler, tell them Sasquatch can help! Every camper and outdoor enthusiast needs one of these! It’s cool, but it will also come in handy at the campsite! Learn more or order. (Hurry, before he disappears again!)
Recipe of the Day
Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
by Heather Isom from Santa Maria, CA
Instead of making a pumpkin pie, try these delicious pumpkin pie bars. It has all the flavors of a pie without a crust. We would consider these more cake-like bars than a blondie-type bar, but regardless, they are delicious. Fluffy and moist, they have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. On top is an easy cream cheese frosting that’s sweet, tangy, and buttery.
It’s National Dessert Day AND pumpkin season, so this recipe seems like something you HAVE to make. Get it here.
See yesterday’s recipe: Pork Loin Stuffed with Dried Figs and Apricots
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Trivia
Bees can detect if a flower has recently been visited by another bee through electrostatic charges. As bees fly, they generate a slight positive static charge. When they land on a flower, that charge is instantly transferred to the flower. Since it takes a bit of time to dissipate, that static charge is left behind even after they’ve flown off. If another bee flies up to that flower, they can tell another bee was recently there and they’ll go find another flower.
*Why do we refer to someone who has recently passed away as “the late”? Yesterday’s trivia answers that.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Miso is 1.5 years old. He’s a pure Cocker Spaniel. He loves traveling in the RV, and especially loves all the trails he walks on with us.” —Lauren Wilson
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!
Stinky sewer dump? This will do the trick!
If a sewer hose doesn’t fit tightly, sewer gases will escape and make the odor when dumping almost unbearable. It’s embarrassing and disgusting! This sewer adapter hose seal plugs the hole. No more stink! Read more about it here or order one here.
Leave here with a laugh
Thanks to Steve Barnes of Kamloops, B.C., for this!
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 editors: 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, Randall Brink, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, 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.
Honorary Correspondents: Loyal readers who regularly email us leads about news stories and other information and resources that aid our own news-gathering efforts.
Tom and Lois Speirs • Mike Sherman • George Bliss • Steve Barnes • Tom Hart + others who we will add later.
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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How do we get a sign like Steve Kamloops. Would like to put one outside of the RV at a dog trial aka dog show.
Miso looks so cute and content to be an RVer!😀🐶
The best part of “The Mystery Product of the Day” is the very first question from someone in the question section on the website. Some really funny stuff there.
You made me take a second look! Hahaha!
Couldn’t agree with you more, Tommy!!! I also liked the photo section of how the sandwich maker really turns out the product!
That is great. Like a lot of the other “products’, the links are quite old. That question was from 2016.
Hi, Carlos. Yes, the question was old, but the ad is current. Maybe they left that question at the top because it was the most humorous and gets people’s attention. Have a great day. 🙂 –Diane
It doesn’t work any better this year than it did in 2016 and it still has to be cleaned.
The ad for road and home is misleading, the dog bones don’t allow you to “convert” from 15A to 30A or 30A to 50A. It allows you to simply plug into those outlets, you still will only get 15 or 30 amps. Liar liar pants on fire!
Love the Laugh of the Day! So true.