Issue 1745
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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Good morning, RVtravel.com readers! We’re sorry that you didn’t get your email alert at the usual time this morning. There was a glitch in scheduling, which has been corrected. Our apologies. Have a great day!
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Faux Fur Friday!
On this day in history: 1910 – Modern neon lighting is first demonstrated by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show.
Tip of the Day
Pet safety during the holidays: Don’t let the Grinch steal your pet’s Christmas!
The holidays are coming! Pets are known to spoil a good Christmas party by getting into trouble. What are some of the things you should be aware of to prevent a costly trip to the emergency clinic? These things!
Yesterday’s tip of the day: Keep warm while winter RVing with these 17 cold weather tips
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new 2022 Aliner “Family” A-frame. As he reports, “There are a number of things I really like about these. I believe the assumption that they’re difficult to set up means a lot of people for whom this would be a good choice actually don’t look at them. That’s unfortunate.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the top-notch Coachmen RV Nova 20RB? If you missed it, you can read it here.
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Is this your RV?
We are continuing this feature by popular demand!
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
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.
Why won’t my Kwikee Level Best hydraulic jacks lift?
Dear Dave,
I have a 2007 Itasca Sunova with a Kwikee Level Best system. I added a little more than 1/2 quart of Dexron III and now the jacks operate very slowly and not all together. When they are finally all down, they will not lift the unit. —Roy
Did you miss Dave’s column yesterday where he answered the question: Can I just replace my house battery with lithium?
Wow! Is this home-built RV incredible or what?
Several readers have sent us this photo which has apparently been making the rounds on social media. Wow! Somebody went to a whole lot of trouble to build this beauty, which inside looks more like a classic wooden boat than an RV. Check it out!
Yesterday’s featured article: Instant Pots aren’t your mother’s pressure cooker
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Campground Crowding: Reader says some campers should lose campground privileges… for life!
- Time to downsize? Here’s how to find a smaller RV that works best for you
- Tesla’s new headquarters find home in Austin. 10,000 new workers stress already tight housing market. RVs to the rescue
- I’m in love with my new Lectric eBike. It is practically made for RVers!
Reader poll
If you have an outdoor TV on your RV, how often do you watch it?
Don’t change the channel, just tell us here!
Quick Tip
Pay close attention when setting up or breaking down for travel
Monte K. writes about a concern for RVers when trying to set up or break down for road travel – that is, the dangers of getting distracted while setting up/tearing down, especially hooking/unhooking. “I am always surprised when other RVers insist on trying to visit at that particular time. I understand non-RVers, but not RVers, being a distraction.
“Our method of defusing this situation: My wife will come to my rescue and engage any chatterboxes while I concentrate on my routine, especially while hooking up our toad. Even then, it is possible to make mistakes. I recently pulled out of our spot with the emergency brake set and flat-spotted the rear toad tires. We do have a routine where my wife watches the tow bar click in and the wheels roll, right after we check the lights. Somehow we goofed this one time and now we need two new toad tires. It has made us somewhat paranoid and MUCH more careful to follow our routine.” Thanks for the important reminder, Monte!
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
This is just gosh darn tear-JERKin’ amazing! How cow! No, holy beef! Click here to drool.
“Why I love my RV”
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, RVtravel.com readers tell in their own words why they love their RVs.
From Bob Lawrence
1984 Bluebird Wanderlodge
“We looked for almost two years to find a well-built RV to full-time in. We were from the Seattle area and we found this RV outside of Nashville. Flew back, saw it was as advertised and bought it for $55,000 in 2003. These were built on the school bus chassis and were made custom ordered back in Georgia for well-off clients, as each has individual paint jobs as well as custom interiors. Ours weighs 42,000 lbs. with an upgraded 400 hp Detroit engine. These were the top-of-the-line RVs before Prevost made theirs. They have had accidents, but nobody has ever died in one of these. Pure steel! They still hold their value as well as any 1984 RV can. They carry 300 gallons of diesel with 100 gallons of water with 60-gallon gray and black tanks. People stop and stare at our rig in RV parks and walk right past the newer (all look the same) Thor products out there. Best bang for the buck out there if taken care of.”
Tell us about your RV. Come on, do a little bragging! Click here.
Website of the day
22 Awesome Holiday Decoration Ideas For Your RV
Some of these ideas for holiday decorations are just too cute! We’ll have to take some of these and do them around our RVs!
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.
• Road Trip Wizard: Make your RV road trip planning easier than ever.
Recipe of the Day
Stuffed Green Peppers
by Natalie Loop from Hudson, MI
A fantastic old-fashioned stuffed bell pepper recipe how Grandma would make it. The combination of beef and pork gives these peppers a slightly different flavor profile. This is a satisfying dish. The combination of cheese inside the pepper and on top is perfect. Easy enough to cook any time, but they could easily be served for a special dinner.
Can’t go wrong with stuffed peppers, and these sound and look especially tasty! Get the recipe.
See yesterday’s recipe: Pepper Steak on Rice
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Trivia
The world receives enough sunlight in one hour on any given day to provide enough solar energy to fully power the entire world for an entire year.
*According to the American Trucking Association (ATA), the _____ of _____ is at its _____ since it began monitoring it in _____. Can’t fill in the blanks? Yesterday’s trivia fills them in for you!
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Meet Holly, our rescue Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix. She’s every bit a diva, who loves to travel, ignores toys, and will chase after every squirrel she can see. While she likes her mommy, she can’t let me out of her sight. I’m her ’emotional-support-human.’ Lol.” —James DaVanzo
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!
Light-up Christmas camper is a must-have for holiday decor!
Oh, have you ever seen anything so cute? And not only is it cute, but it also lights up! This adorable hand-painted vintage camper is perfect for adding holiday cheer to your table, mantel, kitchen, bedside table, bathroom and more! The camper comes with a 5′ plug-in light cord and extra bulbs. You gotta have it! (We do too!) Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
What’s made of leather and sounds like a sneeze?
A shoe!
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.
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury.
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
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Help desk: Contact us.
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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Jack Russell Chihuahua. OMG You folks sure are busy with him around. Could call him a Jack Hua. Never Mind. Gotta say a few times. I truly believe ours has a jack in her somewhere. Never saw so much energy for a 4 year old. I love Chuhuahuas. They have a split personality all their own.
Leave here with a laugh- pretty darn sad! Like the bottom of the barrel sad.
That’s probably because that’s where we found it – we scraped it up from the bottom of the barrel. 😆 Take care, and stay healthy, Skip. 🙂 –Diane
Mine got here eventually and it’s a great reason to sit down and take a break to read it!
This is not a complaint, gripe or argument, and I’m a big fan of solar power. Just pointing out that today’s Trivia item would have to include a whole lot of assumptions.
No buildings, parking lots, highways, fields, lakes or oceans? Just solar panels from horizon to horizon? No cloud cover anywhere, 100% efficient solar panels or today’s efficiency of under 20%? And power consumption at what rate? The US or Europe or Peru or Botswana? Today’s consumption rate or 10 years ago or 10 years in the future?
This, again, is not a gripe. Just pointing out that big blanket statements like that one have LOTS of hidden assumptions, perhaps realistic, perhaps not. But suffice to say, there is a LOT of potential in solar power and we should all support and benefit from it.
Sounds like a politician or a 15 year old made that proclamation. Solar energy is far from being cost effective but some insist it’s cool to say you have solar producing X megawatts.
Solar is good if you have a tracking system to track the sun across the sky. Otherwise a normal flat panel solar only receives maybe 4-5 hours of good sunlight. So what do you do for the other 19-20 hours?
All I know is that at the end of the year, I have paid “0” dollars for electricity in my 3000 sq ft home and more than likely, have actually received $$ back from the electric company due to the fact that I have use less of the electricity my solar panels generate and is diverted back in to their grid. Solar panels are expensive, but mine have paid for themselves three times over in the 10 years I’ve had them. So say what you will, they work and work well.
Dave Solberg
Find the hydraulic leak and repair it before you start working the air out of the hyd sys
The only problem I had, I had to have a second cup of coffee to go with my daily RVtravel fix😉
When it wasn’t in my Inbox, I went to rvtravel.com to get my copy.
I didn’t receive it either
I’m not sure if anyone else had this problem, but my newsletter was not in my inbox this morning. But, you can’t hide from me. 😉
Same here.
None here either. Maybe a problem with the email server.
Same here. Had to go to the site to read.
Sorry, Brenda, and everyone else. There was a glitch with scheduling the email alert. It’s been corrected. We sincerely apologize. Have a great day, and stay healthy. 🙂 –Diane
So you guys ARE human !
Oh, yeah. 😯 Although sometimes it’s the gremlins that interfere. Thanks for your patience and understanding, Tom. Have a great day, and stay healthy. 🙂 –Diane
Please know that I wasn’t complaining, I just wanted to make sure that you knew there was an issue. I easily found the newsletter on the website. Thanks for another great newsletter!
Nope, I didn’t think that at all, Brenda. We all just feel badly when there’s a glitch and things don’t run as smoothly as we would like. We appreciate your letting us know when something like this occurs. Thanks! Have a good evening/night. 🙂 –Diane