Issue 1785
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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√ DID YOU KNOW? RVtravel.com is the most popular RV lifestyle website in the world! —SOURCE: ALEXA.COM
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Today’s thought
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.”―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Blueberry Pancake Day!
On this day in history: 1878 – Yale Daily News becomes the first independent daily college newspaper in the United States.
Tip of the Day
Don’t trip the breaker. Colored sticker dots save the day
One of our longtime readers sent this in and we think it’s a great quick tip. Here’s what George has to say:
“Take small colored sticker dots and put one on each outlet that corresponds in color to a dot placed on a breaker in your electrical panel.” Continue reading to see why this is a good idea.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: RV Mods: A place to carry your “grass carpet”
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new East to West Alta 2350KRK. As he reports, “This was a new floor plan for the company last year and has proven to be a popular model. I can see why this would be—there is quite a lot to like about this floor plan and the way East to West implemented it.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the the gorgeous Keystone Montana 3791RD totally redone by Cortni Armstrong, The Flipping Nomad? If you missed it, you can read it here.
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Join Mike Sokol for a 60-minute Zoom interview TODAY at noon EST, featuring live questions from our Quartzsite booth with Tony Barthel. He’ll be discussing lithium battery upgrades. You can find the Zoom link to participate here.
CONTEST! Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
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.
What tire pressure monitoring system do you recommend?
Dear Dave,
Which TPMS do you think is the best and why? I currently have a Tire Minder TPMS and it is very inconsistent. On my last trip all 4 tires on my toad did not register at all. Other tires on my motorhome register at times and at other times show no reading. Thanks. —Ian
Did you miss Dave’s column yesterday where he answered the question: Does extreme heat make my RV’s wallpaper wrinkle?
Do you pay $2,007 a year for coffee? Here’s a breakdown of what you may be paying
Ever wonder how much you spend on coffee when on the road? There’s research you’ll find interesting … but it probably won’t change your habits. If you make daily stops at fast-food restaurants around midmorning for a cup of coffee, there are benefits, but the cost might surprise you. We break it down for you here.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- A “newbie’s” shifting perspective on RV etiquette
- How it Happened: You can thank the military for the drive-thru window
- RV boo-boos – No pickup to pull fifth wheel? No problem!
- The Quartzsite Report: Desert scorpions!
Reader poll
Have you ever been transported to a hospital in an ambulance?
Tell us here, please.
Camping with the Corps of Engineers
Many RVers consider Corps of Engineers campgrounds to be the best in the country. This guide is just for RVers — boat-in and tent-only sites are not included. Of all the public lands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has some of the best parks and campgrounds available. In fact, it’s the largest federal provider of outdoor recreation in the nation. Learn more or order.
Quick Tip
Only use distilled water in batteries
When topping off battery cells, NEVER use anything other than distilled water. Bottled water contains minerals (that’s why it tastes so good!). Bottled water may be good for your cells, but it’ll raise Cain with your batteries’ cells!
“Why I love my RV”
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, RVtravel.com readers tell in their own words why they love their RVs.
From Peggy Bradley
2019 Tiffin Open Road 34PA
This is my third Tiffin. I hope to live in and drive this one until I can no longer drive safely (20 more years?). The four slides, the long galley window, the big bath, the fireplace, etc., make this the perfect home for me. I added Safe-T stabilizers, Sumo springs, Koni shocks, and window awnings. I LOVE my house.”
Tell us about your RV. Come on, do a little bragging! Click here.
For Lovers Only…
Listen up, romantics. If you have a special someone you’d like to surprise with a secret message right here on this website (could be your wife, husband, partner, child, neighbor, friend, etc.) submit it to us here. Don’t use their real names, use a special name that only they’ll recognize. Oh, how fun it will be when they read it! You’ll make their day! We’ll feature these in our upcoming newsletters, so keep your eyes open.
Here are a couple of responses.
To: Cholita
From: Tamalito
“Dear Cholita, thanks for always being there for me. Life would be boring without you on our many trips together.”
To: Nana
From: Gramps
“Love you! Let’s keep our adventures rolling.”
Website of the day
The Best Hike in Every National Park
The title says it all! Get your hiking boots on, fill up your water bottle and get ready to hike!
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
This would come in handy for something we’ve mentioned in this newsletter (but we can’t tell you what!). We might need to get one of these for ourselves.
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
Easiest Pot Roast With Rich Gravy
by Betsy Wolfe from Ft Worth, TX
Crock-Pot recipes that are easy and full of flavor are essential when cooking for a family. This pot roast recipe has minimal ingredients and is super tasty. The gravy is rich and creamy; a perfect complement to the hearty beef roast. The Test Kitchen smelled amazing while this was cooking. Once done, the roast is tender and melts in your mouth. Delicious served over butter noodles.
We want this for dinner tonight! Get the recipe.
See yesterday’s recipe: Double Chocolate Strawberry Gooey Butter Cake
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Trivia
Did you know that tug of war use to be an Olympic sport? It’s true! Between 1900 and 1920, tug of war was part of the Olympics, however, it wasn’t between countries, it was between different clubs. Since a country could enter more than one club to play, some years a single country won all the medals (like the U.S. in 1904).
*Standardized time keeping was brought about by the advent of _____. Find the answer in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“We have two King Charles Cavaliers. Carl loves to sit at the front window and watch the people go by. He barks at the school kids and the other dogs, cats, and squirrels. Abby loves attention. She lays beside me and sleeps all day. They only play with one toy which is a knitted sock over a plastic bottle that I put a string on so we can throw it. Carl will attack it when we pull the string. We love them almost like children.” —Robert Tomaso
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!
Motion-activated LED lights illuminate dark places
Long-time RVtravel.com reader Snoopy recommended these lights and we think they’ll come in handy for RVers. Snoopy wrote, “We got tired of finding stuff where it didn’t belong in our dark cabinets above our dinette and sofa. There are three cabinet doors on each side but it was one huge open space. So I made some dividers and painted them white and installed these battery-operated motion-activated LED lights. Works great.”
Leave here with a laugh
Poor little calf!
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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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury.
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Editorial (all but news): editor@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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Jim Morrison must have been into the Maui Wowie when he wrote Today’s Thought!
Yep, used to treat water for a living. I was at a seminar where I got to talk to a young lady that worked at a bottled water plant. The SOP for these folks is to run water through RO to get it to a purified ‘blank slate’ then back add mineral/salts to restore flavor. That’s why your bottle of namebrand bottled water tastes the same whereever you buy it. But definitely not good for batteries.
Leave here with a laugh looks like my daughter and the little girl like her daughter. I had to send and ask her. Or it’s her twin unknown.
@ Robert Tomaso, consider joining the Facebook group “Camping Cavaliers”! It’s the nicest group on Facebook. Just be sure to answer all three questions. Hope to see you, Abby and Carl on there!
Loved the hikes-in-national-parks link. Fun to scroll through to see how many I’ve already done! Thank you.
I would amend that tip to say distilled water is best but if the battery’s plates are exposed to the air any water is better than none.
Like everything else, there is a shortage/run on distilled water here in Arizona. I need some for my golf cart batteries and my wife needs it for cpap machine. I scored 1gallon thjs week. It seems everyone around here uses cpap. Distilled water costs the same as bottled drinking water. $1a gallon. No sense in using anything but
I use a $79 counter-top water distiller from Amazon for all my needs (cpap, batteries, steam iron, coffee pot, etc.). Takes about 2 hours to produce 1 gallon distilled water. It’s paid for itself many times over (cost of buying water, gas to get to the store, my time). It was the perfect solution for me.
How about catching the water from your de-humidifyer in a glass container?
Hikes in every National Park ?
Nope
The warning about only using distilled water in your batteries is overblown. Yes, it is best to add distilled water to your batteries (and your radiator also) but on the rare occasion when you’re stuck without distilled water, using bottled drinking water isn’t going to damage your battery. Much better than leaving the plates exposed.
I’ll respectfully disagree with you. You won’t see any immediate damage but you’ve just shortened you battery’s life by about a year. The minerals will shorten a battery’s life! And if used in a cooling system will cause corrosion whether it’s a cast iron block or aluminum. I always carry a 20 oz bottle of distilled water for topping off my battery. They cost to much to be cheap and use tap or bottled water.
I only use rain water I collect then strain through a coffee filter. I put it in a gallon milk jug and it lasts me more than a year and I have 7 batteries to maintain.
Very good idea! Rain water IS distilled water, and totally free. Just be sure to collect it before it runs across your roof and down your gutters. That will add lots of contaminents into the water and many will pass through your coffee filter.
Distilled water is water that does not have dissolved ions in it. And to remain distilled it is stored in containers that will not leach ions into it. Rainwater has plenty of dissolved minerals in it. Though I imagine some of the citizen scientists on this site believe acid rain to be a myth as well. Now whether that acid rain is good or bad in your battery I couldn’t tell you, but battery manufacturers all state that you should use non-ionic or distilled water. I doubt that is because they are in cahoots with distilled water vendors.
Love , Love Graham Norton. Thank you
Mystery product of the day is basically a bigger reverse fanny pack. LOL
Anything to sell to someone who has to have the latest of everything, personally I don’t like something big a bulky bouncing around above my butt while walking. Of course with my bad knee I don’t walk like I once did.
It is that. But a much better solution for hiking, fishing, etc. I’m getting one!
Looks too much like the “fanny pack”, that the Army insisted upon when they decided we needed to take a “hike” thru the woods. I don’t need one.
I could see a young parent using this with a hiking baby carrier, since it would ride below the backpack and carry water bottles.