Issue 1798
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
“Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.”―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Do A Grouch a Favor Day!
On this day in history: 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system went into service.
Tip of the Day
See more, move less: The benefits of home-based camping
By Gail Marsh
Call me crazy, but I thought when we purchased our fifth-wheel RV we’d never tent camp again. Somehow I saw the RV as an “upgrade” from tent camping and that our lightweight, two-man tent would never again see the light of day. I was wrong. And I’m so glad! Combining an RV with tent camping has allowed us to see more of this great land than I ever thought possible. I call it home-based camping.
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Coachmen Northern Spirit 2557RB. He writes, “I love the use of space and the organizing of the storage on this trailer. It’s really one of the better examples I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot of trailers!”
For previous RV reviews, click 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.
I want to store water for emergencies. How do I keep it fresh?
Dear Dave,
I live in a 5th wheel full time in Florida. I am, for now, stationary. My question is concerning the fresh water tank. I want to keep water in the tank in case of an emergency when we lose city water. What is the best way to keep water in the tank fresh? My theory is to fill the tank all the way to eliminate any air in the tank. This way bacteria cannot grow because there is no oxygen. Is this correct? Or is there a better way? —Roy
TOPICS TO DISCUSS IN DAVE’S FORUM
• Should propane be shut off while on the road?
• Leaky toilet. Gasket won’t seal. Help!
• Water pressure weaker on city water than when dry camping. Why?
If you’re in the Raleigh, NC, area, join Dave this week at the NC RV Dealers Raleigh RV Show, Feb. 18-20, at the NC State Fairgrounds. He has seminars all three days.
Wheelchair-bound family finds joy in RVing
By Nanci Dixon
I met fellow RVers Mark Swanson and his son, Shane, at the campground earlier this week. Both Dad and Shane are wheelchair-bound, but that is not stopping them from being avid RVers. Shane was born with spina bifida and has no use of his legs. Mark grew up camping and wanted to share that with his son. Read more about this amazing and inspirational young man and his RVing family here. (Shane has how many gold medals?!)
Reader poll
Roughly how many different places did you stay with your RV in 2021?
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Quick Tip
Easy hand washing at the campsite
At a campsite? Put a bar of soap into the foot of a length of pantyhose cut long enough to tie to the water spigot. Very handy for hand washing. Thanks, Candy!
“Why I love my RV”
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, RVtravel.com readers tell in their own words why they love their RVs.
From Catherine Rubin
2003 Chinook Concourse
“My 21’ Chinook motorhome is so easy to drive and park anywhere. It has everything I need: a big refrigerator, microwave, generator, lots of inside storage, wet bath, one-piece fiberglass with plenty of insulation for cold weather camping. It has three 100-watt solar panels and has been converted to 4×4 and lifted so it’s great for boondocking. It has great road visibility for the driver and the 4×4 makes it an attention-getting vehicle, which has been a wonderful way to meet people. Best of all is being part of the Chinook Camping Club, which has given me many good friends.”
Tell us about your RV. Come on, do a little bragging! Click here.
Website of the day
Top 10 Wild West towns in America
Get your cowboy hats and boots on and yee-haw your way over to one of these Old West towns. Have you visited any of these?
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
We didn’t want yesterday’s mystery product, but we do want today’s! Oh, it would just make us such happy little… well, you’ll see.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• Roadside Assistance gave us the wrong tire – on purpose!
• Defeat the slope! RV leveling tips from the experts
• Customize your RV: Start with the lighting
Recipe of the Day
Shrimp and Grits
by Linda Franklin from Roanoke, VA
Super smooth and satisfying, we really enjoyed this shrimp and grits recipe. It’s made with very simple ingredients and doesn’t have a lot of spice. So if you don’t like things spicy, this recipe is for you. Lemon and butter are the perfect complements to the sweet shrimp. Onion and garlic add just enough flavor. Make sure to serve an ample amount of grits… the cheese makes them super creamy. A delicious and simple recipe for a special brunch or dinner.
Trivia
The letter J never appears on the Periodic Table. That’s because elements were named using Latin or Greek naming conventions and neither language has a J in it.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Cashew loves the snow, especially at Grand Teton National Park! This photo was taken at Colter Bay Village near Jackson Lake.” —Eduardo Wiewall
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!
Pet First Aid: The basic kit you should carry with you at all times. This is important!
Hide dirty laundry, and save space too!
Sometimes where to put those worn clothes waiting for wash day is the pits. Many hide a basket in the shower stall, but here’s another approach: Hang that dirty laundry out – not for everyone to see, but on the back of a closet door. Zippers on this one make it easy to open, and the company includes a couple of different hooks to help you hang it. Find it here for a great price.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury.
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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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I love the name cashew. As for trailer of the day? Wish it was smaller and under 4k gvwr. Looking for something similar to it that is around 3500 gvwr and almost this design. Sigh. Still looking. Great news letter today.
Cashew is just the cutest!
Patriotic-Historic Medora, ND, with T.Roosevelt NP, not on the old west towns list? Hmmm !
Re: Mystery Product. There is a very interesting documentary on Netflix about the artist and how he was duped and betrayed by his greedy business partners. It made me not want to support anything sold by that company.
My daughter the art teacher finds him creepy and scary. She wants nothing to do with him. And the way he teaches? She said glad he never became a teacher.
trivia: Greek has an equivalent to J – τζ, the only letter that’s truly missing is W.
Quick tip…. Does anyone even buy/wear pantyhose anymore?? 😆
I hope so!
That what I was going to ask. That tip is about 40 years too late.
Is it even a good idea to have the grey water soaking into the water table without filtration?
you’re being sarcastic right?
What’s wrong with liquid soap? Tip of the day is dated
A foaming hand soap dispenser (like the kind you can get from Dial or Bath & Body Works) works wonders when you are on the road. Refilling it with 30% soap and 70% water is easy, and you save water and time.
Leave here with a laugh, now that’s classic! LOL.
Totally agree. I almost spit up my coffee!
That’s a hoot! I wonder what was on his shirt that had to be covered.
Mark and Shane
👍👍👍👍👍
Been to all the Wild West Towns, Oatman and Cody several times.
Good newsletter.