Issue 1966
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, product reviews and more. Thanks for joining us. Please tell your friends about us.
Today’s thought
“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Canadian Thanksgiving Day, Columbus Day, and National Walk to a Park Day!
On this day in history: 1913 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike, completing major construction on the Panama Canal.
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Yep, you can use your salad spinner these 7 other ways
By Gail Marsh
I’ll admit it! I removed our salad spinner from the RV kitchen. I felt the space could be better used to hold other things. Boy, was I wrong! I’d forgotten how many different ways the salad spinner can come in handy while RVing. Here are just a few ideas and they have nothing to do with salads!
Wait until you see these seven other ways…
Coming Wednesday: Live video chat
RV Quality: What RV manufacturers don’t want you to know
Most RVers buy their RV based on the “Bling” — what it looks like. “Oh, I just love the floor plan,” she says. “I love that it has a Cummins engine,” he says.” And (with stars in their eyes) they talk about how they can manage the monthly payments if they’re careful. But wait: They may be cruisin’ for a bruisin’ because of all the secret ways that RV manufacturers cut corners to keep the price of their RVs down. Don’t miss this live webcast. Join Dave Solberg and Dustin Simpson and RVT readers (by chat) in what will be a fascinating discussion. Learn more.
Today’s RV review…
Alliance Paradigm 310RL—2023 updates
Tony writes, “Today’s RV review is a renewed look at the 2023 Alliance Paradigm 310RL. This is a fifth wheel that represents Alliance’s foray into what must be the standard fifth wheel platform that all fifth wheel makers build.
“For me its fun to watch the several companies that started while I’ve been writing this series and seeing how they’re progressing. In the case of Alliance, there are definitely improvements, but not a tremendous number of them only because they didn’t have to make a lot of improvements.”
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.”
Slide room works, then doesn’t, then works, then doesn’t…
Dear Dave,
When extending or retracting my RV’s slides, the power cuts out and the slides stop… then it comes on again. I checked the box and it shows one green light and two red. Is there a way to fix this? Thanks for your help. —Michelle, 2017 Gulf Stream Conquest
The basics of lithium batteries video discussion
Join Dave and Dustin Simpson as they discuss the basics of lithium batteries for RVs, and whether one is right for you (maybe not!). This originally aired last Wednesday evening in our Talkin’ RV Tech webinar series.
RVelectricity™
Flooded lead acid battery safety reminders
By Mike Sokol
Dear Mike,
My husband is getting ready to pull out the golf cart batteries in our trailer, and I told him to be careful. Do you have a checklist of how to do this safely? What about things to avoid? —Evelyn
Read Mike’s answer (And check out his very stylish jeans!)
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Video of the day
Removable and easy DIY short bed truck camper version 2.0
Brian Waters produced a popular YouTube video on how to turn a short bed pickup truck with a camper shell into an easy-to-build DIY short bed truck camper.
The video below is version 2.0.
No backyard? No problem! DoggieLawn is the perfect no-mow solution for RVers
If your pup, Fido or Fifi, is missing the backyard of their sticks-and-bricks home, bring it to them! DoggieLawn is an eco-friendly, real (yup, real) patch of grass that comes with you in the RV. If Fido hates going to the bathroom when you’re down in the Arizona desert, and Fifi doesn’t like going on the sands in Florida, DoggieLawn comes into play! Continue reading.
Reader poll
How often do you buy a lottery ticket?
If you enjoy this newsletter, please help us spread the word! Learn more here. It’s fun!
Quick Tip
Have the right-sized tools
This may sound like a no-brainer, but if you bought a new trailer you should check your tools before you might need them. “Make sure that you have a lug-wrench and jack that will work with YOUR trailer. The jack must fit under the axle [or wherever the manufacturer advises] when the tire is deflated.” —From “Trailers & Fifth Wheels Made Easy”
Website of the day
The Weirdest Roadside Attraction in Every State
This list is way too much fun… and way too weird! We want to visit all these places! How many have you been to?
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• You can do laundry in the RV even without a sewer hookup!
• Is expecting good customer service in the RV industry too much to ask?
• Silence your RV’s noisy air conditioner with this nifty gadget
Recipe of the Day
Cincinnati Chili
Cincinnati Chiliby Linda P from Cincinnati, OH
This is not your typical Tex-Mex chili. They do it differently in Ohio and this is pretty authentic Cincinnati chili. Adding cocoa, allspice, and cinnamon to typical chili spices sets this apart. It looks like your typical chili with meat and big chunks of onion, but after one bite you know the difference. At first, you taste the chili and cumin. As the chili lingers in your mouth, there’s a hint of chocolate and cinnamon. Serve over spaghetti and choose your favorite way to enjoy this hearty chili.
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Trivia
In 1919 it took an army convoy 62 days to drive from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. The convoy showed that not only was the American highway system inadequate for moving goods and people, but also for national defense. Lt. Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower was on that trip, one he never forgot. As President, he signed the 1956 Federal Highway Act to create our interstate highway system. Today those 47,000 miles represent only 1 percent of all roads, yet carry 20 percent of all traffic including 40 percent of all truck traffic.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Bobby the Cairn Terrier is my American Express dog. I never leave home without him. He is an 80-lb. dog in a 20-lb. body, and he is always up for anything.” —Cindy Sloan
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 ??
Okay, now this is hilarious. If you have someone you share a bathroom with, you absolutely need to have this!
Leave here with a laugh
“I’ve got to get rid of our new chauffeur,” Arthur complained to his wife, Mirabelle. “His driving is terrible. He almost killed me three times!” “Oh,” pleaded Mirabelle, “just give him one more chance.”
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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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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Cairn terriers. The houdinis of the trade. I read that they are real escape artists. So Toto made it but Dorothy got swept away. I do love those dogs.
When I bought my first RV, many miles from home, I went immediately to a tool store and purchased two things, a complete hand tool kit, and a fire extinguisher. Have never had to use the fire extinguisher, but the tool kit is another story.
Eisenhower was a logistics expert. He noticed that with the German Autobahn. The German Army could move Troops and material very rapidly across the interior of Germany. The system did not fail until very late in the war due to air power.
Had the same thing happen at LES SCHWAB in Eugene Or. They bent the axels by using the jacks under them…Bent both of them, got the Manager to look at them, they replaced both of them…..they then put up a sign saying DO NOT USE A JACK UNDER THE AXELS ON TRAVEL TRAILERS…..
Today is Canadian thanksgiving! Happy thanksgiving to all!
It’s also Columbus Day here in the USofA.
Happy Thanksgiving Canada!!!
Bobby the pet of the day is adorable.
We’ve got one bigger, he thinks he’s 150lb Bull Mastiff in a 6.5lb Maltese body, he’ll run up to any dog and grab it’s ankle and just growl and chew on that ankle. We have to keep him on a short leash. We can’t find a dog optometrist to have his eye sight checked. Lol
We have a Chihuahua mix (what the “mix” is, I’ve no idea) who must think she is also a 150lb Bull Mastiff. She weighs in at about 14 lbs but shouldn’t really mess with something twice her size! She was raised from a few weeks old to 3-1/2 yrs. in my friend’s rescue organization and thinks ALL dogs (and cats) are like the ones she grew up with – friendly!
He is really a great dog. He has never met anyone he didn’t lick-I mean like. I can tell when someone is breaking into the house. I hear them yelling “Ok, ok! Stop licking!”
Under have the right size tools. It sounds like they are going to jack the trailer up by the axle. Every trailer I have had states do not jack trailer by the axles. Check it out before jacking.
I agree, Discount Tire jacked up my TT under the axel after I told them specifically not to. It bent my axel. I had to replace it. I was told always jack under the spring shackle or the frame.
I feel your pain Scott. Discount Tire jacked up my TT by the axels. I took pictures and told them I would be back if they bent them. I have been waiting 3 months for a new axel. That’s another story. Once I get the bill I’m going back to Discount Tire and have a discussion. Should be interesting since it’s been about 18 months since I bought the tires
That’s why we have lawyers!
That’s the only thing we need lawyers for, we sure don’t need to represent us in congress.
Same here. Do not place jack under axle unless your owner’s manual says to.
That was another example of poetic license journalism, where you pick a subject and write about it before researching the facts.
Thanks, Bob. What would you do if you didn’t have us to pick on almost every day? I pulled that tip from a book put out by Valterra, assuming they would know what they were talking about. Shame on me for assuming. 🙄 I have put a disclaimer, of sorts, in today’s quick tip, for those who don’t know any better. Also, it doesn’t specify where on the axle to put the jack. Some places say it’s OK to put it at the end of the axle near the U-bolt. That makes sense to me, but I’m just a girl so what do I know? Certainly not as much as you purport to. And feel free to pick away. You’ll be going down in the record books as our reader who slams us and our writers more than everyone else put together. Have a good night. 🙂 –Diane
WHOO HOO, Diane!! You certainly told HIM off! Wish he’d quit reading the newsletters cause he spoils the comments for ALL of us!!
Go AWAY BOB P!!!!!!!
Jeez Bob, thought you knew better than to make accusations like this…guess not. Why don’t you add something useful that we could all use rather than putting down the people who are doing their best to help us?