Issue 2096
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
“Nobody gets everything in this life. You decide your priorities and you make your choices. I’d decided long ago that any cake I had would be eaten.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Farm Animal Day!
On this day in history: 1916 – The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) is created in New York City.
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Tip of the Day
Home is where the campsite is, so make it home-y!
By Janet Groene
Your RV is just the core of your homestead. Home is where you park it, so “home” is really the RV plus the campsite that surrounds it. And that changes with every campground you visit. How can you make each campsite an extension of your basic RV household?
Here are some ideas for turning every site you visit into an integral part of your indoor-outdoor home. A fire ring or grate plus a picnic table are probably already on the campsite. Let’s take it from there.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Is it better to have the front of the trailer a bit too high or a bit too low?
Dear Dave,
I cannot find a hitch receiver that makes my camper completely level. I have tried five types with different drops. None is right on the money. I finally settled on one that puts the camper an inch higher in the front than if it were completely level. So my question: Is it better to have the front of the trailer a bit too high or a bit too low? —Emma Jean H.
In the RV shop with Dustin
All about solar: Types of panels, buying tips, and more
Solar panels are the backbone of your RV solar system. Choosing the right panels for your needs will maximize your solar system’s efficiency, performance, and return on investment. Solar panels consist of multiple individual solar cells that convert sunlight into energy. Several panels can be joined together to create a “solar array” that generates more power. The solar panels generate direct current (DC) electricity used to recharge the RV batteries.
This is always a misconception when talking with RV owners. We end up having to explain that solar panels do not make alternating current (AC) electricity, known as shore power. Solar panels are only used to charge the batteries, so besides choosing the right solar panel, it is equally important to have the right batteries.
Video of the day
Everything you need to know about buying an RV lot
By Cheri Sicard
Have you ever considered buying an RV lot to park your RV on and live in when you’re not on the road? If you missed our big story on this last weekend, make sure you read it here.
The team from Nomadic RV Living produced an invaluable video as a comprehensive resource of the things you need to examine and consider before making a major purchase like this.
Engine heater failure: What we learned when the temps dropped
Gail Marsh and her husband were heading south, trying to outrun the cold weather. But they encountered overnight lows of 19 degrees F in Mississippi. Her husband plugged in the engine heater on their truck so they could continue on their trip first thing in the morning. But, nope. The truck wouldn’t start. What happened? And what lesson did they learn? Find out here, so the same doesn’t happen to you.
Reader poll
On a typical day, how far do you usually walk?
Quick Tip
Another way to keep your awning shut while traveling
Worried your awning might open while traveling? Put the awning in “transport” position, then carefully bore through the closed awning arms, installing a snap lock safety pin. It’ll prevent the arms from opening up without first being removed.
Website of the day
The 16 best zoos in the U.S.
When was the last time you visited a zoo? Well, perhaps today should be the day! These 16 zoos across America are so much fun to visit, even if you’re not with kids!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Forget using a lantern to see at night. This is quite brilliant, and we’re wondering why these don’t accompany more campers around the picnic table at night?
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
- Visiting California’s beautiful Paso Robles wine region with Harvest Hosts
- Are “nomad nannies” a good idea? Are they legal? Safe?
- Finding little pieces of true, old-school Americana soul
Recipe of the Day
Carrot Cake Waffles With Cream Cheese Butter
by Mangialicious Food from Buffalo, NY
These carrot cake waffles have a few more steps than most, but they are fabulous and well worth the effort. This waffle’s fluffy and tender on the inside but crisp on the outside. The flavor mimics a carrot cake with little bits of fruit that not only add flavor but texture. As if the waffle itself isn’t good enough, the cream cheese butter makes these super special. When it melts on the warm waffle, pure heaven! Great for a special breakfast or brunch.
Trivia
The icy dwarf planet Pluto has an average temperature of negative 387 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s home to mountains, valleys, glaciers, plains and craters. If you were to stand on its surface, you would see blue skies with red snow.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“We stayed in Custer State Park in South Dakota and had lots of bison walking through our campsites. It was a lot of fun watching them. And Bob, our cat, loved it. He thought it was the best, and he would have loved to have one for dinner.” —Paul Hovind
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Sunday RV Travel newsletter. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
Leave here with a laugh
A man went to a job interview. He was being interviewed for a big sales position at a pretty large company. The sales manager said to the man, “I want you to sell me this laptop.” The man put it under his arm, left the building and went home. Later that day he got a phone call from the manager: “Bring my laptop back now! You can’t steal it like that!” The man responded, “Okay. $1,000 and it’s yours.”
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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The last zoo was Anchorage Alaska was a lot of interesting animals. Loved our trip to Alaska we went back 2 years later and rented an RV and traveled around for 3 weeks and loved it.
We need a mattress 60×74 short queen with a med firm rating for our bad backs, side sleepers. I have been looking everywhere and am having information overload. We don’t want to spend over $300. Foam is not working for us now. We have a small travel trailer 178 Rpod model. Help!
We replaced the whole thing with a medium-grade IKEA setup. The mattress which came with our camper was horrible (all springs, basically). Had to cut it up to get it out. 2020 Forest River East to West.
Our son purchased this one on Amazon: ZINUS 8 Inch Cloud Memory Foam Mattress. We’ve slept on it several times and we like it. He bought a queen size. ZINUS sells a short queen also for $244. Just search for “60 x 74 mattress”. YMMV
Stay safe and sleep well, Joe
Taping or pinning the awning arms will not stop an awning from unrolling while traveling. The only thing that stops the roller from unrolling is the latch arm on the manual awnings. With the manual awnings that use the awning rod that you use to reach the pull down strap. Re-bend the top 90% bend so it’s about 5 to 6 inches long. now go to the back side of the awning roller tube slide the awning rod into the hole in the awning tube this is the same hole that you use to replace the awning pull down strap. Now run a length of rope from the loop in the awning rod to the the hole in the awning leg tie it tight and your awning will not be able unroll in the wind while traveling.
I used the Velcro method, it kept the arms together while traveling down the road. It just didn’t keep the fabric from deploying like a sail.
On your quick tip, I bought a roll of velcro (the kind that stick to itself) and cut a length to wrap around the arm 3 times. This has worked very well and no drilling required.
Good idea Robert. Thanks
That can be hard to do when 1 part is attached to the trailer wall.
Has to do with how awning arms are attached. Mine are not the electric kind so are easy to wrap.
I had to resort to the same thing as our awning was trying to deploy on our trip to Alaska. Had a roll of velcro, cut enough off to wrap it 2 times & that did the trick. When we got to Canada I found a Home Depot & bought a 6′ step ladder to get to the arm! Lots of great uses for velcro!
Snoopy