Issue 2119
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 like a prism. What you see depends on how you turn the glass.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Eat What You Want Day! Woohoo!
On this day in history: 1910 – An act of the U.S. Congress establishes Glacier National Park in Montana.
Tip of the Day
You can be TOO nice of a campsite neighbor. Don’t do these four things.
By Nanci Dixon
Be a good campsite neighbor and don’t do these four things. There are a number of simple etiquette things to do or not to do to be a good RVer that we all know … or at least should know. This week I learned some new things and these four things are now at the top of my not-to-do list. I found out you can be too nice of a campsite neighbor …
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
How can I find an air leak in my RV’s black water system?
Dear Dave,
I bought a toilet chemical thinking it would smell strong enough to trace any air leaks from the black tank. Today’s additives don’t smell. Bought Pine-Sol, same problem. Bleach, same. What can I try next? Odor eliminating additives make the air heavy, with no identifiable odor, just unpleasant. Thank you, Dave. —Francis, 1995 Rialta
RV Video Tour
AWD 2023 Thor Gemini 23TW has full wall slide out
By Cheri Sicard
If you’re looking for a Class C motorhome, the 2023 Thor Gemini 23TW has some unique features including the fact that one side of the motorhome is a slide that opens it up to much more living space than you’d expect from a 23-foot RV. It’s also all-wheel drive!
Video of the day
Cinderella Toilet Review—RV incinerating toilet for off-grid living
By Cheri Sicard
There’s a new kind of RV toilet in town and the team from ROA Off-Road reviews it in the video below. The Cinderella is an incinerating toilet for RVs that can help maximize off-grid boondocking time.
This toilet uses only 1.3 amps during incineration, along with 140 to 180 grams of propane. That means a 20-pound propane tank will give you between 50 to 60 uses of this incineration toilet. It handles up to 4 cycles (separate bathroom visits) per hour.
The best kind of wedgie: Andersen RV levelers
By Tony Barthel
Automatic leveling systems have come a long way, to the point where even some travel trailers, such as Keystone’s Outback brand, have seven-point automatic leveling systems. However, you can save many thousands of dollars and simplify your RV experience with a set of leveling wedges instead. I like to write about products I’ve found that I use regularly on the road, and these Andersen levelers are one of those products. Continue reading.
Reader poll
When dining out, which is most important — taste of the food or how healthy it is?
Quick Tip
RV parking restrictions in front of your house?
Some that live in Home Owner Association areas, or have towns with parking restrictions, feel they’ve hit a brick wall when they need to do a repair or maintenance job on their RV. If you’re limited to a 24-hour restriction, it’ll really cramp your style. One RVer says when he has a longer-than-a-day job to do, he simply approaches his neighbors in advance, spells out the problem he’s having, and gives an estimate as to how long he’ll need to get the job done, promising to “vamoose” as soon as possible. Says it’s worked every time—no complaints, no problems.
Did you miss yesterday’s brand-new Full-Time RVer newsletter? Read it here.
On this day last year…
- Tip: Maintaining your relationship in a small space. How to make it work
- RV Review: Keystone Outback 341RD—A big, livable trailer
- Ask Dave: Why won’t air blow through RV’s AC ceiling ducts?
- Recipe: Easy Tortellini Salad
Website of the day
The world’s top 10 road trips
Now that it’s safe to travel internationally again, perhaps it’s time for an international road trip? Check out these top 10 road trips—they look amazing!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
You probably think you know your family, friends or partner well, but… do you?
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 2,000 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 40 percent have had to bring their RV into the shop because of a recall on it.
• 19 percent have a hearing impairment, 26 percent have a visual impairment, and 37 percent have both.
• 37 percent finished a book within the last week.
Recent poll: Which of these manufacturers made your present RV?
Recipe of the Day
Cheesy Green Chile Chicken Crock Pot Enchiladas
Cheesy Green Chile Chicken Crock Pot Enchiladasby Stefanie Rowell from Kenai, AK
The combination of flavors in these enchiladas was really good! It’s an easy recipe to assemble. A super simple slow cooker dinner. Very easy to transport to a potluck, too. We know this will be a hit!
Trivia
The oldest recording in the world that can still be played today is called The Experimental Talking Clock, where the clock’s inventor, Frank Lambert, speaks the hours of the day and sounds various chimes and bells. The clock was invented in 1878. It’s not the most, er, pleasant thing to listen to, but you can hear it here.
*Who is to “thank” for teaching Americans how to text message? The answer will surprise you. Find it in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“B.B. [King] loves hanging around the campsite on his hammock protecting his humans from dangerous squirrels and lizards.” —James King
HELP keep this feature going! We’re running out of photos! Please do not submit the same photo or pet more than once. Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in the Sunday RV Travel newsletter. No blurry photos, please! Thanks!
Leave here with a laugh
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About the RV parking and HOA’s, yes HOA’s will limit you, ours was 48 hours but if we had to work on the RV the city allowed parking for 5-7 days, so, we did what we had to. The HOA might send a letter but who cares, we were done before the city came after us.
Our HOA was ridiculous anyway, they went after our neighbor, who was a painter, for parking his work truck on the street. They also went after him, sending him dozens of letters, for having a hockey goal on the driveway. We had a basketball hoop and that was allowed but a hockey goal absolutely not.
We won’t buy in areas with HOA’s ever again.
My local code does not allow for extended street parking and my code enforcement officer is pretty diligent about moving you on after 72 hours. We are also not allowed to run extension cords across the sidewalk.
RV parking issues have often been a problem but when a HOA becomes involved there is no solution other than to move. Most HOA’s are controled by what I call “HOA activists” who seek to control everything you do. If they don’t do something they don’t want anyone else to do that. With so many living in older RV’s they are parking on the streets & cities have few options to deal with this so they are starting to ban all RV’s from parking on the street.
incinerating toilet. I can think of a lot of jokes to go with it.
I once lived in a neighborhood with HOA, never again! I keep my property in good condition and don’t have junk unregistered vehicles parked there. When a HOA can demand I paint my house only certain approved colors, or my door has to be of a certain design or manufacturer, or I can only plant trees approved by someone with no taste whatsoever it’s time to bypass that area. How can 3-4 people speak for several hundred living their? That’s another form of communism, I’m an individual not a commune and I refuse to be dictated too. That reminds me of the subdivisions of the early 50’s where row after row of houses were built exactly alike including the outside paint, if you didn’t look at the address you could easily walk into the wrong house. Lol
I once lived in a neighborhood without an HOA, never again! I keep my property in good condition , don’t have junk unregistered vehicles parked there, no old refrigerators, washers and dryers, dont park my retired 18 wheel truck and trailer 24-7, dont have my 4 boys running their dirt bikes all day & into the night on their dirt track, but my neighbors did!!!. Can’t happen in an HOA!! When a HOA can demand I paint my house only certain approved colors, or my door has to be of a certain design or manufacturer, or I can only plant trees approved by the HOA, Preventing enormously over grown trees, house pink painted, yard with weeds and or dirt, by neighbors with no taste and or maintenance concerns whatsoever it’s time to re assess best options for neighborhood quality. How can a community of people elect representatives to speak for them? Very easy, it’s called an election!!!
That’s democracy, I’m an individual living in a community and I refuse to be dictated to so I am involved, aware, read and vote. That reminds me of the subdivisions of the early 50’s where row after row of “affordable”
houses were built exactly alike including the outside paint selections, for young families.
if you didn’t like the look, you researched and looked, and found one likeable & “affordable” ..lol
Well spoken Otto!
May you each enjoy your utopia
Exactly the opposite of communism which by definition is things done according to the will of the community.
About the parking in subdivisions-
after we purchased our coach, but before we brought her home, I installed a 50 amp RV receptacle in the garage with the idea that I could bring the coach home, plug her in and working on it our in the yard.
This turned out to be not such a brilliant idea because putting a 45 foot coach in a subdivision with not wide streets is a challenge. The neighbors don’t really complain, but it is a challenge for me to get the girl out of the subdivision (getting in is relatively straight shot).
I use the CAMCO levelers. They work well however the yellow part of the levelers do not have rubber on the bottom (the black two part chocks do). On some concrete smooth surfaces, the yellow part will slip and skip along the pavement. When I encounter these surfaces I use a couple of scrap pieces of rubber sheeting under them before I roll up on them. Works great.
As far as RV parking, it’s not just a problem with HOA’s. A lot of municipalities have restrictions on what type of vehicle can be parked on the street. and for how long. In my town, RV’s TT’s and Semi’s are not allowed. Construction trailers must be removed at night. Storage POD’s not allowed, dumpsters only allowed if they cannot be put on your property and are limited to 30 days, or until the job is finished and require a permit.
Seattle has a law that NO commercial or recreational vehicle may be parked on a public street. Unless, of course, it’s a trashed meth mobile… apparently they escape the eye of law enforcement. This extends to driveways as well as I’ve seen more than one bobtail semi truck and RV towed from someone’s personal property right out of their driveway! None of the instances I witnessed were in HOA areas. Guess if you have a beat up meth mobile your free to park wherever you please in Seattle proper. Ridiculous!
EQUITY.