Issue 2125
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
“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Pizza Party Day!
On this day in history: 1911 – Parks Canada, the world’s first national park service, is established as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior.
Tip of the Day
Finding and eliminating RV ‘mystery smells’
There it is again! Each time you enter your RV, that mystery smell attacks your nose. It’s a weird, kinda’ funky, and difficult-to-describe kind of odor. Unwanted smells really irritate me, but even worse: sometimes I can’t find the source of the odor. “What is making the RV smell like this?!” Here are three mysterious smells we’ve experienced in our rig, plus tips for eliminating them…
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Why does my RV’s electric awning retract only intermittently?
Dear Dave,
When I try to roll up the awning at the side of the coach, it rolls about half-way and then stops. It acts like it doesn’t have enough charge in the battery, but it is full. I’ll wait about 5 minutes and then it may finish rolling up. It will eventually roll all the way up. When rolling it out, there is no problem; only when going in. There are two 6-V Trojan batteries, 3 years old, with 13.6 volt charge; plugged into shore power. The water level is OK. —Ernie, 2006 Tiffin Allegro Bay
In the RV Shop with Dustin
Make sure to inspect your fifth wheel pin box and undernose area
In this video, I’m sharing how to inspect a fifth wheel pin box and undernose area. Maintenance is KING with keeping your RV in tip-top shape. By inspecting these areas, you can avoid potential problems down the road. This video will show you how to perform these inspections, and help you avoid any potential problems with your fifth wheel.
Video of the day
13 amazing raccoon facts
If you spend any time on the road, you’ve undoubtedly seen raccoon roadkill. My informal roadkill tally during last year’s cross-country long, long RV trip had raccoons outnumbering all other types of roadkill combined by about 10 to 1. They are prolific little creatures throughout this great land of ours.
But raccoons are much more than roadkill and the team from Animal Fact Files is here to enlighten us in the video below.
Learn from others’ RV buying mistakes
By Nanci Dixon
In a recent poll, we asked our readers: Did you make buying mistakes when you purchased your current RV? More than 1,700 readers participated in the poll, and the results were impressive…. I was hoping we’d get many informative comments along with the polling information, and our readers certainly did not disappoint! Here’s hoping if you’re in the market for a new or new-to-you RV, you can avoid mistakes like the ones some of our readers admittedly made. You can learn a lot from our readers here.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Homeless people living in RVs stretch for miles in wealthy county
- Gadget prevents RV catalytic converter thefts
- RV parks changing their name to “RV resorts” so they can charge more, but no “resort” amenities to be found
- No thanks, hotel room. I’ll take my RV any day!
Reader poll
How important to you are online ratings of an RV park when making a reservation?
Quick Tip
Keep those air conditioner coils clean
Keeping the coils clean will prolong the life of your cooling unit. Besides dirt and dust, you may also find the “cotton” from cottonwood trees, or the pollen from various other trees, obstructing the coils. The best way to clean them: (1) Turn the unit off while you’re working on it. (2) Use an air compressor to blow out the debris (carefully—don’t bend the fins). (3) Apply a coil cleaning product (here are some on Amazon) and let it soak for a few minutes or the time recommended on the can. (4) Rinse with low pressure water. (5) Use the air compressor again to blow out remaining water. —Thanks to Deanna
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We want to sit and read by this. We want to sit and watch TV by this. We want to sit and admire this… Okay, fine, we just really want this.
On this day last year…
- Tip: The best tips and advice for surviving the family RV road trip
- RV Review: 2022 Keystone Outback Ultra-Lite 221UMD Travel Trailer
- Ask Dave: Why does my RV’s freezer ice over so quickly?
- Featured article: Can I use my CPAP machine when I boondock? Yes, here’s how
- Recipe: Ham & Cheese Potato Salad
Website of the day
The 28 American Pizza Joints You Need to Try Right Now
Why do you need to try them right now? Because it’s National Pizza Party Day, remember? Come on, get some pizza today! You deserve it.
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.
• RV LIFE Trip Wizard: Make your RV road trip planning easier than ever.
Recipe of the Day
Pita Pizza
by Chef Charles Smith from Taftville, CT
These pita pizzas are great for watching football, movie nights, game nights, really anytime! Prebaking the pita bread makes it a little crisper. The topping options are endless. This recipe makes one pita so scale the ingredients based on the crowd you’re serving and their taste buds. Cut into small wedges, put them on a platter and watch ’em disappear!
Trivia
The official time zone of the South Pole is New Zealand Standard Time. That’s because the only continually occupied location at the pole, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, observes New Zealand Standard Time. Since there are no longitudes at the poll and the sun only rises and sets once per year, it only made sense to give it that New Zealand time zone.
*How do alligators and crocodiles lure their prey? The answer is much more fascinating than you’d think—they’re smart! Find it in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Suzi is a Min Pin/Chihuahua rescue. She loves kisses and snuggles, and spends the better part of her time staring into your eyes. She LOVES walks and being with her family pack.” —Sheryl Young
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!
Brand-new book! Van and RV Camping in State Forests
Our friends at Roundabout Publications have done it again—they’ve published another helpful book for RVers. This one is for RV camping at 585 camping areas in 298 forests across 25 states. Save money by camping on public lands managed by government agencies. Having this book will save you money! Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
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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As I always say is this. If you are the proud mama papa of a Chihuahua you are gonna have your hands full. These are the dogs that make you go I am not having children ever. I have had 5 in the past 30 years and currently 3 and let me tell you I am glad my children are grown. They have a mind of their own.
Trivia: Also, maybe because VXE-6, the US Navy squadron that supported the National Science Foundation flew out of Christchurch, NZ so that became “local” time?
Picking up coins found on the ground is my favorite senior exercise program.
Same here. Amazing how fast all those nickels and dimes add up. and keep you limber.
Grandpa picked up coins all his life and put them in jars and jars and jars. When he passed, our daughter came into possession of those jars. She used that money toward the purchase of her wedding dress so that grandpa would be there with her on her wedding day.