Issue 2142
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, RV videos, product reviews and more. Please tell your friends about us.
Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Sewing Machine Day! (Psst: Miss having your sewing machine with you in your RV? Check out this tiny handheld one!)
On this day in history: 1777 – The Second Continental Congress passes the Flag Act of 1777, adopting the Stars and Stripes as the Flag of the United States.
Tip of the Day
Practical tips for reusing plastic containers while RVing
By Gail Marsh
I love discovering ideas that help keep plastic containers out of landfills. Here are some tips for upcycling your jugs, empty milk, juice, soda, and water bottles.
Note: For any project, you’ll want to begin with a clean, empty jug. Use warm, sudsy water to thoroughly clean the inside of the jug you plan to use. Rinse well. Also, make sure the cap is completely clean. That way, you won’t have to deal with any sour smell or sticky residue. Remember, the edges of cut plastic can be sharp. Glue seam binding or apply painter’s tape over the sharp edges to prevent cuts.
New Facebook Groups: RVing the Midwest • RV Camping on BLM lands • RVing the Oregon Coast
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Can I replace my RV’s two 6-volt batteries with one Group 27 12-volt?
Dear Dave,
I want to replace my two 6-volt house batteries with a single 12-volt deep cycle battery. Both batteries are dead at this point. The battery I’m looking at is an Interstate and I’m told it is 90 amp hours. My questions are: Will this be enough for a day’s travel using only the water pump until plugged in at night, and will the driving keep the battery charged? Thank you for your help on this. —David, 2016 Minnie Winnie 31K
RV Tours
Tour NuCamp RV’s 2023 T@b 400 Off-Grid Trailer
By Cheri Sicard
The team from Playing with Sticks met up with T@b 400 trailer owners Kendrick and Mandy to tour their rig. The couple has lived full-time in this trailer for four years, but in the video they also share some of the 2023 T@b 400 changes.
While the video calls this a teardrop trailer, I would say a more accurate description is what would happen if you crossed a canned ham with a teardrop.
Video of the day
How to back a trailer into a campsite
By Cheri Sicard
Below is a terrific video for anyone who is intimidated about how to back a trailer into a campsite.
That used to be me, but I got some invaluable lessons from a former truck driver. If you don’t have such a friend in your life, this video from the Canadian Campaholic just might be the next best thing.
Snowbirds, it’s time to change your RV’s water filters
By Nanci Dixon
Snowbirds are beginning their yearly migration to cooler climates. If this is you, it means that now is a good time to change your RV’s water filters, particularly if you’ve spent extended time in the desert areas of the Southwest. Read why here.
Reader poll
Have you ever had a bear wander into your campsite?
Quick Tip
No more ‘fly away’ picnic tablecloths
“To secure tablecloths to picnic tables there are clip-on weights and spring clips that don’t fit the thickness of all tables and easily get misplaced. Simple solution: After laying down the table cloth use a friction tie-down strap [aka cargo tie-downs] around each end and give a pull. Fits all tables. The table will blow away before the tablecloth.” Thanks to Joe K., SFC U.S. Army Retired
NEED A NEW BOOK? WE RECOMMEND:
Dishwasher: One Man’s Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan. *Note: This is one of Chuck’s and Emily’s favorite books! Dishwasher is the true story of an eccentric young man on a mission: to clean dirty dishes professionally in every state in America. Part adventure, part parody, and part miraculous journey of self-discovery, it is the unforgettable account of Pete Jordan’s transformation from itinerant seeker into “Dishwasher Pete” – unlikely folk hero, writer, and the ultimate professional dish dog – and how he gave it all up for love.
On this day last year…
- RV Review: 2022 Coachmen Chaparral 373MBRB fifth wheel
- Ask Dave: Is it true that dish detergent is bad for RV sidewalls?
- Featured article: RVers can’t even escape mice at 22,000-foot elevation!
- Recipe: 3 Cheese Garlic Braid
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
This made us smile. It’s something we all do, and it’s the best part about being an RVer, isn’t it?
Website of the day
10 Best Paces To Go Snorkeling in the U.S.
Let’s make this the year you try something new, shall we? Snorkeling is a fun, beautiful place to start. This list gives you the best states to snorkel in, and the best places to go snorkeling in each of those states.
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:
• 29 percent have never played golf.
• 31 percent have been RVing around Canada more than once! And 16 percent have been RVing in Canada just one time.
• 22 percent talk on the phone multiple times a day.
Recent poll: How likely would you be to stay more than one night at a location with no internet access of any kind?
Recipe of the Day
Salmon Fillet With Herb Pesto
by Marian Arbour from Newcastle, ON
The instructions and cooking time for this salmon are perfect. The final result is tender and juicy. We loved the flavor grilling adds to the salmon, but this could easily be baked in the oven. On top is a pesto that’s sweet and tangy. We opted to use pine nuts for the pesto but walnuts would be great too. You can use this pesto with any fish, chicken, or meat.
Trivia
The first McDonald’s drive-through was inspired by the military in 1975. McDonald’s had a base near one of the restaurants but the soldiers were not allowed to leave the cars while wearing fatigues. And that spells “opportunity.”
Read more: How it Happened: You can thank the military for the drive-thru window
*What popular food did the ancient Greeks believe induced sleep? Take a guess and see if you’re right by checking yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Ellie Mae loves to travel in the RV. Here she’s on the bunk bed.” —John Harbor
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!
• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
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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So this begs to ask this question. If you are a wine drinker do you have a camping problem?
Survey question is open to interpretation. Maybe should have asked have you seen a bear in your campsite.
Open to interpretation would be: Have you ever seen a bear wonder in your campsite. OR Have you ever seen bare in you campsite.
I wonder what the bear would be wondering about…
Probably wondered how in the world he wandered into such a bare campsite.
Was the wondering, wandering bear naked?😅 Have a good night, Kelly. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
No, he was a cub. (Get it? He was just a LITTLE bare.)
Got it.👍😅 Thanks, Kelly. I’ll watch out for bare bears (of any size) when I’m at my mountain property.🐻 Take care. 😀 –Diane aka Mountain Mama
No, things probably got a little hairy!
Hi, Bob. Yeah, things would get a little hairy, or furry, if I encounter a black bear on my mountain property (which they graciously share with me and allow me to visit occasionally). I’ve seen a cub cross the path in front of me, running to his mom and squealing all the way.🐻 Luckily, they kept going. When I go up there, I’m literally “loaded for bear,” with a .357 Magnum S&W, bear spray, and two 6’8″ sons who are well-armed. 😄 Have a good afternoon/evening. 😀 –Diane aka Mountain Mama
29 percent of the people that don’t play golf are richer than the 71 percent that do
Only 29% have never played golf? I would have guessed a lot higher percentage.
I’m one of that 29%, when I was 14 and 15 years old I caddied on the local golf course. As was the case back then most golfers were professional business people highly educated and well off. After 2 years watching what the game of golf did to these “professional people” I decided it was not for. It literally made spoiled brats out of lawyers, doctors, and business executives. Not for me. Lol
Golfing makes regular lawyers into whiney, bratty lawyers? LOL. 🤣😅
That’s 29% of the nongolfers, not 29% of all people
It’s 29% of rvtravel subscribers.
Not what Thomas D was saying
Who is Thomas D? I was just referring to the “And the Survey Says…” section.
Hi, Tommy. Thomas D had written prior to your comment: “29 percent of the people that don’t play golf are richer than the 71 percent that do.” Interestingly, Thomas D commented on another post 9 minutes before this comment from you, a few minutes ago.😉 Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
Wow. I knew McDonalds was big, but had no idea they had their own military bases!
You caught that too.
Naw. Go rogue. Drink wine every other day and be just right!
If I were skinny I would probably whine every day because I could not have wine everyday. If no Red or White, I would be Blue.