Issue 2172
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
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Hire a Veteran Day! Thank you to all of our brave men and women who served our country. Employers, please consider hiring these skilled, hard-working and very deserving veterans who served our country to protect our freedom.
On this day in history: 1897 – American author Jack London embarks on a sailing trip to take part in the Klondike Gold Rush, from which he wrote his first successful stories.
Stay Safe and Secure Between Destinations
Tifton Overnight RV is the place to stay while you’re on the way! Located just off of I-75 at Exit 62 in South Georgia, this RV stop offers full hook ups, pull-through sites, a fenced dog park, and fast WIFI—and is within walking distance of restaurants including Starbucks, Waffle House, and Chick-fil-A. Are you headed North or South?
Tip of the Day
Smart ways you can beat the heat while RVing
By Gail Marsh
It’s hot. Really hot. Locations across the country are setting all-time heat records this summer. Perhaps no one knows about heat better than RVers. Face it. We RVers battle the heat while living in what’s basically an oversized tin can or cardboard box. The question on all of our minds is: How can we beat the heat while RVing?
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Why do my RV’s lights only work for a few minutes when unplugged or with generator off?
Dear Dave,
When my RV isn’t plugged into shoreline power, the lights only work when I’m running the engine or generator. If those are off, the house lights only last a few minutes. Why? Thank you. —Daphne, 2000 Thor Infinity
RV Tours
Tour the 2023 KZ Durango Sportsmen 231RK small fifth wheel
By Cheri Sicard
If you are in the market for a small fifth wheel, you might want to check out the video tour below from J and A Review of the 2023 KZ Durango Sportsmen 231RK.
I really love the rear kitchen floor plan as it makes such an efficient use of space, including providing extra counter space. You’ll find a nice-sized propane/electric fridge and freezer, a 3-burner cooktop, oven, microwave, and a large farm-style kitchen sink. Lots of kitchen cabinets will hold cooking and eating utensils in addition to a well-stocked pantry.
Video of the day
Easy and inexpensive RV tank sensors upgrade
By Cheri Sicard
Jared Gillis of All About RVs (one of our readers’ favorite RV YouTube channels) is not a big fan of RV tank sensors, but he gets so many questions about them and sees internet threads constantly with questions, he thought he would address the topic.
Like many of us, Jared is not a fan because tank sensors are often wildly inaccurate. I know that mine are, to the degree of rendering them useless.
How to avoid scams when buying an RV online
For some people, an RV scam may seem obvious, but with the thriving market and influx of newbies, potential starry-eyed RV buyers can talk themselves into anything… and scammers know that. Recently, RVTrader.com had a listing for a 2014 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 31K priced at $23,000. The deal of the century! Read this important info if you’re shopping for an RV online.
Reader poll
How capable are you or your partner in making repairs to your RV?
Quick Tip
Slow down to save money
Our longtime reader, Gray, suggests slowing down might save you money. “For the lead-foot RV drivers among us, here are some HARD facts. None of us can argue with the laws of physics, although many do ignore or deny them.
“Aerodynamic drag increases with the square (x2) of the vehicle speed, and engine power required to overcome drag increases with the cube (x3) of vehicle speed increase. Thus 2x speed=4x drag=8x power. Example: Going from 55 mph to 65 mph, an 18 percent speed jump, increases drag by 36 percent, which requires 54 percent more engine power. So for that 10 mph increase in speed, your engine is working half-again as hard.
“So how does that 70 mph freeway speed limit affect fuel mileage, as opposed to the double-nickel speed limits? 70 mph is a 28 percent speed increase over 55 mph, which is 56 percent more drag needing 85 percent more power to overcome. If your RV is getting 12 mpg at 55, you’ll probably get 10 mpg at 70 mph.
“Here is an excellent web-based calculator to estimate speed impact on vehicle fuel mileage.” Thanks, Gray!
On this day last year…
- RV Review: 2022 Cruiser RV MPG 2780RE travel trailer
- Ask Dave: Thor says my soft floor is normal, but it can’t be!
- RV Electricity: Predator inverter generator powering a 5th wheel RV
- Video: WOAH! Check out this amazing amphibious RV!
- Recipe: Valley Green’s Southern-Style Crab Cakes
Website of the day
38 Popsicle Recipes to Help You Keep Cool This Summer
You’re never too old for a popsicle! Trust us, once you have homemade popsicles in your freezer, you’ll never want to be without them! And, they’re healthy! (Hey, speaking of popsicles, here’s the interesting story about how they were invented!)
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Ever wonder how you can gain access to a nude beach without actually being nude? Welp, this will surely do the trick! [Unless you’re female. Just sayin’.]
And the Survey Says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 2,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 9 percent of people say they could never give a speech in front of 100 people, even if it was on a subject they were passionate about!
• 18 percent video chat with friends and/or family on a regular basis.
• If offered top dollar for their RV right now, 37 percent would jump at the opportunity to sell.
Recipe of the Day
Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
by Sharon Colyer from Louisville, KY
These are flavorful chicken enchiladas with an easy-to-make homemade creamy sauce. The enchilada sauce is chunky and flavorful. Tortillas are dipped in the sauce, filled with a chicken mixture, and rolled. By doing it this way, after it’s baked, the filling is super tender. A hearty dinner that will be a crowd-pleaser. They heat up wonderfully the next day as well.
Trivia
Which mammal sleeps the least each day? If you were going to guess horses, you’d be right. Horses only sleep for about 2–2.5 hours each day, and that only happens in about 15-minute intervals. Horses can also sleep both standing up and laying down, but they only need to lay down (a requirement to reach REM sleep) for about an hour or two every few days to meet the minimum REM sleep they require. Interesting, huh?
*Which country has the largest population of camels in the world? Nope, it’s not where you think! Find out in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Here’s Zorro saying, ‘Let me in, it’s dinner time!’ After another ‘gift’ from our daughter 12 years ago, he has traveled 65,000 miles with us on a boat and RV. Best thing, he never wanders away. Never has needed a leash.” —Richard and Greti Genovese
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.
Brand-new! 2024 Rand McNally Road Atlas & National Park Guide
This comprehensive guide is a must-have for RVers and nature lovers, offering stunning visuals, essential visitor information, and invaluable travel tips for all 63 of America’s national parks. The guide also includes a complete 2024 Rand McNally Road Atlas, ensuring seamless navigation for travelers across the country. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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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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Zorro is a lovely kitty! Glad he enjoys his rving life. Sadly we just lost Misty, our kitty of 16 years to cancer. She had been a full time rver since 2017 and was our best pal.
A note on free ranging domestic cats, USFWS estimates they kill 1.3 to 3.7 billion birds annually in the US in addition to billions of mammals. They are just following their natural instincts, but it is a a big impact on wildlife.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_predation_on_wildlife
Thank you for the information, Debra. We’re very sorry to hear about Misty. Been there and gone through that so many times, and it never gets easier. Take care. 🤗 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Slow down to save money needs to review basic arithmetic. Squaring a number is not multiplying it by 2 and cubing isn’t multiplying by three. The actual fuel economy calculations are worse than presented.
Traveling from Vegas to SLC Utah the speed limit is 80 is some places. Y’all can just go around me. I’m not on a company credit card and I have a very small income, gas ain’t cheap!
Besides, I’m RVing to enjoy the journey, not to rush through it. It’s about the adventure not the race.
absolutely Cate 🙂
I totally agree, a few mph more, doesn’t make you arrive much sooner.
I would hope that Zorro doesn’t wander away, especially when on a boat.😂
Been in the water three times…cats do swim well..really
I had a cat who loved bubble baths! Cats can swim, they just usually don’t like it.
I see a lot of RVs go by me that I have to assume are rentals, or borrowed, the way they are being driven.
We found many RVer’s go faster then the tires are rated. Now know not everyone is full timing and has everything they own in it for the weight, but we watch some go by so fast it scares us for them. The smaller ones start to sway. We usually stick around 55-65, depending on the roads, some less than that. We popped a tire going slower than usual and that was scary enough. Just think if we were going 70 or more , as we have seen some do. No place is worth dying to see. Be careful out there.
Just heaven
AMEN !!!
Speed, drag, power… What today’s trivia didn’t mention is speed is AIR speed, not GROUND speed. Doubt me? Think about the times you encounter headwinds vs tailwinds. If your vehicle has an engine tachometer, take note of your current RPMs at cruising speed on fairly level road with little or no wind. Then adjust your cruising speed based on the tachometer when conditions change [keeping in mind that often you should just enjoy the fuel savings with a tail wind rather than go faster than safe for your rig and tires]
I thought today’s trivia was about horses sleeping habits ?
Your speedometer is ground speed, metered by rotations of your wheels. Your tachometer will be consistent with your speedometer and gear changes.
To get an accurate picture of wind and the load effects of drag vs gas mileage – you need a vacuum gauge which instantly shows you your mileage and how much power is being consumed (or it takes) during every phase of travel, level, hills, idling, wind, on and on…… Easy install and informative.
Quick tip: wish I could actually get my wife to understand the money that can be saved by slowing down, not to mention the safety factor
Got to Hold On & remember they are on a Mission. What & Where I do not know!!
Buy and install a vacuum gauge on your instrument panel. She’ll see and get the idea!
What an adventure Zorro has had, especially living on a boat. 🐾❤️
“Leave here with a laugh”. Now that’s a good one!
I wonder what would have happened if it was on his wife’s head
🤕 Have a good night, Lawrence. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Zorro knows where his servants live.