Issue 2187
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
“I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Relaxation Day! (Our favorite day of the year!)
On this day in history: 1969 – The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.
Tip of the Day
Put together an emergency getaway bag right now. It’s important!
By Nanci Dixon
Put together an emergency getaway bag for your RV if you don’t already have one. Several times we have had to flee our motorhome at a moment’s notice. I am always glad to have read this article on preparing for an emergency here on RVtravel.com.
Emergency documents for your getaway bag
My husband is rather a weather emergency naysayer, so when he says we have to leave I know he means NOW! Being full-timers, I have an expanding folder with all our important paper documents—passports, birth certificates, medical histories, wills, etc. I also have a to-go hard drive with scans of tax documents, credit cards, receipts and all our family photos.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Fuel nozzle shuts off before RV’s tank is full, but never at Buc-ee’s. Why?
Dear Dave,
In the nearly 20 years we have owned our RV and during countless trips around North America, we have had trouble filling our gas tank. It will get about 3/4 full and the pump clicks off. Even if we reset the pump we cannot add any more gas. If we drive across the street to another gas station we can complete the fill-up. This problem never happens at Buc-ee’s, but is a frequent issue in California. This may not happen for several fill-ups then it will occur. What gives? —Sherry, 2005 Jamboree GT Class C
RV Tours
Tour the Bigfoot RV 25RQ fiberglass travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
As we’ve talked about in a previous post, there are a whole lot of advantages to fiberglass travel trailers, and Bigfoot RV arguably makes some of the best. One of the complaints I often hear is that fiberglass trailers are simply not big enough. If that’s the case for you, consider the Bigfoot RV 25RQ, which I believe is the largest of the fiberglass trailers currently on the market.
Video of the day
Pssst… Here’s the secret to great grilled chicken thighs
By Cheri Sicard
Who doesn’t love grilled chicken thighs? Anyone who has had them when they’re not done right—that’s who.
Grilling chicken thighs can be tricky. Too much grill time and they come out charred and dry. Too little and you bite into raw chicken. YUCK!
But when they are done right, grilled chicken thighs are amazing. Even better in these inflationary times, they’re a bargain too.
Is the 2022 Ford Bronco the perfect flat towable car? I test drove it to find out.
By Nanci Dixon
Here was my experience on a 2022 Ford Bronco test drive. As a number of you know, and I am actually rather embarrassed that so many know, I am still looking after two years for the perfect, flat towable car. Back in December of 2020, I reviewed several options. Then, I reviewed several Jeeps. And I also test drove and reviewed the Buick Encore GX. None of them were “the one.” … Did Nanci finally find “the one”? Continue reading to find out.
Reader poll
How many TVs do you have in your RV?
Quick Tip
RV site “Look out!” advice
Doing a “walk around” inspection before pulling your rig into an RV site is always a good idea. Joe Bulger adds a pointer as to something else to look out for: “Before backing or pulling in an RV site, I always walk around to check for low branches, obstructions, power, water pedestal, etc. However, I never looked down until after my wife saw a few pieces of metal on the ground. The picture shows what we found. I plan on buying a long magnet on a stick at a lumber box store and crawling under the rig before pulling out. From now on I will use it to check the area before backing in. It won’t pick up aluminum or glass; however, it’s better than nothing. This was at a private, very expensive, campground in Key Largo.” Thanks, Joe, for the “attractive” idea!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Um, sure, it might help us walk on rocky beaches or paths. But if we used this we would fall on our faces… immediately. Wouldn’t you?
On this day last year…
- RV Review: 2023 Forest River Ibex 19MBH—a cargo master
- Ask Dave: My RV’s windshield has a leak. Where can I get it fixed?
- RV Electricity: Can a solar panel overcharge your battery?
- Video: Is a universal toll pass the answer to too many transponders?
- Featured article: Portable washing machine saves weight for RV. Yup.
Website of the day
Loaded Landscapes
This website has a ton of great photography-related articles. Want to know how to best capture the sunrise? Or a waterfall? Or how to use Adobe Lightroom? Check out the articles here. [You can click on the “No thanks” below the options that pop up to get to the website.]
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:
• 39 percent say they have given their RV a name
• 61 percent say their RV has an onboard generator
• 34 percent know a lot about their family history; they’ve studied it!
Recent poll: How long has it been since you mowed a lawn?
Recipe of the Day
Sam’s Panko Crusted Fried Shrimp with Tartar Sauce
by Sammie Allen from Salisbury, NC
Easy to prepare, this fried shrimp could be a light meal or a snack. The batter coats the shrimp wonderfully. Once fried to a golden brown, the batter is crunchy with the perfectly cooked shrimp inside. Don’t skimp on the sprinkle of salt once everything is fried. The balance of flavors in the homemade tartar sauce is spot on. Perfect for dipping the fried shrimp.
Trivia
As a pet or in a research lab, mice can live to be up to two years old. But in the wild, they only live for about five months. So if you have a mouse problem… maybe just wait it out five months? (No, don’t do that.)
*What popular game machine was once banned in New York City for 24 years? And why was it banned? Yesterday’s trivia tells you.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Lucy is an 8-year-old Poodle mix rescue we’ve had for two years. She loves the campground activities viewed from the ledge behind the sofa hubby made for her.” —Nicole Rockey
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.
‘Earthquake Putty’ keeps stuff in place
Do you have items in your RV you like to keep in place — on a table, bedstand or counter? You need this. Quakehold Museum Putty is designed to keep items secure in earthquakes! Hey, a moving RV is a constant earthquake! To use this, pull off what you need, roll until soft, apply to the base of the object then lightly press it to the surface. Later, it comes off clean. RVers love it! Cheap, too! Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
What do you call a laughing motorcycle?
A Yamahahahaha.
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the Latest News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
Advertising. Information here.
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.
RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2023 by RV Travel LLC.
On our last trip I improvised my own stick magnet after dropping 2 steel spring clips from the window screen. Attached 2 magnets to an extendable flyswatter and drug it through the grass and gravel until I found them both.
wait out mice, no way. My daughter used to catch them, and then try to keep them as a pet. But I would take them out to an empty field and release them.
Thank you, Emily!
Keeping dog food outdoors, is an invitation for raccoons and maybe bears to visit. A “Gamma2 Vittles Vault Pet Food Storage” container would be a much better choice than a kitchen trash can. They come in several sizes, are made of a strong plastic and have a screw on lid with a rubber gasket to contain odor.
I’m sure they’d keep raccoons out but maybe not bears. But minimizing odor is bound to help.
The mystery product of the day looks like something just WAITING to do a senior in. But the yard magnet idea makes sense for checking out campsites before backing in. I have one but never bring it along.
I do too Tommy. And I don;t carry it with me, altho I use many times a year at home! We camped in a small campground which was strewn with large construction nails – not in the parking site, but in the driveway to it! Seems the local tech school built a new rest room facility at the site during the previous month! I picked up as many as I could find, which was a great many! I will be carrying the magnet now!
I read in one of your newsletter about what to do with the dog food. What I bought was a kitchen trash can and put the bag of dog food in it. Keep the bag and put the bag into the trash can and keep it there outside my trailer door. I have another kitchen trash can for trash. Both are different colors and it does work keeping things organized. Just a thought on what to do with these huge bags of dog food. Keeps things tidy.
Good idea for a long trip or full-timers and I do that at home. We are mostly weekend campers and I found that Rubbermaid or Tupperware cereal containers are perfect for dog food for our 2 dogs. I try to keep 2 full containers on board. When one is empty it goes back to the sticks and bricks to get refilled. I never have to worry about remembering to pack dog food since there is always a back-up in the camper.