Issue 2188
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
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Tell a Joke Day! (Scroll down for our joke of the day.)
On this day in history: 1930 – The first color sound cartoon, “Fiddlesticks,” is released by Ub Iwerks.
Tip of the Day
Follow these important steps to protect your home while you’re gone RVing
By Gail Marsh
Most RVers can’t wait to get out on the open road. Thieves can’t wait for you to leave home, either! It’s estimated that a home burglary occurs every 18 seconds in the United States. That’s an alarming number! But thieves aren’t your only worry. What if a water leak develops? Or the HVAC system malfunctions and causes a fire? Here are a few tips for protecting your home while you’re gone RVing.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
My RV’s black tank valve used to trickle when taking cover off; now it gushes!
Dear Dave,
Whenever I dump the RV’s black water tank, usually a small amount comes out when I remove the cap. Because of this I carry a small bucket to catch the spillage. However, this last time when I removed the cap I was met with a flood of black water. Is there some way to clean the valve? I’m not even sure where the valve is, since the belly is covered. —Mike, 2020 Jayco Eagle 27.5
RV Reviews
2024 KZ RV Sportsmen 231RK—A smaller 5er
By Tony Barthel
As I navigate my way from my home base of New Mexico to Indiana for the FROG rally, I keep seeing older, smaller fifth wheels in RV parks. This made me wonder why these are less common nowadays. With that in mind, I thought we’d gather ’round for a review of the 2024 KZ Sportsmen 231RK.
Measuring just 24’10” in overall length, I can see some shoppers comparing this to travel trailer offerings, which makes sense. When you think that about three feet of this rig would hang over the pickup truck, you would have a total vehicle length that’s shorter than many truck and travel trailer combinations.
In the RV shop with Dustin
RV water damage repair advice
Repairing water damage in an RV is essential to maintain its structural integrity and prevent further issues like mold and rot. Here are some general steps to guide you through the process of repairing water damage in an RV…
Video of the day
Easy RV plants: No soil, watering, or moving when traveling
By Cheri Sicard
Do you miss having plants in your RV? Robin Barrett of Creativity RV (one of our FAVORITE YouTube RV bloggers) has a solution in the video below. In it she talks about easy RV plants to spruce up your RV’s décor. They need no watering, they need no soil, and they stay put even while you move.
Video: Motorhome ripped apart, totaled, by low bridge
It gets old showing you videos of RVs that have had devastating encounters with low bridges. But we will keep showing them to help remind you to be careful and pay attention to bridges and tunnels along your route that will rip your rig apart if they dare try to pass through. Watch this heartbreaking video and weep!
Reader poll
On your phone, do you communicate more often by voice calls or text messages?
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We dare you to put this on your RV’s door. We bet people would think twice about knocking! We’d like to put up a security camera so we could watch people’s reactions. What do you think?
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Quick Tip
Don’t use wheel chocks as speed bumps
Don’t use wheel chocks as speed bumpsRay over at loveyourrv.com set out a list of “dumb things” he’s done. Here’s one many of us can relate to — and a suggestion to stop it. “I have a mental chock block. This became comical. I must have run over our first set of chocks five to six times and eventually lost one. With one squashed chock left, I sheepishly had to head to the RV parts store and buy a couple more. Next time out I ran over them! Finally I came up with a system that works for me. I use the two new chocks to secure the trailer then place the squashed one on the dashboard. Hey, whatever works.”
Our #1 best-selling product in July
The Star Brite premium RV rubber seal conditioner extends the life of your RV slide out seals. It provides UV protection so the slides don’t dry out, prevents slide outs from sticking, and doesn’t leave a greasy residue behind. Learn more or order.
On this day last year…
- RV Review: 2023 Palomino Columbus 375BH—Unique bunk and bath
- Ask Dave: There’s a crack near my RV’s fiberglass slide. How do I fix it?
- Video: What’s the best RV battery: lithium, lead or AGM?
- Featured article: Danger! Check your RV’s mattress for fiberglass! Yes, really!
Website of the day
The Best Seafood Regions in America
Is there anything better than a summer day paired with fish and chips? We don’t think so! This list from Rand McNally tells you about the best regions to eat seafood across the U.S.
Recipe of the Day
Stuffed Bell Peppers Superior
by Teena Mathis from Harlingen, TX
These stuffed peppers are moist, juicy, and delicious! They’d make an elegant presentation for a dinner party, but easy enough for a weeknight dinner. The beefy onion soup mix really elevates the flavor of the stuffing.
Trivia
What U.S. state’s official mammal is extinct? If you guessed California, you’d be right. The California grizzly bear (the same bear on the California state flag) has been extinct for nearly a century. Starting around 1848, the California Gold Rush put a strain on the bear’s population, when they were hunted for their meat and fur. The last time a California grizzly was spotted was in the early 1920s.
*How long do mice live in the wild? How long do they live in a research lab? Yesterday’s trivia tells you.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“YumYum is getting the hang of RVing and has her own bunk. Loves her nip.” —Scott Zvirzdinis
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.
Book is a must-have for state park campers!
This book, “50 States: 500 State Parks,” is a must-have for all state park campers and explorers. The book is a beautiful visual journey through America’s best state parks. Whether you’re looking for stunning vistas, rare wildlife, a dose of history, or an enjoyable hike, the state parks offer an array of experiences. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
How did the hamburger introduce his girlfriend? He said, “Everyone, meat Patty.”
(We know it’s a groaner, but it’s National Joke Day! What did you expect? Plus, it made us 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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I’m right there with Ray and his wheel chock for a reminder. I do the same sort of thing.
Recipe of the day, Stuffed Peppers- Costco sells a six-pack (house made) – My kind of recipe.
Thank you, Emily!
This is more of a question for readers out there. Anyone know how to remove the remaining silicone residue after scraping away the bulk silicone so as anything else may stick there? Thanks in advance!
I’m not sure about silicone but we reuse wine bottles and I use goo gone to remove the glue left from the wine labels. Then use Dawn to remove the goo gone.
trivia They did mention 1920
While the grizzly may have become ‘extinct’ in CA, there still are grizzly bears in several other states as well as Canada. So they’re not ‘extinct’ yet..just no longer have a live population in CA (that anybody knows of). It IS true, however, that the overall grizzly population is under great pressure and numbers ARE declining. Short-sighted termination of the many of the protections of the Endangered Species Act, and illegal hunting of them as bears, are not helping. Once lost, they’ll be lost forever – and that makes a pitiful moral statement about ‘humanity’.
The California grizzly is distinctive from the grizzly’s in Colorado and Canada
I believe your joke writer needs a day off!
that was a groaner…but great!
Hi, Bob. It’s always so good to hear from you with your positive comments. That was my joke for the day. Did you like it better than the self-proclaimed “groaner” we put in today’s newsletter? Frankly, we, and some of our readers, are tired of your frequent negativity and writer-bashing. If you have better jokes you want us to include in the newsletter, like we’ve asked you before, please send them in. According to you, we need help. Thank you. –Diane at RVtravel.com
Needed to be said, thank you Diane!
Thank you, Bill. Have a good night.🤗 –Diane
But Bob P, we don’t know who wrote the joke or where it cam from. The jokester may even be dead by now, thus taking the day off. If you think that RVT makes up all of the jokes, the joke may be on you. I’ve always thought the joke is that hamburger has no ham in it.
I was surprised that for the Best Seafood, Maine wasn’t even mentioned? Best Lobster in the world.
Depending on where you in Maine? The most expensive especially Bar Harbor. Wow do they stiff you. There is a great place near Bar Harbor for fish and chips and BBQ. Otherwise I go to the grocery store if I need seafood. Buyer beware.
YumYum is a typical cat – ‘If I fitz, I sitz’. Gotta love ’em.
When my wife is ‘fancy wrapping’ gifts using string or ribbon, she has taken to first tossing an open box on the floor to reduce the ‘help’ she gets when something dangles over the edge of the table.
Hi, Jim. That reminds me of a cat I used to have. Whenever I’d lean over to clean out the litter box, he’d jump up on my back. So I’d have to throw a little ball across the room for him to “fetch” and clean as much as I could before he brought the ball back to me to throw again. It was pretty amusing, actually. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
For the Trivia, did you mean century instead of decade? Or were you just checking to see if anyone reads the Trivia section? 😉
I was thinking the same thing. Those bears have been gone a long, long time.
Thanks, David and volnavy. It’s been corrected. Have a great day. 😀 -Diane at RVtravel.com
Regarding the STAR BRITE Premium RV Rubber Seal Conditioner – 16 OZ, if you search online, you’ll find prices all over the place. I’ve seen it as low as $11, but of course you would have to figure in shipping cost. Amazon’s price seems high, but it is a Prime item available same or next day, at least in some areas.