Issue 2206
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
“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.” —David Levithan
Today is Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Did you see the news? Click here for the latest news for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Quick way to verify a campsite length from afar
By Dave Helgeson
Do you camp often in public campgrounds? Maybe you find the maximum length restrictions listed in campground directories unreliable? Do you wish there was a way to visit the campground to determine the length and width of the typical campsite before you spend time and energy to drive the RV there? Well, there is a way to look at campgrounds to verify a campsite length…
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Why does heat of RV’s roof air come from ceiling ducts but not the floor?
Dear Dave,
We have a Coleman-Mach ducted A/C and heater. When we turn on the heat we get warm air out of the ceiling ducts, but the lower ducts in the wall blow out cold air. The dealer says nothing is wrong. Unless I am mistaken, I would think the warm air should come from all the ducts. The heater does the same thing whether we are running on electric or propane. —Richard, 2022 Cruiser Twilight 2690
RV Reviews
Forest River Impression 235RW leaves a good… feeling
By Tony Barthel
Today’s RV review is of the Forest River Impression 235RW fifth wheel, a smaller fifth wheel with a layout that could work very well for some campers. While this smaller 5er is built more as an affordable model, it does have some surprising features that could serve some travelers well. Depending on your style of camping, there is a lot to like about the Impression 235RW fifth wheel.
In the RV shop with Dustin
Have these RV water heater maintenance tools on hand
The task of replacing an RV water heater element may seem difficult, but most RV owners can make this repair themselves. Having the right RV water heater maintenance tools on hand will not only help save time but also save money on repair costs.
Click here to see what tools you need
Video of the day
How to build a DIY portable power station
By Cheri Sicard
Portable power stations that can be charged with solar panels are amazing. I love mine and have long sung their praises. But folks in RV Travel’s RV Electricity Facebook group kept insisting I could make my own for far less money. Yes, even me. Well, personally I don’t have tools, skills, knowledge, nor the desire. But if you do, the team from ReeWray Outdoors has a step-by-step DIY portable power station video tutorial to show you just how easy it is to make your own solar-charged portable power station.
Our country must find hope within the Survivor Tree
By Gail Marsh
It was just about a month after the 9/11 attacks when a survivor was discovered amidst the ruins. A Callery pear tree was rescued, barely alive, from the rubble by recovery workers. The tree’s branches, snapped and mangled, looked pitiful. The tree’s trunk was blackened from fire and soot. Its roots, having been violently ripped from the ground, helplessly flailed in the breeze.
Was it worth saving? Yes. At a time when the entire country witnessed so much death and destruction, saving the Survivor Tree was worth the effort. The New York City Department of Parks took the tree and was determined to nurse it back to health.
The tree was eventually returned to the 9/11 Memorial site. Continue reading.
Reader poll
Do you set an alarm to wake up in the morning?
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Hey, pass the dog a beer, won’t ya? No, this isn’t a joke! The dog wants a beer!
Quick Tip
Enclose sewer hose stink
Enclose sewer hose stinkPaul R. has a thought on smelly sewer hoses, responding to a suggestion it be stored in a storage box. “Rather than taking up a lot of room with a large container that gets stinky, I put end caps on my slinkys so they are sealed when not in use. My motorhome has a storage tube for one, and I carry two others in a cross-body storage area in rain gutter type supports. Keep the stinky in the slinky!” Thanks, Paul!
Website of the day
15 national parks for fall color
This list from The Wilderness Society will help you plan your upcoming leaf-peeping trips. We’re getting excited. Are you?
Recipe of the Day
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Taco
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Tacoby Chantell Byrd
Spice up your Taco Tuesdays with these grilled shrimp tacos. Individually, each component is tasty. Once assembled, they’re delicious. The seasoned grilled shrimp have a slick kick and are full of flavor. Slightly tangy, jalapeno adds a punch of flavor to the cabbage slaw. On top is a smoky chipotle and adobo crema that’s fabulous on its own. Warming the tortillas on the grill is an excellent idea. Once assembled, these are made-at-home, restaurant-quality shrimp tacos your family will love.
Trivia
The number of children dying from being left in a hot car is on the increase. There have been at least 965 pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths since 1998, according to Jan Null, meteorologist and founder of noheatstroke.org. Of those deaths, 53% were because someone forgot a child in a car.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Brownie had four legs until cancer got one of her hind legs. She did not let this stop her from continuing to travel the USA.” —David Bennett
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
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.
If you shop at Amazon.com we’d appreciate you using this link. We get an itty bitty commission if you buy something, but they add up and help us pay our bills (most importantly our hard-working writers!).
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 many affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates 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 the 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.
Not that long ago RVs had the perfect retainer for their stinky slinkys, which also served as a back bumper. For a few dollars more, boards elected to have the RV owners store their slinkys inside. After all, who needs a back pumper? And what’s a little stink in the storage bin.
Can anyone tell me where to find this “Behind Mount Rushmore” Tee Shirt
It’s sold in most tourist shops in the Mt. Rushmore area, and probably throughout the state as well.
Thank you. Was hoping for a way to order from Georgia. Just my luck. Have a peachy day!
Brownie you are the definition of hope, conquer and having fun living! Thank you for sharing this adorable pup of yours David
1998 TO 2023 is 25 years During those 25 years, the writer lists one set of data covering all those years and claims the death rate is on the increase. It is terrible that children die in closed cars, but lets get the stats in the right place.
Hi, Primo. According to KidsAndCars.org and NoHeatStroke.org, about 38 kids die each year from vehicular heatstroke. There were 36 such deaths in 2022 and 25 so far this year. Very sad. Take care. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I want my stinky slinky to dry out so I leave mine in a length of PVC drain pipe mounted under the RV.
If you are so addicted to your phone that you neglect to see your child in the back seat you should be shot, I can’t imagine a parent forgetting a child in the back of a car!
When I was a kid, 70+ years ago my mother would take us shoping and often leave us in the car. No big deal. if necessary you could crank down the Windows. And kidnapping? Never gave it a thought I’ll bet. Who’d want 4 screaming brats.I
Try rolling down your windows today if a sudden rainstorm comes up
Hopefully “Brownie” didn’t get knocked out with a horse shoe!!! 🙂
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂
Child deaths in hot cars is beyond belief. Why would anyone in their right mind leave a child in a hot cat? Not only the heat, but the chance of someone taking the child.
How can anyone forget they have a child in the car?
It’s the same as leaving an animal in a vehicle on a hot day. I have already called the police to report an dog in a car in a parking lot, that was unresponsive. The officer broke a window and got the dog out. The owner came out of a store and said she was only gone for 5 minutes. We stood there for 20 minutes waiting for the owner to come by. The total time it took the police to arrive and break the window was well over 45 minutes.
The owner was cited for animal cruelty. I can’t imagine what could have happened if it was a child.
The ones that do leave infants or children in hot cars are obviously not in their right minds.
On the water heater maintenance story….. Would be nice to list the typical socket sizes of the wrenches needed for the anode and heater element removal to save trips to the tool store….. (ask me how I know).
Just got out of the hospital from heart surgery and there were multiple bare buts walking down the hall. They make you walk before you can leave. Not a good sight.
Jesse, I trust your surgery was a success and hope it serves you well into the future. Amazing what the medical profession can do these days. (I had a similar site during a colonoscopy a couple years ago – not a pretty site!)