Issue 2207
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.
Today’s thought
“Show me a man who keeps a pipe in his back pocket, and I’ll show you a man who burns his britches behind him.” —Soupy Sales
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day!
On this day in history: 1959 – Bonanza premieres, the first regularly scheduled TV program presented in color.
Tip of the Day
Here’s how to make boondocking fun for the partner who hates it
By Nanci Dixon
I love boondocking, everything about it: the challenge, the isolation, ruggedness, sense of self-sufficiency… but my husband hates it. We are currently in a regional park with 50-amp electric hookups, amazing showers, and dishwashing stations. His comment: “I hate boondocking.” I wanted to respond: “Just wait until we get to the Harvest Hosts free-range pig farm next week…”—but I refrained.
My goal is now to make it as painless as possible for him and happy for me. Here are a few steps that may seem counter to true boondocking but are a good way to ease into hard-core boondocking, or at least keep the family happy.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
Are SnapPads on the RV’s jacks a good idea?
Dear Dave,
What’s your opinion on using the rubber SnapPads on leveling jacks, on almost all types of ground surfaces? Thanks. —Bill Byerly, 2019 Winnebago Sightseer 33C
Quit struggling with hose and cable hookups at the campsite
Are you tired of struggling to hook up your coax cables, water hoses and other connections when you arrive at your campsite? It’s a snap with Cable and Hose Grips from J Wright Concepts. Save time and frustration! Life is too short to hassle with the little stuff! Learn more or order.
RV Tours
Tour a restored 1957 Boles Aero Estrellita vintage travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below we join the team from BossaNova Life, who joins vintage trailer owner Faith Carpenter to tour her classic 1957 Boles Aero Estrellita vintage travel trailer.
Boles Aero always made exceptional quality trailers and it is an absolute delight to see one so lovingly restored to its former glory.
Video of the day
Top 5 RV propane oven tips
By Cheri Sicard
Kristy Michael from the Long Long Honeymoon is here to share her top five RV propane oven tips. This appliance, perhaps more than any other, is much maligned among RVers. Some people never bother to use their RV’s oven at all. But you are missing out on some great functionality by doing so. Not to mention, cooking in the oven can help warm up your RV in colder weather (not that you should ever use your oven as a heat source alone).
It doesn’t have to be that way and you can get good results from your RV propane oven. Kristy’s tips provide a great place to start.
Thief tries to siphon gas from RV, gets crappy surprise
When longtime RVtravel.com reader Gary Willey sent this to us (Thanks, Gary!) we thought it was a joke and we laughed out loud! But after a little digging, we found a news story from 2016 saying this actually really did happen to this couple in Australia. We quickly went from laughing to gagging! We almost feel bad for the guy… Oh, my!
Reader poll
What do you use to set a reminder to do/complete things?
Quick Tip
Furnace troubleshooting tip
Leigh read a story on RVtravel.com on furnace troubleshooting. This alert reader adds, watch out for flow from the propane tank. “If the valve at the tank is opened too quickly it can trip the limit switch: a safety feature designed to limit the flow if the line is cut or burned allowing a surge in gas. Simply closing and reopening slowly for the first quarter turn may solve the problem by allowing adequate flow. One can also check the flame on a stove burner. If the flame is weak, there won’t be enough gas for the furnace.” Thanks for the LP pointers, Leigh.
On this day last year…
- RV Review: Alliance Paradigm 385FL for 2023
- Ask Dave: Quick RV Tech Tip: Are lithium batteries good for full-time RVers?
- RV Electricity: Do coiled extension cords heat up from inductive heating?
- Video: Incredible cargo trailer RV conversion in just 4 weeks!
- Featured article: Alas, another RV burns to a crisp. How to avoid this happening to you
Website of the day
Memory Games
This page on improvememory.org lists a bunch of games you can play online for free that will help improve your memory.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Let your imagination soar… No, really, what the heck would you do with this? It is pretty cool, but…
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:
• 86 percent say they pay off their credit card statements in full each month.
• When camping, 24 percent of people like to be as far away as possible from other campers.
• 30 percent own a propane fire pit.
Recipe of the Day
Gouda Bacon Cheeseburger
by James McGraw from Kansas City, KS
Bacon, Gouda cheese, and a creamy sauce… what more could you want on a burger? We loved the smoky Gouda cheese with the applewood bacon. The sauce is absolutely delicious and perfect on the burger. It’s like Thousand Island dressing with a nice kick. A nice treat if you normally just put ketchup on your burger. If you’re not a huge raw onion fan, then leave it out of the dressing mixture. It will be just as delish!
[wbcr_snippet id=”337364″ title=”AHM Video Recipe Widget”]
Trivia
When looking at or into a large crowd, the human eye and mind can only recognize two faces at a time, according to a study published in the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. You can read more about the study here.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“We got Tuffy 8 years ago. He was more than half blind and showed up at a friend’s farm. The vet said he was 5-7 years old and had been born with poor vision so he never knew he had a problem. He just adapted. That’s how we gave him his name. Four years ago he was diagnosed with a heart condition and given 6 months to live. He was put on a bunch of meds and started traveling with us so he could get them on schedule. He loved every new place we went, making 18 trips in our camper, and was eager to explore each new site (and even hike trails). Tuffy finally died in July, living up to his name to the end.” —Karl Blankenship
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.
Our favorite camping directories
At RVtravel.com we have worked closely with Roundabout Publications for two decades, our favorite publisher of campground directories. Here are some of their most recent titles:
Camping in America’s City & Town Parks • Camping in America’s County Parks • Camping in State Parks (Western USA) • Camping in State Parks (Eastern USA) • Corps of Engineers Camping • National Forest Camping • Bureau of Land Management Camping • Van and RV Camping at State Recreation Areas.
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.
Had to laugh at the roundabout in the laugh section! There seems to be more and more of them and they are doable, but the main issue is people don’t understand how they work, let alone what a stop sign or turn signal is! I have been passed on the right, left and just about any other way a driver can figure out how to get around us in our 40 foot diesel pusher! One of the worst is at Cape Cod!
In about a half a mile there are 5 roundabouts on Route 67 near Malta, NY. Two are part of the new concept of the zig-zag at the intersection with I-87. If you want to see mass confusion, drive this area during rush hour.
Thank you, Emily and Diane!
You’re welcome, Neal. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
It would be interesting to know how many accidents happen in a new round about as driver try to determine how to go through it. This sort of goes along with the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
Dave Solberg talks about using dish soap as a lubricant for joining parts – here is a little known fact about using dish soap as an installation lubricant (works even better if you mix it with a little water). When the soap film dries, it works as an adhesive. It’s best use is where there is a larger contact area not subject to getting wet.
For example, I use a little soapy water all the time for temporary joining of PVC pipes used for ‘grown-up Tinker Toy’ projects. Once the thin film of soap dries it takes a substantial effort to either twist or pull the pieces apart. But force some water into the joint to reliquify the soap and you again have a lubricant allowing easy disassembly.
For one project I joined PVC pipe to a Fernco rubber coupling with dish soap and skipped the band clamp. The other end of the Fernco is attached to a ceiling vent knob (using a band clamp). My spouse is short and couldn’t reach the bathroom vent knob. The clampless PVC/rubber union has been in use for six years.
The tip of the day although good to a point is incomplete. These propane problems seem quite frequent on the Facebook groups. There are a few really good YouTube videos out there ,some explaining in detail what can cause these.
I just LOVE pulling my 5ver thru roundabouts!
(Not really)
RE: Snap pads….I was looking for the solution to avoid having to crawl underneath the RV in inclement weather to dig out the wood blocks that I use, out of the mud and muck, then stowing them away…..
I hate it when there are two roundabouts right next to each other. Immediately as you exit one, you’re in the second one trying to find your exit.
Roundabouts remind me of the Kingston Trio song MTA.
Bless Tuffy and thanks for giving him a furever home.
Our Jake looks so much like him and we are so fortunate that he found us 9 years ago.