Issue 2251
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
“The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” —Minot J. Savage
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is World Kindness Day!
On this day in history: 1927 – The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic as the first Hudson River vehicle tunnel linking New Jersey to New York City.
Did you see the news? Click here for the latest news for RVers
Tip of the Day
Keeping your home safe while you are away
By Dave Helgeson
We all take steps to keep ourselves and our RV safe while on the road. But how many take extra steps to deter burglars from our homes while on the road?
Pages have been written here and elsewhere about staying safe from crime while RVing. However, little has been written about how to deter burglars from burglarizing your home in your absence while RVing. Full-timers no longer have to worry about a sticks-and-bricks house, but what about the rest of us? Personally, my home has been burglarized twice over the past 40 years while my wife and I have been traveling. After the last burglary, I studied up and doubled down on the steps I take to deter burglars from my home. So far, so good.
Here is what I learned and the steps I take to deter burglars:
Ask Dave
Can you clear up the confusion regarding Class B, B+ and C vans?
Dear Dave,
Can you help clear up the confusion of what exactly is a Class C, Class B+ and Class B van? —From: Just about everybody
Quick RV Tech Tip: Reader’s critique of the VIAIR air compressor
By Dave Solberg
Most of the time I get technical questions. However, this time I received a critique of the VIAIR® compact air compressor from a reader and thought it would be good to see if any others have had the same issue or have any recommendations for what air compressor is better. Continue reading.
RV’s leather furniture cracking, peeling or looking dull? Here’s a fix
Dustin Simpson writes, “Everything from the oil in your skin, the products we wear, sun exposure, moisture in the RV, and storage temperatures can cause the materials on your RV furniture to break down. Do regular cleaning: wiping off furniture with 303 Leather 3-In-1 Complete Care to regularly remove sand, dirt, and other grime. The best way to maximize the longevity of your furniture is to keep it clean because when oils, dirt, and other residues have time to soak into your furniture, the quicker those materials break down.”
RV Reviews
Keystone Alpine 390DS—Camp with your friends
By Tony Barthel
What we have here is an enormous fifth wheel that can serve a few types of camping styles. According to the specifications, this can sleep seven people. That might actually be okay depending on a variety of circumstances. … Probably the highlight of this camper is not just that it has two absolute and distinct separate bedrooms, but also two separate and distinct bathrooms as well.
Video of the day
Unethical RV salesmen and inspectors teaming up
By Cheri Sicard
Pierre and Laurel, the certified RV inspectors from the Blue Ox on the Run YouTube channel, present some shocking truths in the video below about unethical RV salesmen teaming up with equally unethical RV inspectors. If an RV dealer ever offers to bring in his own inspector that he recommends, beware, and watch the video below.
Know Your RV: Everything about winterizing for newbies (or anyone)
Got a new-to-you RV? Live where the outside temperatures drop below freezing? Then you need to winterize your RV. Like you learned in science class, when water freezes it expands. If it expands inside your RV’s plumbing, you could be in for some serious damage. It doesn’t take long to winterize your RV, and it’s a whole lot cheaper than fixing broken pipes. Learn about winterizing your RV here.
Reader poll
Did you serve in the military?
Quick Tip
Hide-a-bed? Hide-a-pain
Many people find hide-a-beds stashed away in the dinette or couch to be pretty uncomfortable. Here are two suggestions from RVers on making them a bit more bearable: First, unfold a sleeping bag onto the bed and cover with a sheet. The sheet holds the bag in place, making the bed a bit softer. Or, another RVer puts down a piece of 4″ memory foam over the folded-out bed. When the foam isn’t in use, he stores it under, or on, the master bed.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
As RVers and outdoorsy folks, we’re obligated to love this big, hairy dude, aren’t we? Well, you’ll love him even more in this setting!
Website of the day
U.S. Military Campgrounds and RV Parks
All right, folks. Check this out. This site has compiled all (or just about all) military campgrounds and RV parks across the country. Keep this handy!
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
- Around the Campfire: What’s a fifth-wheel tug test and should we be doing it?
- Know Your RV: Know your measurements
- State fairs are great destinations for RVers
Recipe of the Day
Low-Carb Loaded Baked Cauliflower
by Rhonda White from Port Orange, FL
Need a low-carb side dish? Well, this is a fantastic cauliflower one. It’s super hearty and creamy. The cheese sauce and bacon bits really do make this taste like a baked potato casserole. Crushed pork rinds on top cook until golden and add nice texture. When hot out of the oven the cheese sauce is a little thin but thickens as it cools. This is a great low-carb side dish for any occasion.
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Trivia
The introduction of the popular arcade game Space Invaders caused a nationwide coin shortage in Japan. When the game was introduced in 1978, so many people started playing it that there was a coin shortage—100-yen coins were no longer able to be used by regular citizens or at stores. Worldwide, the game made about 600 million dollars a year in coins, but just in Japan alone, between 1978 and 1982, the game made over 2 billion dollars.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Our German Shorthaired Pointer puppy, Cooper, sticking close to his Dalmatian big sister, Charity, on his very first RV trip.” —Carol Coburn
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.
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We’ve had a love sea sleeper’s in our last 2 RV’s. We remove the worthless mattress and replace it with a self contained full-size air mattress. The mattress costs about $45 , is self inflating/deflating and folds up in the place of the original mattress. The result is a very comfortable mattress that yields a great night’s sleep and doesn’t take up any extra space when not in use.
I’m on the same track, BW. We put a queen Sleep Number bed plus a 2 inch memory foam topper in our 5ver. Never slept so good!
It’s nice that the military has campgrounds in some of their bases, but I wish they also had apartment complexes for retired military and their families.
Sir you can stay at any visiting officer or enlisted quarters with reservations. We have done this hundreds of times across the world at US owned bases
Nice to know Donald! Thank you🇺🇸
The 303 for leather advertised in this issue Is great for leather I am sure. But is it appropriate for the vinyl and faux leather furniture coverings you find in most RVs?
According to the Gold Eagle website, it can be used on vinyl.
“Finished Leather or Vinyl Auto Interiors”
You can also use the 303 RV/Marine protectant. I use this on my motorcycle seat and the vinyl trim and plastic on the interior of my truck.
RV’s leather furniture cracking, peeling or looking dull? Here’s a fix was a very helpful article that all owners of RVs really need to follow. So many owners blame their coach manufacturers for peeling vinyl furniture but if they practiced basic preventative maintenance these issues could be eliminated. Stay safe out there.
Before using anything to clean leather, try it in an inconspicuous area. I cleaned my lazy boy chair with saddle soap and 2 days later the fabric was junk. I thought it was real leather but no. Just because it looks like leather doesn’t mean it is. $1200 down the drain
It’s basically ground up leather leftovers bonded to a fabric base. Let’s bring back Naugahyde. Cars used it in the 60’s and 70’s and it lasted forever.
Military Campground site is great. Problem with many military campgrounds is they do not take reservations.
We have 2 Dalmatians!!!! So darn cute
Thank you, Emily and Diane! The funny was funny. It is appropriate too, given how dry things currently are here in east Tennessee. I remember Space Invaders quite well from my undergraduate days in the late 1970s. I was a poor (as in both bad and short of funds) player, but did enjoy watching accomplished players work their way through multiple screens. I don’t recall lines for the game, but neither do I recall it being unused very often.