Issue 2252
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
“It is dangerous to pretend that we know more than we do. But it is even more dangerous to pretend that we know less.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Pickle Day!
On this day in history: 1889 – Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days.
Tip of the Day
Easily fix RV irritations with things on hand
By Gail Marsh
If you’ve been a regular reader of RVtravel.com for a while, you may have read some of my “Unusual Uses for Ordinary Items” articles. In these stories, I’ve written about ways to use common everyday items in uncommon ways in and around your RV. Many readers have responded to these articles with very clever ideas of their own. Their suggestions prove that RVers are a creative bunch! They’ve shown that you can often fix RV irritations with things on hand.
Water bottle level
Want a quick and easy way to judge how level your assigned campsite is? Grab that water bottle you’ve been sipping on and place it on the ground. The air bubble inside the bottle will act just like a level to quickly show you the high and low spots.
Ask Dave
Do I need to winterize RV’s washer/dryer combo if I haven’t used it?
Dear Dave,
I have a Splendide washer/dryer combo. What is the best way to winterize it? Or do I even need to winterize it if I haven’t used it? —AC, 2005 Fleetwood Providence 39L Diesel Motorhome
Take an extra 10% off a GhostBed luxury RV mattress!
The GhostBed RV mattress is 10” deep, crafted with gel memory foam for coolness, has 3 layers of luxurious comfort and is perfectly sized for your RV! Ahhhh… Wake up relaxed and rejuvenated. RVtravel.com readers now get an EXTRA 10% OFF a GhostBed Luxury RV Mattress! CLICK HERE and use code RVTRAVEL10. Watch RVtravel.com’s Tony Barthel’s RV mattress review here.
RV Tours
Runaway Campers RangeRunner is an affordable mini-camper
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, Ben and Tiffany from the Runaway and Seemor3 YouTube channel are going to take us on a tour of their Runaway Campers RangeRunner mini-camper.
Billed as “America’s most affordable mini-campers,” Runaway Campers offers its customers lots of customization options. Naturally, pricing will depend on the options you select.
Video of the day
The 3 best heated RV hoses for cold weather RVers
By Cheri Sicard
When it comes to RV heated hoses there are a ton of options out there, which can paralyze consumers from making any decision at all. In the video below, one of our readers’ favorite YouTube RV vloggers, Jared Gillis from All About RVs, is here to share his experiences with RV heated hoses after years of full-time RVing.
Jared tested several different heated RV hoses and he made the video to share the results of which ones worked well and which didn’t work out well at all.
Around the Campfire: Which to purchase first, the truck or the RV?
By Gail Marsh
It’s an age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Folks around the campfire changed the question to this: Which comes first, the truck or the RV? When a person decides to take the plunge and begin an RV lifestyle, should their first purchase be the truck or the RV? As you’ll see, the conversation was lively!
Reader poll
Which of these camping places do you prefer?
Quick Tip
Easier backing in—day or night
“It is always best to get to an RV park in the daylight, but if you ever need to back into a campsite in the dark it helps to have rope lights on hand. You can quickly plug them in and lay the rope lights on both sides of the parking pad to help illuminate and guide backing in. It is less stressful than trying to follow someone waving a flashlight around.
“If you are guiding someone backing up in the daylight, it is much easier for the driver to understand if you point in the direction the wheels need to turn. Making large turning circles with your arm and flapping like a chicken are next to impossible to understand! We have found that pointing in the direction the wheels should turn, spreading our hands out to the distance left to back up and slowly bringing them together until at the right distance and putting up two closed fists to indicate stop have helped to eliminate the flapping bird syndrome. It also performs better with the campground that inevitably congregates to watch someone back into a particularly tight spot.” —Thanks to Nanci Dixon [Hey! Don’t I know you?]
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Oh, these are just too cool! Ladies, you’re going to want this! (And if your partner is a lady, know that she wants this! Nudge nudge.)
On this day last year…
- Tip: What to know about driving a large vehicle through a roundabout
- Ask Dave: This will make you think twice about the Alde heating system
- Video: RV safety advice from truckers: High winds, passing, breakdowns, and more
- Featured article: Take your RV back in time along these historic trail routes
Website of the day
National Park maps
The National Park Service publishes tons of great free maps. Matt Holly, a park ranger with the NPS, has collected them all and posted them on this site, where you can download PDF and image files of any U.S. national park map. This site currently has 1,761 free high-resolution national park maps to view, save and download.
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:
• 8 percent have visited all 48 lower states plus Alaska in their RV, meaning they’ve traveled to 49 states by RV. Impressive!
• 37 percent have made a friend (or couple) while RVing who they have remained friends with for years.
• 16 percent say they have loaned their RV to a close friend or family member.
Recent poll: Are you an “RVer” if you live in a park model RV that stays in one place?
Recipe of the Day
8 Cans Taco Soup
by Cindi M. Bauer from Marshfield, WI
No matter how much (or how little) experience you have in the kitchen, you can make this taco soup recipe. It’s a basic dump-and-go recipe. The taco and ranch seasonings add all the flavor to this simple soup. There’s plenty of meat for it to be hearty. The combination of beans is perfect. Corn gives the soup just a touch of sweetness. We served ours with tortilla chips and cheese, but that’s just a suggestion. Sour cream and avocado chunks would be great too. If you think your soup is too thick, just add one can of water to thin it a little.
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Trivia
All pilots must speak “Aviation English,” a 300-word language, no matter where they’re from or what language they speak. (Hey, we think RVers should have RV English, too!)
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Bandit (Boxer/Beagle mix) has to help co-pilot! He has been the best family member. Rescued from an East Tennessee Shelter and loves to travel!” —Sharon Branson
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
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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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The most frustrating back in I have had, was a park assistant telling me which way to turn my wheels! Tell me where the trailer needs to go, I know which way to turn to make that happen,
Agreed!
2nd that.
Agree!
Me too. I told the guy wifey and I are well connected and can back our trailer in on our own. HIS instructions were fouling us up. He finally left in a huff.
So true.
“I’m from the government (RV Park) and I’m here to help you!”
Cross your arms to indicate “Stop Now.” When using your hands to indicate direction to turn, use the whole hand, not just wagging the fingers. It’s a good distance from the front to the rear.
Leave here with a laugh. I’ve got 2 of these.
My DH walks beside the driver’s side window and tells me which way and how far to turn the wheel. He is also free to walk around and check for any overhanging branches or other objects that may be in the way. There’s no shouting or gesticulating which would only serve to frustrate.
It must be working as we have occasionally had camping neighbors compliment us on our quiet, low-key parking style. It makes me appear to be the talented one, but he does all the hard work. 🙂
My wife and I have the same arrangement. She backs it in while I guide her! I have taken away her fear of hitting something and made the promise that any damage is the responsibility of the ground guide, me! It has worked perfectly from the first time!
We learned this style when a friend’s neighbor helped my husband back 1/4 mile down a narrow road into our friend’s corral. When our friend said he had a 6-acre “ranch” in Placitas, NM I pictured something different, not six-acres straight up a hill! LOL
How did you get a picture of our guard dog? Our Tobias Longbody is a licensed Chip ( Chihuahua/Pit Bull) (who’s unseen bark has convinced many that they may soon loose some important body part). Only to fall into uncontrollable fits of laughter upon seeing him.
No kidding this dog looks just like him even the white markings are the same!
We have been RV’ing for over 30 years with bumper pulls, 5th wheels and now a motorhome. We have ALWAYS used hand held or CB radios when backing.
To avoid left/right confusion from different perspectives when backing up, the directions are “move the back end toward the driver or passenger side”
I agree with saying “rear of trailer to passenger side”…or “driver side”. Better than saying “Right” or “left”…who’s right?…whose left? It is my job to know which way to turn the steering wheel to make the end of the trailer go the right direction. Along those lines, I just put my hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and then move it whichever way I want the back of the trailer to go. Simple.
Where we are staying I had to park a 40’ Dp MH (back in) between 2 patio slabs. I am glad the park assistant backed me in.
Back in spot is probably 12 x 60’)
Glad he was there to tell me what direction to turn my wheels.
Thank you Mike 😁
I just don’t understand you guys. We’ve had our 5er for 9 years now, and I can back that thing in anywhere. Just give me 2-3 hours. Piece of cake. Problem is, after all these years, it just doesn’t get any better. Or easier. Jeez.
To my surprise every time I see an article about backing into a site, no one ever uses their cell phone. There isn’t any interference like you have with CB, you don’t have to be sure you’re on the same channel as with walk-in talkies. DW calls me on my phone which is hands free through the radio so I don’t have to hold the phone and try to back in. She walks alongside the bumper watching for any obstructions telling me left or right, since I know how to back a trailer she doesn’t have to tell me which way to turn my wheels.
Works if you have cell service where camping.
Over the years, wifey has developed all hand signals that I recognize while looking in my side mirror. Backing in or hooking up is almost trouble-free, but from years of trucking I’ve learned the “GOAL” method if things don’t seem right. That’s Get Out And Look.
We do the same, but since I have hearing aids I can have my aids connected to my iPhone which allows me to hear what she is saying directly in my ears so that I have both hands free at all times.
Exactly! Just make sure she knows that left and right are the direction of the back of the trailer.
Yes. I solo but when people want to help me, I ask them to just tell me ‘what direction do you want the rear end of the trailer to go’ and that tells me what to do. If they tell me which way to turn the wheel, it’s a disaster.
We often camp where there is no cell service. So, we use walkie-talkies that are set to the same channel all the time. I turn mine on and put it in the driver’s door pocket and my wife does all the the talking.
Added a back up camera, then built a target. 24″ 2X2 with 2 very parallel holes in the top to insert 4′ fiberglass driveway rods. 1 more hole on each side of the 2X2 for 2 more rods. The ground rods keep the other poles vertical and mark width of TT. If the camera sees only 1 vertical pole I am correctly aimed. If I see 2 poles I can tell that I am off, how far and in what direction to adjust.
????
I sure would like to see a picture of your device. For clarification. Sounds like a great thing you created.
Aviation english = plain simple language
RV english = too many #@**%$#@ words 😱
I am not a pilot, but wife did solo years ago.
When we first started RVing, my wife learned the 4 basics for hand signals. After a few tries, she expanded that language to what looked more like the chicken dance in my mirrors and camera, so now I get out and look an awful lot but overhead branches are never an issue if I just take it on solo. It is the dimensional hazards like OH branches and positioning of the dump station and doors that I’ll have to deal with so life seems better if I just handle the details, start to finish.
My wife and I have a great system. When it’s time for me to back in, she goes to the head. Never had a problem.
😲😄
Nanci, I have 2 sets of rope lights that are battery operated (2 AA batteries). They can be used in dry campgrounds (USFS, NP, SP) where there is no 120vac power post. At Christmas, we use them in the buildings of my wife’s Dept. 56 New England Village. I bought them on Amazon 4 or 5 years ago.
👍🙂
Just thought about it, but we also have a set of 3 battery-powered orange emergency flashers. Those could also be used for backing-in at night. It would be a good way to occasionally check the battery strength, then replace the batteries before the time when they are needed for actual emergencies!
Thank you, Emily and Diane! The funny IS funny. 🙂 The picture of today’s pet is adorable. 🙂 Nanci’s backing-into-campsite-after-dark tips are great and so easily done (including battery-powered lights for sites without power (see Steve’s comment below))). I suggest one additional tip: cheat to the same side of the road as the campsite you are to back into as you drive by the site. Doing so gives you additional inches of room for the nose of the truck or RV to swing as you back the RV into the site. This is especially helpful in a campsite with lots of trees, posts, or other largely immovable objects lining the road. 🙂
Our hand signal system works really well for us. Often we have no cell signal where we like to camp. We also use walkie talkies.
The like button is back!!! Thank you!
Coming from someone who has nothing but time on her hands and has watched almost all of the air disaster episodes can answer why pilots need to speak English. This avoids confusion because not every language can describe certain words. So if we all speak the same it avoids air disasters and miscommunication. Take a look at some of the Brits and their words. Nappy is diaper and the loo is well….