Issue 2254
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
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Check Your Wipers Day!
Happy 50th Birthday, Marcus Lemonis: On this day in 1973, Marcus Lemonis, now the CEO of Camping World, was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
Tip of the Day
How to make your RV warm and welcoming to guests for the holidays
By Gail Marsh
It won’t be long now. Soon, out-of-town relatives and friends will descend on your home for the holidays. It’s expensive to put them up in nearby hotels, but if you don’t really have space for them inside your sticks-and-bricks home, it’s time to put that RV to an alternative use! Use your RV to accommodate your out-of-town guests. You can take it to a nearby campground or park it in your driveway. Either way, your guests will have a place to “escape,” and you can find downtime inside your home, as well! Face it, holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about extra folks underfoot 24/7. Let your RV come to the rescue!
Before you think that bedding guests down in an RV is less than hospitable, there are ways you can make the RV space quite comfortable! Plus, it might be fun for your non-RVing guests to stay in their own house-on-wheels for a few days!
Ask Dave
How do I install new wallpaper in my RV so it doesn’t peel?
Dear Dave,
How do I keep my new wallpaper from shrinking and peeling? I will be applying peel-and-stick wallpaper over the existing wallpaper in my Itasca and don’t want it to shrink and peel. —Janet, 1995 Winnebago Itasca
RV Tours
Tour the 2024 Jayco Jay Feather 22BH travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, join Adam Kreutzer of Saskatchewan’s Four Seasons Sales for a tour of the 2024 Jayco Jay Feather 22BH travel trailer, a small, lightweight RV with a terrific floor plan that manages to fit a lot into a small space.
That starts on the outside with an extra large, extra wide pass-through storage space, unusual for a trailer this size. There’s also an outdoor kitchen that includes an outdoor fridge and griddle.
Video of the day
Senior creates amazing RV van build in Nissan NV2500
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, the team from Cheap RV Living introduces us to Wilford and his incredible RV van build in his 2021 Nissan NV2500 van.
Prepare to be amazed at what a DIY RV can be! Of course, it helps to have skills like Wilford, who had a lifetime of experience building boats before tackling his RV van build project and giving it the feel of a comfy, homey cabin in the woods.
If you heat your RV with a heat pump…
A SOFT START ISN’T JUST FOR SUMMER COOLING!
The most efficient way to heat an RV is with a heat pump that’s part of a rooftop air conditioner. And by adding a SoftStartRV™, more appliances and other electric-powered devices can be used at the same time by freeing up more amps. Learn more here or order a SoftStartRV™ at a big discount.
How far do you travel in a day? One man’s perspective
By Gary Jefferson
I have three modes when it comes to traveling in our Sprinter. When we traveled in our SUV, I didn’t do it like I do today in the van. In our SUV, the location of a good motel usually determined how far we were going that day. I knew we’d be stopping for photographs, meals, and before dark, so I’d factor all that in when I looked on the map for a probable destination. It was usually between 125 and 250 miles; more often closer to the 125 number. Continue reading.
Reader poll
Motorhome owners: How would you describe your rig’s suspension?
Quick Tip
Bungee cord caution
Sharon B. posts this thought for your consideration: “I am a nurse. I manage many medical cases that originated from injuries. I have a patient who lost the sight of his eye. He almost lost the entire globe if it were not for the fast-reacting doctors at a specialized eye facility. (This injury was not for a standard hospital ER.) The injury was from a snap to the eye from a bungee cord. The injury destroyed his cornea and damaged his retina. So far, five surgeries from accumulated damage. I, too, have almost had a disaster from a snapping bungee cord to the eye. I was SO lucky. My professional recommendation is to USE ONLY STRAPS. There are many wonderful adjustable straps you can get with various lengths. Harbor Freight has a good variety of sizes and colors. Don’t use bungee cords. Save your eyes!”
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Ladies, you’re going to go absolutely cluckin’ nuts for these! Oh, we HAVE to have these for the big day! We’d use these all month, actually! Once you click, you’ll see a bunch of other options, too—they’re all great!
On this day last year…
- Ask Dave: Quick RV Tech Tip: Will a 30-amp outlet charge my RV’s batteries this winter?
- Video: RV rubber care and maintenance
- Featured article: Born in the USA: Famous things and where they started
Website of the day
The 50 Best Luxury RV Parks in the U.S.
This list from Outdoorsy is giving us some serious wanderlust. Have you been to any of them? Do you agree and think they’re the most luxurious?
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:
• 11 percent do not eat breakfast on a daily basis.
• 34 percent say both they and their partner snore.
• 38 percent change the oil in their RV and/or tow vehicle themselves; they do not take it somewhere to have it done.
Recent poll: About how many hours a day do you sleep (including naps)?
Recipe of the Day
Not the Same Ol’ Biscuits and Gravy
by Karen Vandevander from Manassas, VA
When you hear biscuits and gravy, sausage gravy typically comes to mind. This is not that, but it is quite good. Filled with chicken and bacon, it’s super creamy and versatile. Everything simmers in the Crock Pot, which makes this a great recipe when short on time. You will be happy if you eat this for breakfast (over biscuits) or dinner (with pasta). Delicious comfort food.
Trivia
Right-handed people tend to chew food on the right side of their mouth while left-handed people tend to chew on the left side. (You just fake chewed to see which side you chew on, didn’t you?)
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Puffin is a perky little mixed-breed rescue who loves Airstreaming.” —Claudette Theuriere
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.
LED hat lights the way and assists in dark places
Staff writer Randall Brink was wearing this hat at our weekly writers’ meeting awhile ago and we all loved it! Gail Marsh admitted she has one too. This baseball cap features LED lights that turn on with the press of a button. Randall says he uses it in dark places like his RV’s closet or under the hood, but it could also be used for night walks, biking, fishing, or any other activity that requires hands-free lighting. If you already wear a hat often, why not add lights to it? Check it out.
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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I have three dogs and yes it gets crazy when someone comes to the door or comes over. And sometimes it does not stop. Thanks for the laugh. I needed that.
Thank you, emily and Diane! Puffin is so cute, but so are the wireless doorbells. 😉
Puffin is so very precious 😊🐶
Love the quote from George Patton, it is one of my favorites.
Is this (“@guest_******) something new, or have I just not noticed it until now?
Looks like someone is counting or keeping track of the replies maybe….
It’s new.
Good morning, y’all. (My Pacific Northwest twang.🙄) I just noticed that also, a day or two ago. I’ve asked the powers that be why the number of the comments is showing up all of a sudden. I have no clue. It’s not new for us, because we can see the number of the comment if we look for it, but it’s not usually made public like this. We’re not keeping track of anything out of the ordinary (i.e., total number of comments for each person, and overall). Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
The thumbs up/down seems new. I like it, hope it stays for good.
Hi, HappyCamper. Yep, our IT dude, Kim, just added it back in.👍🙄😅 Lots of readers/commenters requested it. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
👍👍🙂
Thank you, Diane! I had not noticed until now (can you tell that I’m blonde? 😉 No, really, I am, … well, … was. 😉
Update to my previous comment: Our IT dude, Kim, just added that as a new feature for our commenters. Here’s Kim’s explanation: “A commenter can mention another commenter by using the @guest_###### handle. It’s part of the expanded comments so guests will know when another user mentions them.” So I was wrong, and it’s more a service for the commenters, and not just showing the number of the comment. (I had no clue.🤔 [I just work here.🤣]) 😀 –Diane
I didn’t notice it until I read your post! So, I made two comments today for wallpaper and the poll question – they both have different numbers so I guess it is not my ID number – so I won’t put it on my shirts! Thanks for asking about it Tommy!
Hi, D & J. We can see the actual number of a comment all the time, but for some reason our IT dude, Kim, just made them visible to the readers/commenters. Here’s Kim’s explanation: “A commenter can mention another commenter by using the @guest_###### handle. It’s part of the expanded comments so guests will know when another user mentions them.” So I was wrong, and it’s more a service for the commenters, and not just showing the number of the comment. (I had no clue.🤔) Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Trivial response to today’s trivia. My dominant hand is my right hand. After removal of a tooth from the left side of my mouth, I had to teach myself to chew only the right. Seems I mostly chewed on the left. So like many things in life, there are exceptions.
Bungee cords are safe to use if you’re careful when using them, and that includes making sure they are in good condition. Accidents happen when people are careless.
Totally agree. When you get in a hurry and do not think is when accidents happen.
our travel distance for a day is around 300 miles at 65mph…pulling our former 5th wheel or the new motorhome. Sure is a lot easier and more comfortable in the motorhome than my truck.
125 miles a day…different strokes for different folks…enjoying the ride is the key!
Puffin, your ears! So cute!
Lol..I thought the same..don’t get caught in a strong wind!
If you’re using bungee cords, NEVER hook an end and then pull towards you. Hook the end closest to you and PUSH the other end away from you to set that hook. If the bungee cord breaks the force will be going away from you and not towards you.
Thanks George… Bingo!!
Sounds backwards.
Depends on where it breaks
If it breaks it’s going in the direction of the hook, one away from you and toward you.
Agree if you hook closest to you and push away if it comes out of your hand it’s coming right at you.
Lol, six posts on how to use a bungee cord.
Has anyone tried to get a recipe off this site like the (Graham cracker pudding) which shows up almost every day? It takes you everywhere except to the recipe.
Just clicked on the recipe of the day which took me to the website. Searched for Graham cracker pudding and got multiple recipes to choose from.
https://www.justapinch.com/search/recipes?k=Graham+cracker+pudding
Recipe at justapinchdotcom
I knew there was something I do not like about camping world.
I think our’s are more like an alarm system!
Exactly! I call my mini schnauzer my early warning defense system 😛
Puffin “Reader’s pet of the day” is soooo cute!
Excellent advice about the bungee cords. I have had a few near misses and am extremely careful when using them. Adjustable straps are definitely the way to go.
Cambuckle straps are the way to go. Easy to cinch up tight and one finger to remove. They can be cut to the length you need. Plus, no elastic to eventually rot.
Thanks for that. I’ve had a few close calls with my bungees. Never heard of cambuckles until now. Goin shoppin!!
Great alarm system!
We have enough of the wireless doorbells for some windows also.