Issue 2277
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
“When we are young, the words are scattered all around us. As they are assembled by experience, so also are we, sentence by sentence, until the story takes shape.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Hard Candy Day!
On this day in history: 1606 – The ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery depart England carrying settlers who founded, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
Tip of the Day
RV extended warranties: Worth the money?
By Tony Barthel
To RVtravel.com:
“Hi. I would like your opinion on an extended warranty for a used RV. I realize that this may not be appropriate to ask of you, and I know it is my decision to make, but as a long-term subscriber I trust your opinions. If there were any articles related to this subject, I missed them.
“I own a 2016, bought new in 2017, Winnebago View on a Mercedes Diesel. It has 59,000 miles, which includes three trips from Coeur d’Alene to the East Coast. Our last trip covered 39 states with 9400 miles, so we do a lot of highway driving. Anyway, it has been serviced where we purchased it and Mercedes for diesel maintenance. I try my best to perform preventive maintenance. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and take care.” —Tony D.
Tony’s response to Tony
This is a terrific question, Tony. As someone who sold a lot of these while I worked at a dealership, I can provide this information and hope that it works for you, and our other readers interested in this topic.
Ask Dave
Rats chewed tow vehicle wiring. How do I keep them away?
Hello Dave,
I’m not sure if this is an issue in your area of expertise, but thought it might be a common question. As we began pulling our trailer out of a Florida county campground last year, our tow vehicle went into “limp mode” and would not accelerate. We “limped” to a nearby reputable auto mechanic, who then determined that a rat gnawed through some of the engine wiring and that created the problem. Thinking back, we realized that we had seen one rat and many rat traps at the park (which is an otherwise exceptionally well-maintained park). Is there a way to deter creatures from damaging vehicle wires? Thanks. —Tim, 2021 Chevy Silverado
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RV Tours
Tour the 2024 Cougar 2400RE 5th wheel—In with the good, out with the bad
Join Josh the RV Nerd, one of our readers’ favorite RV YouTube channel hosts, for a tour of the 2024 Cougar 2400RE 5th wheel. Josh says this just might be the perfect 5th wheel for couples looking to hit the road in comfort.
Keystone RV has made some nice changes in the 2024 model. Not only is it lighter and less expensive, but they managed to keep the important stuff while eliminating some unnecessary fluff from previous years’ models.
Video of the day
RV Christmas decorating: Stunning mini Christmas tree WOW!
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join Nick from the HomeTalk YouTube channel as he creates a show-stopping decorated mini Christmas tree. No, the video was not specifically made for RVers, but as space is always an issue for RVers, RV Christmas decorating can be a challenge. Especially the tree!
Nick to the rescue. His design is small enough to sit on a table or counter or tuck away in an open corner. It resembles those HUGE, gorgeous, classically decorated Christmas trees that fill the lobbies of big buildings or the White House lawn but shrunk down to a tiny size.
These products are RVers’ “must-haves” while RVing
By Dale Wade
A friend and newbie travel trailer owner asked me what five items he MUST have on his RV travels. Not the usual stuff like sewer hose, water hose, etc., that we all know. He wants those items above and beyond the obvious. I asked a group of Facebook RV friends for suggestions. So, based on this totally unscientific survey, I divided the many responses into two categories. These are interesting.
Reader poll
Out of these options, which is your favorite type of cuisine?
Quick Tip
Take care with your RV generator
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Got a “built-in” RV generator? Don’t have to “plug and unplug” shore power cords when switching from shore power to the genset? Then you have an ATS (automatic transfer switch). They’re convenient, indeed.
However, an ATS is not a “perfect” device and problems can occur. This is a good rule when firing up any RV generator, ATS or not: Reduce power consumption before firing up the generator. That means, make sure the air conditioner, the microwave oven, the portable electric space heater—any of those “big draw” devices—are turned off.
A big surge in electrical current can damage an ATS and, in some cases, the genset itself. There have been cases, too, when the ATS somehow wasn’t fast enough to isolate the generator from the shore power system—with very nasty and sometimes expensive results.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
These are, well, appropriate, to say the least. It knows us (and probably you, too) all too well…
On this day last year…
- Ask Dave: Does my RV still need a battery when connected to shore power?
- In the RV Shop with Dustin: Cool Tools: The Magnetizer Demagnetizer
- Video: Are RV ramp levelers worth it? Andersen vs. Beech Lane levelers
- Featured article: Tiny space heater comes in handy in an RV
Website of the day
The 25 Best Wineries in the United States
Okay, wine drinkers, this one is for you! These 25 wineries look beautiful and their wines sound fantastic. We’ll meet you at one (or two) of them, deal?
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:
• 14 percent have gone through more than one divorce.
• 12 percent buy lottery tickets very often.
• 79 percent say they don’t sing in the shower (are you lying?).
Recent poll: Couples: Would you likely keep traveling with an RV if your partner died?
Recipe of the Day
Ham and Swiss Hot Bread Bowl Dip
by Renee W. from Somewhere In, MI
Ham and Swiss is a classic sandwich combination. This recipe takes those ingredients and turns them into a dip that’s baked in a yummy bread bowl. The dip is very creamy with bits of diced ham throughout the melted Swiss cheese. Green onions and ranch dressing mix add additional flavors. When the toasted bread pieces are gone for dipping, you can just eat the bread bowl. It’s delicious down to the very last bite. An easy appetizer for your next party.
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Trivia
Only about 12% of professional truck drivers are women. —LandLine.media
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Our baby girl Starla (Labradoodle) passed away 11/09/2023 afternoon as a result of a stroke she had Thursday morning. Our hearts are broken, but she is now whole and happy. I am grateful that we were chosen to be her caregiver for the past thirteen years. Our Star was a shining star and our memories of her will shine on until we meet again. Oh, what a joyous reunion that will be!” —Chris Lippincott
We are so very sorry for your loss, Chris. We know it’s like losing a human family member. Starla was very lucky to have you, and you her!
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.
These socks don’t stink!
If you don’t believe us when we say these compression socks really work, look at the overwhelmingly positive reviews and maybe you’ll change your mind. These socks provide instant relief to your arches and heels and work to increase blood and oxygen circulation, which helps reduce lactic acid buildup and aids muscle recovery in ankles and feet. Click here to learn more.
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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My wife’s cooking beats all of those choices by a mile
You are “The Man”!!
Short term memory is over rated at 75 as I don’t want to remember what I can’t do or remember at 75 and can remember what I could in my prime at 25. It’s just that at 75 I know so much it’s hard to pull all that vast knowledge out of my personal computer- my brain- as you can only overwrite the hard drive so many times. This took 2 hours to write as I forgot the first sentence by the time I finished this one. Whew! That was exhausting. Better take a nap now.
very good!
I couldn’t have said it better, Jesse. I’m just shy of 78.
Some of us have forgotten more than we know.
Jesse et al: What are you guys gonna do when ya ‘ get old? (If you should be so lucky?) Love your dissertation and comments that follow! Thanks for helping me remember when I was only 75!
Starla – you a beautiful girl! I know you and your family made great memories, to carry y’all through till you meet again in the future…don
Me too. Wait- what?
German food should be on the list also.
more on generators: We just acquired a little one. Yes it puts out enough AC power for the coffee maker in an outage. The biggest feature is the ability to recharge the deep cycle battery. We have been through two Texas winter storms without power and realize 12v power is the most critical. I looked at the alligator clips for the battery terminals and then it hit me. We have an unused solar charging port. Fire up the generator and plug it in without fumbling directly with a hard to get to battery in the middle of a storm.
Just be aware if it a Zamp solar port the polarity is probably reverse of convention. You can buy a reverse polarity adapter to correct.
I bought today’s mystery product for my daughter, she will love them.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Thank you, too, Russ and Tina, for the generator advice. I think that we do as suggested, but I’ll try to pay more attention in the future and follow their admonition. Thank you! Merry Christmas! 🙂
Thanks to Russ & Tina for the genset comments! I have upgraded to an ATS in my Class A, however I don’t really trust it to switch over from my 120v AC plug in. Nervously, I did try it once- and it seemed to take about :15-:20 seconds before it switched. I unplug before starting the genset – just to be more relaxed about it.