Issue 2307
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
“People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren’t already complicated enough.”―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Croissant Day! We love croissants so much that we’d buy this!
On this day in history: 1920 – Japanese carmaker Mazda is founded, initially as a cork-producing company.
Tip of the Day
How to have a successful winter camping trip, even in negative temps
By Nanci Dixon
Successful winter camping? Yes! It’s easy to enjoy the solitude and beauty of winter camping, you just have to know how to do it safely.
The end of the season when it’s time to pack up the RV, winterize it, and put it in storage has always been a rather sad time. That is, until I was able to convince my husband that we could still RV—we just needed to do a little more prep and do without some of the fancy luxuries that an RV provides.
Let me tell you one thing about winter camping: There is no campground crowding! While the majority of private campgrounds close down in the winter, a lot of state and regional parks keep campgrounds open. They even plow a few select sites and have power on.
Ask Dave
Water gets in an RV storage compartment but I can’t find the source. Any tips?
Dear Dave,
On the side next to the gen set in my RV, a cubby always fills with water after a rain. I have looked and looked, but am not having any luck finding it. Thanks for any suggestions. —Pete, Lake Placid, FL, 2016 Coachmen Freelander
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RV Tours
FIRST LOOK! Tour the 2024 Tiffin GH1 Class B camper van
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join Matt of Matt’s RV Reviews (one of our readers’ favorite RV vloggers) for a first-look factory tour of the Tiffin GH1 Class B camper van.
You might typically think of humongous Class A motorhomes when you hear the name Tiffin, but the Tiffin GH1 is about to change all that. Not only is this a Class B motorhome, it’s a compact, small Class B, at that.
Video of the day
Explore Lake Havasu’s unusual inland lighthouses
By Cheri Sicard
It might sound strange to have a bunch of inland lighthouses situated around Arizona’s Lake Havasu, but when you consider that the landlocked Arizona town is also home to the legendary London Bridge, it doesn’t seem so strange after all.
Lake Havasu’s inland lighthouses are fully functional smaller-sized replicas of lighthouses from around the country.
Rub on stain remover laundry stick and stains are gone!
Cheri Sicard loves the Cadie Stubborn Stain Remover laundry stick. She writes, “What is so great about a laundry stick stain remover? It’s the consistency of a stick deodorant. You just rub it on the stain and toss the clothes in the hamper until laundry day, when you wash as usual. Presto! No more stains.” Learn more about it here.
Another easy and delicious camp staple: Sourdough bread
By Randall Brink
When I first began RVing full-time, one of the first things that I realized was that I no longer had my trusty gas oven. My RV, being quite small, had a cook top but no oven. What to do for baking essential biscuits and bread? I frantically started shopping for camp ovens. I found them expensive, but I seriously considered going that route until I realized I had an oven—a Dutch oven. Here is about the most straightforward recipe possible for Camp Sourdough Bread.
Reader poll
Would you go for a ride in a self-driving vehicle?
Quick Tip
Best way to park safely during strong winds
During a strong storm with high winds, try to camp with your RV pointing toward or away from the wind. The RV will be more stable than if the wind was hitting it sideways. And beware of close-by trees. If they don’t look strong and healthy, camp a distance away … just in case!
On this day last year…
- Tip: 18 smart ways for RVers to use paper towels
- Ask Dave: Can solar panels charge batteries in storage with disconnect applied?
- Video: Winter RVing: Thermal camera shows RV interior in winter
- Featured article: Personal landmarks are important to visit; remember the best parts of your life
Website of the day
Hilarious National Park Tweets
Turns out the National Park Service has hired the perfect social media person. They have quite the sense of humor, and their Tweets are hilarious!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Oh, we just loooove when things that are practical are also cute! This one is very fun and would look great in your RV (and yes, it’s practical!).
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:
• 26 percent never use an alarm clock to wake up.
• 41 percent have never had a flat tire on their RV.
• 28 percent always wear slippers around their house or RV.
Recent poll: Have you ever left a campground due to bad behavior of another camper(s)?
Recipe of the Day
Chicken Rama in Thai Peanut Sauce
by Vickie Parks from Renton, WA
We see why Vicki is proud of this recipe. This Chicken Rama tastes very authentic. The creamy peanut butter sauce is so easy to prepare. With a very mild spice, its nutty flavor pairs well with the coconut milk. If you like spicier food, add some red pepper flakes. Serving this over spinach adds a nice fresh taste to the dish. It would also be delicious over white rice or Thai noodles.
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Trivia
If you have a morbid fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, you have arachibutyrophobia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Keeper, our 14+-year-old Aussie mix girl is truly a keeper. She was a rescue along with her eight brothers from Las Vegas, NV. Her favorite things are treats and lots of pets. A frequent comment we get when people meet her is ‘She looks like a fox.’ She is our foxy girl, and she enjoys just laying around the camp these days.” —Sue Swensen
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.
An all-metal RV water heater tank rinser wand that works and won’t fly off!
Nanci Dixon shares her new favorite all-metal water heater tank rinser. She writes, “It is practically guaranteed to not come apart in the tank. They had two similar ones and I made sure to pick the one that came with an adaptor to fit a garden hose with an on/off lever. … The wand can go in far enough to cover the whole tank and the nozzle can be turned down to flush out the deposits on the bottom of the tank.” Read Nanci’s story here and order one for your RV.
Leave here with a laugh
When I was a kid, my parents would always say “Excuse my French” after a swear word. I’ll never forget that first day at school when the teacher asked if we knew any French.
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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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Keeper / you continue to enjoy laying around the camp with your people. Beautiful animal. Don
This caught my eye
• 41 percent have never had a flat tire on their RV.
That means 59% have, that’s a lot. We’d love to know, on a TT, 5th wheel or motorhome? Were these original tires? How old were the tires?
In other words, was this a operator neglect, cheap China bombs, or bad luck?
Suggestions for future polls.
Inquiring minds.
Bad luck. I hit a exhaust pipe clamp and double punctured the trailer tire. Could have just as easily hit it with a tow vehicle tire so had nothing specific to do with the type of tire.
For what it’s worth, a tire pressure/temp monitor alerted me and I got to a small parking lot before the tire was fully flat. That made it easier to get the jack under the frame.
I agree Jane. Sure would be interesting to see breakdown between Class A, B, C, TT, 5ver and toads.
I have had 1 flat on the toad but never the rig over an 18 year period and over 200k miles. Lucky…? maybe, but I do replace rig tires at 60k miles (Michelins) whether they need it or not. Waste of money? Maybe, but so far so good on with my strategy of keeping DW safe.
The only flat I ever had on my travel trailer was with the original tires that came with it. Those load class C tires on our single axle trailer just barely met the load criteria IF we assumed that the trailers weight was equally balanced across both tires. I’m surprised they even lasted the three years and 14000 miles that we had them! After the flat, I replaced both tires and the spare with load class D tires and went another six years and 22000 miles without any problems. I recently replaced those tires with another set of load class D tires. The class D tires have also been much more stable for towing the trailer.
Never had a flat on MH #1, Jane, or #2. Put 49,000 miles on two sets of eight Michelin 295 80R 22.5 tires. Have 19,000 on MH #2 on original six Michelin 305 70R 22.5 tires.
Been real happy with the Michelins too. Pricey but worth it, IMO.
The trivia word almost sounds like a fear of rubber spiders.
Think about it!
Jane, I haven’t had a flat on anything since 1979; I’m rather obsessed with my tires.
I’m in southwest Arizona for the winter in a park with 24 other units, a few motorhomes and mostly fifth wheels. Only two of us use tire covers, both motorhomes. I see the cause of lots of tire problems right here.
Years and years AND YEARS ago while on my cross country bicycle trip, peanut butter was a staple for me. So I tried many different brands as I peddled along. The absolute WORST brand I tried was Jiff. It DID stick to the roof of my mouth way more than Peter Pan, Planters, Skippy, and whatever else I tried. That was over 45 years ago and to this day I haven’t bought Jiff. I guess you could say I have “arachibutyrophobia” when it comes to Jiff PB!
peanut butter fear….not so much. But indulging in a sleeve of oreo cookies without a glass of milk…..that gives me the shakes!!
Parking in wind. Advice to park tail to the wind is valid, but remember to use caution when opening the door. In Iceland, which as very strong wind in the winter, folks park nose to the wind so that doors don’t damaged when opened.
An update: woke up early this morning with an old, classic Allmon Brothers song stuck in my head…”tied to the whipping post..oh lord I feel like I’m dying.” When fully awake I realized that I was actually, finally home in my own bed ! 🥴
Had my first real cup of coffee in over a week and watched a really nice sunrise and realized how blessed I am to be alive.
I’m so looking forward to making RV travel plans for sometime next fall! Also looking forward to reading some of the past columns, news releases, and comments and catching back up with life in general. I’m blessed to have such a wonderful support group surrounding me here at home, and also to all those related to RV Travel. Thank you all!! 🙏
Welcome home. I tried to sign your name to a couple of posts over the past week but Diane wasn’t having it.
Just kidding.
Heal up Bill and enjoy the coffee.
Thanks Cancel, and Diane !
👍👍 Have a good afternoon/evening. Bill.🤗 –Diane
Welcome home, Bill! Woo hoo!!! So glad and relieved that you’re back. (I’ve been watching for you.) Best wishes for a speedy recovery. I know you’ll enjoy planning your upcoming travels. Take care.🤗 –Diane
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Keeper certainly looks sweet. 🙂
For folks in smaller lighter camping trailers, besides heading the trailer into the wind, we have parked our tow vehicle across one end of our trailer as a partial wind break. It does help.