Issue 2324
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
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter…” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Cook A Sweet Potato Day!
On this day in history: 1878 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many five-and-dime Woolworth stores.
Tip of the Day
12 places and ways to use motion-sensing lights in your RV
By Gail Marsh
Look around your RV. Peek in cabinets and closets. Check stairs, laundry area, and other dark nooks and corners. I’ll bet you’ll quickly identify several dark places for motion-sensing lights in the RV!
Note: RVs have different floor plans and lighting. That means not every suggestion will apply to your particular rig. Here’s hoping you can find at least one or two lighting tips to make RVing easier and safer, too.
For this article, we’re referring to small motion-sensor lights, either in strip form or button form. Here are a ton of options to choose from.
Ask Dave
We have heard that we can’t use the slideroom when it is retracted as it will ruin the mechanism. What?
Dear Dave,
Can we sit in our dinette while the slide is in/retracted? Recent postings on the Winnebago Minnie FB site say we are not supposed to add any weight unless the slide is all the way out. We’ve stopped many times at rest areas and had lunch, using our dinette. Should we stop this practice? We haven’t had any slide issues. Thank you for your expert opinion! —Sharon, 2019 Winnebago Minnie 2500RL
Fire-resistant bag keeps valuables safe!
This silicone-coated fire-resistant bag will save your money, documents, jewelry, passport and other valuables from a fire. Its two layers of supreme fire retardant fiberglass material make it resist fire and heat up to 2000℉. It’s waterproof, too, so when the hoses arrive, your valuables won’t be harmed. Learn more or order.
RV Tours
2024 Keystone Cougar 22RBS—A small travel trailer for big people!
By Cheri Sicard
The 2024 Keystone Cougar 22RBS might be a small travel trailer, but Josh the RV Nerd (our reader’s #1 pick for Best RV Reviews YouTube channel), says it is made for big people. Throughout the video, he gives reasons for saying that.
I like this one a lot. Especially its practical open floor plan, the enormous amount of storage, and the way that Keystone included features you would normally see in much larger RVs such as the comfortable theater-style seating in the living area.
Video of the day
Which RV black tank cleaners really work? Compare 8 brands
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below we join Joshua from RV Gear & Far to find out which RV black tank cleaners actually work.
This is a welcome video in that shopping for waste tank treatment products can get confusing as there are so many to choose from. Joshua picked eight of the most popular black tank cleaners and put them to the test in a head-to-head match-up for six days.
The smallest, most brilliant cutlery organizer for your RV
It’s like this was made for RVs! Usually cutlery organizers take up entire drawers, you know those ones that spread out and take up unnecessary space. This one doesn’t do that! This small compact tray organizes your cutlery in an amazing space-saving way. It fits up to 24 pieces of cutlery, so you’re not losing any space! Check it out and order one for yourself.
Campers share the best advice they have ever received
By Gail Marsh
It seems as if folks are always eager to offer advice. Wouldn’t you agree? People who gathered around the campfire with us recently shared the one, single piece of advice that’s been most helpful throughout their lifetime. I took note and thought you might enjoy some bits and pieces of our conversation, even if the advice didn’t necessarily have to do with RVing. Read their good advice here, then add yours in the comments.
Reader poll
How important is it that your RV is available to you in an emergency?
Quick Tip
Make sure your pet is comfortable when traveling
Introducing Rover or Fluffy to RV travel? Make sure they have a comfortable bed for traveling. If you’re headed for cold or damp country with an older pet, consider springing for a heated pet bed. Whatever you choose, let your pal get used to it at home before traveling.
On this day last year…
- Tip: Handy tips and tricks for using TV trays while RVing
- Ask Dave: Nightmare Dometic refrigerator journey!
- In the RV Shop with Dustin: Prevent buyer’s remorse: The importance of getting an RV buyer inspection
- Video: 10 camper hacks and tips for you to try
- Featured article: Wrinkles are much more than lines. They tell the story of adventures I am glad to have had
Website of the day
YouTube: RV Emergency Preparedness
If, like in today’s poll, it’s important that your RV is available to you in an emergency, check out these pages (and pages and pages) of YouTube videos. They’ll help you make sure your RV is ready for anything!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
This is the #1 best-selling… well, we won’t tell you the category, but you’ll probably want it (and you’ll also want to go to all these places!).
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:
• 87 percent say they watch TV every day.
• The highest number of voters, 42 percent, say they drink water with dinner. The second most popular dinner beverage was juice or iced tea, followed by wine, then soda or a sports drink, then milk, beer, then another alcoholic beverage.
• The majority of voters, 52 percent, RV most often west of the Mississippi.
Recent poll: What (besides location) usually determines your campground choice?
Recipe of the Day
Sweet Potato Banana Bread
by Teresa Jacobson from New Orleans, LA
This quick bread is a twist on plain banana bread that’s full of flavor. Nuts add a nice crunch. This recipe uses bananas and mashed sweet potatoes, which make the bread extremely moist and tender. The bread is not overly sweet so the glaze on top adds sweetness to the bread. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
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Trivia
Did you know that leafcutter ants don’t actually eat the leaves? Instead, the leaves are food for the ant’s extensive underground fungus system. For tens of millions of years, leafcutter ants have tended these fungus farms, which provide nutrients for the ant larvae in the colony. This fungus is so important to the colony that when a new queen sets out to form a brand-new colony, she takes a starter fungus (in a tiny pocket within her mouth) with her to start seeding a new colony. Amazing!
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Tito and Shorty (Chihuahuas) have been full-time campers for 4 years. Great companions and great watchdogs. Hate windshield wipers though.” —David Needham
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!
Don’t toss away good batteries!
Most RVers rely on battery-powered devices — flashlights, radios or cameras. But sometimes we can’t tell how much life a battery has LEFT so we toss it. This inexpensive tester will alert you in an instant to a battery’s condition, saving you money from tossing ones with plenty of remaining life! Works on AA, AAA, C, D, 9V and button-type batteries. 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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Is there any way RVT can stop popping up the “Sign up for RV Travel newsletter” sign while in the middle of reading it?! I am a paying subscriber, and have been for years! Maybe change it to the end of the read? Gets a little annoying. Just saying……Thank You in advance!
When reading RVtravel on my tablet, It says that I’m reading the free edition. When reading on my desktop, RVtravel knows that I’m a paid subscriber.
I prefer the tablet.
I am a paid subscriber; however the newsletter that I am receiving no longer shows it. Maybe I dont donate often enough or large enough!
Hi, Herman. Our records show that you sent in a donation. Thank you! The records also show that you are receiving our ad-free Members edition on Saturday and Sunday. Those are the only newsletters we produce for voluntary paying subscribers. It’s time-consuming to set up two editions each of the weekend newsletters, so we don’t have members editions of any other of the newsletters. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I ASKED SOME TIME BACK ABOUT THE SAME THING. I’M A VIETNAM VETERAN AND THE SUDDEN LIGHT CHANGE CATCH ME OFF GUARD. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF THEY STOPPED THIS METHOD.
I agree about the pop-up….Very, very annoying. While we are whining, why do I have to repeatedly check the boxes after my comment when I’ve done it what seems like hundred of times before. One of them actually says “Save my data for the next time I comment”. Really?
Oh, and by the way Bill, all caps typically constitutes YELLING!
Ron, Bill, and Ran. Our pop-up should only show to you once every 90 days. Are you seeing it more often than that? On different devices? Can you please provide more info so I can have our tech team look into it? Thank you! –Emily
Hi, Ron. Regarding your commenting issue, our IT dude, Kim, explained: “… it’s very likely they are blocking cookies and need to check their settings.” So, if you’re blocking the cookies from us, our site doesn’t recognize you and that you had selected that preference. (Ha! “Cookie Monster” just popped into my head.🤣) So, unblock/allow cookies from us and hopefully you won’t keep having that annoying issue. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Emily and Diane, every day I turn on my computer, look for RVTravel, open it, and enjoy every word, article, and comment, with my tea, with or without my cookies..
We’re sure happy to have you along for the ride, Kelly! Thanks!! Have a good night. 🤗 –Diane
Hi Ran,
I too am a subscriber. It was explained to me that ONLY the weekend edition is ad free and that there was no way to limit ads on daily newsletters.
could be wrong so don’t quote me.
I too get those when opening and reading an article. Very annoying for sure.
We have several heated beds for our cats. Senior cat prefers a lap.
The “trivia” was amazing. I wonder who had time to follow ants around.
I can only think of one person Sir David Frederick Attenborough.
Snoopy
And E. O. Wilson was a renowned ant researcher, prominent scientist in other fields, excellent author, but he’s passed away. I guess a whole new generation is watching ants now.
Probably government funded
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 Dog #1 and #2 would have luxuriated in a heated bed. Dog #3 would avoid being near it. His age is about 7 months and he prefers cool to warm. We thought he was quiet and placid when we met him. Instead, we discovered he dislikes heat and sat quietly beneath DW’s chair while his sibblings romped because he was shaded there and marginally cooler. 😯
Under the ‘Ask Dave’ subject, there are several instances we have seen/read about where owners have put weight on their retracted slides and sustained damage. It’s not just Schwintek slides that were affected.
In most cases, the box is just a big open hole inside when retracted, unlike the outside wall that is attached to and always supports the full length of the floor at the outside wall. Maybe some systems are more prone to damage than others, yet I also think regardless of the system, any box could be at risk of floor damage.
Today’s laugh is spot on. Funny and true.
Can someone please explain today’s “Quote of the Day”?
Hi, Rick. Good! I’m not the only one who had no idea what it meant. I looked it up the other day when I proofed the newsletter. “Heard melodies are sweet, but unheard melodies are sweeter…”, by John Keats. Here’s the best explanation I found in a quick Google search: From SelieVisa on Brainly.in: “The meaning is that the power of our imagination is often greater than reality. Music or melodies that are imagined are played perfectly with no possibility of error. The poet believes that imagining something can bring more happiness but something real can be disappointing.” Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I love his works. You have to read his poetry and other works to understand him. John Keats is one guy who knows where it is at. No explanation needed here.
Everything has worked perfect for the past three (3) months… it is now time for ‘Murphy’s Law’ to visit me…😁
That’s what I like, UPRIG. A good, positive attitude!👍🤣 (I know Murphy very well, BTW.😉) Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Leave with a laugh was so funny! UPS & garbage man are so exciting for our sleepy pup but otherwise just my hubby in the kitchen!
I always tell people whenever you adopt a chihuahua be careful and know what you are getting yourself into because these are one smart dogs. Especially if you pair them together. I always believe that they are reincarnates of the Mayan. I have adopted several and let me tell you they rule the roost and you just pay the bills. My latest adoptee thinks she is queen and really lets her brother and sister know it. Its a hoot to watch.