Issue 2327
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
“And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Strawberry Day!
On this day in history: 1964 – The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over. (Guess it worked!)
Tip of the Day
An RVing must: Follow RV dump station etiquette
By Gail Marsh
No one wants to be “that” RVer. You may have seen them. They are the ones who don’t know or don’t care about RV dump station etiquette. While some dump sites post rules, not all do. That’s why it’s important to know and follow the proper procedures.
An RV dump station is a designated area for RVers to use for emptying their gray and black water tanks. The minimum dump station will provide a capped sewer drain, while more fully equipped stations will also provide water and hoses in addition to the capped drain.
No matter how the dump station is equipped, RVers should understand that each station is a space that will be shared with others. Because of this, it’s important that every RVer know and follow RV dump station etiquette.
Ask Dave
Why does RV’s rear furnace work but front one blows cold air?
Dear Dave,
My RV has two propane furnaces. The rear furnace works fine, but the front one blows cold air only. Any suggestions? Thanks. —Ray, 2001 Triple E Signature
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RV Tours
First look! Tour the new 2024 Escape 23 fiberglass travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join the Runaway Roses for a tour of the Escape 23 fiberglass travel trailer.
I have long been a fan of Escape Trailer’s quality and design, and I love the lower maintenance appeal of fiberglass travel trailers, so I was eager to see this new edition.
Video of the day
Tank vs. tankless water heaters—Which is best for your RV?
By Cheri Sicard
Have you ever wondered if upgrading to a tankless water heater might be beneficial? The video below from the team at Changing Lanes discusses the pros and cons of tank vs. tankless water heaters for RVs. It can help you evaluate which one is best for your RVing needs.
You love Uno, but have you played the Wilderness edition yet?
Take your favorite card game to a new level! It’s just like Uno (so you won’t have to learn any new rules) but this version should stay in the camper or car at all times for every outdoor adventure. And if someone you know needs a gift, this is it! Learn more or order here. Have fun playing!
Water from powered water filter is an easy, tasty treat
By Tony Barthel
Humans need water. But sometimes, the places we go, that water is, well… gross. A prime example of that is Quartzsite. Yuck. There are a number of options for us including buying bottled water, but filtering out the yuck is another option and one that I prefer. Recently I got to test out the BKLES portable electric water filtration system and found this is going to stay in my camper.
Is staying overnight at a Walmart in an RV “camping”?
Make sure you read Chuck Woodbury’s essay on the topic here.
Reader poll
Are you currently on a diet to lose weight?
Quick Tip
Using the roof air while driving serves two purposes
Most big motorhome owners realize that using the dashboard air often doesn’t cut it to keep cool while driving. Firing up the generator and using the roof air keeps the rig cool easily—with an added benefit: Since generators need to be “exercised” regularly, running the roof air while underway is a great way to get in that generator maintenance time.
On this day last year…
- Tip: These are the spare items you should always have on hand in your RV
- Ask Dave: Can I repair the cracks in the RV’s countertop?
- Video: Tow ratings on Ford trucks changed on already-sold trucks!
- Featured article: State residency and tax issues: Here’s how long you can stay in a state before you have to pay state taxes
Website of the day
How to Turn a Vintage Book Into a Tablet Holder
This DIY guide from Martha Stewart is very cool! Take an old book, and DIY it to be a tablet cover for your tablet or Kindle. It’s easy to do and totally worth it (in our opinion!).
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Use this on your next walk around the campground and watch everyone fly out of their RVs! You could scare a lot of people with this. It’d surely make you howl and snort with laughter!
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 say their RV currently needs an important repair.
• 59 percent say they bought their RV new from an RV dealer.
• 63 percent say they often run their RV’s fridge on propane while the RV is moving.
Recent poll: How easily could you live in an RV as your only “home”?
Recipe of the Day
Shrimp Cakes
by Lisa Johnson from Macon, GA
We have had a lot of crab cakes and tuna croquettes in our lives, but had never thought about chopping up shrimp and using that in a shrimp cake. We love the crunchiness that Panko gives to this dish! If you want to kick the heat up a notch, add cayenne pepper or even chopped jalapenos. This is a super easy and delicious dish to try at your next dinner!
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Trivia
China has more obese people than anywhere else in the world. —Wall Street Journal
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“We took Arlo (100% European Great Dane) to the Tampa RV Show and everyone commented on how large he is. They also loved his stance and asked if he was a show dog.
Arlo is 32 inches at the shoulder, stands 6 foot 6 inches, and weighs in at a trim 171 pounds. The photo is Arlo after a hard day of having his photo taken dozens of times at the RV show.” —Dr. Michael Mazzotta
HELP! We’re running low on pet photos! 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!
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.
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China also has more people than anywhere else in the world. A better measure would be percent or per capita. I would bet that China does not have the highest rate of obesity in the world.
It’s actually “Nauru, world’s smallest nation with 61.0% of the adult population.
Good point. Probably more left handed people in China, too.
Arlo sleeps anywhere he wants!
Good looking pooch!
Love Arlo! I love Great Danes! I had one who was 190 pounds. He full timed with us for awhile but I gave him a better home where he’d have canine buddies and a big, fenced yard to run around in. Still see him at times.
The water filter article was interesting but I could not find any claim that it filters out harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. At the Amazon site all it talked about was taste and sediment. I assume it does but the fact that it is not mentioned in their advertising makes me wary.
Do you not trust China to make a good product?
Making your own tablet cover- both my Amazon Kindle and my HP Chromebook use a magnetic switch to automatically activate when ‘official’ covers are opened. Unless you figure out just the right spot in include just the right magnet for the DIY book cover, you will lose this functionality. I get it. Too many devices, but too bad the author couldn’t include this information in the web page.
You can activate a kindle with a touch, you don’t need to have a cover opening to activate it. You can use a kindle without a cover if you want to, this cover idea should work fine.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Arlo certainly looks tired but happy. The mystery product could be fun to use on Halloween night. 🙂 The funny was, but I have been in a few Appalachian hollows where it is all to easy to imagine that happening. One of my high school classmates encountered a poacher in a remote area of his farm and had his face blown off several years ago. 🤔😯😲😥
What?! OMG! Killed? You can’t just drop a bit like that and leave us hanging, Neal!
Sorry, Rebecca. Yes, Johnny was killed. That’s really all I know. I just heard that Johnny was killed and approximately how, where. It was several years ago. Probably in the mid- to late-80s. I was in grad school somewhere and heard about it several months after the fact. I’m not sure if they ever identified and proscecuted his killer. There are some rough areas a bit NW from Chattanooga out in the hills and hollers (aka, hollows). People go into the woods where they don’t belong and don’t come back; not often and not many but some.
We camp in forested areas where I can have a lot of fun with that Mystery product. I just ordered it!
We were camped near Yellowstone Lake at Yellowstone NP. The campground we were in did not allow any soft sided ie: canvas walled campers as there were grizzlies in the area. We had a hard sided travel trailer. We pulled in around supper time and there was a group of people in the next campsite immediately behind our RV. I said hello and mentioned if they hear someone saying “Bear” during the night it was just me calling our dog. They thanked me for the heads up.
🤣🤣 That’s too funny, Impavid! I had a friend who had a big dog named Bear, also. He was a real sweetheart. My neighbor many, many years ago had a tiny Chihuahua, maybe 5 lbs., that she called “Herky”, short for Hercules. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Sure loved the Photo of No Trespassing!!!! Really Loved Arlo, the Great Dane!!!
I find using the roof air essential when traveling in hot climates. Running the generator is one way to power one or several roof AC’s, albeit at a fuel consumption penalty. We run our roof air in hot climates with our inverter as the alternator charges our 12V-batteries. I have never noticed a difference in fuel consumption by powering our roof air with our main engine alternator. I am sure it uses a bit more fuel, although very slight.
It is very easy to pin China as the most obese country over the USA as it has 4 times the USA population. A per capita rating would work better and I am sure there would be a different country mentioned.