Issue 2333
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
“It is better, I think, to grab at the stars than to sit flustered because you know you cannot reach them.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Oreo Cookie Day!
On this day in history: 1899 – Bayer registers “Aspirin” as a trademark.
Tip of the Day
Ignore these two RV tasks upon campsite arrival and departure and you’ll be sorry!
By Gail Marsh
The trouble with RVing is that sometimes the excitement of being someplace new can cause RVers to take short cuts. Well, if you ignore these two RV tasks, you’ll be sorry.
Picture this: You pull into a campground after a long day’s drive. Everyone is excited and hungry and has to use the bathroom. The campground manager greets you at the office and hands you your site assignment, along with the campground rules.
The manager’s a friendly guy and wants to know where you’re from, etc. When you finally roll up your window and drive off, the excitement is about to burst as well as several bladders, and now everyone is hangry (hungry and angry). When you arrive at your campsite, the last thing you think to do, or want to do is this…
Ask Dave
My RV’s rear heater is extremely hot. What temperature should it be?
Dear Dave,
I have a rear coach heater that resides by the stairs under the fridge. It is heated by radiator lines that also heat the water heater while you drive. The last time I drove the RV I smelled something that seemed very hot in this area of the coach. When I opened the grate to access this area and felt the metal box that houses the core and fan, it seemed very hot to me. I’m not sure how hot it should be, but it was too hot to hold your hand on! I can’t find anything online to guide me on how to troubleshoot the problem. I unplugged the only electrical plug (fan, I’m assuming) and drove it again. Still super-hot. Any thoughts on how to move forward? Thanks. —Tom, 2015 Winnebago Sightseer 35G
RV Reviews
Think differently—The SylvanSport GO All-Terrain is more than a camp trailer
By Tony Barthel
Today’s RV review is of the new-for-2024 SylvanSport GO All-Terrain (GOAT) trailer. What you have here is the more off-road-friendly version of the company’s SylvanSport GO trailer that we looked at a while ago. In fact, the RV portion of this trailer is the same as the one in the SylvanSport GO. But let’s look at that—is this an RV?
In the RV Shop with Dustin
What’s the difference between types of anode rods?
Earlier this week, we had an owner in one of our RV Facebook groups ask what the difference between the two types of anode rods is.
The aluminum anode rod will corrode slower than magnesium; however, they don’t protect the water heater as well, depending on the water. The magnesium anode rod will give off a rotten egg smell at times. You need to change it if that occurs. Both have their pros and cons.
Video of the day
20 things we wish we knew before RVing to Alaska
By Cheri Sicard
The video below from the Happily Ever Hanks, one of the winners of our 2024 RV Video Awards, is an important one to watch for anyone considering RVing to Alaska. In it, the Hanks honestly share 20 things they wish they had known before undertaking this massive RV trip that tops many RVers’ bucket lists.
Our staff and writers’ favorite RV gadgets of 2022
*This article may be dated, but we still love these gadgets just as much!
We sent out an email to all of our staff and writers awhile back. It asked, “What are your favorite RV gadgets/items? It can be anything from the best thing you use around the RV, to your favorite RV décor, to the thing that has the most uses around your RV. Your if-you-had-to-tell-a-new-RVer-
Reader poll
Do you have a National Park Service America the Beautiful Pass?
JUST PUBLISHED! 2024 EDITION!
The definitive guide to services along the Interstate
Since 1991, the Next Exit has been THE “go-to” directory to locate what businesses and services are at every Interstate exit in America. In this brand-new 2024 edition, learn what’s ahead, not what’s behind you — fuel, food, campgrounds, rest areas, shopping, motels, hospitals, etc. Sometimes a GPS or smartphone isn’t best for this. Often, this is! Learn more or order.
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Quick Tip
Expanded RVing showering opportunities
Got a BIG family or lots of traveling companions? You may find that the RV shower and associated gray water holding tank just aren’t big enough for the whole mob. Consider picking up a “solar shower” system. Heated by the sun and used outdoors, it’s great for showering down after a swim. There are several to choose from at Amazon starting at less than $20.
On this day last year…
- Tip: An exercise-free weight-loss program for your RV
- Ask Dave: The RV’s slide-out is stuck extended. What do the controller blinks mean?
- Video: Tour the Meerkat RV—Stand-up trailer that fits in a garage!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We appreciate anything that saves us time, and this definitely saves us time in the morning (and saves us cleaning too!).
Website of the day
Pinterest: Road Trip Ideas
Don’t blame us if you spend three hours exploring here… there is ENDLESS information! This Pinterest page leads you to hundreds of blogs and websites with so many wonderful, inspiring travel ideas.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
- The secret hidden tunnel behind Mt. Rushmore’s presidents
- Why you should have road hazard tire insurance
- Our readers share about their rudest campground neighbors. Yikes!
Recipe of the Day
Oreo Cookies & Cream Cookies
by Jean Romero from Lewiston, ID
We like a good ol’ chocolate chip cookie. But add Oreos and we’re in love. Right out of the oven, these were ooey, gooey good. They’re chewy, with chunks of chocolate sandwich cookies in each bite. Their sweet and buttery flavor will have you coming back for more. Serve with a glass of cold milk for a yummy cookie break.
Trivia
Wearing any gold jewelry right now? If so, there’s a good chance it came from South Africa. Almost 50 percent of all the gold ever extracted by humans has come from the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa, the most gold-rich location on planet Earth. Since the discovery of gold there in 1886, more than 50,000 tons of gold have been extracted.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Nala (Maltipoo) is 8 weeks old and has taken over the RV. She’s teaching me a lot. Her first big RV trip will be to Yellowstone.” —Miklos Brown
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.
Don’t carry a heavy iron with you… use WrinkleGuard!
Leave the heavy iron and ironing board at home. Downy WrinkleGuard Wrinkle Releaser Fabric Spray works like magic. (Seriously… we’ve used it!) Just spray your wrinkly item, smooth it out, and voila! The wrinkles will disappear. Not only that, but it helps get rid of static, too. It’s perfect for RVers. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
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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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Nala – you will enjoy Yellowstone. You and your “people” have a lot of great traveling and times in front of you! Don
I had a solar water heating bag. Took it to Desert Storm, with Big Red One. As long as we had water, I had a hot shower. Generally, every other day. Great concept. I see all these solar panel installations, but no solar-powered hot water systems. Since about 40 percent of household power makes hot water, it seems a no brainer.
I’m near Death Valley, all electric, most of my electricity is used for heating and ac. The solar system covers it all. I pay $35.00 per month for the connection to the grid.
The “Tip of the Day” and “In the RV Shop with Dustin” are unreadable due to a pop up for signing up for the newsletter taking over half of the screen.
I’m having that issue also. Very frustrated.
Same here – cant read most of the articles due to the subscribe window
even if I re-subscribe it still appears. Now I’ll probably get 2 daily letters that I can’t read 😐
Howdy!
We had a little problem with our sidebar showing up where it wasn’t supposed to on mobile devices… oops – mea culpa. Fixed now.
If you decided to sign up for our email list again and used the same email address you won’t receive two emails. If you used a new email address just unsubscribe from the new email address if any email arrive.
Thanks!
-Kim
Thank you, Kim! I was beginning to think that my phone was randomly throwing hissy fits. 🙁 I would have punished it by removing its battery, but it is too “advanced” for me to be able to remove (or replace) the battery; also no memory-card slot. 🙁
Try clearing all your cookies.
Couldn’t read the RV Review either because of this.
We been to Alaska twice once in a bed and breakfast second in a rented Motorhome. We saw so much more in RV and they picked us up at airport. Rented a car once to go site seeing. And we lucked out and got to see Mount Denali. Got lots of pictures. Took bus trip there and saw lots of bears and the bus driver had to stop once to let a moose cross the road. I would love to go again.
Stayed at some outlying cabins near Denali but had to take buses to get to some….TAKE a seat cushion…I don’t care how padded you are….other than that super….
Had a solar heated shower bag a long while bag when our family tent camped. Our RV has an outdoor shower bay. Using adapters, I extended the hose to get further away from the RV. Most parks use gravel for the parking area. The longer hose allows us to get to the grass and avoid a big mud puddle.
Yes,we do a lot of meal planning. (As described)
Thank you, Emily, Diane, and Kim! We bought one of today’s mystery product 3 or 4 years ago. It works fairly well, but makes an horrendous scream when the eggs are finished. 🙁 Nala is adorable; so delicate in appearance! Amazing how much gold “sunk” to South Africa! I wonder if Antarctica has even more? It is even closer to the bottom of earth. 😉 Thank you for the issue, and for Kim fixing my phone’s relationship with RV Travel’s website! Amazing how temperamental these “smart” phones can be!?! 🙁
Despite all the trouble some folks have had viewing today’s newsletter, I had none. Everything worked perfectly as it normally does on my win11 machine and with a slow Internet connection too!
I’ve had no problems today either – on my desktop PC running Windows 7 premium.
No problems today on my tablet or android phone. Yesterday had issues only on my phone.
I love the mystery product hardboiled egg maker. I love deviled eggs on my salad. This is so convenient. Make note, while the eggs are steaming, this is when I gather up all of my reading glasses scattered every where, a fresh microfiber cloth “that has not been in a drier” and steam and clean my glasses. SO clean. Smudge free.
I visit Acadia ever summer. So yes I do have a life time pass. I did a map of and a lot of research into going to Alaska RV style. After reviewing I decided a 2 week cruise to Alaska would make my life a lot simpler and a big savings to the budget. So once the husband retires we are going cruise style. As for the puppy pic? And yellowstone? Keep an eye on that puppy. Otherwise it is going to be bait for a wild animal looking for a a quick meal. IMO not yours.