Issue 2348
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
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” —T.S. Elliot
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Paella Day!
On this day in history: 1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.
Tip of the Day
RVing communication challenges: Tips to staying more connected on the road
By Gail Marsh
Communication is a vital part of RVing. Clear communication is important whether you’re navigating heavy traffic or backing your RV into your campsite. So what are some RVing communication challenges? Let’s dive right in!
I tend to think out loud. I speak as I’m figuring things out inside my head (processing). The trouble is that if my husband is driving the RV or his attention is elsewhere, my glut of words and my word choices can complicate the situation. Too many words are confusing.
Here’s an example…
Ask Dave
Can I install Luxury Vinyl Planks on top of my RV’s cracked ceramic tile floor?
Dear Dave,
My 2011 American Tradition has ceramic tile floors. Several of the tiles have cracks. Replacing a tile floor can be quite expensive as the old tile must first be removed. I’m wondering if I can install Luxury Vinyl Planks directly over the old tile. One concern is the added height (1/8″ – 3/16″) and if it would interfere with the slide-outs. They are made by Power Gear and, when extended, are level with the main floor. Also, would it be best to allow the LVP floor to “float” or glue all vinyl planks? I’m guessing they should float, especially considering the existing tile floors are heated. Thanks in advance! —Stephen, 2011 American Coach “Tradition”
RV Reviews
Forest River Ibex 19MSB—Adventure-ready and interesting
By Tony Barthel
Today’s honest RV review is of the 2024 Forest River Ibex 19MSB travel trailer. Ibex has really started to set itself apart from other smaller travel trailers with some of the features the company is using on their rigs.
For example, what we’re looking at today is a model with the “Beast Mode” package. That means it’s outfitted with the CURT independent trailing arm suspension, possibly the best towable RV suspension system on the market.
In the RV Shop with Dustin
Navigating RV roof replacement through insurance
One of our readers, Ty, asked: “We have roof damage due to hail. Insurance has agreed to replace it, but I think it is a lowball settlement with labor cost being quoted at $125 per hour. I called major companies and their going rate is $160 – $180 per hour.
Questions:
- What are the current rates?
- What is involved in a roof replacement?
- Is it really replacing or just total epoxy covering?
- I see mobile roof repairs. Are they reliable and good? Or do I need to take it in? I am living in the unit full-time, so taking it in takes planning. Thanks for your time.”
Video of the day
Prepping for the RV season: Camp like a champ!
By Cheri Sicard
If you stored your RV for the winter, the time has come to bring it out of hiding and start prepping for the RV season to come. In [this video], The Wayward Waggs have tips to help you get ready and “camp like a champ!”
Universal flexible vacuum crevice attachment tool is a must-have to clean your RV
This versatile tool can be used for a variety of different RV applications, such as cleaning your RV ceiling or floor ducts, getting into those hard-to-reach areas behind drawers and cabinets, and cleaning underneath slide-outs. Save time and effort with this handy tool that can reach those tight spaces and keep your RV looking its best. Plus, its flexible design makes it easy to maneuver and navigate around corners and angles. It fits any vacuum that takes 1.25″ Friction fit attachments like Rainbow, Kirby, Sirena, Bissell, and many more. Learn more or order.
Everything you need to know about RV insurance – You may not be in good hands
By Dave Solberg
It’s something we don’t like talking about and hope we never need it – insurance for our RV. It may sound simple: Just call your home or auto coverage company and tell them what you bought and they should be able to put together a policy, right? It’s not that easy, and if you don’t get a policy designed for your type of RVing, you will pay too much and probably not have the coverage you need. Learn all about RV insurance here.
Reader poll
How often do you cook outside (grill, BBQ, campfire cooking, etc.)?
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
Is your roof air conditioner dripping?
Got a dripping roof air conditioner, but it’s not raining outside? If the A/C drips when operating, you’ve probably got clogged drain holes inside the unit. Disconnect shore power, shut off the generator. Remove the shroud from the unit and look for debris blocking drain holes in the bottom plate of the unit.
On this day last year…
- Tip: RVers, don’t leave home without it: 22 genius hacks for using Vaseline
- Ask Dave: Why not use West System Epoxy to adhere components to RV roof?
- Video: Avoiding payload problems: How much can I tow?
- Featured article: Would you be able to travel across the country without road signs?
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Remember how today’s poll asked you about cooking outside? Well, ladies, we bet you need this while you accomplish that task!
Website of the day
festivalnet®: Find Festivals In the USA & Canada 2024-2025
This website is great! Click on your state, or a state you’re headed to, and you’ll see all the fairs and festivals coming up. You’ll find so many fun things to do.
Watch videos from the RVtravel.com YouTube channel
Visit our YouTube channel here and make sure you’re subscribed!
Recipe of the Day
Spring Salad Stack-Up
by Tam D. from The Dalles, OR
In spring and summer when cucumbers and tomatoes are at their freshest, this is a super easy salad to whip up. It’s like a pasta salad meets a summer salad. But with the addition of tuna, it is a great light meal if you’re serving a crowd or a potluck. The pasta is lightly coated with dressing and that’s the base for the salad. Chunks of cucumber add a nice crunch and tomatoes add to the fresh feel. It’s very basic, so you could add many more ingredients like shredded cheese, black olives, and red onion… the possibilities are endless. A quick, easy, and tasty salad.
Trivia
The first commercially successful bottled water in the United States was called “Hunyadi Janos” and was introduced in 1869. This Hungarian mineral water gained popularity for its purported health benefits and was sold in distinctive green glass bottles. The success of Hunyadi Janos helped pave the way for the bottled water industry that we see today.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“This is Ruby and Holly (Lab mixes) on our annual trip to the redwoods. We thought we were being so smart getting recliners for us to sit in and giving the pups the dinette that we keep folded down for them. Guess we were wrong!” —Richard Lake
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!
Leave here with a laugh
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Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
Help desk: Contact us
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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I’ve tried to ignore the ads, but the one today is really inappropriate. I’ll be leaving rvtravel after many years.
I might have missed it. Which ad is inappropriate?
Hi, Donny. The auto-inserted ads (which we don’t put in ourselves, the ad server platform that we’re using does) show up depending on which part of the country someone lives in and/or what they’ve viewed online. If we can get the URL for the inappropriate ads from someone who sees them, we may be able to block them. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
My ADs today were all H&R Block. Maybe some people think tax time is inappropriate?
Sorry, Ray. If it was an inappropriate ad, we most certainly did not put that in ourselves. The auto-inserted ads are put in by the ad server platform that we’re using. They show up depending on which part of the country someone lives in and/or what they’ve previously viewed online. If we can get the URL for the inappropriate ads from someone who sees them, we may be able to block them. Otherwise, we have no control over them. Have a good day. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
It’s also National Manatee Appreciation Day
https://nationaltoday.com/manatee-appreciation-day/
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 I smiled when I read today’s funny because it reminded me that I no longer go places with people making small talk. 🙂 Have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
There was nothing funny about today’s “Leave here with a laugh.” Sorry, maybe I’m too old, but I don’t have a “small talk rotation.”
Hi, TRB. Obviously I’m too old, too, because I’ve never even heard that term before.🤔 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Hi normally read the daily newsletter on my iPhone. And I have lots of ads, but I just ignore them. However, today I read the newsletter on my laptop and had zero ads!
I’m a volunteer donor. This has been my favorite RV site. That is until you ruined it with the change in advertising. I read it exclusively on my IPhone. It is such a P.I.T.A. To maneuver around the pop ups and page movements. So disappointed I can’t enjoy it anymore!!!
ok, we all know ads are annoying, but name me two things that don’t have ads. Gee they are everywhere, just ignore them and move on already. I feel if I give them my time then they become stressful, ignore them and learn to ignore them no loss.
Thanks, Lyn. We’re still working on getting this new ad serving platform set up to our, and our readers’, satisfaction. I heard from our IT dude, Kim, today. He said he’s made some changes that should take effect, and improve things, for those on mobile devices, especially, by this weekend. Yay! Bit by bit we’re getting there. We sure do appreciate (almost) everyone’s patience and understanding in the meantime. Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I don’t get what all the issue are with ads. I am reading the NL using Google Chrome on my Macbook and hardly get any ads and virtually never get a pop up. I also am using the free version of Adaware AdBlock. When I see an article I wish to read, I right click and open it in a new tab. After going through the newsletter, then I start reading the articles of interest one at a time.