Issue 2397
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
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” —Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Cheese Day!
On this day in history: 1896 – Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.
Tip of the day
BleedStop should be in every first aid kit to stop bleeding
By Nanci Dixon
I just read about and researched BleedStop, an anti-bleeding powder to apply to cuts and wounds to stop bleeding. The powder is made from ferrous sulfate, ammonium alum, chloroxylenol and tannic acid and can slow down or completely stop bleeding. It does not need to be washed off and a bandage can be applied right over the powder. This should be in every first-aid kit, especially those people who take blood thinners.
I read about a doctor who cut his hand on a broken glass and had BleedStop powder in his medicine cabinet. He was able to stop the bleeding enough to bandage and avoid a trip to urgent care. He immediately advised his children to have some in their first aid kits.
Ask Dave
Does Dawn dish soap keep RV black tanks clean?
Dear Dave,
I have read that using Dawn dish washing detergent in the RV holding tanks keeps them clean. Is this a good idea? —John, Renegade Verona LE 2023
RV walk-through
2024 Clipper 128LS pop-up camper with toilet and shower
By Cheri Sicard
Join Clint from Princess Craft in today’s video for a tour of the 2024 Clipper 128LS pop-up camper by Coachmen RV. Unlike many pop-up campers, this one has a shower and toilet on board but is still lightweight and easy to tow.
Video of the day
This gorgeous DIY truck camper is made from fence pickets
By Cheri Sicard
The video below gives us a tour of the sixth DIY camper creation built by our host at Endgame Campers. Many of their campers are, in fact, fashioned from wood, giving them distinctive looks. This truck camper is even more unusual in that it upcycles wooden fence pickets for that wood!
Our host claims that after five previous versions, he has now built “the perfect camper.”
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Featured article
RV road trip fails: Update your packing lists or be prepared to face the consequences!
By Rod Andrew
No matter what kind of RV you own, I’ll bet you’ve said this sentence many times: “Do you remember where we packed the …?” Or, perhaps even scarier: “Did we pack the …?” Sometimes the missing item can be simply annoying. Or it can be nothing short of potentially disastrous. Here’s a tale of one of the latter. (And you know this is gonna be a kick, being from Rod!)
Reader poll
Do one or more of your pets sleep in bed with you at night?
Quick tip
Full-time RVers, beware of this insurance issue
People who live in their RVs more than 150 days per year are apparently considered full-timers by many insurance companies. Full-time RVers will need to obtain a full-timers comprehensive personal liability policy. This policy will change the coverage to be similar to your home insurance. Anyone injured inside your RV can make a claim against you, and this type of coverage is designed to cover such claims. Many full-timers don’t realize they need this coverage until their insurance claims are denied because their RV is their primary residence.
Another benefit of this coverage is higher limits of insurance on the contents of your rig. You are living full-time and the rig is your home. All that “stuff” you have should be covered. Of course the policy premium depends on the size of the deductible you set up. We try to have a $500 emergency fund just to cover deductibles.
—From “So, You Want To Be an RVer? And Enjoy the RV Lifestyle? [Revised].” Available on Amazon.
Website of the day
The 20 Best State Fairs Around the U.S.
Get your Ferris-wheel-ridin’, corn-dog-eatin’ self ready to have some fun! This list ranks the top 20 state fairs around the country.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We use one of these and we gotta say, we love it! You’ll use it much more than you think. Trust us.
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:
• 28 percent believe that reservations should be required to enter National Parks every day of the week, and another 28 percent believe reservations should be required but only on weekends.
• 43 percent have a sibling or siblings that they never speak to.
• 39 percent own an ATV or another off-road vehicle.
Recent poll: Do you like your RV’s interior color scheme?
Recipe of the day
Cheesy Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes
by Heather Isom from Santa Maria, CA
We really loved these simple cheesy herb-roasted potatoes. It’s a delicious side dish that would be fantastic with roasted chicken or a steak. The combination of herbs pair well together. The cheese on top is a yummy final touch.
Trivia
Walmart achieved a number of delivery milestones in its fiscal year 2023 (ended Jan. 31, 2023) The contents of its deliveries would have filled 3,165 miles of ocean containers or enough containers to span the U.S. from Los Angeles to Bangor, Maine. Drivers making deliveries for Walmart drove more than 1 billion safe miles or the equivalent of driving around the Earth 40,000 times.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Bella met two new Lab friends. Resting after ‘Lab day at the lake’.” —Karen O’Connor
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.
Leave here with a laugh
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It’s sad that 43% surveyed don’t talk to their sibling(s). I’m the youngest of three, eldest is my sis and a brother who we lost in 2008. I can’t imagine not ever having a relationship with her. Almost a foot taller than her but she will always be my “Big Sis”! Still feisty as ever. Ah, those little one’s usually are, lol!
My wife has an older brother who she has not spoken to in over 10 years….quite a shame as they are the last of their family. Granted the brother is an a$$hole, but still……
I have a younger brother than I haven’t spoken to since my mom’s funeral (that she did not want him at) in 1999. His wife is the problem.
As to the survey about people that don’t talk to their sibling(s). I don’t know why an rv newsletter would poll for that information or why anyone would reveal that about themselves and their sibling to an rv newsletter. Just because people would answer such a question does not absolve the newsletter from the responsibility for asking such a personal question that they have no use for in the newsletters they print.
Ralph, I agree. Many times very personal questions are asked and I just skip answering.
But it’s not much different than when you first talk to someone and they start asking all kinds of personal questions like they have a need to know your life history.
I guess it might depend on how one was raised. In today’s world millions learn as kids to post everything they do all day on social media, so there is no thought that someone else may still want at least a semi-private life. Fortunately, a survey isn’t uncomfortable to just ignore. Much different when it’s being asked face-to-face in a first conversation.
Hi, Ralph. Most of our poll questions are just out of curiosity. And RVers are people, of course, so sometimes we ask questions about people. We have no way of knowing who is answering the polls, nor do we care. It’s difficult to come up with 365 questions strictly about RVs and RVing year after year, so some questions do pertain to people and their lifestyles, etc. Yep, we are nosy, but we don’t mean to offend or upset anyone, so we apologize to you and others who may have a negative reaction to our random poll questions. Have a good day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Having lost a younger brother and an older sister, it is tough to be the last….
Husband or wife bashing jokes are not good jokes!
Oh, lighten up, please.
I like them. Have to have some laughter in life.
No husband / wife bashing. She just made a choice. Some divorces are over stuff less than that.
Speaking of which… That reminds me of a divorce my attorney/boss was handling decades ago, back when they had colored and floral TP. The couple was arguing over who got the floral TP!!! Well, among other things. But that’s the one I remember 50 years later. And it was listed in the Property Settlement Agreement! I wonder what the judge thought about that.🤔 Have a good night, Kelly. 😀 –Diane
Yep, and you know that ended up all going down the drain anyway.
🤣 Well, that marriage certainly did, along with the floral TP! I was just glad those weren’t my parents! Have a good night, Kelly.🤗 –Diane
BEST ” LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH” THAT YOU HAVE EVER POSTED.
Thomas Watson was quite the visionary. NOT!
Just goes to show that the person at the top of an organization, isn’t always the smartest one.
To be fair. It is doubtful many if any other people part of IBM at the time could generalize the other uses for computing. These beasts were all bespoke, finicky and very immobile. They required many skilled people to operate and maintain – and a likewise number of skilled people could in many cases do the work by hand. The invention of the much more reliable and greatly smaller transistor and far simpler programming made computers practical.
In the 70’s K-Mart owned one of the last still functioning IBM tab sorters. I worked next to the only two guys who knew how to run it. And heard the IBM rep tell them – “there are no more parts, new or used. Next time it breaks it’s all over.”
Boy is hindsight ever 20/20.
What will people say about our sorry predictions in 2104?
IBM also told Bill Gates that they did not want Windows as there was no market for it.
That reminds me of the attorney I worked for for 45 years. He belonged to an investment group of about 10 close friends. They met every other week to discuss what to invest in. Many of them personally knew Bill Gates, Sr., and many of them had kids who went to school with Jr. When Microsoft first came out they had discussions about it but voted to not invest in it because it “wouldn’t amount to anything.” If any of them are still alive, they’re probably still kicking themselves about that decision.😅 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Why not reveal how Gates “acquired” the code to build his sorry software. Linux is the way.
Leave here with a laugh Perhaps it should be the other way around…might not be so funny then
43% does not surprise me in the least. I am on non speaking terms with my adopted brother and quite frankly glad of it. No drama here. Very complicated. As for the biological side? Why do you think adoption occurs. Hey I have 3 dogs. Life is great without the drama.
Thank you, Emily, Diane, and Kim! 🙂 DW might have tried to rehome me had I been allergic to dog #1 (he’s the reason we bought house #1; our apartment complex did not allow pets). As it is, I was allergic to dog #2 (and #3 too for good measure), but I got allergy shots and won’t get rehomed (he said hopefully). 🙂 I don’t recall the survey, but I am in the 43% that does not speak to my brother; he died 40 years ago. 🤔😯🙁 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
Bella is so precious and sweet🥰🐶