Issue 2440
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, RV reviews, RV videos, and more. Please consider subscribing for any amount you choose, one time or ongoing, to help us be better tomorrow than we are today.
Today’s thought
“A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” —Nelson Mandela
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is International Beer Day! And if you don’t drink beer, you can celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich Day instead!
On this day in history: 1873 – The Clay Street Hill Railroad begins operating the first cable car in San Francisco’s famous cable car system.
Tip of the day
Safely carry LP cylinders in your pickup with this clever mod
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Towable RV owner? Then you’ve probably needed to transport your rig’s LP cylinders in for a fill-up, while the RV stays put. It’s important to move them safely. The propane industry is emphatic: LP cylinders should be transported upright, and secured so they won’t fall, shift, or roll around. If you’ve ever tried transporting an LP cylinder in a pickup, you know how difficult it can be to wrangle the durn things. Here’s a do-it-yourself modification that can help you stay safe.
Ask Dave
Why is black water coming out of RV faucets?
Dear Dave,
Why is black water coming out of my RV faucets when first turned on, then runs clear? I also itch bad after showering in my RV, but not at the shower house. Can you please help. —Shirley, 2006 5th wheel Carriage
RV review
2025 Flagstaff E-Pro E20FK—Big changes
By Tony Barthel
Today’s RV review is of the new-for-2025 Flagstaff E-Pro E20FK. Now, you might say something like, wait a minute, Tony. I have a friend who has one of these. It’s not a new floor plan. And, in many ways, you’re right. This isn’t a new floor plan, per se, but there are so many new aspects of this it’s absolutely worth checking out.
In the RV shop with Dustin
Why heavy-duty shackle kits are worth considering for your RV
Today, let’s dive into an important topic that can significantly impact your RV’s suspension performance: heavy-duty shackle kits.
If you’re looking to upgrade your RV’s suspension system to handle rough roads, heavy loads, or just looking to improve overall stability and durability, then heavy-duty shackle kits might be just what you need.
Video of the day
Beware—Flood-damaged RVs coming to the market
By Cheri Sicard
Josh the RV Nerd, one of the winners of our 2024 RV video awards, has an important warning for anyone shopping for a used RV. According to Josh, flood-damaged RVs are entering the market!
Featured article
How to jack up your motorhome safely
By Russ and Tina De Maris
Does your motorhome need a tire change? Do you need to work on the brakes? There are plenty of maintenance and repair items that can call for jacking up a motorhome. But how do you jack up your motorhome safely? Sad to say, not a year goes by where we don’t see news items about RVers who’ve been seriously injured or killed when their rig has fallen on them. If your motorhome has levelers, we have the answers.
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Investment companies running RV parks ‘into the ground’
- ‘No-show’ campers make camp hosts look like tyrants
- RV etiquette—10 unspoken rules every RVer should follow
- Owner destroys brand-new Jeep while flat towing it. You won’t believe the damage!
Reader poll
Do you most often buy your RV fuel based on brand or price?
Quick tip
What to do if you have a tire blowout while driving
The goal in any blowout is to keep the vehicle balanced and controllable. Any overreaction—including slamming on the brakes or abruptly removing your foot from the accelerator—can result in a loss of control over the vehicle. Instead, take the following steps:
• Hold the steering wheel with both hands.
• Maintain the vehicle speed if possible and if it’s safe to do so.
• Gradually release the accelerator.
• Correct the steering as necessary to stabilize the vehicle and regain control.
• Look where you want the vehicle to go and steer in that direction.
• Once the vehicle is stable, continue to slow down and pull off the road when you judge it’s safe to do so.
No matter which tire blows out—front or back—the steps for safely maintaining control of your vehicle are the same. The difference is in how you will feel it. In a front tire blowout, you will feel the force more in the vehicle’s steering. In a rear blowout, you will feel it more in the seat or body of the vehicle.
On this day last year…
- Ask Dave: My generator only starts with RV engine running. What should I check?
- In the RV shop with Dustin: What you need to do to protect the exterior body of your RV
- Video: Shower anywhere! How to make a portable shower
- Featured article: Around the Campfire: “Help! Our new RV has problems!”
Website of the day
The 39 Best Road Trips Snacks You Can Pack
Forget buying road trip snacks (even though we know that’s part of the fun!)—make your own! These 39 recipes show you how to do just that. Yummy.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We think these should be a summer requirement, don’t you agree? Oh, come on!!
Recipe of the day
Chicken Rama in Thai Peanut Sauce
by Vickie Parks from Renton, WA
We see why Vicki is proud of this recipe. This Chicken Rama tastes very authentic. The creamy peanut butter sauce is so easy to prepare. With a very mild spice, its nutty flavor pairs well with the coconut milk. If you like spicier food, add some red pepper flakes. Serving this over spinach adds a nice fresh taste to the dish. It would also be delicious over white rice or Thai noodles.
EVER WONDER what the best sunscreen is for RVers? How you can wash your face without using water? How you can use toothpaste to remove stains? Wonder what ways you can use glow-in-the-dark tape around your RV? Well, wonder no more! You’ll find these answers and many, many more in yesterday’s brand-new Great RV Accessories newsletter.
Trivia
People with standard color vision see more than 1 million hues and shades while the red-green color blind only see about 10% of them. To those with color vision deficiency, colors appear muted and confusing at times, and some colors are difficult to differentiate.
Readers’ pets of the day
“Baxter and Bailey, Pomeranians, went on their first camping trip together last weekend. They really enjoyed the new sights, sounds, and smells. Baxter is two and Bailey is 11 months.” —Mary Shumaker
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
Do not try this at the campsite, folks! We repeat: Do not try!
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the Latest News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.
If you shop at Amazon.com we’d appreciate you using this link. We get an itty bitty commission if you buy something, but they add up and help us pay our bills (most importantly our hard-working writers!).
RVtravel.com All-Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
The only thing worse than Lobster Slippers is – Air-Fried Kale Chips. Just sayin’.
The best recipe I have ever found for cooking kale is to use avocado oil in the pan.
That makes it slide out of the pan when you throw it in the garbage.
Wonderful point. I tried to like Kale, but could never find a way to prepare that made it taste decent.
Hahahahahaha! But, a waste of good avocado oil. Maybe some used engine oil?
I’m not sure. Try Kale Chips once and be done with them. Buy Lobster slippers and you will always know they are in the bedroom closet staring at you all night.
I tried kale chips once (on a dare). Like dried oak leaves. I’ll pass on the lobster scuffs just because . . .
I wonder if kale was originally an invasive species. We used to have goats that would eat most anything green, including poison ivy but not kale.
We don’t give goats enough credit. 😀
Can’t we celebrate both??
Only if you sit REAL STILL and don’t shake it up too much.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 I certainly can see that people might like the mystery product. It ain’t me, but surely some do. Baxter and Bailey are cute. 🙂 Both of our RVs have been all-electric (i.e., sans propane). I guess that is why no salesman said either would blow us away. 😉 The snacks look great, but I don’t eat while driving the RV. I find sitting on the nose of 37,000 pounds towing 5,000 pounds rivets my attention on driving, making eating an unwanted distraction. 🤔😯 Thanks again, have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Today’s Trivia really struck home to me. I am one of those who have the red- green color blindness.
It kept me out of the military and the RCMP here in Canada. I could not get a job as technician with IBM due to color coding of the wiring. Yet, this is not recognized as a “disability”.
So many careers are not available to us that it is time that it was recognized as a true “disability”.
Same here, also no chance of getting a job with the railroad.
Color blindness may have saved my life. Being young and dumb, I thought that I would like to be a helicopter pilot over Viet Nam. Many of those guys saved lives but many did not come back.
One positive story from a friend whose father is colorblind. The Air Force accepted & assigned him to an air support team in Vietnam. USAF planes would fly over jungle areas suspected of harboring Viet Cong or North Vietnamese troops. Being colorblind, he could spot their green camo netting by the way its tone differed from the green jungle background.
I’m partially color blind, not red-green, and I was an Air Force fighter pilot and an airline Captain. I passed a more comprehensive color test than that stupid book with all the dots in it.
Nat’l ice cream sandwich day – Shoot, wouldn’t you know it?! Instead of the usual ice cream sandwiches I picked up Fudgesicles today. “Day Late, Dollar Short”, except Fudgsicles were on sale today> Grrrrr
Enjoy, KellyR! 🙂 You can get ice cream sandwiches tomorrow, after the crowd of today is safely at home. 🙂
Neal, thanks for understanding. I just didn’t get it. I couldn’t understand why all of those people were smashed up in front of the ice cream sandwich freezer. I just thot they were watching TV.
You are very welcome, KellyR! 🙂 Just think, you could have been the guy crushed between the doors to the freezer and all the people fighting to get an ice cream sandwich. 🤔😯 Thankfully, you were down a ways, safely gathering up the discounted Fudgesicles. 🙂 Congratulations on choosing best! 🙂
LOL. you are too much! And still laughing.
It is summer, it is hot, I live in the mountains, I’m getting some lobster flip flops. “Oh, come on!!”