Issue 2569
Today’s thought
“People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren’t already complicated enough.”―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Croissant Day! We love croissants so much that we’d buy this!
On this day in history: 1920 – Japanese carmaker Mazda is founded, initially as a cork-producing company.
Tip of the day
How to have a successful winter camping trip, even in negative temps
By Nanci Dixon
Successful winter camping? Yes! It’s easy to enjoy the solitude and beauty of winter camping—you just have to know how to do it safely.
The end of the season when it’s time to pack up the RV, winterize it, and put it in storage has always been a rather sad time. That is, until I was able to convince my husband that we could still RV—we just needed to do a little more prep and do without some of the fancy luxuries that an RV provides.
Let me tell you one thing about winter camping: There is no campground crowding! While the majority of private campgrounds close down in the winter, a lot of state and regional parks keep campgrounds open. They even plow a few select sites and have power on. Continue reading.
Ask Dave
Update on wobbly RV toilet. Now it’s good to GO!
By Dave Solberg
Hi Dave,
A follow-up on my RV toilet saga. Thanks to your information, I was able to find the piece I needed on etrailer.com, even though they said they didn’t have what I needed. Maybe I wasn’t describing it properly. Forest River finally got back to me and I’m having the part ordered through them as well. Since the etrailer part came in yesterday, I installed it. … Continue reading Tony’s update and Dave’s reply.
Video of the day
Keep the cold out with bubble wrap RV window insulation
By Cheri Sicard
This video from PlayRightParent demonstrates bubble wrap window insulation on a sticks-and-bricks home. However, this same inexpensive cold weather hack can also work in RVs. You will be surprised by how easy it is. No tapes or adhesives are needed, and the bubble wrap takes seconds to remove when you no longer need it. Check this out.
Featured article
The ABCs of free and low-cost camping on state land
By Dave Helgeson
Is free and low-cost camping available on state land where you camp? I previously wrote an article entitled The ABCs of free and low-cost camping on federal land, which was well-received by RVtravel.com readers. In that article I covered the acronyms of the various federal land agencies along with the camping opportunities on the land they oversee on behalf of the American people. In this article, we will look at the different state agencies, the public land they oversee and the free and low-cost camping opportunities on that land. Continue reading.
Reader poll
For couples: Do you and your partner get along better or worse when RVing?
Quick tip
(More) Simple RV maintenance tips: lube, tighten, and clean
Lubrication: A little lube goes a long way. Keep all the hinges, locks, sliders and, basically, anything that moves well-lubricated. I find the best lube to keep on hand is a dry silicone type. Works well in almost all applications and resists attracting dirt.
Tighten: Every so often grab a screwdriver and a wrench and give everything a re-tightening. This little preventive maintenance can save you big-time. Pay special attention to items attached to the outside that may fly off during transit and may be safety risks, i.e., ladder rungs.
Clean it: Mechanically everything works better when clean, because dirt and grit cause wear. A good coat of quality wax and UV protectants will keep the rig looking sweet and extend the life of many of the materials. Thanks to loveyourrv.com.
On this day last year…
- Tip: Water gets in an RV storage compartment but I can’t find the source. Any tips?
- RV walk-through: FIRST LOOK! Tour the 2024 Tiffin GH1 Class B camper van
- Video: Explore Lake Havasu’s unusual inland lighthouses
Website of the day
Hilarious National Park Tweets
Turns out the National Park Service has hired the perfect social media person. They have quite the sense of humor, and their Tweets are hilarious! (This is a couple of years old now but they’re still timely!)
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
Oh, we just loooove when things that are practical are also cute! This one is very fun and would look great in your RV (and yes, it’s practical!).
And the survey says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 5,000 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• The majority of readers, 59 percent, first got married between the ages of 20-25. The second highest percentage, 20 percent, got married in their teens.
• 10 percent have a habit of always biting their nails.
• 35 percent have recently thought about giving up RVing. Of that 35 percent, 9 percent plan to hang up the keys soon.
Recent poll: How do you feel about RV repair shops charging $200 an hour for labor?
Trivia
If you have a morbid fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, you have arachibutyrophobia.
Readers’ pets of the day
“Our Shelties love to camp but tend to hog the furniture! We also travel with two kitties. All are great travelers unless dinner is late!” —Dianne Kane
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. No blurry photos and 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
When I was a kid, my parents would always say “Excuse my French” after a swear word. I’ll never forget that first day at school when the teacher asked if we knew any French.
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
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French is an illustrious language to learn.
….but the spelling is so complicated…..!#%*&
LOL!! 🤣
Hi, Larry. That reminds me of taking Gregg shorthand and Russian at the same time in high school. It was fun trying to keep the letters and symbols straight.😵💫 (But I got A’s, so I guess I did all right.) Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Mais, oui!
Beautiful pups, looks like our trailer. My hubby and I get the booth to sit at and the pup gets the couch!
That was the way it was with us, next summer we will camp with 1 pup not 3 as the other 2 have passed. I would give anything to have them hog the couch for just 1 more trip.
That is quite the pack with which you travel, Dianne! I hope that you have many joyous trips together. Thank you, Emily and Diane! Today’s laugh was funny; thank you! Have a great day and safe travels!
Website of the day was fun!