Issue 2644
Today’s thought
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Bring Flowers To Someone Day!
On this day in history: 1905 – The city of Las Vegas is founded in Nevada, United States.
Tip of the day
Easy and inexpensive RV tank sensors upgrade
By Cheri Sicard
Jared Gillis, of All About RVs, is not a big fan of RV tank sensors, but he gets so many questions about them and sees internet threads constantly with questions that he thought he would address the topic.
Like many of us, Jared is not a fan because tank sensors are often wildly inaccurate. I know that mine are, to the degree of rendering them useless. Even when they are working, the RV tank sensor lights that come standard in most RVs don’t give you precise information. Jared shows an example where the tank level could be anywhere from one-third to one-half full.
Jared has an easier solution that he says will provide far more accurate results: this wireless tank sensor.
Ask Dave
Will these power sources keep my RV refrigerator running while driving?
Hi, Dave,
My rig now has three Deka Intimidator AGM 12-volt 105-Ah batteries (Group 31). I installed three 250-watt solar panels along with a HQST 60-amp MPPT Solar Charge Controller connected directly to the house batteries, bypassing the inverter. Should this setup along with my diesel’s alternator allow me to run just the original refrigerator during travel days of 4 to 5 hours? I also have a Freedom SW 3012 Xantrex inverter. Thanks for your time and expertise!! —Wayne, 2003 Winnebago Journey DL Read Dave’s answer.
Article and video
Genius steamed vegetable RV cooking hack
By Cheri Sicard
Do you carry a box grater in your RV? These handy gadgets shred four different textures. They are a bit bulky, but you can maximize space by putting them over smaller items when in storage. The RV cooking hack (well, it is also a home cooking hack, but it makes sense for RVers) shown in the short video makes even more sense to having this object along. If you love steamed veggies, you are going to love this.
Featured article
Cat-astrophic problem: Where to put the litter box in an RV?
By Gail Marsh
A gal on an RVing with Cats Facebook page recently inquired, “Where do you put the litter box? My 24’ RV is so small!” As always, RVing friends came through with several recommendations. And also… some places NOT to put your cat’s litter box. Check them out here.
Reader poll
How many bumper stickers are on your RV or tow vehicle?
RANDOM RV THOUGHT: On a cold and rainy day, it is satisfying to camp with an RV, even though some people may think the best time to camp is in warm, tamer weather. When the weather is foul, it’s a special feeling to be inside, sheltered from the storm, warm and cozy, maybe with a good book or snuggled up with your special someone.
Quick tip
Keep up with—or stay ahead of—routine maintenance
Even better than keeping up with routine maintenance, stay ahead of it. Replace your brake pads before they’re totally gone; replace belts and hoses before they break; replace wiper blades before they become totally useless. From “RVing: Less Hassle—More Joy: Secrets of Having More Fun with Your RV—Even on a Limited Budget” Available on Amazon.
Take an extra 10% off a GhostBed luxury RV mattress!
The GhostBed RV mattress is 10” deep, crafted with gel memory foam for coolness, has 3 layers of luxurious comfort and is perfectly sized for your RV! Ahhhh… Wake up relaxed and rejuvenated. RVtravel.com readers now get an EXTRA 10% OFF a GhostBed Luxury RV Mattress! CLICK HERE and use code RVTRAVEL10. Watch RVtravel.com’s Tony Barthel’s RV mattress review here.
On this day last year…
- Tip: How to be an RVer and still pursue your hobby
- Ask Dave: Important follow-up to Grand Design quality and frame flex issues story
- Video: RV Electrical 101—A beginner’s overview
- Featured article: Campers share their biggest pet peeves. We bet you’ll agree
Website of the day
The Creepiest, Coolest Ghost Town in Every State
These are both creepy and cool, that’s for sure! As the weather gets sunnier and warmer, it’s the perfect time to explore these old historic ghost towns. How many have you been to?
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
It wouldn’t be a campsite without one of these on your plate or in your hand, would it? But once you use this to help with it, you’ll never go back!
And the survey says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers close to 5,000 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 38 percent bought their first RV more than 30 years ago.
• 69 percent say they always or almost always turn the lights off when they’re leaving a room at night.
• 63 percent say they prefer to be constantly moving when in their RV. They say it’s about the road trips – moving often, exploring, sightseeing, etc.
Recent poll: Would you say you ‘visited a state’ if you simply drove through it without stopping, or with minimal stopping?
Trivia
Ever wonder what’s actually in Spam? Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, sugar, and sodium nitrite as a preservative.
Reader’s pet of the day
“Bella (Labradoodle, age 10) was rehomed 9 years ago because her family didn’t have time for her, and she had spent most of her time in a kennel. So grateful they picked us. Bella loves camping and pontooning and is always ready for fun. Here she is wrapped up in a coat, ready for a chilly night in the trailer.” —Debbie Jenson
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
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
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Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
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RVtravel.com All-Star Team
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I love spam in the can. 4 years in the Navy and I can eat Spam cold out of the can.
Fried SPAM, grilled SPAM, sautéed SPAM, spaghetti SPAM, seared SPAM, cubed SPAM, potato salad SPAM, SPAM and eggs, SPAM and beans, lasagna SPAM, air-fried battered SPAM, wipe off the gel and eat it right out of the can SPAM. Oh yeah, I like SPAM too!
STOP!!!!!!!!
The computer kind????????????
are the rv refrigerators that use gas and electric still available?
The Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota is amazing. Did you know there are different flavors of Spam for different regions of the world? They are all available at the museum.
Never cared for Spam – until a friend cut up cubes, put them in a smoker and created ‘burnt ends’ – the very tasty crusty ends of a perfectly smoked brisket.
“Even better than keeping up with routine maintenance, stay ahead of it. Replace your brake pads before they’re totally gone…”
Someone doesn’t understand maintenance vs repair! Routine maintenance IS the act of taking care of things before breakage. If it breaks it’s a repair!
Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam!
Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam
Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am
Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am
Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am
Spa-a-a-a-a-a-a-am
Lovely Spam! (Lovely Spam!)
Lovely Spam! (Lovely Spam!)
Lovely Spam!
Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam!
– Monty Python
Hi, Les. It’s so funny (ironic) that I had to approve your comment about the product Spam (from our Trivia today) because our filter thought it was spam. (It put it into the Spam folder. Now it shows that the comment was “Un-spammed by Diane”.) 🤣🤣🤣 Have a great day! 😀 –Diane (the Un-spammer) at RVtravel.com
That is just way too funny. Spam filters have no sense of humor. Oh, wait a minute, maybe they do. ? This is the laugh of the day.
It cracked me up when I saw what the filter had put in the Spam folder awaiting moderation! Talk about being literal.🤔🤣 Have a good night, Kelly.🤗 –Diane
I remember eating Spam and really liking it – many years ago. I liked it fried and on bread as a sandwich. Then one day about 6 mos ago, I saw it and decided to relive that memory – while it was good – it was extremely salty; too much to eat much of it. I couldn’t eat it! I am not salt restricted either – yet – altho I don’t usually use much.
Easy and inexpensive RV tank sensors upgrade. I’ve been using Mopeka Pro water sensors on two gray and one black tank for about 3 years. I use Unique RV Black Tank Digester in the black tank and the Mopeka works fine. One thing though, they usually don’t work until the tank is about 21% full.
My 5th wheel & my current truck camper both came with iSeries tank monitors that I’ve used for the last 15 years of fulltiming. They measure with an electrical current from the outside of the tank & read 0 to 100%. They are pretty accurate & can be re-calibrated pretty easily right from the monitor.
Cheers Bella! Seems you’ve made it to a loving home with a family that appreciates you.
Thank you for saving Bella, Debbie! A life in a kennel isn’t much of a life. Thank you, Emily and Diane! Have a great week and safe travels!
I doubled my RV payment to try to get it paid off faster. Looking at one year fingers crossed. Just paid off two cars. All we owe now once the RV is paid off is utilities and taxes.