America’s Original RV Newsletter. Since 2001
Issue 2951 • New issue every weekday
Today’s thought
“Traveling—it gives you home in thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land.” —Ibn Battuta (1304-1368)
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Fortune Cookie Day!
On this day in history: 1940 – California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
Tip of the day
Does your RV refrigerator have a baffle? No baffle = poor cooling
By Andrew Herrick, The RV Engineer
Two- and three-way RV refrigerators (propane/electric) require airflow. This is common knowledge to most RV technicians, but it’s often unknown to consumers and overlooked by the manufacturers (cough, cough).
RV absorption refrigerators depend on heat dissipation. The ammonia refrigerant absorbs heat from your freezer and refrigerator compartments and exhausts that heat through your absorber coils and condenser fins. Ambient air traveling up and across the backside of your refrigerator transfers that heat to the ambient air. It’s all about the airflow! Continue reading.
NEED AN OFFICIAL HOME BASE? America’s Mailbox will set you up fast in South Dakota. Use your address for your driver’s license, vehicle and voting registration, mail forwarding, concealed carry permits, and more — and save money! Stay in our RV park near the Black Hills. Recommended by RVtravel.com for years. Learn more.
Tips from this weekend you may have missed:
- Wildfire smoke is back. Protect yourself and your RV
- A new, thorough look at RV slide-outs: The pros, cons, and common problems
- How to clean your camping chairs and patio cushions
- An easy trick to keep important documents in the RV… without all the paper
- How to stop yourself from choking when you’re alone
RV review
2027 Coleman 13S: Everything you need in under 16 feet
The 2027 Keystone Coleman 13S packs a surprising amount of usable space into a 15’11” travel trailer. Its rear entry door makes room for a sofa, bunk, dinette, kitchen, bed, and an indoor wet bath, all without a slide-out. This is a bare-bones camper built for shoppers moving up from tent camping or a pop-up. It offers four walls, a roof, basic appliances, and a bathroom at a price of about $15,000. What do you think?
A paint nick or chip on your RV? An easy fix
Nanci Dixon writes, “After many miles and a few gravel roads, our motorhome had a number of paint chips and nicks. The last time we were at the manufacturer’s to have a few warranty items taken care of, I had the paint chips fixed too. They showed me an easy fix—use mini automotive repair paint sticks or brushes. Works like a charm. Here are the paintbrushes I used.” To learn more about the process, read Nanci’s article here.
In the RV shop with Dustin
How often should your RV suspension be lubed?
By Dustin Simpson
I wanted to share this as a reminder, if you own a towable unit, to check and see if you have wet bolts or grease Zerks on your RV suspension. How often should your RV suspension be lubricated? Well, if your unit is so equipped, you should be lubricating the Zerk every 6 months or 6,000 miles. Continue reading.
TODAY’S SPECIAL DEALS AT AMAZON. Limited time bargains. Big discounts. Browse now.
Article and video
8 tips to improve and preserve your RV propane system
Nathan from Access RV has a terrific video for people who have questions about, or who have been struggling with, their RV propane system. Nathan breaks it down to eight simple things everyone should do to keep their RV’s propane system running smoothly and to prevent potential problems. Click here to read the breakdown and watch the video.
MONDAY CHALLENGE: Snap one photo this week of something small that most people wouldn’t stop to appreciate. The fog in the trees. The dragonfly at your campsite. The steam coming off your first cup of coffee. Start to notice the little things. We bet you’ll be more grateful for them and the time you have on our beautiful planet.
The latest news for RVers
- The latest RV news at U.S. state, county and city parks
- Starlink may be eyeing the cellphone business
- Wildfires closing U.S. national forest recreation areas
- Why you should never approach a burning motorhome
- Beyond the headlines with Tony Barthel: A new RV company, Go RVing teams up with content creators, the World’s largest RV show, and, yep, Lance is back
To read more recent news, click here.
Featured article
22 tips and gadgets to make the most of a small RV kitchen
By Gail Marsh
One of the very first things I noticed in our “beginner camper” was the kitchen space—or, should I say, lack of kitchen space? It was tiny. I’m certainly not a gourmet cook or an award-winning baker (just ask my family). But still, I wondered, “How does one cook in an RV kitchen?” Find out here.
Ask Dave
How much of a safety margin should I use for roof clearance of my RV?
What is happiness? This back scratcher!
Solo RVers really need this, but so does everyone else! This should be essential gear for all RVers (itchy backs or not!). A great gift! Ahhh, that feels so gooooood.
Reader poll
Walmart “campers”: Do you ask permission at the store if it’s okay to stay the night?
Quick tip
Check roof vents in case of stinky holding tanks
Stinky holding tanks driving you bats? It’s smart to occasionally check your roof vents to make sure they aren’t blocked with debris, bird nests, etc. Many RVers find that vent caps such as the 360 Siphon roof vent to help “raise the stink” out of the tanks are really helpful.
Website of the day
Which is the best U.S. State Fair?
Ready for a state fair? We are! This list from USA Today lists many popular state fairs across the U.S., with a catch! You have to vote for which one is your favorite! Learn about the state fairs while casting your vote. See you there!
Monday Motivation
“First, forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” —Octavia Butler
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
Are you hungry? Good. Oh, you’re not hungry? That’s okay, you will be! We love these!
Trivia
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana is the world’s largest continuous bridge over water. The nearly 24-mile twin-span structure is so long that drivers lose sight of land in any direction for about 8 miles of the bridge.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Rocky (Brittany Spaniel, age 8) enjoys camping and hanging out by the campfire.” —Betsy East
HELPPPPPPPPP! We’re almost out of pet photos! Please, please, please 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!
Leave here with a laugh
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
THIS MAP UPDATES TWICE A DAY
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
Air quality where you are and/or where you are headed. Visit AirNow.gov.
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.
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RVtravel.com All-Star Staff
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Follow-up on today’s tip on looking for bird nests blocking your sewer vents: We parked for a couple weeks this spring. Before leaving, I checked pressure on all our tires, including the bumper mounted spare. Mama bird built a nest between the wheel and the spare tire cover – used the wheel’s open center hole between the wheel and the trailer back wall as her front door. Thankfully had not yet laid eggs.
You can tell Rocky is content camping!
Rocky appears to have the, getting comfortable by the campfire down to a science. But he looks so fluffy I want to pet him. No wonder he’s such a good camping dog. Keep on camping.
Love the Monday challenge!