RV Daily Tips Newsletter Issue 888

Issue 888 • April 24, 2018
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RVing Tip of the Day

Don’t let noise keep you awake

 

By Russ and Tiña De Maris 

While most of us associate the RV lifestyle with “getting away from civilization” and back to nature, sometimes we first have to travel through the urban jungle to get there. It may mean overnighting at Walmart, or perhaps staying in an RV park in a busy city. In situations like these, when the sun goes down the noise level doesn’t necessarily do the same. Traffic keeps pumping, and sirens and other street noise can really impact your sleep. Just how can you get a decent night’s sleep?

 

The answer may be counterintuitive: Add a little noise.

 

Sometimes called “white noise,” it’s a mixture of equal amounts of every frequency of sound within human hearing range. Pump a little white noise into your bedroom and it simply masks the existing noises, and keeps your mind from being alerted by those other unwelcome sounds. It’s sort of like this: You’re in a dark room and someone turns on a flashlight. Your eye quickly focuses on the flashlight. Now imagine you’re in a well-lit room and that same flashlight is turned on. It’s a whole lot easier to miss.

 

Some people find white noise “too much,” and don’t find it soothing to sleep around. But there are other noise-blanking sounds that work well to mask out startling sounds. Nature sounds, like the lull of surf on the beach or wind blowing across the landscape, are often soothing. Some folks turn on a fan and let a constant mechanical sound mask out other sounds.

 

Some years back mechanical devices (other than electric fans) were developed as “white noise” machines. They often worked, but tended to be expensive, and for boondocking RVers, were out of the question because of their shore power requirements. But for the techno-equipped RVer, that is someone with an electronic tablet or smart phone, there are swarms of apps that can be played on e-devices producing a variety of white-noise or “nature sounds” that can drown out even the most heart-gripping of troublesome noises.

 

WE’VE EXPERIMENTED with using an Android tablet with a free download called Sleep&Noise Sounds (available on the Google Play Store). Initially we tried “playing” the sounds directly from the tablet, with limited success. Perhaps our sleeping area was too large, but it just didn’t work out well. Later we tried plugging in an external set of speakers, and the room coverage was so much better. The app provided a wide range of “noise” and other types of sounds – from a vacuum cleaner, to heart beats, a couple of different “rain” noises, even a crackling fire. More sound samples come with a “paid” version of this app.

 

How well does it work? For one of us, flipping on “Gentle Rain” is an instant sleep aid. On the other hand, “The Princess and the Pea” in our family doesn’t find that the system works as well as she’d desire – the best sleep “sound” for her is simply no sound at all. We’re working on earplugs that meet her needs.

 

You won’t really know which category you fit into until you try something like this out. That’s why we’d recommend shopping the iTunes or Play store for your device and downloading a free version or two to see if you get the desired relief. Then, if it works, consider an upgrade.

 

 Read yesterday’s tip: Reality check: Do you really have enough solar panels?

Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.

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Join RVtravel.com in Elkhart May 17-21
RV Travel will be a major participant at the upcoming RVillage Rally in Elkhart, Indiana, May 17-21. Join editor Chuck Woodbury, our Pet Vet Dr. Deanna, RV electricity expert Mike Sokol, tire expert Roger Marble and our RV historian Al Hesselbart — all of us presenting seminars and hanging out with RV Travel readers. Factory tours, too. Learn more, and get a special discount code to save 10 percent on registration.

QUICK TIPS

Clean black marks off your rig
Black marks on your rig? Give it a shot of WD-40, rub it with a rag, and many of those black marks will vanish. Wear gloves when using WD-40.

Don’t blow my fuse!
With electricity expert, Mike Sokol
You can tell if a fuse is blown by first pulling it out of the holder and placing it on a non-metal surface (a wood or Formica table top is perfect.) Set your multimeter to the lowest ohms or continuity scale and place the two meter leads on each side of the fuse. It doesn’t matter which side gets the red or black meter lead and you don’t have to worry about getting shocked. A good fuse will measure very close to 0 ohms or cause the meter to beep if it’s in continuity mode. A blown fuse will measure infinity, or maybe a million ohms or so if your fingers get in the way.

Extend the life of your awning
Awning stretched and sagging? You may be able to avoid the costly awning replacement with a less-expensive addition of a center rafter support from your RV dealer.

HOT TOPIC AT RV TRAVEL.COM
Safety issue? RVer’s door locks randomly, leaving him trapped inside.

It looks like a key, but it’s a folding knife
Wow! Could this come in handy those times you wish you had a small pocket knife along? It looks just like a regular key, but when unfolded it turns into a pocket knife. Just remember to remove it from the keychain before you hop on your plane flight. Learn more or order! 

WEBSITES OF THE DAY

Love Your RV!
Love your RV (of course) and love this blog, too! Full-Timer Ray offers tons of great articles about RV modifications, DIY projects and maintenance, and gives a good perspective on what life on the road full-time is like. 

Playback FM 
Not too much to explore here, unless you have a few hours to kill on mindless information, but Playback FM tells you the number #1 song on any specific date. Find out what the #1 song was when you were born, when you got married, etc. You can find the #1 movie too! 

Shutupandtakemymoney! 
We dare you to visit this site and not buy something. Shut Up and Take My Money is a dangerous money-sucking black hole … but with the best stuff. Find everything you never knew you needed, and find the perfect gift here too. 

Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.

It’s tornado season: Be prepared!
For about $20, you can rest assured that any time severe weather threatens, you’ll be notified, even if cell service is down, the Internet is down or power fails. The RVtravel.com staff travels with this small, handheld, battery-powered NOAA weather radio. If severe weather is on the way, the radio sounds an alert, followed by detailed information about the storm to let you know to seek shelter or move away. Get one for yourself and one for someone you care about who travels a lot. Learn more or order. 

MORE QUICK TIPS

Be prepared with plenty of ice
Sherri Eley sent in this cool tip: “After reading about freezing single-serve water bottles for constant cold water, I thought about how I pack for an extended or even weekend trip. We usually use bottled water for drinking and cooking both in the park and on the way to our destination. I save milk jugs and plastic juice containers throughout the year. Weeks before our departure I begin filling them with drinking water and put them in the freezer. I then have a good supply to pack in a cooler to keep things cold, and when they melt I have water for drinking, cooking or making coffee.” Thanks, Sherri!

The largest, tiniest blanket for all your outdoor needs
Pack your beach bags and park picnics, it’s summer! OK, well, almost. What’s one thing we always need for a relaxing day outdoors? A blanket! This tiny, super lightweight travel blanket is great for RVers, campers, hikers, concert-goers and travelers. When folded up in its drawstring pouch, it fits in the palm of your hand. When unfolded, it’s a waterproof 55″x70″ two-person blanket. Be right back, we’re buying it here!

Join us: On RVillage • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube.

LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
An RVer named Stanley was stopped by a game warden as he was returning to his motorhome with a bucket of live fish. “Do you have a license to catch those?” the warden asked. Stanly replied, “No, sir, these are my pet fish. Every night I take them to the lake and let them swim around for awhile. When they hear my whistle, they jump back into the bucket and I take them back to the motorhome.”

“That’s a bunch of baloney,” said the warden, to which Stanley replied, “If you don’t believe me, then follow me back to the lake to see how it works.” Still suspicious, but curious, the game warden agreed. At the lake, the man poured the fish into the water, where they disappeared. “Okay,” said the game warden. “Call them back.” “Call who back?” asked Stanley. “The fish,” replied the warden. “What fish?” asked Stanley.

Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY.

RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Staff writer: Emily Woodbury. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Deanna Tolliver, Mike Sokol, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising coordinator: Gail Meyring.

ADVERTISE on RVtravel.com and/or in this newsletter. Contact Gail Meyring at Gail(at)RVtravel.com .

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.

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