Issue 893 • May 2, 2018
This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Thursday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you!
U.S. shoppers: Shop at Amazon.com
Canadian shoppers: Shop at Amazon.ca
RVing Tip of the Day
Editor, RVtravel.com
We’re tweaking the format of this newsletter beginning next week. The opening article which normally appears in this space will be gone. After about 900 issues, we’ve said just about everything we can say about RVing that’s worth dwelling on yet again. When we do have something to say that demands more space, we’ll post it as a stand-alone article with a link to click to read it.Read yesterday’s tip: Protect your pets from wily coyotes.
Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
THIS NEWSLETTER IS MADE POSSIBLE in large part by the more than 2,400 readers of RVtravel.com who became “voluntarily subscribers.” Won’t you please consider pitching in? Consider the enormous amount of helpful information our paid staff provides you in a year’s time in more than 200 issues (not to mention our other newsletters). A one-time donation of $10 comes out to less than ten cents an issue! Many readers set up an ongoing contribution, typically $5 or $10 a month. Learn more or contribute.
The EASY way to buy window shades
Carefree‘s Simply Shade Window Awning is the first cash and carry complete window awning system that can be bought off of dealer shelves and installed the same day! Simply Shade Awnings fit windows up to 36″ tall. Click here to learn more.
QUICK TIPS
Check your battery shutoff switch
From reader Joe Brignolo: “If you have a battery shutoff switch, as I do, make sure that switch is ON. More than once I have started the troubleshooting process only to find that switch in the OFF position. Inadvertent operation of that switch when looking for the compartment lights could leave you in the dark.” Thanks, Joe!
With electricity expert, Mike Sokol
No, we’re not talking football. Make yourself a “punt-kit” for the road. A punt is what you do when you’ve run out of all other options. A punt-kit is a box with all the bits and pieces you need to get things running. It’s invaluable when you’re sitting on the side of the road out of cell range and your RV won’t move. My pro-audio punt-kits are a thing of beauty with dozens of strange connectors, spare power supplies, etc. For your RV punt-kit, you just need to carry the spare parts that might be damaged or lost. So think spare fuses, bulbs, serpentine fan belt, fuel filters, hose clamps, jumper cables, an LED flashlight with spare batteries, gaff tape, WD-40, etc. – basically, anything you can use for a quick fix. Hey, I even carry a pop-rivet gun with an assortment of various size rivets, and every color electrical tape you can imagine.
Important air conditioner maintenance reminder
Tom Buchholzer sent in a tip on air conditioner maintenance: “I had a leak which stained the ceiling of my RV because the drain holes in the air conditioner pan were plugged. It is VERY important to be sure that the drains are clear and open while servicing the unit.” Good reminder, Tom.
HOT TOPIC AT RV TRAVEL.COM
In the past few years have high winds forced you off the road?
Summer is coming! Protect your tires
Tires are expensive. So get as much life as you can from them. One guaranteed way to shorten their life is to keep them exposed to the sun. So here’s the no-brainer advice of the day: Cover them. The price you pay for the covers will save you far more in the long run. Learn more or order.
WEBSITES OF THE DAY
Readers’ Favorite Recipes!
Did you know we feature our readers’ favorite recipes in our RV Travel Newsletter? See what our readers are cookin’ and try one of their recipes for yourself! Want to be featured? Send your favorite RV recipes to emily (at) rvtravel.com.
DIY Natural Bug Repellent
Wellness Mama is at it again with a great article on homemade bug sprays. Make your own repellent in just five minutes! You’ll sure smell better (to humans) than you would with that store-bought stuff.
National Geographic, National Parks
We trust that National Geographic will deliver us cute animal photos and amazing landscapes, right? But did you know that they also have the best guides to our National Parks? Mhmm! Use this great information to plan your visits to the parks.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
Full-timers: Need an RV Home Base?
Then you need Americas Mailbox! You’ll enjoy great tax advantages with your South Dakota “residency,” like no state income tax and low insurance rates (second lowest in the USA says the Insurance Information Institute). Many plans are available. View the video where RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury talks with Americas Mailbox owner Don Humes. Or click here to learn more or enroll.
MORE QUICK TIPS
Important, easy, electric safety tip
Switch off the circuit breaker at the shore power before plugging in! When leaving, switch the circuit breaker off before unplugging. Just for fun, note the times that you pull into a campsite and the breaker is still on. That tells you that the previous occupant really didn’t know what he was doing, was living dangerously, and had not read this tip! Thanks to Ron Jones, AboutRVing.com.
Torque wrench torture
The particular type of wrench I have should be stored at it’s lowest setting, or the calibration may go out. I suggest people who own torque wrenches check with the manufacturer to see if there are specific storage recommendations. Thanks to Russ for the tip.
RVing news from around the Web
•Eight ways to optimize retirement travel.
•As housing inventory shrinks, people look to living in RVs.
•Travel nursing in an RV — Pros and Cons.
•Amarillo museum honors joys of RV travel.
•Airstream unveils tiny travel trailer.
Join us: On RVillage • Facebook • Twitter • YouTube.
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.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This website utilizes some advertising services. Sometimes we are paid if you click one of those links and purchase a product or service. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc . RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
RVtravel.com includes links to other websites. We cannot control the content and/or privacy policies of those sites. Please be aware when you leave this newsletter or any other section of RVtravel.com to read the privacy statements of any of those websites that collect personally identifiable information. Our own privacy policy applies only to RVtravel.com and its affiliated blogs.
This newsletter is copyright 2018 by RVtravel.com
I’m new to the RV travel newsletter but have been camping for several years. I appreciate your articles. I am a “do it yourself-er” who enjoys making things for my RV. I would love to share some of the things I have made for our RV if you had a place for that. Just let me know. Thanks and happy camping. Thanks!
The comments section for the Ticks article is closed, but there is a mistake in the recommendations: if you can’t get a tick out yourself, don’t leave it in and put alcohol on it. See a doctor or nurse practitioner TODAY and have them remove the tick. The longer the tick is in you the more likely you will be infected by whatever diseases the tick carries.
Don’t sell yourselves short. You´ve done a great job and should continue. There is never enough to say about rving. Keep up the good work.
Please do not stop your weekly article. It is what I look forward to the most especially your traveling experiences. After all it is called RV Travel.
Please continue with your daily joke!!!!
Keep reporting ” The Good the Bad and the Ugly ” I want to know what`s really going on not what I would like to see.
Where is leave with a laugh?
X2!
X3
X4…
Your newsletters give helpful tips. Please do not be so negative in the lack of new campground and the over 400,000 new RV’s sold each year. Having spent a lot for our new motorhome the last thing we need to hear is hiw hard it is getting to find a camping spot. There is nothing we owners can do about it. We have already have spent time with the multitude of warranty problems and dealing with Camping World. I prefer you stick to the helpful information artucles amnd how to fix problems.Thank you.
Robert, crowding is an issue and it will only get worse. You say there is “nothing we RV owners can do about it,” to which we say, “yes, there is.”
I concur,Chuck. Sometimes silence is not golden.
Somebody’s got to “sound the alarm”, I’m sorry about the problems you’ve experienced, I for one am glad to hear someone who’s telling the truth about the RV world. P.S. you’ve learned an important lesson about camping world, I wouldn’t buy toothpicks from them.
But unfortunately, Camping World is buying out all the nice local stores!
Knowing that the RV industry is getting crowded and the possibility of a shortage of camp grounds makes me realize that I’m going to have to plan better during the summer. It also shows me that most of the new RVers are just weekenders so I’ll make sure to have a good campground before the weekend.