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RT58 No Mail? No Mice? How to Have No RV Problems!

| Updated Oct 21, 2015

When it comes to RVing, it's thinking about the things you never thought of before that make the biggest difference.

For example, you probably don't want to be halfway across the country on a coast-to-coast trip and realize you didn't make any arrangements for how your mail will be handled.

Nor do you want to set out for your first big trip of the season next spring only to realize mice have spent the winter destroying your RV's insides.

But don't worry because – as you will hear in this episode – we're here to help you know about those things and more. Among other topics discussed in this episode:

  • How to essentially take millions of free books, movies, music, TV shows and more with you on your travels
  • How to find the best and most comfortable bedding for your RV
  • Where full-time RVers should establish “official” residence to get the biggest tax advantages
  • One of the best breweries to visit while RVing in North Carolina
  • How you can be part of a world record-setting RV convoy next March

All that and more in this episode of the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle podcast!

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Show Notes for Episode #58 Oct. 21, 2015 of Roadtreking – The RV Lifestyle Podcast:

First Things First: Mike and Jennifer Heading South As Weather Changes

Mike and Jennifer Wendland kick off the show with a quick recap of a sure sign that the weather is changing and talk about where they are headed next. [spp-timestamp time=”2:06″]

Jennifer's Tip of the Week: Access to Millions of Free Books, Movies, TV Shows, Music, and More

Jennifer's Tip of the Week for episode 58 is about the Internet Archive – a nonprofit organization dedicated to disseminating as much knowledge via Internet as possible. That includes through the use of books, audio recordings (yes, there's music), movies, TV shows, images/photos, even old software. [spp-timestamp time=”2:58″]

Listener Tip: Can You Tell Me More About the RV Superbag?

A listener named Jean asks about the RV Superbag that Mike and Jennifer use. Jennifer suggests going for the most comfort by using sheets with a thread count of more than 500. The RV Superbag is available at: https://www.rvsuperbag.com/ [spp-timestamp time=”7:10″]

Listener Question: How Do You Deal with Mail When RVing?

Trisha, Michelle and Karen from DakotaPost
Trisha, Michelle and Karen from DakotaPost

Two Roadtreking listeners ask a great question about what to do with home mail while on long RV trips. Mike and Jennifer tap the knowledge of the folks at DakotaPost (dakotapost.net), a mail forwarding company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that works with the Family Motorcoach Association in handling mail forwarding and offering virtual mailboxes.  Trisha, Michelle, and Karen from DakotaPost join us to talk about how the service works. [spp-timestamp time=”10:27″]

Bonus Tip: Full-time RVers Should Consider South Dakota Residence

While talking about the South Dakota-based DakotaPost, Mike and Jennifer learn about several reasons full-time RVers should consider making South Dakota their official residence, including:

  • No income tax
  • No personal property tax
  • No inheritance tax
  • No tangible tax on investments
  • Low auto insurance rates

They also learn what it takes to actually become a resident of South Dakota, which is not much, and how to get a state driver's license.

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Listener Tip: How to Keep Mice and Other Rodents Out of Your RV

mouse3_175016A Roadtreking listener named Bob passes along a great tip about keeping rodents out of your RV, which is especially useful heading into the colder parts of the year. In short, you need to block their access – specifically, around the tires. Bob's tip is all about how to do just that using some properly placed sheet metal. [spp-timestamp time=”27:04″]

RV News of the Week: Signs of Winter at Glacier, RVer Arrested after Sewage leak, Alligator Killed in Florida State Park

Glacier Closing Sign of Winter: In what is a very tangible sign that winter is approaching fast, Glacier National Park's Logan Pass has been closed to traffic for the season. (Read more) [spp-timestamp time=”32:51″]

New Hampshire RVer Busted After Dumping: A driver in New Hampshire was arrested after his RV spilled sewage into a cruiser driven by a police officer who ended up arresting the man for an outstanding warrant. (Read more) [spp-timestamp time=”35:42″]

Alligator Killed After Body Found: A 12-foot alligator was killed in Blue Spring State Park after a swimmer there was found dead. (Read more) [spp-timestamp time=”37:49″]

This portion of the podcast is brought to you by Alde, the only name in heat that you need to know for your RV.

The Alde hydronic system brings many features and benefits not found with any other product.

  1. Silent Radiant Heat – providing a warm even natural heated interior. Great for pets. (And Humans)
  2. Increased Interior Space by combining two systems in one.
  3. Efficiency. The whole system draws less than 1 amp on 12V DC and will extend the life of your propane roughly 40 percent over forced air.
  4. Heating on Electric or Gas.
  5. Multiple Options and Amenities: Towel Warmers, Floor Heat, Tank Heating, 4 Season Camping, Engine Heat, Driver Comfort,
  6. Modern Programable Color Touch Screen Thermostat and Interface
  7. Minimal Side-Wall Penetration. Small combined intake and exhaust eliminate big cut outs and sidewall congestion.

Thingamajig of the Week: The Latest in Smartphones

Paul Ulreich, Verizon's Uber User, joins the show to talk about when to upgrade your smartphone. [spp-timestamp time=”41:58″]

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest and most reliable 4G LTE network.

You’re out with some buddies at a restaurant and you all hear a device vibrate on the table. Everyone checks their phone at the same time wondering if it was them. Except for you. You checked your wrist and knew it was for you because you felt the notification on your Samsung Gear S2.

Having a network connected wearable with standalone capability means you can call, text, email, and more without having your phone near you.

A connected wearable with standalone capability also means more than just sending and receiving messages. It means you can use apps like Twitter Trends to stay up to date with top tweets, or you can find a new place to eat with friends using Yelp for Gear – all without taking your phone out of your pocket or even having it close by.

The Gear S2 is designed with a circular interface and rotating bezel to easily navigate through your notifications, apps and widgets. You can also personalize it with custom watch faces and interchangeable watch bands to create a watch that’s perfectly “you.”

The Samsung Gear S2 is now available to pre-order for $349.99 and will be available for purchase online and in stores beginning Nov. 6. Customers can also pre-order for $299.99 with a new two-year activation. Customers can add the Gear S2 to their Verizon account for $5 per month. The Gear S2 from Verizon will be available in Dark Grey and Silver color models.

Visit Roadtreking.com/vzw for stories about how technology can enhance and improve your life.

RV Calendar: World's Longest Motorhome Convoy in March 2016

Coming up in March, it's the World's Longest Motorhome Convoy [spp-timestamp time=”46:33″]

Hosted by National Indoor RV Centers, the event takes place March 12-15 and will travel from Conyers to Perry, Georgia. The event will feature catered meals, daily activities, entertainment, and more. Registration is first come, first serve. More information can be found at: https://jayco.wufoo.com/forms/marchfest/

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Off the Beaten Path: Sierra Nevada Brewery, Mills Rover, North Carolina

Sierra1This week we have a great report from Roadtreker Doug Piper, who joins us to talk about a tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Mills Rover, North Carolina. [spp-timestamp time=”48:30″]

Among other things, Doug tells you why this beautiful facility may want to be the latest addition to your RV bucket destination list.

 

 

SierraHere's a link to the tour: https://frontend.brightcalendar.com/Default.aspx?calendarId=840w.sierranevada.com/

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Leisure Time RV, serving central Florida and the Internet from Winter Garden, Florida

Leisure Time RV, a family-owned dealership in Winter Garden, Florida, near Orlando has been in business for 45 year and is consistently among the top Roadtrek dealers in North America. They have a full line of the Roadtrek inventory as well as travel trailers and used RVs. Jennifer and I have visited Leisure Time RV and we know the staff and we are very impressed by the honesty, integrity and first rate service we found there. Let's check on with the staff at Leisure Time RV to find out what's happening this week.

Please Subscribe and Give Us a Rating and Review!

Many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review.

Here’s how:

How to subscribe, rate and review a podcast

First, open up the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top
> From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast.
> Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page
> From there (see photo above), you can…

1) Subscribe

2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much.

3) Leave a written review.

Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review!

And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.

Mike Wendland

Published on 2015-10-21

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

3 Responses to “RT58 No Mail? No Mice? How to Have No RV Problems!”

October 24, 2015at3:35 pm, Debbie Reedy said:

I have a 31 ft motor home rv and were in my nieces driveway and the sewer/toilet is completely full and i have noway to get to a dump station nor do we have money. Any ideas on what we can do?

October 26, 2015at11:36 am, Tracy Allen Barnett said:

Although it can be kinda messy, we have used a 5 gallon pail and emptied the tank little bits at a time. Then we have dumped it into the household toilet (little bits at a time – not the whole pail) and flushed it away. This might be a total pain, but it is a way to take care of it. Or just use the toilet in the house in the future (if your niece doesn’t mind) and use a “honey bucket” (like a chamber pot of old) that can be emptied every day.

October 26, 2015at12:21 pm, Debbie Reedy said:

We use the house toilet. When we bought the rv from a different family member they had let someone barriw the rv and they td us that the rv sewer ws pumped. They were wrong we just got it last month and i had ti yse it on an emergency and fiu,d out it was completly full to the rim..thank you for letting us kniw that we can use a 5gsllon bucket. Well have to do that.

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