JuJuDeals

• 28May

  Holy 12 Volt Touchscreen Technology, Batman!

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  “That’s right, chum. The NX-684 Touchscreen In-Dash DVD/MP3/CD/USB Player and TV Tuner I’ve just installed in the Batmobile is going to be an enormous help in our never-ending war on the criminal element.”

  “And it won’t hurt with the ladies, either, Batman.”

  “That it won’t, my young squire, though I think you still have a few years to go before you’ll really need to start dealing with them, aha! In any case, the highly receptive touchscreen means we won’t have to fumble around with the buttons to access the features we want, and the remote control will let even a backseat DJ in on the fun. The TV Tuner will also let us check the local news for breaking emergencies.”

  “Well, first off, Batman, does the Batmobile even have a backseat? Also, regarding the girls… I’m 32, Bruce. You can’t keep pretending I’m still a kid. Which reminds me, I’ve really been meaning to talk to you about this costume. It was pretty silly even when I was 12. As it stands, I feel completely ridiculous going outside in this thing. Have you seen the way Joker laughs at me?”

  “Robin, Joker laughs at everything. That’s sort of his schtick. You can’t take him seriously, you know that. Now come here, I want to show you how the ID3 Text Function displays track information on the device we’ve just installed.”

  “Quit changing the subject! I’m used to Joker laughing at everything, but now when we jump in through the skylight, I see him lean over to his henchmen and snicker. It’s different and you know it! I’m a grown man, Batman. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be fighting crime in a red muscle shirt, a yellow half-cape, and green speedos. I don’t even remember how you sold me on these Peter Pan shoes 20 years ago.”

  “Oh, come now, son. That uniform isn’t too different from Aquaman’s. He’s been sporting speedos for years!”

  “Exactly my point! If people are comparing you to Aquaman, you know you’re doing something wrong. That man’s only friends are fish.”

  “Now that’s not fair, Robin. Aquaman has done a lot for-”

  “Look, here’s how it’s gonna be, Bruce. I’m having Alfred design me a new uniform, and I’m borrowing the Batmobile tonight. I plan on using the Auxiliary Input Jack on the Touchscreen Player to plug in my MP3 player and get a mood-setting mix going for my date tonight.”

  “You have a date!? I didn’t okay this!”

  “Bruce! Live in the now! You don’t get to okay my romantic life, I’m not a kid anymore, despite what this costume would indicate. Selena and I are gonna have a night on the town, and you just need to be okay with it.”

  “Catwoman!? Chum, you can’t seriously be going on a date with Catwoman! She’ll steal the NX-684 the second that she sees it accepts MP3 CDs, USB, DVDs, SD, and MM cards!”

  “Not with its motorized, removable faceplate and LED security lights, she won’t. Besides, we’re leaving the costumes behind tonight. This is just two people going on a regular date. In the Batmobile.”

  “Isn’t she a little old for you, Robin?”

  “She may not be in the Catwoman costume when I pick her up, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still a Cougar.”

  Tags: 12 volt, Batman, car audio, car stereo, dvd player, multimedia, touchscreen

• 27May

  Almost there

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  You know those days when you wake up with a spring in your step, drive to your place of employment while whistling a happy tune, and settle in to your work rhythm before having your parade dampened with the realization that it’s not the day you thought it was? The scientific term for that experience is “Thursday.” Sorry if we’re the ones that are breaking the “Hey buddy, it’s not Friday yet” news to you, but it was bound to happen eventually. Or even worse, what if you didn’t figure it out all day and just never showed up for work tomorrow? That probably wouldn’t fly too well with your coworkers. You should be thanking us.

  What can you do, then, to stave off the crippling wave of betrayal that threatens to wash over you in light of such a terrible discovery? What in the world could possibly keep you from cursing the heavens that have forsaken you, weeping in the darkness, and defenestrating yourself? (”Defenestrate” is the actual word for “ejection from a window.” Yes, apparently this act was common enough at some point that it was necessary to create a word for it.)

  Well, it really boils down to having something to look forward to. Studies have shown that elderly folks can stave off the icy claw of the reaper for a considerable amount of time if they have some kind of obligation or goal, like regular meetings with friends at a community center, seeing a grandchild graduate, finishing a book, and the like. Having something to look forward to is pretty much the principle reason anyone gets out of bed, ever. Think how terrible life would be if every morning you woke up to the realization that the day can only be equal to or worse than the day before. Yeah, pretty bleak.

  So as you’re sitting here, feeling your willpower fade, think about some of the things you’re looking forward to at the end of the day. Thursday is, of course, a great day for TV. A lot of networks put their best stuff on Thursdays, so you can anticipate sitting on your comfy couch, flipping on your 26″ LCD HDTV, and unwinding. You can plan out what you’re going to make for dinner. You can look forward to playing some music and sitting in a bathtub or spa. You can snuggle your significant other. You can play with your dog. What you can not do is let Thursday win. That smug jerk of a day is always sitting there, like a lunchtime bully, waiting to pummel you a little bit before you get to Friday. Don’t give it the satisfaction of beating you.

  Don’t worry about Friday. Friday provides its own motivation. You just need to make it that far. We believe in you.

  Tags: electronics, HDTV, Thursday

• 26May

  Hot Skin Test

  How To Guides, Tips and Tricks No Comments

  Sounds like a pretty sexy test, right? Well, sorry to get your hopes up, but it’s actually pretty tame. Unless you get all steamy for precautionary safety measures on recreational vehicles, that is. The Hot Skin Test is the name for a test you can perform to determine whether or not your rig has an electrical short, and it is just about the most important test you can perform for your RV, perhaps next to the “Is my RV currently on fire?” test and the “Is my RV sinking to the bottom of a large body of water?” test.

  Usually this is done by professionals, and we recommend that you carry on that tradition in the name of safety. Obviously, some of you are professional electricians, so we leave it to your better judgment in deciding if you want to do this test on your own. This test is important to perform whether your RV has a lot of exposed metal or not. Even fiberglass RVs have the electrical system attached to the metal chassis somewhere, so no RV is immune from injuring or killing you with a high resistance electrical short. Exciting!

  Here’s how a Hot Skin Test works:

  • Plug the shoreline into shore power.
  • Make certain all the circuit breakers are flipped to “on.”
  • Adjust your Volt-Ohm-meter to test at the 250 volt AC scale.
  • Attach a test lead onto a bare, metal surface somewhere on the RV. If you have a fiberglass RV, you can use the metal entry steps or some part of the chassis.
  • Attach the remaining test lead to an earth ground. You can use a grounded water pipe or drive a grounding stake into the earth somewhere nearby.
  • Check your Volt-Ohm-meter. If it reads “0,” there’s no high resistance electrical short. Good for you! You can celebrate a little, but don’t get all smug about it.
  • However, if you do measure some voltage, you’ve got a high resistance short. Repair it before you use the RV! This is non-negotiable!
  • Switch the test leads and measure again.
  • Repeat the test on a different component of the RV’s exposed metal.
  • Get the rig repaired.
  • Do the test again from the beginning. Repeat as necessary.

  How do you know if you may have a high resistance short on your hands? Well, there are several potential warning signs. Check your AC wires regularly for wear, tear, nicks, cuts, bends, and pinches. Another helpful sign is if you feel buzzing, shocking, pain, or anything else associated with human-on-electricity action when touching the ground and a metal part of the RV. If the sensation disappears when you detach the 120 volt power source, you almost certainly have a high resistance short.

  So that’s that. Check this stuff out, stay on top of it, and keep your friends, family, and self out of harm’s way. Trust us, it’s a much better option than letting it go and just hoping you get superpowers from a freak RV electrical accident. That almost never happens, and if it did, you’d probably get a really stupid set of powers. RVs aren’t exactly known for their ability to grant amazing superhuman abilities in the same way that radioactive spiderbites, dying alien worlds, and flying mechanical armor suits are.

  Tags: 12 volt, 12 volt systems, electrical maintenance, Hot Skin Test, misleading names, RV, Safety

• 25May

  When you’re a werewolf…

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  … life can be pretty ruff (Oh, hush. You’d have made that pun if you were in our shoes, too). For instance, do you know when the full moon is this month? Unless you’re an astronomer, an astrologist, or some other type of moon enthusiast, probably not. Werewolves don’t have the option of not knowing when the moon is full. They have to be super on top of that (it’s in two days, by the way). Otherwise they’re gonna wake up with a terrible headache, probably naked, with the worst case scenario being several unexplained murders and their best case scenario being something along the lines of that Michael J. Fox movie Teen Wolf. We don’t know if you’ve seen Teen Wolf, but it may be the only time in recorded history where the best case scenario is somehow worse than the worst case scenario.

  So what can you do when the full moon looms and your lycanthropic heritage threatens to burst forth, destroying everything you hold dear? Pretty easy, actually. Just do the same thing you’re probably doing a couple other nights a week already. Pull down the curtains, sit on the couch, and watch something on your HD LCD TV. Or pop in a movie, cause it plays DVDs, too. And no, don’t do the “Oh, hey, it’s pretty foggy out, I think I’ll risk it” thing, cause anyone who’s seen a werewolf movie knows that only ends one way, and it’s not well.

  Now, just because you bear a biological compulsion that transforms you into a hair-trigger wildcard every month doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy travel. Girls have been dealing with a similar process since the dawn of time, and you don’t see them complaining about it. It just requires planning, whether that planning is knowing which weeks to not wear a bathing suit or what steps to take to mitigate homicidal rampages. This is why studies have shown that RVs are the favorite method of travel for the werewolf community.

  RVs allow you to travel on your terms. You decide when and where to stop, as well as for how long. This works out great when you’re too far from town to reach a hotel before the moon comes out. Just do the same thing you would do at home; cover the windows and watch something on your 12 volt HD LCD TV/DVD Player. Bring some DVDs, for sure, just in case you don’t get reception where you parked. You don’t want to risk getting bored and peeking out the window.

  Yes, in this day and age of modern conveniences, lycanthropy is no longer the unbearable, life-destroying curse it used to be. With a little planning and dedication, you can go several years at a time without mauling and maiming frightened villagers. Hey, maybe you should try out for a professional ball team! If they’ll look the other way for juicing, they’ll probably look the other way for supernatural curses.

  Tags: 12 volt tv, HDTV, RV travel, werewolves

• 24May

  Perils of the Dancefloor

  Tips and Tricks No Comments

  What’s that? You just got a new wall-mountable CD/MP3 stereo micro-system? Well, you’re obviously going to want to put that thing through its paces, and the best way to do that is with a party. Who knows, maybe you have a birthday coming up. Even if you don’t, Memorial Day is right around the corner. However, before you invite your friends, make a party playlist, and pour the remnants of all your junk food bags into a bowl and call it “snack mix,” you should absorb a little knowledge here. Parties, especially birthday and holiday parties, tend to be comprised of equal parts Friends, Music, and Adult Beverages. As soon as at least two of those things approach critical mass, the only possible outcome is dancing. Dancing is a lot of fun. It is good exercise and a great way to blow off steam. Dancing can also be an awkward and torturous experience for others when someone is getting just a wee bit too loose for their own good. Compare this checklist of bad dance etiquette to yourself and your friends, so you have some warning. Forewarned is forearmed, and nailing this stuff ahead of time can give you the opportunity to change your un-suave ways, to fiddle with the guest list, or to have an intervention with the friend that seems to think taking their pants off and whirling them overhead like a lasso is an actual dance move that should be executed at every opportunity, whichever the case may be. To start things off, we’ll continue with the dancer we just mentioned:

  • The Clothing Remover. This is the person, and we’re not pointing fingers (cause we don’t need to, everyone is already going to notice that you have no clothes on), who can’t get farther than three songs or two drinks in before removing an article of clothing.  Sometimes it’s a shirt, sometimes its pants, eventually it’s both. Coincidentally, this is the person who will usually be wearing some manner of non-clothing item before the night is through, such as a lampshade or a beach towel tied like a superhero cape. At some point in their life, most people don the mantle of The Clothing Remover for a party or two. Some people just never got used to clothes, and do it every chance they get. Some eventually evolve into The Mischievous Instigator, extending their free-and-easy beliefs to everyone else at the party, sowing seeds of clothes evaporation among the masses. There’s a time and a place, folks. If you’re throwing a party, make sure you know who the Clothing Removers and Mischievous Instigators are, so you can plan accordingly.
  • The Close Dancer. Everyone has danced with The Close Dancer at some time. They haven’t had a choice. The Close Dancer understands personal space about as well as puppies understand the intricacies of quantum thermodynamics, which is to say they are largely unaware such a thing even exists. The Close Dancer is fairly harmless, if a little awkward, but be warned. With continued application of Adult Beverages, The Close Dancer has a high chance of evolving into The Freak Dancer.
  • The Freak Dancer. Like The Close Dancer, they’re shaking it inside your personal bubble. Unlike The Close Dancer, they’re probably bumping, grinding, and generally letting their freak flag fly. Depending on the makeup of the party, a little Dirty Dancing may be in order. Patrick Swayze would certainly think so. If you’re at your elderly aunt’s third wedding or your nephew’s bar mitzvah, however, maybe it’s not the best time to engage in the following activities: dropping it like it’s hot, backing that thing up, making it clap, getting freak-nasty, or anything else that makes it look like you and your dance partner somehow got your zippers stuck together.
  • The Buoy. This one isn’t really offensive to anybody. It’s just sort of embarrassing to the dancer. We almost went with calling this one “The Old-Timey Cartoon,” as the dancer isn’t really dancing so much as bobbing up and down in place like a Betty Boop character. If you can compare your dancing to a small child who has to pee, but doesn’t want to, we’re afraid we have to tell you that you are a Buoy. Still, there are worse fates. You can even fix this one pretty easily. Just loosen those legs, amigo! Get your shoulders into it! Wiggle your hips! Dancing is about moving your body to the music, so unless you listen to nothing but Bavarian Oompah music, bobbing isn’t gonna cut it. Loosen up!
  • The Wiggler. Some people just don’t have much sense of rhythm. The Wiggler is one of those people. They just can’t seem to move their body to the beat of the music, let alone get the individual limbs to coordinate with each other. An example of this dancer can be seen pretty much any time you get a little kid to dance to music. Not knowing too much about dancing beyond “arrhythmically shake your body while listening to music,” children simply hop and wiggle as though they were playing three simultaneous games of Hokey Pokey. If you dance like this, it is possible to change your ways, but honestly, we’re not gonna tell you to. You may dance look a goober, but everyone notices and appreciates your childlike enthusiasm for getting out on the dance floor and really working it out. More power to you.

  So there you have it. There’re people that can dance, and there’re the people listed above. Good luck getting them all to play nice. Oh, and if you something up there hit a little too close for comfort, you got no one to blame but yourself, buddy. Or crack (or was it quack?) team of doctors prescribes that you watch some dance instruction on Youtube and practice in front of a full length mirror. You may never beat Michael Jackson in a fancy footwork competition, but at least it won’t look like Moses parting the Red Sea around you on the dance floor.

  Tags: cd player, dancing, Memorial Day, mp3 player, party, Stereo

• 21May

  Pac-pac-pac

  How To Guides No Comments

  If you, like many people, have been to Google’s homepage today, (or if, like us nerds, you heard about this already,) then you know today is the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man. Yep, that hungry little puck of yellow pixels has been eating energy pellets, navigating mazes, and doing battle with ghosts since 1980. His influence is undeniable, his appetite insatiable, and his game surprisingly still quite fun. Yes, there were regrettable (if hilarious) consequences to the cultural zeitgeist of Pac-Man, but we try not to spend too much time dwelling on those.

  So, in honor of the first guy to turn eating while moving into a cultural pastime, we have here some recipes for RV cooking. Sorry, no instructions for making energy pellets.

  Appetizer: Bacon & Cheese-stuffed Mushrooms

  • Fry and crumble 4 strips of bacon
  • Remove the stems from 15 fresh, large mushrooms and wash the caps
  • Combine the crumbled bacon with 8 oz. of cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. of sour cream, 1/8 tsp of dill seed, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and mix well
  • Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture
  • Toss a pinch of dillweed on each mushroom
  • Lightly butter a baking sheet and place the caps on it
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees

  Main Course: Sloppy Joes

  • Brown and drain 1 lb. of ground beef and a 1/2 cup of chopped onion
  • Add 3 Tbsp. of ketchup, 1 Tbsp. of mustard, 1 tsp. of chili powder, and 1 can of chicken
  • Simmer for 30 minutes
  • Toast rolls or hamburger buns and spoon on some sloppy joe
  • Garnish with cheddar cheese and slivered onions

  Dessert: Apple Pie Cake

  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp. of salt
  • 1 tsp. of cinammon
  • 1 tsp. of nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. of baking soda
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of chopped candied walnuts
  • 1 cup of diced apples
  • 1 tsp. of vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp. of hot water
  • Mix the ingredients in the listed order.
  • Grease a 9″ pie pan and fill with batter
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
  • Serve with whipped cream and à la mode

  Tags: Pac-man, RV cooking, travel eating

• 20May

  Ladies and Gentlemen: The Future

  Consumer Electronics News No Comments

  Anyone reading this blog likely knows that all of the electronics in their RV reside at some point on their rig’s 12 volt electrical system. Like markers on a circular racetrack, if you follow the circuit, you’ll pass by each one in turn. Anyone who is reading this blog and has had their RV for a while also knows that when something goes wrong in the 12 volt circuit or in a device that sits on the circuit, repairs can be a painstaking and laborious process of guessing games. It kinda makes you wonder why no one has taken advantage of the fact that your 12 volt electronics are all interconnected, perhaps devising some bit of diagnostic wizardry to let you know what part of which thing is misbehaving.

  Well, someone did. It’s called RC-V and it’s becoming increasingly popular in RV design. The RC-V standard allows your 12 volt devices to network or “multiplex” with each other and with a central diagnostic port. This has been a common convenience on most regular automobiles for a while now, but is only recently making its benefits known to the RV operator. Now, instead of having a repairman come check each part of the circuit and the many parts of each individual device to find malfunctions and miscalibrations, the technician can just come up to the diagnostic port, plug in their laptop, and get a specific message about what to fix.

  Another helpful faculty afforded by multiplexing is the ability to program controls for various devices and activities. The diagnostic port can allow you to set timers for lights and generators, inform you of structural elements of the RV you may have forgotten to retract, or even configure an array of modes for things like “dinner time” and “movie watching.” This convenience, coupled with the streamlining that comes from having all of your options presented clearly and in one place, are set to revolutionize RV design and use.

  So don’t be afraid of the RC-V standard. It is the future of RVs and it is your friend. Having your 12 volt technology cooperating and speaking the same language between each device can only make your life easier. If it starts going by “Hal” and calls you “Dave,” though, we’d suggest maybe spending the night in a motel.

  Tags: 12 volt, 12 volt electronics, multiplexing, networking, RC-V, RV, RVs

• 19May

  5 Uses for a Talking Photo Frame

  Our Products News, Tips and Tricks 1 Comment

  You may be thinking to yourself, “Self, if someone were to ask me what I could do with a 7″ digital photo frame with speakers, I bet I’d be able to tell them pretty easily,” and that’s probably true. But the response you would give to the theoretical question is probably a pretty generic one. You can get way more creative than just popping vacation photos and a Jimmy Buffet song on the thing and leaving it on the shelf.

  1. Regular style. Put a few meaningful pictures and sentimental songs on it. Put it by the front door, on a shelf, or in the hallway so guests can enjoy the virtual tour of your life.
  2. Highly targeted motivational device. Download pictures of people winning races, climbing mountains, rocking on stage, or whatever else the end goal of your current aspirations are. Have it play Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, You’re the Best by Joe Esposito, and anything else you can think of that oozes 80’s inspirational montage. Use it as an evolving motivational poster, a slightly ridiculous visualization tool, and a private trainer for your home gym.
  3. Ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend inoculation. If you’re the sort of person who, in their weaker (or more inebriated) moments, is known for trying to jumpstart old relationships that ended in some degree of disaster, this can really help you avoid doing that. Load pictures of your various exes (especially ones that are unflattering, display a personal quirk you couldn’t stand, or remind you of a huge fight), then record and load yourself giving brief explanations of why you are not with that person any longer. Nothing will freeze those nostalgic feelings in their tracks like seeing a picture of your ex letting their dog lick their open mouth while your voice chastises you for thinking you should get back with the person who said you were their soulmate on the first date.
  4. The Best Valentine’s Gift You’ve Ever Even Heard Of.
  5. Baby Hypnosis Unit. Put pictures of mom, pop, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, gran-gran, pep-pep, and anyone else you like enough to permanently imprint onto a baby’s malleable psyche. Load up lullabies, family and friends saying loving or reassuring things, and other baby-friendly audio materials. Mount it near the standard baby funtime chandelier and turn it on from time to time so your baby can strengthen its eye muscles and recognition skills while you brainwash it into unyielding loyalty.

  We could do this all day, but we think you get the idea. The uses for a device like this are really only limited by your imagination. What other “outside the box” applications can you think of? As usual, drop it in the comments, amigos!

  Tags: baby hypnosis, digital photo frames, gift ideas

• 14May

  ‘Sup, dog?

  Tips and Tricks No Comments

  Dogs are great for a lot of reasons. They’re loyal, loving, and always glad to see you. You could be a total jerkwad, and your dog would still love you. We’ll bet you even money that when the Devil gets home from work, Cerberus runs up and licks him with all three heads. Your dog thinks you’re just the best person in the world. It’s like having a kid that will never turn into a teenager and shout “I hate you, you ruin everything!” before slamming their door and blogging furiously for hours. It makes perfect sense that you’d want to bring your four-legged pal with you on an RV trip, especially if the whole family’s going. If you’re planning on taking Fido, though, there are some considerations you’ll want to make to keep him safe and happy.

  

  Okay, maybe not quite THAT happy.

  Just as with you and the other bipedal members of your family, there are certain safety and common sense protocols to follow when travelling with a pet, lest you leave Rover open for discomfort, injury, and dog-forbid, death. With cats, it’s a different story. You have 8 more chances to get it right with cats. With dogs, BOOM, straight to doggy heaven. So what can you do to ensure the safety and happiness of your pup? Pssh, why’re you asking us? What would we know about it? Maybe you’ll get lucky and a bulleted list will happen to come by with all the answers.

  Oh, hey!

  • When you’re moving, your dog needs to be in some manner of safety harness, just like you are. There are several methods for this, ranging from dog carrier to specialized straps and harnesses. Consider your dog’s size and disposition to figure out what will best suit your needs. Do not use duct tape.
  • Pull over every three hours to give Lassie a chance to stretch her legs, run around, relieve herself, chase a squirrel, and drink some water. Dogs are not like people, and are not especially entertained by movies and TV during a road trip. They’re in it for the smelling of foreign trees and the chasing of critters.
  • Make sure his shots are up to date before you leave. You don’t want him catching some weird nature disease or getting infested with bugs that will certainly make themselves at home in your rig. When having him checked out, ask the vet if there’s anything other medical provisions you should consider.
  • Bring his favorite toys.
  • Think ahead! Don’t stay at RV camps that don’t allow dogs. Make sure that all the places you journey too will be okay with canine companionship.
  • If you’re going somewhere that could be dangerous for your dog to roam free, due to nearby traffic, wild animals, active volcanoes, or haunted Native American burial mounds, look into getting a doggy playpen. They’re usually large, easily constructible, mesh-tent-like structures. You can also go the old fashioned route and get a long leash tied to a sturdy tree.
  • Make sure your dog has a collar and tags! This is very important if he happens to run off and get lost. Adding a small, clear plastic luggage tag isn’t a bad idea either, as it lets you put down your campsite info at each new destination.
  • Bring your pets medical records, as well as directions for its care in case something happens to you.
  • Bring a dog pillow for Sparky to sleep on at night.
  • Bring lots of your dog’s usual food.
  • Don’t leave your dog’s droppings for other people to deal with. It’s gross and rude
  • Don’t give your dog water if you’ll be travelling in an hour or two.
  • Bring tick and flea repellent.
  • Train your dog not to run rampant over other people’s campgrounds, and definitely train it not to bark at every rodent running by. Nothing will get your RV egged faster than a dog barking all night long.

  Last, have fun with your dog. Play with it, run with it, show it all the fun new places you go. Brush it, pet it, cuddle with it, and give it a bone or treat from time to time. All the new surroundings will be both exciting and confusing for your dog, to say nothing of the incomprehensibility of travel, so giving your dog some stability and familiarity will help it adjust to enjoy RVing as much as you.

  Tags: dogs, RV travel, RVs, travelling with pets

• 13May

  Nickels and dimes

  Tips and Tricks No Comments

  There are plenty of overhauls you can perform to increase the efficiency of your RV and its 12 volt electrical systems. We’ve gone over some of them in previous entries, such as adding solar panels and wind turbines. That’s all well and good, but as anyone who has ever done their own home repair or taken a kid to an amusement park can tell you, it’s the compounding nickel and dime stuff that’ll kill you. Luckily for you, there are scads of ways to boost efficiency on your rig, whether your aim is lowering your carbon footprint or just lowering the amount you spend on feeding the beast.

  A big one is efficient appliances. There’s been some scandal recently about the whole Energy Star thing, with some of the appliances supposedly rated “highly efficient” actually being “crummy, regular efficiency.” Check Consumer Reports and various online resources to find what really saves you energy and what just comes with an Energy Star sticker on it. Since power is always at a premium on an RV, getting the most bang for your buck can help out a lot.

  On that topic, let’s talk light bulbs. The old incandescents don’t really cut it anymore. They’re inefficient, short lived, break easily, and lose most of their energy to heat. The newer energy-saver bulbs are a big improvement, being much more efficient, durable, and longer lasting. However, the new technology coming down the pipe is LED illumination. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, and you’ve seen them all over the place whether you realize it or not. They look like tiny, bead-sized light bulbs, and come in many colors. If you have a keychain flashlight, chances are the bulb is an LED. What’s so great about these things is that they are ludicrously energy efficient, highly durable, astoundingly long lasting, and getting cheaper by the day. New LED light bulb technologies are being developed that encase dozens of LEDs in a bulb shape, giving off more light than a regular bulb. As it stands, one of these will probably run you $30-$40. Sounds crazy? Yeah, until you realize they use 80% less juice and last for a mind-boggling 25,000 hours. You could leave them on, nonstop, for nearly 3 years before they’d need to be replaced. Not bad at all.

  As for other little things, just look around your rig and ask yourself what can be improved. Are your windows tinted and temperature resistant? Do you have any gaps or cracks in your weather sealing? Are your air filters clean? When was your last oil change? Are your tires filled to the appropriate level? Are the couches, beds, dishes, etc. the most lightweight models you could find? Does your faucet or shower head leak? Is the weight of your RV evenly distributed on both sides of the rig? Is your alignment good?

  The great thing about these fixes is that most of them are simple weekend projects. You can knock them out easily one after the other, enjoy the benefits of greater energy efficiency, and feel like you’ve done something good for yourself and the world. It’s a win-win situation, gang. What’s more, hybrid RV chassis are just around the corner, which should finally put a stake in the heart of the gasoline vampire that bleeds the wallet of every RV vacationer.

  One day in the future, RVs are just gonna be solar powered floating bubbles or something, and it’s going to be awesome.

  Tags: easy fixes, efficiency, green, RV

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