Editor’s Note: This post is written by a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.
As promised in the Fall 2022 edition of my Gotta Have It series, here’s Part Two of some cool items that might make sense for your LTV.
Soup(er)’s On
We planned to take and test at least one or two of these first items on our annual Florida trip, and so far, we like it a lot. It’s one of the most useful items we’ve run across in a while, called Souper Cubes. They’re food-grade silicon trays that come with compartments ranging from one-ounce to two-cup portions, great for pre-trip preparation of several meals that can fit either in our 2015.5 Unity’s fridge or freezer, and they can be put in an oven up to 415 degrees.
We plan to use them for soups and make-ahead meals like chili, pasta sauce, and more. They’ve made an appearance on the TV show Shark Tank, and as someone there thought as well, they look like a winner.
Bike Bags
Speaking of Florida, we’ve been known to ride pedal bikes to the store for essentials rather than unhook and drive. To bring back our loot, we’ve relied on backpacks, but sometimes the stuff we buy doesn’t fit. We think we’ve found a couple of solutions.
If you’re a biker, you know what a pannier is. It’s a system, either one sack or two, that fits over a rack on your bike’s seat post for carrying things on longer trips, and it’s pronounced pan-yer.
North Street Bags of Portland, Oregon, developed the Micro Pannier. Strapped to a rack with a three-point attachment system. The attachment points of the micro bag (pictured above) are two fixed hooks at the top, which fit over the tubing of a rear rack, and a hook on a bungee at the bottom to tension the system and keep it in place. This pannier is a perfect way to get groceries back to your campsite without the risk of crashing while balancing a plastic bag with one hand or draping it over your handlebars and hoping the bag doesn’t give way.
All of North Street’s offerings are made with recycled materials, are extremely water resistant, and each is made to order. Up to three hook sizes are available, depending on the model. Most pannier sizes are measured in liters, ranging from 14-liter micro panniers to 30 liters. There’s also a convenient grocery pannier with grab straps. Prices start around $60. They also make backpacks, handlebar packs, and other snappy items.
Got a front basket? Both North Street, and another maker, Portland Design Works, make bags for front baskets that can expand what you can safely carry. PDW also sells other biking accessories, including headlights, fenders to avoid “skunk stripe syndrome,” and more. Check those out as well. Bags are about $50.
Lunch On The Road
Nearly everyone likes tuna salad, but not the mercury that may be present in some canned tuna. Products from Safe Catch are unique. Each tuna they sustainably catch is tested for contaminants, hand-packed, and comes in convenient compact containers for easy RV storage. They’re available at lots of stores, from Walmart to Kroger and more.
Don’t Blow It
But if you do blow a bike tire on the road, here’s a great compact item that will get you going again quickly. It’s from Slime, makers of that liquid tube sealant. The kit contains levers to get it off the rim and put it back on without causing another leak, inflator, and patches. For a $15, it’s a great addition to your bike kit.
Ride-Alongs
I know many RVers bring a mascot along, be they live like a cat or dog or like a stuffed animal. We once had a small bear dressed as a fly fisherman would. If you’re still looking or have grandkids or kids to entertain, a tiny tagalong from Myriderz might fit your space nicely. These critters ranging from cute elephants to rabbits and dogs would keep the young ones occupied on the way to your next destination or as an LTV mascot.
Underwater Speaker
Why I would want to listen to music through a speaker underwater, I don’t know. But the Barnacle Pro Bluetooth speaker promises you can. It’s also a stand-alone music player holding 2,000 songs. It’s waterproof, so that you can use it normally, too. It charges with a mini USB and is about the size of a hardball baseball. The cost is about $69. For its size, it has good sound quality. But, please, please don’t blast the volume and disturb others. Be nice!
Lookin’ Good On The Road
Lastly, let’s face it, we all want to look good, and these next items fall into the things one can carry in the medicine chest. Two Blithe Cosmetics products get great online reviews from users for both its serums and “vital treatments.” Both Korean-made items contain, among other things, fruit and other natural extracts, and their compact containers don’t take up a lot of room. If you believe these products make you look years or maybe at least weeks younger, they’re about $35 each. Blithe also sells other items like must-have reef-safe sunscreen. As the old commercial says, a little dab’ll do ya.
We’ll be back with another Gotta Have It soon!
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