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.
More Potential Must-Haves For Travel Season
We may have missed Christmas, but the items I’m listing in this edition of Gotta Have It stand the test of time and season, including some great, compact, and always useful additions to your LTV.
Making Laundry On The Road A Breeze
First up is one of the most useful, weight, space, and plastic trash-saving items you may ever encounter. I guess detergents like this will be the way to go in the future, and soon, for both home and on the road.
Earth Breeze laundry detergent is one of those items we’ll now always carry in our 2015.5 Unity MB, ‘Lucky Us.’ These sheets dispense with those clunky detergent bottles that contribute to the 79 percent of plastics that are never, ever recycled and the estimated 900 million laundry jugs tossed yearly. The sheets are detergent and arrive in the mail in a thin envelope that fits neatly under the vanity sink in our LTV. Drop a sheet into your machine’s detergent dispenser, and you’re done. Do you have a small load? Cut it in half. Each packet contains enough sheets for 60 normal loads of wash. There are other sellers of similar products, either by subscription or on Amazon. Earth Breeze is free of paraben, phosphate, phthalate, bleach, and dye and is fragrance-free.
Be Your Own Barista
I saw my daughter-in-law use her electric cream foamer for coffee at my son’s house in California and immediately thought that this eliminates having either a hand-pumped or electric foamer for those who love to sip java and come up with a creamy mustache. There are battery-operated and rechargeable versions for the sake of not having to carry a charger. I went with the USB-chargeable version. A great space-saver, easily fitting inside our galley cabinets. They’re available on Amazon at multiple price points.
Cashew Chew
Most everyone likes protein bars. Taste + Bliss Coconut Cashew Nut Bar is perfect for a quick on-the-road snack or even a light lunch; if you’re like me, who thinks driving doesn’t burn many calories, why waste them on a burger or other item? These bars are tasty, as the name implies. Each bar contains 8 grams of protein. They come in 8-packs for about $20 on their website.
No Grease Is The Word
If you’re dumping cooking oil, bacon grease, or other similar goo down your RV sink, you’re asking for trouble. You’ve got to get rid of it another way, as you will eventually clog the sink and create your own private “fatberg” inside your wastewater tank. One way is to place any and all into a pet food can. Or, purchase some bags that hold it and dispose of it properly. Bags are available online at locations including Amazon.
No, Crying Over Spilled Wine
Like us, you may carry bottles of wine in your LTV. We often carry several in a cardboard case. Enter Fly with Wine. It’s a way to secure at least two 750mL bottles of wine, or one bottle and one glass in its semi-hard-shell case while toting it to the evening campfire with friends. Since the inner shell is removable and water-resistant, it can also carry other items. It’s about $40 at its website or Amazon.
Got Pests?
We’re all concerned about unwanted passengers, be they wasps trying to nest in your heater exhaust, birds in your air cleaner, or what some have faced during storage, mice in your unit. There are many home remedies that don’t work, and I’m sorry, but that applies to a fave for many here: Irish Spring soap. It simply does not work. If you doubt it, look it up. I’ve seen video tests showing mice eating the overly-scented soap with gusto. Mice and rats can fit through a dime-sized hole, so plugging anything that might provide access is one way. The other we’ve used is a safe, natural repellant.
We’ve used Fresh Cab with; we think, success for years now. We buy ours at the local hardware or stores like Tractor Supply. The main ingredient is Balsam fir oil. Grandpa Gus’ concoctions feature timed-release peppermint oil and cinnamon and are reputed to last up to three months. The packets are also widely available and come in resealable pouches, spray, and powder. Since they’re safe around pets, we prefer these alternatives to poisons, and since both Fresh Cab and Gus work on the same principle, we recommend both.
E-Bikes
E-bikes are great. Most are also very heavy and expensive compared with typical non-composite pedal bikes. But they’re also trending toward getting lighter, so the worry about carting two 100-pound bikes behind your RV may fade. But you may be able to cut the cost through sites like upway.co, a kind of clearing house for “discounted” e-bikes of nearly all types. These certified pre-owned or new models include folding, city, hybrid, mountain, etc. Check it out before you buy.
Everdure Grills
We’ve settled on our grill since it operates off our aft LTV propane port, but if you haven’t yet or prefer charcoal grills, here’s one to consider. It’s the Everdure Cube. They’re right-sized at 13 × 16 × 9 inches and remind me of my old hibachi. Grills are about $160 at Amazon.
I’ll feature more items soon. Have fun with these.
Editor’s Note: The views, recommendations and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Leisure Travel Vans.
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