Handy Hints, Gadgets, Products & Gizmos

[GizmosMom]

Another member suggested a new forum section with new products but it doesn't look like it will be feasible. So I thought I would post this here under General RVing Issues. If enough people post (even if you have mentioned it before in another post) we can keep it near the top?

Do you have a handy hint, a new product or an old product that makes your RVing or Camping much better?

(Sorry, no commercial advertising allowed)

I'll start:

Someone in the Camping Van posted a reference to using a Super-Chamois to wipe down their shower. I have been using an icky old thick sponge and I like the chamois idea so much more.

Now I want to hear what works for you

[holstein13]

blownstang01 wrote:

tomman58 wrote:


Try them on the wife they are good for that also, He HE

It would be near impossible to be far enough away once you cut them off though...

Unless she's the one who put them on, herself.

[blownstang01]

tomman58 wrote:


Try them on the wife they are good for that also, He HE

It would be near impossible to be far enough away once you cut them off though...

[B92F]

Just started on this thread and wanted to move it back to page one. An incredible amount of ideas.

[tomman58]

I can say that I have used ty-wraps for 50 years and I cannot ever remember them breaking . They were made of nylon I think and ranged from about 1/8" to 1/2 " .

One thing I will suggest to you is instead of cutting the excess off with cutters. Turn the excess strap 90 degrees or twist them off as that secures them better.

And of course you can make them longer by joining one to the other.

Try them on the wife they are good for that also, He HE

[wildmanbaker]

The zip ties that are UV resistant are usually black in color. Other colors look good but break down quickly when exposed to sunlight. Lets try to be nice, this to help other RVers remember.

[Dutch_12078]

There's a tag plastic wire tied on the power line where it feeds into the meter box at our NY cottage. It was put there by the power company when we upgraded our service in 1989 and the ties still look good to me.

[popeye59]

Can't say about decades but when I was in the Navy I put some black UV zip ties on the cabling on the mast of one of the ships I was on. Was on her for 3 years (put the ties on about a year before I transferred). Transferred to shore duty for 2 years, then another ship in the area for 3 years and then back to the same shore duty for another 2 years. The shore duty assignment had us working on the ships assisting the ship's crews with repairs. I still saw the zip ties holding the cables in place whenever I would go to that ship. COULD they have broken and been replaced? Maybe, but I kinda doubt it.

[dcmac214]

If memory serves correctly, there's a stainless zip-tie-like loop fastener available.

[legolas]

Gruu wrote:

Lady Fitzgerald wrote:

LTCLarry wrote:

popeye59 wrote:

LTCLarry wrote:

DE88ROX wrote:
Dump the zip ties for some good old fashioned stainless hose clamps. The kind you tighten with a screwdriver.

Why?

Because the non-UV rated zip ties deteriorate relatively quickly, whereas the UV rated ones (which come in many colors besides black), last much longer.

I used UV rated ties. Picked them up at Consolidated Electric. Is there another reason?

Even the UV rated ties are only UV resistant, not UV proof. They still will eventually fail, probably sooner than you think (I'm speaking from experience here). You have a several thousand dollar RV (probably tens of thousands)yet you want to cheap out and use the zip ties? The stainless hose clamps are stronger and pretty much last forever.

Can they be installed without using the tensioner, it looks quite expensive.

time to revisit this post......UV zip ties from Consolidated Electric lasted me from Feb 2013 to Mar 2018 when I traded the trailer. They didn't fail in those 5 years....so they will be my choice for the MH which I traded the TT for....So, for the price of 6 zip ties and the ease of using them IMO that's the way to go....

[legolas]

suerover wrote:
We installed an Ikea wire drawer system in the bottom of our closet.

could you post some pics of that ....just bought a MH and need to do something as well

[dcmac214]

More a bump than a hint/tip that's probably been given already. DW's solution to medicine cabinet storage and the stuff in there roaming all around when travelling is cheap plastic "baskets" that fit perfectly three to a shelf. Sides are high enough to keep everything inside but low enough to get to everything inside without taking the "basket" out.
Also, she stores the spring clothespins on one of them, clipped over the long edge like Soldiers standing in formation.

[dcmac214]

King pin box solution -- I hope!

Past couple years I've managed to keep the birds out of the kingpin box with some stiff sorta-chicken wire mesh, but not the mud daubers. After digging out maybe five pounds of dauber nests I replaced the chicken wire with a flexible sheet of plastic (lid off an old storage bin - and a cheap one at that) cut a little bit larger than the hole, screwed a couple of rusty old cabinet knobs on it to assist positioning and voila! No way the birds can get in and I think the daubers will have to be satisfied with the 2-3" remaining that I couldn't seal off for the wiring harness assembly.

[johnhicks]

We used to get stuff from RV stores because it was lots less expensive than "yacht" gear.

[Veebyes]

There are all kinds of crossover items between boats & RVs. Often a source such as Defender Marine will have a much larger selection than a RV supplier e.g. battery switches & inverter chargers.

Defender was & still is, my favourite toy store. Actually drove into their sticks & bricks store in CT one time, with 5er. That got some stares & comments.

[dcmac214]

Speaking of boating accessories, here's a little bookcase very similar to what I got at a yard sale many decades ago. Books stay put no matter what (rolling the RV excepted...). This pic borrowed from Defender Marine, teak $39.99.