Hints, Tricks and Gadgets/Tools --- small ones.

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I used to work at Radio Shack.. one Christmas.
RS back then was a decent parts store.. alas not so their last few years.
Radio Shack dot com (or some variation of that) was back last I knew.
But the last few years... Not much there I was interested in.
Still have an Realistic CB.
 
We still have them north of the 49. They were rebranded into "The Source" but they are basically a phone shop. They still sell the batteries, some TV mounts, HDMI cords etc but nothing like they used to be.
 
Yup, The Shack used to be a place I visited regularly, even before I bought my TRS-80 in 1978. Apparently the general drive towards "cheap" and "online" did them in, unable to match outfits with little overhead.
 
Hey Larry

I owned a TRS-80 too! Started with 8K (Yes K not M or G) then I saved up and bought the upgrade to 16K! It came with a tape deck to save and load programs.

I also bought the voice synth, that was fun to play with!
 
I did not read all 29 pages of this thread and ideas here, so this may be a repeat:

Tip:

Trash can too tall for the standard "tall" kitchen trash bags and when you start putting stuff in the trash can, the bag comes over the edge of the can and falls inside. Next time you want to add more to the trash can, you have to fish the bag out first and get it back over the edges?

Solution: Wrap a bungie cord around the trash bag and trash can near the top, all the way around. The bags don't fall inside any more.

Tip:
Occasionally pour your dishwashing soap water down the toilet to help keep the black tank cleaner and smelling better.

Tip:
Rather than carry an arsenals of mechanic tools in your camper, carry only those tools that actually fit something on your camper. You'll be surprised how much you can eliminate.
 
Another tip I just remembered:

Attention all you coffee drinkers!

Do you have a coffee pot (electric) that does not have a timer on it? So, in the morning you prepare your coffee, then plug in the coffee pot and flip the "on" button. It perks, or drips, and then you sit and wait for 15-20 minutes before you can get your first cup of coffee! Oh how depressing!

Solution:

Pick up a 24 hour on-off timer from Wall Mart (about $10.00) and set it so it will turn on about 30 minutes before you plan on getting up in the morning. The night before, fix your coffee pot, get it all ready, and now simply plug the coffee pot into the on-off timer.

When you wake up in the morning, your coffee will be waiting for you. By the way, dusk-to-dawn type timers (often used for outdoor Christmas lights) don't work so well for this purpose. You need a timer that can actually be set to run a specific length of time.

Something like this:

Amazon, Click here.
 
It perks, or drips, and then you sit and wait for 15-20 minutes before you can get your first cup of coffee! Oh how depressing!
Or, you can use a coffee pot that lets you "pour" a cup while it is still dripping, such as the Hamilton Beach Brewstation® (which I have) or the Black and Decker models with Sneak-A-Cup™ technology. I set up the pot the night before then, as soon as I get up I push the ON button. By the time I wash up and get dressed there are at last a couple of cups ready for me (out of 12 cups) while the rest brews.
The good ole trash80.
I hated that nickname back then and I hate it still... It was (and is -- I still have it) actually a very capable computer for its time.
 
Didn't read all 29 pages, but being new to TT camping, I've slowly developed a few tricks.

Our TT has a small griddle on the outside for cooking on. It's on rails so it pulls out away from the camper. Ran into issues with it slowly creeping back towards the camper while using it. Easy fix... Grabbed two larger spring clamps from my woodworking shop and clamped one of the rails on each end. No more movement.
 
Another tip I just remembered:

Attention all you coffee drinkers!

Do you have a coffee pot (electric) that does not have a timer on it? So, in the morning you prepare your coffee, then plug in the coffee pot and flip the "on" button. It perks, or drips, and then you sit and wait for 15-20 minutes before you can get your first cup of coffee! Oh how depressing!

Solution:

Pick up a 24 hour on-off timer from Wall Mart (about $10.00) and set it so it will turn on about 30 minutes before you plan on getting up in the morning. The night before, fix your coffee pot, get it all ready, and now simply plug the coffee pot into the on-off timer.

When you wake up in the morning, your coffee will be waiting for you. By the way, dusk-to-dawn type timers (often used for outdoor Christmas lights) don't work so well for this purpose. You need a timer that can actually be set to run a specific length of time.

Something like this:

Amazon, Click here.
Our solution is to perk a pot in the evening and pour it into a 12-cup insulated carafe that holds the temperature pretty well overnight. If it has cooled a bit too much, a 30 second trip in the microwave for the cup fixes that.
 
Many coffee post have and ON/OFF switch not a push to start on those you can just use a 24 hr timer
Re The Griddle/spring clamp.
Had someone complaining how Breakfast Cerial (Less you buy the bagged stuff like Malt-O-Meal) is not in a resealable bag.

I introduced them to BINDER CLIPS from any office supply... What I use.
Pull (Do not cut or tear) the bag open.. half way or less is enough. Then after serving roll it closed and clamp with a binder clamp.. These are very heavy Spring clips often used to hold a stack of papers together.
One final suggestion: For Rigs where it's hard to get the cap off the big 3" drain pipe (or hook the hose up to dump)
Pliers type Oil Filter Wrenches are perfect for the job.
 
Many coffee post have and ON/OFF switch not a push to start on those you can just use a 24 hr timer
Re The Griddle/spring clamp.
Had someone complaining how Breakfast Cerial (Less you buy the bagged stuff like Malt-O-Meal) is not in a resealable bag.

I introduced them to BINDER CLIPS from any office supply... What I use.
Pull (Do not cut or tear) the bag open.. half way or less is enough. Then after serving roll it closed and clamp with a binder clamp.. These are very heavy Spring clips often used to hold a stack of papers together.
One final suggestion: For Rigs where it's hard to get the cap off the big 3" drain pipe (or hook the hose up to dump)
Pliers type Oil Filter Wrenches are perfect for the job.
We use chip clips. We buy the ones that have a magnet on the back. We have about 10 of them stuck to the front of the fridge. Kids know that when they empty a bag of chips or cereal, the bag goes in the trash and the clip goes back on the fridge. We also throw cereal boxes away and just keep the bags. You can pretty easily tell which cereal is in which bag.

I like the oil filter wrench idea.
 
Hhaha
That's my wife's method of testing the smoke alarm too.. Only she does not plan on it :)

As for the kingpin question.. Might make sense to cut a dowel rod to the average length instead of measuring each time.. however tehn you'd have to find your tape when you get one of those "Special" cases.
Does the wife know you just outed her?! I'm teasing
 
Another tip I just remembered:

Attention all you coffee drinkers!

Do you have a coffee pot (electric) that does not have a timer on it? So, in the morning you prepare your coffee, then plug in the coffee pot and flip the "on" button. It perks, or drips, and then you sit and wait for 15-20 minutes before you can get your first cup of coffee! Oh how depressing!

Solution:

Pick up a 24 hour on-off timer from Wall Mart (about $10.00) and set it so it will turn on about 30 minutes before you plan on getting up in the morning. The night before, fix your coffee pot, get it all ready, and now simply plug the coffee pot into the on-off timer.

When you wake up in the morning, your coffee will be waiting for you. By the way, dusk-to-dawn type timers (often used for outdoor Christmas lights) don't work so well for this purpose. You need a timer that can actually be set to run a specific length of time.

Something like this:

Amazon, Click here.
We solved this with a single serve Kurig-style unit. Pour one cupfull in, get one cupfull out. Heating time is minimal and you can get many coffees, teas, hot chocolate, etc. Also does a single serve of hot water for oatmeal
 
We solved this with a single serve Kurig-style unit. Pour one cupfull in, get one cupfull out. Heating time is minimal and you can get many coffees, teas, hot chocolate, etc. Also does a single serve of hot water for oatmeal

This! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!
 
Well this thread used up 2 or so hours of my night. I see some of the original or early people are still going strong.

Sorry no tip but got many
 

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