PRODUCT REVIEWS

In this section, I will provide reviews of products that I have tried, either officially or on my own. NOTE:  See update below on  mattress toppers.

FLUPPI

I bought this Hand held sweeper tool at the North Dakota State Fair in 2012.  I travel with a cat, and I get tired of dragging out the Shop-Vac to sweep up cat litter that gets tracked out of the litter box.  I have tried carrying battery operated portable cleaners but they take up space, and eventually the battery goes POOF and won't recharge.  Although I have a litter tracking mat under the litter box (that is SUPPOSED to pull the stuff off kitty's feet), it's not enough as cat litter still gets on the carpet.  Thus, when I saw the FLUPPI, I was motivated to try it.  It works great, even with kitty litter on the carpet!  It will pick up stuff off linoleum floor, but it seems to work better on carpet.  If you have a small spill of stuff and don't want to drag out the vacuum cleaner, this is good in a pinch! 

CLICK**IT**HOT

I bought this item at the North Dakota State Fair in 2012.  It's a Re-Usable Heat Pack.  It's a bunch of gel inside sealed plastic.  Comes in about four colors that I saw.  There is a little silver disc that floats in the gel.  You find the disc, and click it. Immediately, the gel crystalizes and produces heat.  It produced wonderful heat for about 30 minutes.  Now the down side.  When it cools off, it stays crystalized.  To return it to the gelatinous state, you must boil the item.  You need to place a dishrag inside the pot and fill the pot with water.  The dishrag prevents the heat pack from melting against the metal of your pot.  You must boil it until 100% of the crystalized stuff returns to gel.

Plusses:  It gives you a great heat pack without the need to plug in to anything, and thus go against your amperage limit in the RV.

Minuses:  The requirement to boil the item to return it back to gelatinous state is a bit of a "fuss with it" factor, and I'm thinking people will consider it to be a bit of an inconvenience.   

BOGS RUBBER SLIP ON SHOE from Altrec

If you RV to really WET areas, you need these!  They are so comfortable!  I bought a pair in black.  I ordered one size larger than what I normally wear, and I'm glad I did.  I ordered mine through Amazon.com and got them cheaper than the price quoted here.  The BOGS brand goes with a variety of shoe styles, shown here. 

TRUDEAU  SILICONE  EGG  POACHER

I'm mixed on this product:  Silocone Egg Poachers   I do love poached eggs.  Can use an electric skillet or stovetop pan.  I used an electric skillet, about 200 degrees.  I oiled the inside of the poacher with cooking oil, then put the egg in it, put it in the skillet, then put the lid on.  The egg tasted kind of "flat" although I don't know if the taste was more about the way I cooked it, or the product.  Then, the egg still "stuck" to the poacher and I had to "dig" the egg out.  Not sure this is worth purchasing, not to mention, I'm still not sure whether making cookware out of silicone is a good idea healthwise.  

TRUDEAU  SILICONE  FOOD   STEAMER

I had good luck with this silocone food steamer .  However, it's a bit too big to use in a standard stovetop pan.  If you prefer to steam in a stovetop pan, stick with the metal version.  But if you have a large "stock pot," this steamer can be used in the stock pot and made great steamed vegetables.  Since using this, I have become a fan of steamed vegetables. However, I still wonder if silocone cookware is a good idea healthwise. 

NORDICWARE   MULTIPOT

If you enjoy rice or pasta, this is a "must have" in your RV: NordicWare MultiPot  If you follow the directions exactly, to the letter, to include the rice "rinsing," it does a wonderful job with rice, gets it just to the correct "stickiness."  If you use it for long pasta, like spaghetti or fettucini, I recommend you break the pasta pieces in half.  Also, no more than two servings in this model for pasta.  This pot also steams vegetables, but I have not tried that feature yet.  Previously to having the MultiPot, I used this model:  NordicWare Microwave Rice Cooker .  This also worked well for rice and was able to handle long pasta without having to break it down.  However, the handle clips eventually broke off, and the rice cooker itself eventually melted, which led me to the purchase of the NordicWare MultiPot.                                                     

POWER STATION PS 5000 from Costco

No RV should be without one of these:  Power Station .  I love mine!  It has jumper cables to start a car, an air compressor for putting air in tires or mattresses, and some 12 volt and electrical connections.  The air compressor should NOT be run more than 10 minutes at a time.  I think I overtaxed it one time when I had a really low tire, and now the air compressor doesn't work right.  But no problem, I bought a portable air compressor from an auto supply store, and I plug it into one of the 12 volt connections.  I have used the electrical outlet to power up my computer when I have stopped at rest stops, thus avoiding use of the generator.  The electrical outlet is good for up to 300 watt appliances, wouldn't try to run a hair dryer or curling iron on it.  And, I have used the jumper cables a few times for starting cars.

BLACK & DECKER CITRUS JUICER

I like this device Citrus Juicer, it does a fairly decent job of squeezing out every last drop of juice from limes, lemons, and oranges.  Not so good on grapefruit.  With this appliance, you can adjust the strainer to have as much or as little pulp as you want.  However, the "strainer" part, to me, was difficult to clean. I'm not sure I got all the crevices clean, had to resort to a toothbrush to clean that part.  Good appliance for squeezing all the juice out, but sometimes I still prefer the old fashioned glass juicer dish that you can find in antique stores, like this glass juicer.

THETFORD  HOOK  "STAYTION"  SHOWER HOOK

The hook that holds my shower in place (I think it's called a "spray holder") cracked.  I cannot find a replacement, as the replacement parts in RV stores don't have the "installation holes" drilled in the right place.  One RV dealer told me that the kind of shower hook I have is from a place back east that they don't regularly trade with.  Another RV dealer told me that the kind of shower hook I have is "hard to find" right now.  So, I purchased a "suction" hook to hold my shower.  This is a new product from Thetford, the maker of a lot of RV products.  (At this time, I am unable to find a specific link to this product on the web.  Here is a link to where you can purchase this product as a "combo" with other products:  Shower Spray Holder  )  I tried it out.  My shower area has a "grainy" finish.  The suction hook will not stay on a "grainy" finish.  So, THUMBS DOWN on this product!

MICROFIBER  DRYING   MATS

I bought a Microfiber Drying Mat for my RV, I love it!  I use it on top of the "Oak Silent Top" described below.  It stays in place during transit as long as it's on the Oak Top. 

OAK "SILENT TOP" FOR STOVE

Go to Camco.net and do a search on "Oak Accents Silent Top."  I bought one of these from an RV dealer and I LOVE IT!  It gives you more counter space.  It was pretty easy to follow the template and instructions to install the rubber stoppers that grip the grill on the stove to hold it in place.  I have had no trouble with it during transit.  It stays in place!   

READING   SUNGLASSES

So far, even at my "middle age," I don't need to wear regular glasses, just "reading" glasses.  I can see long distances, but I cannot read the dashboard of my car or RV without "reading" glasses.  This presents a problem when wearing sunglasses.  My car dashboard and my GPS unit screen are both blurry, yet I can see long distances through the windshield window.  I have seen people put sunglasses on top of regular glasses, so they are wearing "two" pairs of glasses.  To me, this looks, well, "doofy."  To alleviate this "doofy" look, there is an invention called FIT OVER SUNGLASSES .  This way, you don't have the "wearing two pairs of glasses at the same time" goofy look.  Good concept, and some people look great in them.  Not so hot on me.  So, at Costco, I found another solution.  You can purchase a product called READING SUNGLASSES.  I bought a pair.   Wow, I can shield my eyes from the sun, and still see my car or RV dashboard!  But, the problem went the other way.  Since they are "reading" sunglasses, I now cannot see long distances.

Ok, bottom line.  Reading Sunglasses are great for reading books while sunbathing on the beach, or general walking around.  But don't try to drive with them, or you will have to wear them low on your nose and look over them to see long distances.  Also, do not try to walk with them, because the ground will look like it has "dips" in it, and you will stumble.  And for heavens sakes, DON'T look through them while going down stairs unless you have the ability to train your brain to compensate. 

WEATHER ALERT RADIOS

Two different friends gave me, as gifts, two different weather alert radios as follows:

Eton Weather Tracker Model FR800 

Uses 3 "D" Batteries if you don't want to plug into electricity.

I cannot find a way to turn radio completely off when unplugged.  Therefore, when not plugged in, it uses battery power.   On the other hand, the use of the 3 "D" batteries seems to last a longer time than the other radio with the 4 "AA" batteries.

(More to follow)

Midland All Hazards Weather Alert Radio Model WR-300 

Uses 4 "AA" batteries if you don't want to plug into electricity.

Can be turned completely off so the batteries aren't drained when it's unplugged from electricity.  On the other hand, the use of the 4 "AA" batteries didn't seem to last as long as the other radio with the 3 "D" batteries.

Programming is cumbersome, I have to consult the instruction manual each time I want to change programming.

But, the instruction manual is easy to follow. 

Instruction manual has a place for you to write down commonly used county codes.

(More to follow)
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Comments common to both products:

• Both allow you to program in alerts for a specific county or to hear all alerts within your range. 
• To get your S.A.M.E (and how this works) County Code for alerts, go to this web site: NOAA Weather Radio County Codes
• Both allow you to tune in the NOAA weather reports that come over the seven radio frequencies .
• Both have AM/FM radio listening.
• Both come with an adaptor to plug into an electrical outlet.

 I will try both radios out in Vantage, WA during March 2012, as that area gets very high winds, and again in June in Ocean Shores, WA, as that area is subject to Tsunamis and floods.

This website is a good supplement to your emergency radio:

EMERGENCY EMAIL


 

MATTRESS TOPPERS

Mattresses that come with RV's tend to be really BAD.  I tried these options:

• "Memory Foam" Toppers - I tried two different "memory foam" toppers, one that I purchased at Costco, and one that I purchased at Wal-Mart.  Both were about 2 inches thick.  I found that "memory foam" toppers made it a little more comfortable, but created other problems (like, stiff neck, etc.)  

• Egg Crate" Foam - I tried an Egg Crate foam, didn't really like it that well.

I finally found something that worked best for me.  It was a "combo."  It was "egg crate foam" on one side, and about a half inch of "memory foam" on the other side.  I purchased this at Wal-Mart.

UPDATE:  Although I found the "combo" to be more comfortable than the memory foam or egg crate, later, I developed "nerve pinch" issues in my shoulders and fingers which I believe are related to the use of these kinds of products.  Can't prove it, but I believe it to be so.  Thus, I discontinued to use the combo.