Airstream,
RV Camping
& Travel Tips

Alumapalooza has grown into a sprawling event that reaches from the new Airstream factory under construction at one end of Jackson Center, Ohio, to the other side of town near WBCCI headquarters. I’m glad I was Airstreaming with my URB-E foldable electric scooter at Alumapalooza 10.

Our Zip Dee awning—the one all Airstreams have been fitted with since the Earth’s crust was cooling—was trouble from the start. For reasons that were later revealed, our first attempt to operate it went badly, and subsequent attempts got progressively worse.

Everything changed at Alumapalooza.

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s the video containing the official, definitive answer you’ve been seeking: “How to Deploy Your Airstream Awning”.

Not only does this item not fold or collapse, many would argue that it isn’t a space saver either. But it was too cute to pass up. The Elite 3 in 1 Mini Breakfast Shoppe does triple duty as three appliances rolled into one.

I don’t know why I thought I needed the Camco adjustable broom, as I had a very serviceable little mini angle broom that fit perfectly well in the tall wardrobe storage area of the DWR. But I couldn’t resist another foldable gadget. I tried it and I like it…I guess.

While not meant to be folded (though I guess you could), deFUNKit is a terrific product to take along in a tiny trailer, and has test-earned its place in the “Foldable Favorite” category. You know those items that don’t smell clean even after they come out of the washing machine? (My husband’s cycling jerseys come to mind—as well as my microfiber travel clothes.) DeFUNKit is for handwashing on the go, but also promises “permanent odor control” of your stinkiest garments.

There is no Harvest Hosts vineyard in Pocatello, Idaho; the Pocatello KOA was completely booked; and this was the ACTUAL review I read about the only other RV park I could find: “2 violent sex offenders live here…a hooker passed out in front of my RV.” Okay, OKAY, Pocatello. I get it. See you never. I circled back to Twin Falls.

Native Idahoans, feel free to disagree. Like much of the Lower 48, Idaho is a place that one begrudgingly passes through on the way to someplace else. But thanks to the Harvest Hosts program, I’m warming up to Idaho. There’s a nice little wine region northwest of Boise by the Snake River.

I printed out the Newbie’s Tool Kit—published in Issue 15 of Outside Interests (the free online newsmag for Airstreamers), took it to the local bigbox hardware store, and obediently purchased every single item.

I’ve been to Reno many times and I’m always surprised to see how it morphs. Suddenly there’s a mega mall where an empty lot just was (and vice versa), and long-standing businesses fade away. One particular megacasino has changed hands six times since 1974. And always opening and closing are an assortment of ethnic markets.

This rubbery silicone kettle has a stainless steel bottom and stands 5 3/4 inches high—until you squash it to a nice flat 2 1/2 inches.

For use in your galley (not on the campfire), it has a detachable handle and a little silicone lid. The packaging states one obvious instruction— “do not press down on the lid when the kettle is filled” (thanks, Captain Obvious)—and another, more ominous one.