Antiglare Film
RVers love electronic devices but despise glare on the screens. NuShield makes screen protectors that are designed to significantly reduce glare. The films are available in sizes that fit GPS, digital cameras, high-definition TVs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more.
Two types of film are available. DayVue is designed to reduce glare in the open field or on the water. Triple A is for all other situations, including indoors (such as using a laptop or tablet to get travel directions) and in shady areas (such as watching a TV mounted under an awning outside the RV). The films don’t interfere with a device’s touch-screen function. Prices begin at $11.46 for Triple A film that fits an iPhone.
NuShield Inc.
2110 S. Eagle Road #400
Newtown, PA 18940
(877) 900-9192
(215) 500-6426
www.nushield.com
Portable Projector
Do you miss your big-screen TV when you’re on the road? That big-screen viewing experience is still possible with the ZenBeam E1, a portable projector from Asus that can provide up to 120-inch projections on a screen, wall, or other surface.
Users can connect devices such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, game consoles, computer sticks, and media streamers to the projector. The projector has a built-in speaker. Its rechargeable battery provides up to five hours of projection time and doubles as a power bank for mobile devices. The ZenBeam E1 measures 3.3 by 1.1 by 4.3 inches and weighs slightly more than half a pound. The price is $249.
Asus
800 Corporate Way
Fremont, CA 94539
(855) 755-2787
www.asus.com
Dash Cover
A dash cover is more than a decoration. Sure, it dresses up a discolored or damaged dashboard, but it also protects the dash surface from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, reduces windshield glare, and helps keep the interior cooler.
Each ShurGrip Motorhome Dash Cover, from ShadePro, features a nonslip sponge-rubber backing that holds the cover in place. The easy-to-clean velour fabric is available in black, gray, or tan. All dash covers cost $269.
ShadePro
2505 Folex Way
Spring Valley, CA 91978
(800) 328-5100
www.shadepro.net
Metal Lubricant
You may not be the handiest of motorhome owners, but if you can use an aerosol spray can, you can perform important preventive maintenance on your RV. Boeshield T-9, which was developed by The Boeing Company, is formulated to clean, lubricate, and protect all types of metals without harming paint, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, or vinyl.
T-9 penetrates openings to displace moisture, stop rust, and lubricate. It dries to a clean, waxy waterproof film that lubricates steps, slideouts, jack stands, tow bars, awning hardware, lock cylinders, hinges, window tracks, and many other moving parts. The suggested price of a 12-ounce can is $18.99.
PMS Products Inc.
76 Veterans Drive #110
Holland, MI 49423
(800) 962-1732
www.boeshield.com
Power Plug Remover
Sometimes a whole lot of wiggling and jiggling happens at an RV campground. A gathering of belly dancers? No. We’re talking about the struggle to pull the plug on a 30-amp or 50-amp power cord at a campground pedestal. All that twisting to disconnect the cord can damage the prongs and contacts. The Plug Dog is designed to make the task easier.
A Plug Dog wraps around a cord’s plug-in end, with slots for the prongs and hook-and-loop straps to provide a secure fit. Then, by using the sturdy but cushioned-grip handle, one can safely pull out the plug. The Plug Dog is made of nonconductive, nonwicking, nonflammable material. The cost is $9.99 for either the 30-amp (three prong) or 50-amp (four prong) Plug Dog.
Coil n’ Wrap
4802 E. Ray Road
Suite 23-261
Phoenix, AZ 85044
(866) 603-8388
www.coilnwrap.com
Water Saver
You hate cold showers. So you wait until the water warms before you step in, but then you worry about clean water going down the drain and into your rapidly filling gray-water tank. It’s why the folks at Aqua View devised Showermiser to conserve water and save tank capacity.
Showermiser redirects cold water back into the fresh-water tank before it comes out of the shower head. When the water becomes hot, the temperature-sensitive Showermiser tube changes color, so you know it’s okay to release the hot water with the flip of a lever. To install the device, you’ll need access to the plumbing behind the shower; also, a return line must be run from Showermiser to the nonpressurized side of the fresh-water system. The price of Showermiser is $59.95.
Aqua View Inc.
18340 Yorba Linda Blvd.
#107-459
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
(714) 485-5904
www.aquaviewinc.com
Water Test Plug
Big-box stores sell all the fittings needed to test an RV fresh-water system for leaks, except for one. The City Water Pressure Test Plug is available through the FMCA Store.
The blue fitting, made of anodized aluminum, looks similar to the male end of a fresh-water hose. But it has a small extrusion that performs the important task of holding open a check valve — a backflow preventer — in a city water inlet. The fitting meets Recreation Vehicle Industry Association standards. The cost of the test plug is $45.
Gary Bunzer, “the RV Doctor,” explains the importance of the test plug and how to perform the leak test in a 7-minute video titled “Testing the RV Fresh Water System for Leaks.” It can be viewed on FMCA.com (on the drop-down menu under “Motorhoming,” look for the “Videos” tab) and FMCA’s YouTube channel.
Family Motor Coach Association
8291 Clough Pike
Cincinnati, OH 45244
(800) 543-3622
(513) 474-3622
Winterizing Kit
“To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring.” — W.J. Vogel. Okay, but even during a short winter, your RV’s plumbing may need protection against the cold, which is where Prevent-A-Freeze from Swan Industries comes in.
The kit makes it possible to fill fresh-water lines with nontoxic antifreeze (not included) in less than five minutes. The kit includes a winterizer (a lead-free, brass, three-way ball valve; half-inch female pipe thread fittings; PEX tubing) and a water heater bypass (a lead-free, brass, three-way ball valve; and a brass check valve). You’ll use the kit again when it’s time to dewinterize. The cost of Prevent-A-Freeze is $74.95.
Swan Industries Inc.
633 N.E. First St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-4668
www.swanindustries.com
Three-Wheel Electric Vehicle
Trikke Tech produces a number of three-wheel cambering-frame vehicles that a standing rider propels by turning the front wheel back and forth and shifting weight on the two back wheels (similar to inline skating or skiing). Trikke recently introduced an electric model, the Freedom.
The 37-pound Freedom is equipped with a direct-drive, brushless hub motor; a hand-twist throttle; adjustable handlebars; dual rear brakes; and a replaceable lithium-ion battery that can be recharged 400 times. The vehicle’s range is up to 11 miles. Maximum speed is 15 mph. Maximum rider weight is 200 pounds. The spring-loaded frame folds to a length of 51 inches for storage or travel. The suggested retail price is $999.99.
Trikke Tech Inc.
85 Industrial Way
Suite F
Buellton, CA 93427
(877) 487-4553
www.trikke.com