RV Products: February 2018
Collapsible Dog Bowl
| If Fido loves the beach, parks, and trails as much as you do, be sure to bring along a bowl or two for food and water. One convenient option is Rad Dog’s Collapsible Pocket Bowl.
The bowl is made of waterproof nylon and weighs less than an ounce. It folds to about the size of a box of matches and easily can fit in a pocket, purse, glove box, or backpack. It unfolds to hold up to 16 ounces of food or water. And yes, backpackers, you could use one of these as your food bowl (in which case, we advise labeling it so as not to confuse it with Fido’s). The price is $11.95. Rad Dog |
Graphite Lubricant
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A dry lubricant sometimes is preferable to an oily one; the latter tends to attract dirt and dust, which can gum up some mechanisms. AGS Powdered Graphite is an all-purpose dry lubricant. It’s greaseless, odorless, and nontoxic, and helps prevent sticking, wear, and corrosion.
Applications include precision instruments, locks, hinges, tools, guns, fishing reels, camera shutters, bicycles, office machines, and toys. It can be used year-round on metal, wood, plastic, and rubber. The suggested retail price of a 1.13-ounce bottle is $4.69. AGS Company |
Power Cord
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RV power cords, like people, tend to stiffen in cold weather. So, SmartPlug Systems designed its Superflex50 50-Amp 125/250-volt cord set to remain flexible and easy to coil, even in extreme temperatures — minus 58 degrees to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. The outer cable jacket is made of Seoprene thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
The cord length is 30 feet. Other facets of the Superflex50 include the SmartPlug connector, which plugs straight into a SmartPlug inlet (not included) and requires no twisting; automatic locking features that secure the electrical connections; stranded bare copper conductors and #6 wire; a four-wire park power plug; and dual LED power indicator lights. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the Superflex50 cord set is $422. SmartPlug Systems |
Portable Light
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“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting . . . ” Maybe Edgar Allan Poe would have been more upbeat if he’d had a Clamp-On EZ-UP Light. The compact, versatile light can be set up in less than two minutes to illuminate a campsite, picnic table, or any outdoor space.
The 30-watt LED light can be clamped onto a table or railing (up to 21/2 inches thick), screwed into a surface, or set up like a work light using its “U” bracket as a stand. The waterproof light pivots up and down and swivels 360 degrees. EZ-UP is dimmable and features 16 color options that can be varied with the provided remote control. The light plugs into an AC outlet. For FMCA members, the price of the EZ-UP light is $59.99 (a $10 savings). EZ-UP Lights LLC |
LED Strips
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LEDs (light-emitting diodes) have gained popularity because they use much less electricity and last far longer than their incandescent counterparts. Grote’s XTL LED light strips offer another advantage: They’re thin — 15.8 mm wide and less than 1 mm thick — and flexible enough to be installed almost anywhere.
The XTL LEDs are rated for outdoor and indoor use, and they can be purchased in lengths ranging from 3.78 inches to 181.42 inches. Their protective barrier is resistant to chemicals, UV light, water, and abrasions. They are available in blue, white, extreme white, red, yellow, and green. Strips can be mounted with 3M VHB tape, which is included. Prices vary depending on the strip length and light color. The suggested retail price of a 34-inch white LED strip is $70.71. Grote Industries Inc. |
Wall Sconce
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Camping, as we all know, need not mean roughing it. An RV can be enhanced with certain niceties, such as the Hayden LED wall sconce from SalVinCo. Made of aluminum, it features a tulip-shaped glass shade and a choice of a chrome or satin-nickel finish.
The sconce operates on a 10-to-30-volt-DC range for 12-volt-DC or 24-volt-DC systems. Light output is 220 lumens, operating at 3 watts. Brightness can be varied with a soft touch to the dimmer (memory) button, which also is the on/off switch. The sconce, which is 5.08 inches high and has a base diameter of 2.56 inches, protrudes 3.25 inches from a wall. Mounting hardware is included. The retail price is $89. SalVinCo LLC |
Weather Alert Radio
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Phooey to fair-weather friends. Your best buds want you to be safe when the weather turns nasty. So, here’s a reminder to get a weather alert radio that has been approved by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service. One such model is the Sangean CL-100.
The radio receives all NOAA reports and can be programmed with as many as 25 county codes for particular locations. The CL-100 also functions as an AM-FM radio and alarm clock. The radio runs on DC or AC power (with included adapter) or on four AA batteries. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $139.95. Sangean America Inc. |
Ceramic Mug
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Not all who wander are lost. (Although some most definitely are. But we digress.) If you have a female travel partner who loves to explore, who lives for adventure, who flourishes when faced with the unfamiliar, what do you call such a person? Wander woman.
The people at PaperFinch sell a product that makes it possible for her to proudly proclaim her penchant for peregrination every time she pours a cup of coffee. The Wander Woman Adventure Mug is 100 percent ceramic. It’s safe for a dishwasher and a microwave oven. The price for an 11-ounce mug is $16; a 15-ounce mug costs $18. PaperFinch |
Interlocking Tableware
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Potlucks offer a plethora of tasty tidbits and refreshments, but working your way to your seat with a plate piled high and a drink in your hand can be tricky. That’s where the convenience of the iCup iPlate & iFork Interlocking System comes in. It lets you carry food, drink, and utensils with one hand (which means you could be a hero and carry a second plate and drink with the other one).
Utensils are designed to slide into place on either side of the iPlate; the iCup slides in underneath, locks in place, and protects the drink. The iCup iPlate & iFork 8 Pack Party Combo contains eight each of these reusable, BPA-free plastic items: iPlates, iForks, and iKnives, as well as 10 iCups. The price is $19.99. iFork LLC |