RV Christmas Wishlist III – Last, Last Minute Gifts

Twas a few days before Christmas and all the shopping was done…..or was it?

Home-made truffles anyone?

Last-minute Christmas shopping is a daunting prospect and can drive many a sane person into a blubbering mess. So, for the sake of Christmas harmony and general world peace I decided to finish off my RV Christmas Wishlist series with some last-minute and relaxing gift ideas. All of these babies can be done from the comfort of your home with Christmas music, Santa hat and eggnog in hand:

1/ E-Books for the RVer: Electronic books are perfect gift ideas and even more perfect for RVers. They’re full portable, can be re-used and all you need is a reader. For those without a Kindle or Nook, you can download free readers onto your PC or smartphone and off you go. Here’s a couple of interesting picks for the any existing or aspiring RVer:

• Answers to the Common Excuses - Worried about how to start the full-time lifestyle? From technomadia this book answers all the excuses and how to overcome them. If you’re looking to get on the road or are already on the road and want to expand your horizons this little book can help get you there.
• RV Packing Tips, Easy Living and Life Lessons - by Peggi McDonald A very cool book that goes through all the ins and outs of RV living in a practical way.
• The Original Checklist for RVers - For the RVer who loves to check, Mark Polk has written this and many other useful e-books.

2/ Software: Another gift from the comfort of home. Here’s a couple of festive and cool software ideas for the RVer:

Microsoft Streets & Trips

• Microsoft Street & Trips - For the man…or woman…that loves to plan. This is really one of the nicest (in my opinion) trip planning softwares. Keep tips on where others have told you to go, download Walmart and camping locations and so much more. Get the whole thing online.
• iPhone or Smartphone Apps – If you’re the techno type you can go crazy and download all 10 best RVing Apps for your honey for Christmas (the list specifies iPhone, but you can find many of these on a smartphone too).

3/ Home-Made Treats - They say any man can be won over by a good plate of chocolate chip cookies, and in return any woman can be wooed with chocolate. The latter is certainly true for me, and several years ago my I learned to make home-made chocolate truffles. These things are actually really easy to make and are a great last-minute gift item for loved ones with a food penchant. All you need is chocolate and cream. I’m a fan of the cooking for engineers recipe with an added tablespoon of brandy for the festive spirit.

4/ Amazon Gift Card - Ahhh…the joy of gift cards. So simple and so gratifying, especially when you can buy them from home. I love these things and most people love receiving them too. My top pick is Amazon  simply because you can get just about anything there and it’s wonderfully easy to buy a gift-card online. Print it out and deliver by hand or just send via e-mail to the lucky receiver.

5/ Magazine/Club Subscriptions – Who doesn’t love to get the latest news and tips? Or discounts on camping? These are our favorite picks:

Family Motor Coaching Magazine

• Family Motor Coaching - Probably my absolute favourite of all the RV magazines. The maintenance and upgrade tips are always detailed and interesting.
• Escapees - We really like this club as well as it’s magazine. Nice group of folks and a cool way to introduce newbies to RVing. They have “birds of a feather” groups that cover almost every interest you could think of. As a member you can also get their ”Days End” directory of free/low-cost campgrounds.
• Good Sam RV Club – Good Sam’s is a discount camping club which also carries a nice magazine (Highways). Their online forums are very active as well.

That’s it folks. I’ll be doing small jaunts of limited blogging over the next few days as we get through Christmas, but fear not….as Arnold so eloquently put it I will be back, and my Solar RV series (which is sure to inspire, enthrall and electrify) is in the plans for right after the holidays.

RV Christmas Wishlist II – 10 Stocking Stuffers for Under $20

The 24th is slowly creeping closer and I’m sure I’m not the only one that hasn’t finished all my Christmas shopping (yes, I know…woe to me!). So, while I was pondering the list I started thinking about bits and pieces that would work as cool stocking stuffers & last-minute gifts. To narrow things down a bit, I decided to focus on stuff costing less than $20. These little items of joy are perfect for RV friends and family who want something special as well as useful:

The useful little Water Thief

1/ Water Thief (~$4) – I did a review on this little baby a few months back and we still use her all the time. Great little gift for the RVer that likes to camp in “off-beat” locations.

2/ Stick-On Levels ($3-6) – An alternative to the wine glass method of making sure the beast is level.

3/ Quake Hold/Museum Putty ($5) – This magical stuff will hold decorative items in place throughout your motorhome. We’ve used it in over a year of driving for pictures, candle-holders, soap dishes and more. It holds like a rock.

4/ LED Tap Lights (~$10) – We use these little lights in our closets and hard-to-see locations. They’re cheap, versatile and won’t drain the house batteries.

The very cool collapsible WonderVase

5/ Collapsible Flower Vase ($10) – Every now and then it’s nice to brighten up the RV with some flowers but travelling with a big glass vase can be a pain, especially when you don’t use it that often. These collapsible vases solve all those problems. They’re light, unbreakable, store flat and can be re-used. Such an ingenious little idea!

Useful and packable exercise bands

6/ Exercise Bands ($12) - For the RV fitness fanatic these portable exercise bands are a great little gift. They’re super-packable, durable and easy to use. We secure ours in our RV door and use them for all kinds of upper body exercises.

7/ Heavy-Duty Truck Tire Gauge (~$10-15) - Checking tire pressure is a key RV maintenance item. The “old-fashioned” truck tire gauge’s are cheap and functional. If you want to be more fancy you can get the type with digital displays, but that’ll add another $10-15 to the price.

8/ Screwdriver Bit Set ($11-30) – If you ever do any handiwork on your RV you’ll need all the different little screwdrivers out there, and the easiest thing is to have a set. Be sure to get one that includes the square (Robertson) tips -> they’re hiding all over your RV.

Pocket-size weather alert radio

9/ Weather Alert Radio ($20) - For the travelling RVer having a radio that links to National Weather Bureau alerts can be a huge safety bonus. Most of these are pretty pricey, but this the MIDLAND HH50 is pocket-size and wallet friendly too.

10/ Multimeter (~$20-30) – This is on the high-end of our wish list $$ limit, but is a great gift for any electrically-minded RVer. I like the ones that have auto-ranging as a feature.