Wines for campers

A new wine has debuted that is simply perfect for sipping at your favorite RV park. It’s called Happy Camper — “a wine to celebrate the great outdoors,” according to company literature. Our advice: sip this in the trailer park, but don’t try ordering it at your favorite sidewalk cafe in Paris.

The bottles are capped, not corked, thus breaking a bit with tradition and, to be honest, easier to open on the road when all that’s required is a twist of the cap. The wine is available in Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. And don’t laugh: the wines have won plenty of silver and bronze medals at competitions. It won a gold medal at the 2006 Los Angeles County Fair for its label, which features a very cute little Airstream trailer. According to Information Resources Inc. (IRI), the top ten selling new wine brands in 2005 were “fun” labels. Translation: they had funny or otherwise entertaining names.

The suggested retail price of Happy Camper wines is $8.99, making this a very affordable wine experience.

Make ugly picnic tables look great

Not all picnic tables are created equal. Most RVers have encountered plenty that are. . . well, pretty gross! Well, maybe you can't improve the table, but you can certainly hide the ugliness. Picnic-ez was developed by RVers. The table- and bench-seat covers come in a standard size of six feet long and four feet wide. The larger size is eight feet long and will adjust to fit a six-foot wide table. The covers, three pounds each, are made of an easy-clean nylon material in a choice of eight colors and include a stuff sack to carry them. They retail for $40 for the standard size and $59 for the large cover set. Learn more at www.picnic-ez.com.

New, longer Retreat trailer

MAMMOTH, Penn. -- Columbia Northwest, Inc. has redesigned the Cabin A Retreat with a new 32-foot frame, making it the company's longest model. It has a base weight of 4,000 pounds, a GWR of 7,000 pounds and a tongue weight of only 500 pounds. Optional features include a fully equipped bathroom and kitchen. The dining and sitting areas make up only a small portion of the unique looking RV. The Retreat includes fully functioning stove and dishwasher. An entertainment center with surround sound and flat screen TV bring the luxury of home to the road. Like its smaller model, the Retreat comes with an optional deck and cedar package on the front.