RV or Recreational Vehicle is defined as either a motor vehicle (motor home) or a towable trailer typically used for camping and vacation. But you need to know more than that, so let’s start with an RV beginner guide. The types of RVs include the motor home (classes A, B, B+, C, and C+), travel trailer, fifth wheel trailer, toy hauler, pop up trailer, and slide-in camper (which fits in the bed of a pickup truck).
In the Beginning
The origin of RVs can be traced back the 1700’s when wagons were modified to allow for living in addition to hauling. The covered wagons that blazed the trails across this great nation were the original RVers!
In the early 1900’s manufacturers began building houses on truck chassis and thus the motor home was born. Of course we have come a long way from these origins. Today’s recreational vehicles normally includes a kitchen, a bathroom, and one or more sleeping facilities. Less commonly found features are a hot tub, a dining room, a desk, and a vanity closet. Most RVs are single-deck; however, double-deck RVs also exist.
Mastering the Language. An RV Beginner Guide
RV Terminology can be a little confusing and so let’s go over some basics. First, motor home, trailers, pop ups, 5th wheels, etc, are all RVs or Recreational Vehicles. But not all RVs are motor homes, trailers, etc. To be safe you can refer to a rig as an RV and you will have your bases covered!
Next, we have subsets of Motor Homes and Towables. Motor homes are referred to as “classes” (A, B, C, etc) and Towables are referred by type (travel trailer, 5th wheel, etc.) These are covered in more detail in Motor Homes – a Beginner’s Guide, and Towables – A Beginner’s Guide.
A comprehensive glossary of RV terminology has been put together by the
Good Sam Club and we recommend looking it over. But for the purposes of this article, following are the top 10 terms every RVer should know:
Top 10 RV Terms
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- Black Water – Waste (sewage) from the toilet that is flushed into a black water holding tank, usually located beneath the main floor of the RV.
- Brake Controller – A control unit mounted inside the vehicle that allows electric trailer brakes to become activated in harmony with the braking of the tow vehicle. This device can be used to adjust trailer brake intensity, or to manually activate the trailer brakes.
- Gray water – Used water that drains from the kitchen and bathroom sinks and the shower into a holding tank. This is called a gray water holding tank, that is located under the main floor of the RV.
- Slide-out – Additional living space that “slides-out” either by hydraulics, electricity or manually, when the RV is set up for camping.
- Primitive camping – Also known as “dry camping”, boondocking. Camping without the modern convenience of full-hookup facilities of city/well water, sewer/septic and electricity. Primitive campers rely on ‘on-board’ systems for these conveniences; generator, batteries, stored water, etc.
- Dump station – Usually a concrete pad with an inlet opening connected to an underground sewage system at a campground or other facility offering dumping service to RV travelers.
- Fresh water – Water suitable for human consumption.
- Full hookup – Term for campground accommodations offering water, sewer/septic and electricity
And it also refers to a RV with the abilities to use ‘full-hookups’.
- Cabcover (Cabover) – The part of a type C mini-motorhome that overlaps the top of the vehicle’s cab, usually containing a sleeping or storage unit.
- LP Gas – Propane; abbreviation for liquefied petroleum gas, which is a gas liquefied by compression, consisting of flammable hydrocarbons and obtained as a by-product from the refining of petroleum or natural gas. Also called bottled gas, LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and CPG (compressed petroleum gas).
Conclusion
The discussion of RVs will never conclude. However, we hopefully have enlightened you to some history and terminology of RVs. Explore more about motor homes and travel trailers.
