When you first start out in the RV world, it’s important to familiarize yourself with all the terminology. It will improve your ability to interact with others in the RV community, and you will have more confidence dealing with stuff in your day-to-day RV living.
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Most Common RV Terms: Handy Cheat Sheet For Beginner RVers
| Sr. No. | RV Terms | Meaning |
| 1. | Grey Water | Used water from kitchen, showers, and bathroom sinks (except toilet) |
| 2 | Black Water | Used water from toilets |
| 3. | BLM Land | Undeveloped public land where you can RV in isolation (BLM = Bureau Of Land Management) |
| 4. | Motorhome | Self-Propelled RV (Example – Class A, Class B, and Class C RV) |
| 5. | Rig | An alternate term used to refer to motorhomes |
| 6. | Fiver | A fifth-wheel trailer |
| 7. | Hookups | Having access to electricity, water, and sewer in the RV site |
| 8. | Dry Camping | Camping without hookups |
| 9. | Boondocking | Camping without hookups (but outside established campgrounds) |
| 10. | Chassis | The foundational framework of your RV |
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Read on for detailed knowledge of A – Z common RV terms and lingos that you are likely to use or hear as an RVer.
1. RV Terms Starting With A
- Awning: You can use RV awnings to block the light from shining into your RV. A well-chosen awning may turn your outdoor RV area into an additional living space, usable in all kinds of weather.
2. RV Terms Starting With B
- Black Water Tank: The black water tank, located underneath your RV, is where you’ll store the used water from the toilet of your RV.
- Basement: A basement in an RV is typically a few feet in height and excellent for additional storage. It’s the only area to keep extra stuff if you’re living in an RV full-time, and it’s placed beneath the floor.
- Boondocking: Boondocking is when an RVer camps independently, without the use of any infrastructure (such as water or power lines). The vehicle may be left in a remote area, or the driver can stop at a service station or parking lot for the night.
- Blue Boy: The portable waste tanks known as “blue boys” enable RVers to keep their trailers parked while still transporting their used water to a designated disposal site.
3. RV Terms Starting With C
- Camper: While recreational vehicle RV may refer to a wide variety of vehicles, the name “camper” is often reserved for RVs that are towed behind another vehicle.
- Cockpit: The seat where the RV driver sits.
- Chassis: The motorhome’s chassis provides the foundational structure upon which the rest of the vehicle rests.
- Chucking: Chucking is when the trailer moves unexpectedly forward or backward. The chucking might be caused by a worn and loose fifth-wheel hitch jaw, such as a sliding bar jaw or a two-piece jaw.
4. RV Terms Starting With D
- Dump Station: A dump station is a specially constructed facility for disposing of RV garbage. Most often, a hose is used to transport this garbage to a central septic tank.
- Dry Camping: When you go dry camping, there won’t be any running water or electricity at your campground.
5. RV Terms Starting With E
- Engine Oil Cooler: It is a heat exchanger that acts like a miniature radiator to cool engine oil as it flows through it.
6. RV Terms Starting With F
- Full-Hookup: Full hookups at an RV park indicate the availability of all the necessary utilities: water, power, and sewage.
- Fifth Wheel Trailer: Fifth wheel trailers are the largest kind of trailer and can be towed using a special hitch called a “fifth wheel.” In order to pull a fifth wheel, you’ll need a full-size, one-ton vehicle.
- Fiver: Another term used popularly for the Fifth Wheel Trailer in the RV community.
7. RV Terms Starting With G
- Gray Water Tank: It stores wastewater that gets collected from the RV kitchen sink and the shower.
- GAWR: It stands for Gross Axle Weight rating. It is a unit that describes how much maximum each axle of the vehicle can carry independently.
8. RV Terms Starting With H
- Honey Wagon: Although it’s called a “honey wagon,” it doesn’t really transport honey. It is a mobile sanitation unit in the form of a truck or trailer that travels from campsite to campsite to empty black and gray water tanks and carries waste for proper disposal.
9. RV Terms Starting With I
- Island Bed: One of the most popular and practical motorhomes fixed bed configurations is an island bed. Island beds, often a fixed double size, can be arranged either longitudinally or transversely across the RV, providing easy access to both sides of the bed.
10. RV Terms Starting With J
- Jacks: A jack is used to keep your RV in a steady position when it is not in a moving state.
11. RV Terms Starting With K
- KOA: KOA stands for Kampgrounds of America and is a franchised network of RV parks in North America.
- King Pin: Fifth-wheel trailers include a spherical steel shaft called a King Pin at the front, which the truck’s fifth-wheel hitch attaches around. The kingpin for most 5th-wheel trailers is already attached in most cases.
12. RV Terms Starting With L
- Leveling Jacks: The purpose of a leveling jack is implicit in its name. These jacks are designed to adjust the RV’s height from one side to the other or from front to rear. Auto-leveling systems, found on certain RVs, automatically drop the jacks in a predetermined order to level the vehicle. For the most part, this can make setting up your RV quick, simple, and trouble-free.
13. RV Terms Starting With M
- Motorhomes: Motorhomes are a kind of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) having their own engines, braking systems, as well as a cockpit that opens up to a living space. Motorhomes come in many classes, such as Class A, Class B, and Class C.
- Minnie Winnie: An RV model from the popular RV manufacturing brand Winnebago.
14. RV Terms Starting With N
- NCC: Net Carrying Capacity, abbreviated NCC. It’s the maximum combined weight of an RV’s passengers, cargo, water, gasoline, propane, cargo, and supplies included in an RV, and that can’t go beyond the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating).
- NADA: It stands for National Automotive Dealer’s Association
15. RV Terms Starting With O
- Overhead: Overhead is the Bunk beds that protrude over the vehicle’s cab and are an efficient way to make use of otherwise unused space. These bunks, which are often outfitted with RV mattresses, are ideal for individuals on shorter trips.
- OEM: It refers to Original Equipment Manufacturer and describes the company that originally made the product.
16. RV Terms Starting With P
- Part-Timers: Persons who take their recreational vehicle out for more than a couple of weekend getaways annually but whose use is still less frequent than full-time.
- Park Model: For recreational or traveling purposes, a Park Model RV (PMRV) is a one-of-a-kind towable RV that provides temporary living accommodations.
- Pop-up Camper: Pop-up campers, also known as tent trailers, are a kind of camping trailers that can be folded down into a much more manageable size and weight. Pop-up campers, like fifth-wheels and travel trailers, usually come with a kitchen, sleeping quarters, and even a bathroom.
- Puller: To distinguish between motorhomes with the engine at the front or rear, the names “pusher” and “puller” are employed. Diesel Pushers are a subset of pusher RVs that use a rear-mounted diesel engine. Pushers are often bigger, more luxurious, and constructed on a bus chassis.
- Pusher: The primary distinction of a puller motorhome is its forward-mounted engine. In general, pullers are smaller and constructed on a van chassis, making them lighter.
17. RV Terms Starting With Q
- Quad: RVing-specific meaning of “quad” is the number four, as in “quad bunks” or “quad slide-outs,” but the name “quad” may also refer to all-terrain vehicles with four wheels.
18. RV Terms Starting With R
- RV: RV stands for “recreational vehicle,” which refers to a motor vehicle or trailer with built-in housing arrangements.
- Rig: Rig is a catch-all phrase for any RV configuration. A rig may refer to a single RV, a trailer, a truck, or any other combination.
- Reefer: It refers to the LP gas or the Electric refrigerator found in recreational vehicles.
- RVDA: It stands for Recreational Vehicle Dealer’s Association.
19. RV Terms Starting With S
- Self-Contained RV: A self-contained RV is a basic idea. It indicates that your RV is equipped with a toilet and water storage tank. No external components are required for operation.
- Shore-Power: The phrase shore power is often used to refer to the external power sources common in RV parks and campgrounds. The batteries in your RV use DC power, but shore power is an alternative current (AC).
- Shank: Shank – the ball mount-hole into which the trailer ball fits.
- RV Snowbird: An RV snowbird is someone who takes their recreational vehicle south for the winter, often from the northern part of the United States.
- Spring Bar: Weight distribution hitches wouldn’t be complete without spring bars. When trailer sway begins to develop, they help maintain the trailer in line with the towing vehicle.
- Stinky Slinky: Stinky Slinky refers to the hose used to transport waste from the RV to a sewage treatment facility.
20. RV Terms Starting With T
- Towables: Towables are vehicles that cannot be driven anywhere without first being hitched to a towing vehicle. Toy haulers, travel trailers, pop-up trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, and teardrop trailers are all types of towables.
- Truck Camper: A type of RV that is stored in a truck’s cargo area. This spare room functions as a little home complete with its own facilities like a bed, small kitchen, and bathroom.
- Toy Haulers: These trailers have a garage at the rear and are designed to carry motorbikes or other heavy items. They sometimes have enough space for a little automobile.
- Teardrops: Teardrop trailers, often called teardrop camper trailers, are small, lightweight trailers with a teardrop shape.
- TT: Stands for a travel trailer, it is an RV trailer that hitches onto any tow vehicle, which may include an SUV or even a car
21. RV Terms Starting With U
- UVW: The term UVW stands for Unloaded Vehicle Weight – the weight of the recreational vehicle before any additions have been made; for a light truck or van (LTV), this figure includes a full tank of gas, propane, and other fluids. This figure does not account for people, water, or any aftermarket additions purchased from the dealer.
- Umbilical Cord: The wire harness that links the tow vehicle and the trailer is referred to as the umbilical cord.
- Underbelly: For added safety, recreational vehicles like motorhomes and travel trailers have an enclosed underbelly. It’s useful for many things, but winterizing the RV is particularly crucial.
22. RV Terms Starting With V
- Van: A covered vehicle and usually refers to trucks or trailers.
23. RV Terms Starting With W
- Wheelbase: Your vehicle’s wheelbase is the horizontal distance between its front and back axle centers. A level parking lot, some chalk, tape measure, and a carpenter’s square are all you need to take your own measurements.
- Winnebago: A popular RV manufacturer. The brand has become so famous that its brand term is also sometimes used to refer to RVs in general.
- Weekenders: Weekenders are those who only go into the great outdoors on an occasional basis. An RV is the home of a full-timer who travels full-time.
- Wallydocking: Dry camping / Boondocking in a Walmart parking lot with no utilities and no tent.
24. RV Terms Starting With X
- X Roads: Refers to intersections or crossroads.
25. RV Terms Starting With Y
- Yaw: The concept of yaw is a little more complicated, although the term drift could be used virtually interchangeably. Drifting, in which a vehicle slides down a slick surface, is a good analogy for Yaw. It occurs when the front, back, or side of the vehicle is not parallel to the path taken by the driver. Since yaw, particularly when coupled with roll, may cause havoc on trailer stability, it should be avoided.
26. RV Terms Starting With Z
- Zig Unit: An electric-power-providing unit that you can use to run your electrical appliances and water pump in an RV.
Recommended Reading: RV Classes: A Complete Beginner’s Guide With Cheat Sheet
Photo altered by wisefrontierliving.com | Photo attribution: Emile Perron