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In North American English the term recreational vehicle and its derived
acronym, RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment
dually used as both a vehicle, a temporary travel home or a full time home. This
article mainly refers to the vehicle of this definition.
RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as
vacations and camping, to full time living, for which they are often parked in
special trailer parks) (however, many trailer parks are reserved just for Mobile
Homes, not to be confused with Motorhomes). RVs can also be rented in most major
cities and tourist areas.
In British English the term recreational vehicle is little used; terms
covering some of the vehicles classified as RVs in North America are camper van
and caravan, the term motorhome is also used. In other parts of the world,
particularly Australia, the term may be used to refer to a sport utility vehicle
(SUV or 4x4).
In France, the French-made English term "Camping-car" is used, and term has
also spread to Japan.
The word 'caravanning' can also mean 'travelling together as a group' in
British English, leading to a different meaning.
Caravan classification
dealers-California
Description
In North American English the term recreational vehicle, and its acronym RV,
are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment dually used as
both a vehicle and a temporary travel home.
RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations
and camping, to full-time living, for which they are often parked in special
trailer parks. (However, many trailer parks are reserved just for mobile homes,
not to be confused with RVs/motorhomes.) RVs can also be rented in most major
cities and tourist areas.
Manufacturers
Perhaps the most widely known brand of recreational vehicle is Winnebago, a
product of Winnebago Industries, Inc., of Forest City, Iowa. In fact, many
people still refer to recreational vehicles — especially motorhomes — using the
generic term, "Winnebago". The company, under a group of Midwestern investors,
was a pioneer of the RV industry in the early 1960s. Other major RV
manufacturers include Roadtrek of Kitchener, Ontario; Fleetwood Enterprises of
Riverside, Calif; Thor Industries, Inc., of Jackson Center, Ohio; Newmar
Corporation of Nappanee, Indiana; Monaco Coach Corporation, of Coburg, Oregon;
Coachmen Industries, Inc., of Elkhart, Indiana; Starcraft RV, Inc., of Topeka,
Indiana; Trakka Motorcampers of Sydney, Australia; Jayco, Inc. of Middlebury,
Indiana; Carriage Inc. of Millersburg, Indiana and K-Z, Inc. of Shipshewana,
Indiana. Australia's largest manufacturer of motorhomes is Talvor.
Historical manufacturers include Avion Coach Corporation, Cayo RV Corporation of
Benton Harbor, Michigan, and for a short while General Motors, whose
recreational vehicles still attract a sizable following of collectors. The most
expensive, high-end brands include Newell Coach of Miami, Oklahoma; Fleetwood
Enterprises; and Monaco Coach....
Etymology
Australian English The term "recreational vehicle" may refer to a sport utility
vehicle (SUV or 4x4).
British English The term "recreational vehicle" is little used. Terms covering
some of the vehicles classified as "recreational vehicle" in North America are
camper van and caravan. The term motorhome (see below) is also used.
French language The French-made English term "camping-car" is used, and term has
also spread to Japan.
German language A "recreational vehicle" is called "wohnmobil". wohnen means
live or reside; [1]".
Spanish language A "recreational vehicle" is called "autocaravana". The word
"caravaning" is also (albeit rarely) used to mean "traveling together as a
group" in British English, leading to a different meaning.
Categories
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A Class A motorhome with slide-out extended
There are different classes of vehicles generally labeled as RVs:[2]
Class A motorhome
Constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a specially designed motor
vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis.
Bus Conversion
A commercial passenger bus that has been converted into an RV. Highly customized
with luxury components, bus conversions are typically the largest motorhomes
available.
Class B campervan
Built using a conventional van, to which either a raised roof has been added or
had the back replaced by a low-profile body (aka coach-built).
Class C motorhome
Built on a truck chassis with an attached cab section, which is usually van
based, but may also be pickup truck based or even large truck (freightliner)
based. They are characterized by a distinctive cab-over profile, the "cab-over"
containing a bed or an "entertainment" section. Also referred to as
"mini-motorhomes". In the UK, the cab-over is known as a Luton.
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A truck camper
Truck camper
A unit that is temporarily let into the bed or chassis of a pickup truck. These
are much favoured by hunters and other backwoods travellers, particularly in
North America.
Enlarge picture
An Australian camper trailer
Folding trailer
Also known as a pop-up or tent camper, a light-weight unit with sides that
collapse for towing and storage. Suitable for towing by many vehicles.
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A British Caravan
Travel trailer
A unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by some larger vehicle with a
bumper or frame hitch. Known in British English as a caravan.
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A Teardrop Trailer
Teardrop trailer
A compact, lightweight travel trailer that resembles a teardrop, sometimes seen
being towed by motorcycles.
Hybrid trailer
A blend between a travel trailer and a folding (tent) trailer. One type has
rigid sides and pull-out tent sections (usually beds) while another type's top
section of walls and its roof can be lowered over its bottom section to reduce
its height for towing.
Enlarge picture
5th-wheel trailer for towing
Fifth-wheel trailer
Designed to be towed by a pickup or medium duty truck equipped with a special
hitch called a fifth wheel coupling. Part of the trailer body extends over the
truck bed, shortening the total length of vehicle plus trailer combined.
Park model
This is a standard travel trailer that is not self-contained. It is designed for
park camping only, and while it is easily moved from site to site, as a normal
trailer is, it is not capable of "dry camping" as it does not have any water
storage tanks and must be used with hookups. It is not a mobile home.
Toterhome
An uncommon term indicating a motorhome built around a semi truck chassis (such
as a Freightliner). This type of motor home allows the pulling of large and
heavy trailers.
Toy hauler
A motorhome, 5th-wheel, or travel trailer, it is designed to be part living
space, and part garage for storing things such as motorcycles and ATVs.
Features
A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage
areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master
bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and Internet
access, slide-out sections, and awnings, and either storing a small car inside
it or providing the option of towing it behind the RV. RVs can cost (new) from
less than US$10,000 to $1,500,000 or more. Very high-end Class A motorhomes, for
example, can cost between US$100,000 to $650,000 new. In 2006, Featherlite
Luxury Coaches debuted the Featherlite Vantare Platinum Plus, a motorhome
featuring marble floors, a built-in treadmill and other luxury features valued
at US$2.5 million.[3]
Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer
service (full hookups), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. One
can also get partial hookups in the same parks. Amenities often include swimming
pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback
riding. Others prefer staying at locations in remote rural areas (called
boondocking), and still others at public campgrounds with minimal facilities.
Also many RVers stay at city parks, county parks, state parks and national
parks. The United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also
offer camping, often at no cost to the camper.
Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel
rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, sleeping in a bed one is
comfortable with. Also, preparing food oneself saves money compared to eating in
restaurants, and better meets any dietary restrictions or preferences. At the
same time, an RV provides more organized living space and better protection from
the weather than a tent.
Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow
vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is
available at a few high-end resorts), and the challenge of driving or towing
larger RV models for the novice.
There is a stereotype that people who live in RVs full-time do so because they
are poor and cannot afford more conventional housing. However, an increasing
number of people are opting to sell their homes and live in their RVs, which can
cost as much as their home did. Some return to home ownership after several
years while some few bounce back and forth between owning a home and going RVing
full time. For these, mostly retirees, RVing is a life style choice not a
financial decision.
Similarly, RVs — specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel trailers,
but usually with fewer amenities — have been used to temporarily house victims
of natural disasters. A notable example is Hurricane Katrina, after which the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ordered large numbers of such
trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans, school buses, and buses.
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana is known as the "RV Capital of the World" because it is home to
many RV manufacturers, including Berkshire Hathaway's Forest River, Heartland
RV, the Damon Corporation, Four Winds International, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco,
Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Newmar,
Dutchmen, Gulf Stream, and Jayco, can be found in the nearby towns of Goshen,
Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa. In 2005, these locales experienced a boom
because of the large number of trailers ordered to house Hurricane Katrina
victims.
Recreational vehicle terms
Black water
Wastewater from the RV toilet. Body waste. Called blackwater because if left in
the blackwater tank long enough, turns black.
Chemicals (for wastewater tanks)
A variety of commercially produced chemicals that are added to the blackwater
and graywater tanks to control odors. These chemicals may or may not kill the
bacteria in the tanks and may or may not have an adverse affect on septic
systems. Some wastewater tank chemicals contain enzymes that are supposed to
control odors and help breakdown the organic materials in the wastewater.
Commonly referred to as 'blue' or 'green', the latter being designed to be less
harmful to the environment.
Converter
An electrical device that is usually supplied built-in the RV by the
manufacturer. The converter takes AC power from a campground electrical hookup
(shore power) or generator and converts that power to 12 volts DC for use in the
vehicle. Converters also charge the house battery(s
Dry camping (boondocking)
Is camping in a campground or any area without water, electricity and sewage
hookups, including parking lots or driveways. In the USA, most campgrounds
operated by the US Department of the Interior (BLM, National Park Service,
National Monuments, National Wildlife Areas, National Forests) and most state
and county campgrounds do not have full hookups for water, sewage or
electricity. Dry camping is made more livable by having:
# A supply of potable water storage within the RV
# Having enough house-battery(s) power to supply basic camping needs (low
voltage lights, water pump, control portion of refrigerator, etc.)
# Having a means of recharging the house battery(s) such as solar panels or
generators
# Having enough wastewater tank capacity to contain the wastewater for several
days of camping
Dump station
A place where RV waste-water tanks is emptied. Usually a small concrete pad with
a 3 to 4-inch brass fitting embedded into the concrete. The fitting accepts a
sewer hose from the RV. Sewage dumped into the station goes into a sewer or a
septic system. The brass fitting usually has a pivoting cover to keep rocks and
other objects out of the dump station piping. Dump stations are usually situated
so that an RV can be driven next to the receptacle. Dump stations often have
running water for rinsing the RV's sanitary pipes and for cleaning up the dump
station pad. This water should not be used to fill an RV's potable water tank.
RV etiquette demands that when using an RV dump station, you clean up any
spills.
Dumping, dumping tanks
The act of emptying the waste tanks.
Generator
A gasoline, diesel or propane-powered device for generating 120 or 240 volts AC
electrical power for use when boondocking or dry camping. Generators are rated
by their electrical output, usually in watts. A minimum generator size for a
small RV would be 1500 to 2000 watts. To run an RV air conditioner, a minimum of
3000 watts is usually needed. Larger RV's with multiple air conditioners require
generators with 6000 and more watts of capacity. Generators also charge the
house battery(s). Generators are common in North America but very unusual in
Europe, where their noise would be an unpopular intrusion to the rural calm of a
campsite.
Grey water
Waste water from the sinks and showers. It is not truly "clean", but it is not
as "dirty" as "blackwater". It is called graywater because it looks gray from
detergents in the water.
High voltage
refers to shore power, generator power or power from an inverter, which is AC at
the standard household voltage of one's country, used to run air conditioners,
television and stereo systems, microwave ovens, electrical refrigerators,
electric heaters, and electric water heaters. It also powers AC outlets in the
RV for electrical devices such as toasters, hair dryers, computers, printers
etc. (Strictly, "AC" only means that the polarity reverses many times per
second, but in an RV it may be assumed to mean high voltage.)
House batteries
The batteries, usually 12 volt DC, that are installed on or within an RV. Known
in the UK as 'leisure batteries'. Usually there are multiple batteries combined
in a parallel circuit, but there may be a single house battery on some RV's.
Separate and isolated electrically from the vehicle battery(s) that are used to
start and operate the motor vehicle part of the RV (motor of a motorhome, car or
truck for tow vehicles or campers). RV batteries differ from car or truck
batteries in that they are 'deep cycle' batteries. This means that RV batteries
can be drawn down further before recharging than car or truck batteries. For
best RV battery life, do not draw down the charge below 50% before recharging.
Deep cycle batteries that are well maintained and cared for can last 10+ years.
RV batteries that are poorly maintained and abused will last only a year or two.
Batteries are rated in amp-hours; multiplying this figure by the battery voltage
yields watt-hours, which indicates the length of time a known load can be run.
Inverter
An inverter takes the 12 volt DC house power from the house battery(s) and
inverts that to AC power at the standard household voltage for one's country.
Inverters are not usually supplied in RV's by the manufacturer. Inverters are
rated by the output, in watts. There are two categories of inverters. The least
expensive are called 'modified sine-wave' or 'quasi-sine wave' inverters. The
more expensive versions are 'sine-wave' or 'full sine-wave' inverters. The
modified- or quasi-sine wave inverters work well for most RV uses, but most
inverter manufacturers recommend the use of full sine wave inverters to power
televisions, VCR players and recorders, DVD players, computers, printers, fax
machines and other electronic devices. Like a generator, inverters must be sized
to accommodate the anticipated electrical load. Most inverters in RVs are rated
at 1500-2000 watts. This is enough power to run a microwave oven or run a TV,
DVD and computer but not at the same time as the microwave. The number of
watt-hours that can be provided; how long a given load can be run; depends on
the battery, after allowing for the slight inefficiency of the inverter.
Low voltage/high voltage electrical systems
In U.S. RVs there are two types of electricity used in the unit. Low voltage
refers to electricity from the house battery(s), typically 12 volts DC. This
electricity is used to run lights, the water pump, the control portion of a
refrigerator, the igniters for cooktops, smoke and gas detectors, fans, jack and
slide-out motors and often the blower and control circuits of a built-in propane
furnace.
Pink water
This would be water to which 'pink' antifreeze has been added, for use in
flushing toilets. Pink is used to imply that it is not toxic. Normal antifreeze
is colored green or blue to show that it is a toxic chemical.
Refrigerator: Most RV refrigerators are "Absorption Cycle", rather then
"Compressor Cycle" appliances. These operate by the direct application of heat
to the refrigerant, without the use of a pump, unlike most domestic
refrigerators. In recent years special 12VDC operated compressor type
refrigerators have been developed and are being used in some RVs.
The typical RV (absorption) refrigerator uses either propane or electricity as a
heat source. Most operate on propane or AC (2-way), while some add 12VDC
(three-way). Three-way (powered) RV refrigerators draw too many amps to be
powered by the house battery(s), but may run on 12VDC power while the engine is
running in an RV. Newer models use 12VDC to control electronics that switch
power sources automatically. Absorption refrigerators are very sensitive to
being level and do not function unless reasonably level. However, newer RV
refrigerators are less sensitive to being run out of level.
Anyone planning a long ferry ride with an RV should bear in mind that it is
impossible to run the fridge while on board, where gas bottles must be turned
off, and electricity is seldom provided.
RV shower
Is a method of showering that conserves water, wastewater tankage and battery
power in a motorhome, trailer or camper while dry camping. The steps in a basic
RV shower are:
# Turn on the water
# Wet the body
# Turn off the water
# Shampoo hair
# Soap up and scrub body
# Turn the water back on and rinse off the soap and shampoo
The total time for the water being on is typically under 2 minutes and often
less. The RV shower is similar to a Navy shower. Owners of smaller vehicles
seldom use the shower in the van, preferring to use the campground showers.
Sanitary station
in Europe, black water is usually collected in a portable toilet with a
detachable tank which is carried to the sanitary station. Sometimes referred to
as a Thetford, Porta Potti or an Elsan (from commercial names), this tank has a
small amount of 'blue' or 'green' added to it each time it is emptied, to manage
odours. The sign for a sanitary station usually includes the word 'Chemical' in
one form or another.
Shore power
Electricity that is available to an RV from a power company. The basic service
in USA campgrounds is a standard 2-prong w/ground 120 volt AC outlet with 15-20
amps. Most newer USA campgrounds with electrical hookups offer three outlets in
the connection box: 2-prong w/ground 120 volt AC 20 amp; 3-prong RV 120 volt AC
30 amp; and a 4-prong RV 120/240 volt AC 50 amp (which can power 120 volt loads
and the large 240 volt loads at the same time). A variety of plug converters are
available from RV supply houses to convert from one type of plug to another.
(High voltage can kill when wired wrong, and the fact that appliances work does
not mean that it's wired right.) In the UK and most of Europe, 240 volt power is
supplied through a 16 amp socket which is designed for outdoor use. In
continental Europe, although the socket is rated at 16 amps, the circuit is
often limited to a much lower current, sometimes as low as 3 Amps. Less modern
campgrounds may use domestic sockets similar to those found in homes.
Slide-Out
A section of the RV that can be expanded by pulling it outward from the side of
the vehicle, thus making the interior space wider. Many modern North American
RVs feature at least one slide-out section – this is typically to widen the
kitchen and better accommodate the seating area.
Tow vehicle
The car or truck that is used to tow an RV trailer.
Towed vehicle or "toad"
A car or other vehicle that is towed behind motorhomes for use when the
motorhome is set up in a campground and connected to utilities. Also called a
"dinghy". Fairly common in the US and Canada, but unheard-of in Europe.
White water
This is the fresh water directly taken from a clean-water source. It may or may
not be potable water, i.e., drinking water.
Wild camping: used in the UK to refer to camping at unofficial sites or at the
side of the road. The legality of this varies from country to country in Europe,
and it can be risky in some places.
Winterize
The maintenance of an RV's water system to protect it from damage during cold
winter storage. This involves making sure all water is removed from the hoses
and tanks using compressed air or adding a non-toxic antifreeze to the system.
Some modern RVs are equipped with automatic winterization systems.
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