Purchasing an RV for the first time comes with an enormous learning curve. From the hitch to the sewer pipe, there are important RV tips one must learn to avoid costly mistakes. Most experienced RVers have at least one story to tell about a lesson they learned the hard way. Our personal early mistake was over packing. So much so, that the over loaded, hitch mount cargo carrier weighed our bumper down to the street mid road trip! Sparks flying, we pulled over and threw everything inside the camper. Thanks to my welder son, we now have a heavy, strong bumper, but also have learned to pack much lighter.

I do not like learning things the hard way, so I ask experienced RVers to share everything from their simple slip ups to major disasters. They were more than willing to give advice! Most were serious. Some were tongue in cheek, but all are entertaining to read. Enjoy their stories below to learn from others’ mistakes instead of making your own.

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This is a long post filled with great advice from experienced RV owners. Be sure to Pin it, just in case you don’t have time to read it all right now!

Note: Quotes below edited for readability

Setting Up and Tearing Down RV Tips

Staying Focused

Never be in a hurry and rush through opening up or closing. Hopefully, you will not make any mistakes. It also makes everyone calmer and more peaceful.

Pam Van Delden- San Antonio, TX

Do not get distracted while setting up and shutting down. If host/neighbor wants to visit, then just stop trying to set up. It is easy to miss a step.

Jennifer Monroe

Don’t get distracted when hooking up the travel trailer and forget the weight distribution hitch to receiver pin. We caught it 50 feet out of the camping spot. Luckily, most the damage was the asphalt. Have a routine and stick with it.

Dan N Wendy Green, San Antonio, Texas

Arriving at Camp

Pay attention to speed bumps, even though you are excited when entering the RV park. We just had a motorhome enter the park about 30 mph and didn’t see the clearly marked speed bumps. Consequently, they blew out an air bag on the rear wheel.

Mark Blaschke- San Antonio, TX

Before you pull into a camping spot, look up and down and around for obstructions. Sounds simple, but a tree leaning more than your quick glance figured can cost a lot in repairs! Don’t assume the cost to repair will be less than your deductible!

Anonymous

Never shut the door and leave your dog in the truck (with A/C) while you jump out to make sure you are lined up right! We did this near Garner and our dog locked us out! In addition, it took two hours for a locksmith to arrive.

Anonymous

Backing Up

Don’t back up if you don’t switch the hitch, especially if you aren’t a backer upper.

Jan Donovan

If you can’t back up, take RV training for backing up, so that you don’t destroy the side of your vehicle.

Wanda Hoff- Rowlett, TX

Keeping a Checklist

Make a list of how-to set up/tear down and follow it every time because you can easily omit one and make a big mistake.

Doreen Quirt

We left antenna up once and the stairs down once. I forgot to secure tv once and it torn the whole area up as it bounced around. Once, the fridge wasn’t latched and eggs, mayo, and ketchup broke all over floor. I could go on and on. So now while my husband does all outside work, I do all inside breakdown. Lastly, before pulling out, we both do walk around the whole trailer looking for anything out of place. I finally got wise about breakdown and put a list on my phone. I pull up the list and start from living room forward. What a difference it has made. Now, within an hour or less we’re leaving!

Donna Patterson-Bee Cave, Texas

Leaving Camp

Always remember to move stuff out of the way of your slide out before you bring it in and always check the antenna before you leave camp. So far those are our only two major mess ups after a year of camping. Enjoy your trips!

Heather Young

Make sure all outside storage compartments are securely latched and locked. It looked latched but it obviously wasn’t, and I noticed it flopping about 10 minutes into our trip.

Vincent Bennett- Austin, TX

Balance your load inside the camper and make sure you don’t have anything loose or too much weight on one side or the other! Sucks to pull a trailer in high winds regardless, but if you have an unbalanced load as well, then you find yourself praying while you’re driving!

Joe Phillips

Shake the sway bars to ensure the pin is secured. I was following my husband who was driving the trailer. A half mile out, I saw one the bars dragging. Thank goodness there was no damage.

Kris Kincaid Franckowiak

I left our shore power plugged in and drove off, causing a costly mistake. Progressive Industries was so great replacing our part I can’t say enough about that company.

Tamara Jean Fraley

Do not put a kayak pointing out of the bed of your truck. It will punch a nice hole in the front of the camper that will cost $1500 to fix.

Sta Leigh

Awning RV Tips

I left my awning down knowing that a rain storm was coming. The wind ripped it like paper! Later, I learned that you’re supposed to roll your awning up at night.

Carolyn Larson- Humble, Texas

If there is hail, pull your slides in so the slide awnings don’t get ripped. We were in a horrible hail storm. After that, we had a lot of damage to the car and the only damage to the RV was the slide awnings.

Sharyl Hofer-Los Alamos, New Mexico

We left our awning out during a storm and let’s just say one big wind gush caused more damage than we ever thought possible. 

Sabrina Piel

Make sure you tilt your awning. We did not one time in Arkansas and had to replace ours, because it bent the main support.

Brandy Strohl Smith

Water and Sewage RV Tips

Always make sure your black tank is closed until you need to dump it. Otherwise everything dries out, hardens and backs up.

Angel Rendon – Corpus Christy, Texas

Empty your hot water tank before snowmageddon. Also, make sure to hook up the water correctly!

Jill Darling

If you have an electric hot water heater, turn it off! Empty black tank THEN the grey tank. Check the tops of your slides for twigs, limbs, acorns, etc. Use a broom to sweep off.

Lisa Moore Kneggs

First, my husband insisted it was better to leave all tanks open. As a result, we had sewer flies coming in and breeding in the sink. I finally realized we were about to be infested. We hung up two fly strips and both of them were full of those biting flies. I read comments on a post of a RV websites, telling readers to spray some of the fly killer in the drain to the sink overnight. We kept a fly strip in kitchen and bedroom until they were no longer around. They DO bite. You have to go after them with a vengeance!

Marlene Collins-Fellows – Del Rio, Texas

Tire RV Tips

Always check the tire pressures before leaving and that includes the spare.

Bryan Dumesnil

Firstly, always check the manufacture dates on your tires. Even if your unit is fairly new, the tires could be older. Tires that sit in storage can degrade faster. Change out those ubiquitous cheap tires for better ones. Secondly, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS check your tire pressures. A tire monitor system, like TireMinder, is a great investment (learned the hard way). Thirdly, know the load weight of your vehicle on both sides and axles. You can weigh your rigs at some truck stops. This helps with unequal load distribution and stress on tires.

Judy Williams

Check your tires and get the big mirrors so you can see. Last weekend, I didn’t feel the tire blow, drove on it for God knows how long, tore up the wheel well, and threw stuff at the RV.

Kerri Horan-Garza

Immediately get rid of those cheap tires. Get American made with more plies, the same size or up a size if they’ll fit. Have them balanced & grease the wheel bearings every year.

Harvey Melcher

Food and Beverages RV Tips

If you are going to leave food in your fridge, because you’re going camping again very soon, make sure yard guy doesn’t unplug your RV so he can cut that area! Battery will only run it for so long and in Texas August heat food spoils really fast! I had to completely replace my fridge.

Sonya AEolia Goldman Favors-New Braunfels, Texas

I have tons of wonderful memories camping with my parents and then my own children. Besides the basics of towing/setting up etc, I’d say never ever put any food type products in the outside underneath compartments. I put a big container of bird seed in my outside compartments after that, a mouse family promptly claimed the spot as their new home. They chewed four teeny tiny holes in four separate water hoses. It was just enough for them to get a sip and for us not to notice. Consequently, my poor darling husband had to contort himself into shapes of all kinds to reach the inner recesses of our “basement” to fix the holes! Oh Lordy I’ll never do that again!

Carol Jacks

Keeping it Clean

Keep a tote with water by the steps when camping by a sandy area. Step in it and get sand off your feet before getting in RV…less cleaning!

LaTonia Hill Arris

Take a couple of old towels to clean up messes and puppy paws, because you don’t want to use up your paper towels or cute “Happy Camper” towels for that. On your sale walk-through, fill up the sinks and let them drain to make sure there are no leaky pipes. We didn’t do that and on our maiden voyage had water all over the kitchen floor. Hence, the need for old towels.

Judy Williams

Conclusion

To conclude, I will leave you my three favorites for a little chuckle.

“Make wider turns.” –John Marshall

“Trees have low branches.” –Cheryl Welchon Murphy

“Never carry bananas they are bad luck! It is true! Below is a photo of what happened after we brought a banana on board! After this we went 3,500 miles no problems! Seven thousand miles total.“- Ed McNair, Seabrook, Texas

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