Everyone has been a first-timer at some point in their lives. It can be awkward and frustrating and sometimes even a little confusing… and RV camping is no different. We get it - there’s a lot of new terminology and RVs are more complicated than renting a hotel or a house because this home moves! But yet it’s not quite a home and not quite a car or truck.
Today we’re going to take you through what we think is the most important information for first-time renters.
The first thing to know is the RV basics & foundational terms. When you start to look for RV rentals, you’ll quickly notice that there is a wide variety in the types of RVs available and they all have different benefits and capabilities. But in the world of RV camping there are some terms that you will see over and over again and we’re going to break those down for you.
Hook-ups are the ability for your RV to “hook up” to utilities at a campground - specifically water, electricity, and sewage. The types of hookups the RV has will be listed as either partial or full and will also be listed on the campsite when you go to reserve. Full hook-ups mean you can connect to all three utilities whereas partial hook-ups mean you can usually only connect to water & electric. For first-time renters, we highly recommend choosing a campsite with full hookups.
Water tank: This is the water supply available on your unit. This is going to be the only source of water if you are not “hooked-up” to water at a campsite. That means this is the water you will use to take a shower, wash your dishes, and flush the toilet so it can go pretty quick if you don’t know how much water you use or how to conserve it. So again, full hook-ups are recommended for first-time RVers.
Grey Water Tank: A grey water tank stores your “grey water” aka the water that you’ve used on the unit that is dirty but not sewage. Again think of the water from your showers or your dishes.
Black Water Tank: One of the best things about having an RV is having a private bathroom at all times, but that waste has to go somewhere and that somewhere is called the black tank. RVs are different from regular households and even if you are “hooked-up” to sewage that doesn’t mean when you flush the waste is removed from the vehicle. It all goes into the black tank, because the black tank is actually also full of a chemical compound that breaks down waste before sending it to the sewer.
Dumping: Dumping is the process of clearing out your tanks when they are full. If you do not have full hook-ups at your site, you have to bring the vehicle to a dump station. Different RVs are going to have different tank sizes but they will all have some sort of mechanism to monitor how full they are which will tell you when you need to empty them. Make sure you talk to your RV owner about this - it’s really important.
In the back of all our minds, we want to live out our van-life dreams and just hit the open road and see where it takes us. I have to be honest with you, in order to do that without inducing major amounts of stress, there is a basic amount of skill and knowledge that is required. And if you’re a first-time renter the chances are that you haven’t built up that skill set yet, and that’s ok.
So, for first timers here is our recommended 4-step pre-planning process. First, decide what you want to do on vacation and who you are traveling with because everything else will be influenced by those two things. The, plan on booking a rental that fits with your activities & group needs. Next, you’re going to want to find a campsite that also fits your needs. And lastly, you’ll want to make packing lists! For you, your kids, and/or your pets!
All that said, while planning is important, you’ll also want to remember to leave some space for flexibility in your plans. You must realize that sometimes things won’t go according to your well-laid plans, and that’s okay. For some, creating a couple of backup plans can be a great way to find peace of mind. There’s also a lot to be said about leaving a little space for the “RV magic” to happen on vacation.
Our owners love RVing and they are going to know their unit better than anyone else. So make sure that you communicate with them as often as they communicate with you. This includes making sure that both parties are clear on the rules around the usage of the RV, coordinating pick-up or delivery times, and making sure you have a walk through with the owner when the time for your trip comes. And don’t be afraid to ask questions as they come up on your trip. If you don’t understand how something works or you need help, ask and they will be more than happy to walk you through it.
Dumping Stations by State: [ Ссылка ]
00:00 Intro
1:21 RV Terminology & Basics
5:25 Pre-Planning Process
7:10 Staying Flexible
8:07 Communicate With Your Owner
8:50 Outro
