Recreational vehicle

"RV" redirects here. For other uses, see RV (disambiguation).

File:CamperVan NewZealand.jpg

A camper built on a light truck chassis

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.

Etymology

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 (see below) 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.

Categories

A truck camper

File:Prowlersmall.jpg

5th Wheel Trailer for towing

There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:

Truck camper

a camper shell unit that is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck.

Folding trailer

also known as a pop-up, a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage. Suitable for towing by many vehicles.

Travel trailer

also known as a caravan, a unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by some larger vehicles with a bumper or frame hitch.

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.

5th wheel trailer

designed to be towed by a pickup or medium duty truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed.

Park model

also called Mobile Home, it is designed for only occasional relocation, it will require a special tow vehicle and often needs special permits for travelling on public roads.

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 motor home, 5th wheel or travel trailer, it is designed to be part living space, and part garage for storing things such as motorcycles and ATV's.

Another set of mainly North American-usage definitions:

Motorhome

("Winnebago", a product of Winnebago Industries which pioneered the mass-market motorhome in the early 1960s under a group of Midwestern investors, still serves as a synonym for a "motorhome".) Its main competitor is Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., of Riverside, Calif.

Class A Motorcoach

constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commercial bus chassis.

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 (compared to a Class C).

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 bunk. Also referred to as "mini-Motorhomes." The term "Minnie Winnie" sometimes is used in references to Class C motorhomes, originally coined by one of the founders of Winnebago Industries, Inc.

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 $10,000 to $500,000, with some costing over that.

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. 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 ones things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, sleeping in a bed one is comfortable with and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating in restaurants. 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 larger RV models can be hard for the novice to drive or tow.

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. 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; the federal disaster relief agency FEMA has 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, schoolbuses, 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, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Sun Valley, and Travel Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, 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.

External links

• RVDA (National Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association homepage)
• RVRA (Rental Association homepage, rental locations)
• RV Resources (a RV resources directory)
• RV Basics ( a RV resources directory)
• A Room With A View (short private website about living in an RV)
• RV and Caravan Park resources (Australia) (from GoSeeAustralia.com.au)