RV Tips

A 6% grade doesn't feel dramatic in a car. In a 14,000-lb rig, sustained grades above 6% will cook your transmission fluid on descents and overheat your engine on climbs. The danger isn't the steepness — it's the duration. A 2-mile, 6% descent is far more punishing than a half-mile, 8% drop.

On descents, use a lower gear before you need it. Engine braking keeps your brakes cool and gives you control. If you smell your brakes, you're already behind — pull over and let them cool completely before continuing.

Wind that feels mild at camp becomes a steering challenge at 65 mph. A 20 mph crosswind at speed creates significant lateral force on a high-profile rig. Side gusts — brief, sharp wind shifts — are more dangerous than steady wind because they're harder to anticipate.

On open stretches of Wyoming, Kansas, or the Mojave, sustained winds above 20 mph are worth taking seriously. Above 30 mph, consider pulling over or adjusting your departure time. No destination is worth a rollover.

Your rig's height listed in the owner's manual is the frame height. Add any rooftop equipment — AC unit, antenna, vent fans — and your actual clearance height is typically 4–8 inches taller. Most RV owners don't know their true height.

Measure it. Park under a tape measure or ask your dealer. Then round up, not down — you want to be conservative. A 13'2" rig should be treated as a 13'6" rig for routing purposes.

Many tunnels and some bridges prohibit vehicles carrying propane. This is different from a weight or height restriction — it applies even if your tanks are small. "No propane" means your rig with a full tank is not permitted, period.

The fines are steep and enforcement is real. More importantly, the restriction exists because a propane leak in an enclosed tunnel is catastrophic. Plan alternate routes ahead of time for known restricted corridors: the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, the Holland Tunnel in NYC, and others.

Colorado's I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel, US-40 over Berthoud Pass, and dozens of other mountain routes can be closed in minutes when weather moves in. This happens year-round — summer thunderstorms, early-season snow, and high-wind events can all shut down a pass.

Check COTRIP, CDOT, or equivalent state DOT apps the morning of any mountain crossing. Have an alternate route identified before you need it, and know where the nearest RV-friendly parking is if you get caught in a closure.

A pull-through site means you drive in one end and out the other — no backing required. A back-in site means you need to reverse into the spot. If you're solo, backing in is significantly harder without a spotter.

Know what your campground has before you arrive. Call ahead if you're not confident backing, and ask for a pull-through or an end site with extra maneuvering room. Most campground staff are used to this request and will accommodate when possible.

Backup cameras show you what's directly behind the rig. Your mirrors show you the angle of your trailer relative to the tow vehicle. Learning to back primarily with mirrors — using the camera as a secondary reference — gives you spatial awareness that a camera can't replicate.

When backing, turn your steering wheel in the direction you want the rear of the trailer to go. Small corrections early are far easier than big corrections late. Go slow. A spotter behind you at arm's length, using hand signals, is worth more than any camera system.

Your rig's range in flat interstate conditions is not your range in mountain terrain. Towing a heavy trailer uphill at altitude burns significantly more fuel — sometimes 30–50% more than your baseline MPG. Calculate your fuel stops based on your worst-case consumption, not your average.

RV-friendly fuel stops matter. Pilot Flying J, Love's, TA, and TravelCenters are your best bets — they have diesel islands with pull-through lanes wide enough for a rig, and most have dump stations and fresh water. A standard gas station with a small lot is not the place to discover you need a 3-point turn.

Wind in mountain corridors typically builds through the morning and peaks in the early afternoon. A 7 AM departure over a mountain pass is often a completely different experience than the same route at 1 PM. In open country like Wyoming or west Texas, wind patterns vary by season but afternoon gusts are consistently stronger than morning.

If you're route planning the night before, look at hourly forecasts for the most exposed sections of your route — not just the origin and destination. Shifting departure by two hours can mean the difference between a calm drive and a white-knuckle one.

300 miles in a car is a comfortable 4-hour drive. In a rig — especially through mountain terrain, with fuel stops and campground check-in times — it's a full day. New RVers consistently underestimate how fatiguing RV driving is compared to car driving.

Until you're comfortable with the rig and have dialed in your routine, plan shorter days. Arriving at camp with daylight and energy is worth far more than cramming miles. There's no trophy for arriving exhausted.

Online campground listings often show maximum rig length, but that number is frequently optimistic. A campground that says "40 ft max" may have a turn at the entrance that a 35-ft rig can barely navigate. A site rated for a 38-ft rig may have a tree that forces you to unhitch at an awkward angle.

Call and ask specific questions: What's the actual turning radius at the entrance? Are there overhanging trees on the site? Is the road in paved or gravel? Is there room to extend my slides? Two minutes on the phone can save an hour of frustration on arrival.

Vast stretches of the rural West, mountain corridors, and National Forest roads have no cell coverage. If your navigation app requires a data connection, you're driving blind the moment signal drops.

Download offline maps for your route before you leave. Know where the coverage gaps are on major routes through your planned corridor. And have a paper atlas — not because you'll use it every day, but because the one time you need it, you'll be very glad it's there.

Water expands when it freezes. A single freeze event in your water lines can crack PEX tubing, split fittings, and damage your water pump. Fixing freeze damage is expensive and time-consuming — winterizing properly takes a few hours and costs almost nothing by comparison.

The standard method uses compressed air to blow out the lines, followed by RV antifreeze (non-toxic, propylene glycol) poured into the P-traps and low points. Drain the fresh water tank, hot water heater, and any inline filters. Don't forget the icemaker line if you have one. Check your owner's manual for your specific rig's winterization procedure — they vary.

The pyramid of solids in your black tank is a real thing and a real problem. It happens when you leave the black tank valve open while on hookups — liquid drains out but solids accumulate. Always keep the black tank valve closed until you're ready to dump, then dump when it's at least two-thirds full so there's enough liquid to carry solids out.

After dumping, add a tank treatment (enzyme-based, not formaldehyde-based which kills beneficial bacteria) and a few gallons of water before you drive. The sloshing helps clean the tank. A black tank flush port — if your rig has one — is worth using regularly.

Gray tanks collect soap, food particles, and grease from your sinks and shower. Left untreated, they develop a biofilm that smells worse than the black tank. Regular treatment with enzyme cleaners keeps them clean without much effort.

Avoid dumping cooking grease down the sink — it accumulates in the tank and is genuinely difficult to break down. Run hot water through the drain after dishes. On dump day, dump black first, then gray — the gray water helps rinse the sewer hose.

RV tires are typically underinflated in the field. Temperature changes, altitude, and sitting overnight all affect pressure. An underinflated tire on a heavy rig at highway speed builds heat — and heat is what causes blowouts, not road debris.

Check pressure cold, before driving, every morning you plan to move. Get a quality digital gauge rated for truck/RV tire pressures. Carry a 12-volt compressor that can reach the PSI your tires require. The few minutes this takes is the best insurance you have against a roadside blowout.

Water damage is the most common and most expensive RV repair. It almost always starts at a failed roof seal — around vents, skylights, AC units, and antenna mounts. These seals degrade with UV exposure and temperature cycling, and they do it invisibly until water has already gotten inside.

Inspect your roof seals every spring and fall. Look for cracking, peeling, or gaps. Lap sealant is cheap and easy to apply. Catching a failed seal before it becomes a water intrusion problem saves you thousands of dollars and months of repair time.

August is blowout season for RVs. Pavement temperature in direct sun can exceed 150°F, which transfers heat directly into your tires. Combined with an underinflated tire on a heavy rig, the heat buildup can cause a blowout with no warning.

In summer desert driving, check tire pressure more frequently — at fuel stops, not just in the morning. Park in shade when stopped. Consider adding a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that alerts you to pressure drops while driving. The cost is trivial compared to a blowout on the interstate.

Most RV furnaces use propane and run on 12-volt DC power for the blower. In extreme cold, propane pressure drops and furnaces can struggle to keep up. A catalytic heater as a backup — one rated for indoor use — can keep your living space warm when the furnace can't.

Skirt your rig if you're staying in one spot for more than a few nights. Even an old tarp secured around the bottom of the rig keeps the wind off your underbelly and significantly reduces heat loss through the floor. Don't let the underbelly freeze — your fresh water tank and some water lines live down there.

During active wildfire season in the West, air quality can drop to hazardous levels across hundreds of miles. Beyond the health impact, heavy smoke reduces visibility significantly — and RV driving requires seeing what's ahead. Many mountain roads also close during active fire conditions.

Check AirNow.gov for air quality index forecasts along your route. An AQI above 150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups; above 200 it's unhealthy for everyone. On high-smoke days, run your rig's AC in recirculate mode to keep smoke out of the cabin. Know where the nearest campground with hookups is — you may want to hunker down and wait it out.