So you want to own an RV! Just imagine yourself cruising the highways, seeing the sights, staying where you want, when you want. Enjoying this beautiful country! What could be better! It is a great dream and can be a very real dream - BUT owning an RV is rather like having children, you love them but sometimes can be so frustrated by what they do and they always are in need of something!

We RV'ers love our RV's, but no one will tell you that there are not issues when you live in a vehicle. Before you rush out and buy your RV you need to think about why you want this RV - all the reasons, not just the dream-like, wonderful things. Think about the issues and there are many. Not so that you change your mind, but that you are truly aware of RV life.

The toilet. Yes, that one important thing that we never think about until it is time to clean it or when it backs up. RV toilets are not the same as household toilets! Yes, they do the same thing, but not always in the same way. First you need to understand that you are carrying all your waste with you until to get somewhere to dump it (sometimes this costs money). Think of it a little like carrying a small septic tank inside your home. (Hint: think with your nose) One issue is odor control. You will need to find and use some sort of odor control. Everyone has their favorite and none are perfect. This means you will be adding odor control every time you dump the system. Also, since this is held in a tank under the floor, you are limited on space and therefore, most RV tanks 1. use very little water per flush (keeps the volume down) and 2. they have a limited size so you need to keep an eye on how full the tank is or as my friend Murphy (Murphy's Law) would warn you, it will be full when you need it quickest. Also, water is weight and you don't want to haul around a lot of weight - which gets us to the "dump" feature.

Dumping the holding tank. Yes, this is something you do on a fairly regular basis and yes, you do get used to it. Although, I find this seems to become the man's job (no sexism here, simply an observation). You will find this can be a quick and easy process and when things go wrong you can be up to your ankles in - lets just say something you would really prefer not to be in. You will learn the in's and out's and there will be plenty of people to help you with tips on the subject. It is important to understand this process and have whoever is selling you the RV walk you through the process (show you and let you try) so you will be familiar with it. You will find a few simple tricks help make this a more pleasant experience. One trick is to make sure you have all the right equipment: the proper coupling, a good, high quality hose, and extension hose for the longer reaches and an outlet end (don't use just the hose as it can fall out and if it does you are up to your ankles... or at a bare minimum you have upset everyone else waiting to use the dump station). Also, you will find you have more than one holding tank. Dump the black water (toilet) tank first and then leave the valve open and dump the gray water (sink and shower) to help clean out the system and the hose. Plan to rinse the hose by disconnecting from the RV first and running the water into the dump station. I do recommend a good pair of rubber gloves or those wear and toss surgical style gloves. Another quick note: Don't make the mistake of staying somewhere with a full hook up (sewer on site) and leaving your black water valve open thinking you are doing yourself a favor. You will remember I said there was a lot less water per flush and you will find the solids hit the bottom of the tank and only the water flows away. Soon you will be finding out how hard it is to get the built-up solids out of the tank. Let the black water fill up at least 1/2 way, preferably full, and then dump to help eliminate the build up problem. If you are starting to experience some build up then you may want to consider not dumping when you leave a location and let the normal rocking motion travelling down the road help break up the solids and dump when you get to the next campsite. Thesse are not all the tricks, but should get you thinking.

Propane. Your unit runs on propane. You heat with it, you can keep your refrigerator cold with it, in short you need it. Do not be tempted to run your refrigerator on propane while you are traveling. First of all there is no need to do so. Modorn RV refrigerators are designed to stay cold for many hours (longer than your bottom can endure) without losing more than a couple of degrees tempurature. The down side of running with the propane on is the chance of losing your RV to a fire and this can happen! Imagine pulling into a gas station with all the gas fumes around the pumps and there you are with an open flame a few feet away. That image alone should keep you from running down the road with the propane in use. By the way, this is another system you need to keep track of and know when you are getting low and should fill the system. Try explaining to your spouse why she or he froze last night because you forgot to check the propane level. If you are like most of us you will soon have the T-shirt that says "Been there - Done that".

Power. Yes that good old electrical power we take for granted. In an RV you find out quickly how much you rely on it and how limited it can be. For instance, imagine yourself at a park where you have electricity available, but it is only 20 amp. Now 20 amp will run many things at home, but not an airconditioner on a hot day in an RV! You will want to know what power you need to run your applicances and you need to undertstand that just because you have all of these applicances that does not mean you can run them all at the same time! Also, for many of you power will be your 12v deep cycle battery. Learn to use it sparingly to conserve so that it will be there when you need it. If you are one who has a generator you're in great shape, BUT remember, you generator needs to be shut down at night so you neighbors can sleep, plus it runs on gas or propane so don't forget to check your levels to avoid the icy stare of you loved one who is thinking bad thoughts about you when it quits unexpectedly. Furthermore, on hot, humid days in a full campground, do you share to keep the load down, the campground powere cannot handle everyone's A/C's running slong with everything else in your unit at the same time. See the page on how to avoid blowing your breaker for more on this.

Oil changes and routine maintenance. Yes, they are necessary. Plan accordingly to avoid issues and failures at the wrong time. Always learn to enjoy your situation regardless of what goes wrong, because it will go wrong from time to time (remember Murphy was an optimist). For example, while visiting my folks we took the RV to the Oregon coast and stopped at the gate of the State Park to wait for the ranger to check us in. After signing in I went to start the RV only to be greeted with total silence (it is a fairly quiet unit but not that quiet). Needless to say there we were unable to move and people behind us - thank God there was room to get by while we waited for a tow truck to take us to the overflow area to wait for help the next day. To make a long story short after two starters we finally got the right one (remember we are on the coast - narrow winding roads and 50 miles from town - you get the picture). Easily this could have been viewed as a disaster, but we had a ball. We were with family, we realy did not lose any time, we were at the coast, and made full use of our time and let the mechanic worry about getting us running again. (by the way the lesson learned here is get the name brand part to ensure it will fit it saves time and is not usually any more expensive) The point is that things will break after all it is a house on wheels (I jokingly call it "wheel estate"). Those of you with RV's with really big tires do you really think you are going to change it by yourself. My advice is to get a good roadside service and keep the payments up to date.

Gas/Diesel. Your choice, but they are both expensive but you need to remember that you are driving a house (or dragging a house). So put into perspective you are actually getting pretty good milage for a house. The point here is to budget appropriately and to plan ahead! Remember you can't just pull into the next station to fill up. Murphy (yes you will get to know Murphy's Law very well) will be quick to point out that a failure to plan ahead will cause you to panic into pulling into a station without ample room and with the pump on the wrong side and now, with heavy traffic you will have your spouse outside directing traffic, (she and others will be thinking very ugly thoughts about you) while you back out to move on down the road (been there - done that - got the T-shirt). A little planning here will save your trip and your marriage.

Don't forget there is insurance and travel costs to consider. Most campgrounds do charge. Learn how to drive your RV. A few simple tips from the seller will help you.

I hope I haven't scared you. Yes, there are things to think about, but now with these ugly thoughts out on the table lets get back to why you were considering this in the first place - to see America or Canada or Mexico. You will find the abllity to go where you want, when you want to be exilerating. For example, a few years back my family and I were traveling through Florida and we founda little road heading out into the everglades and a small lake at the end of the road. It was meant to be a lunch stop, but it was so wonderful there, we stayed overnight (so did about 5 other rigs) and we still talk about that wonderful place. That's what it is all about! Enjoy!

Rich