Our top RV lessons in 5 years of RV travel

Setting out on an RV journey can provide many learning opportunities. When you’re transitioning from sticks and bricks to living full time in an RV, the lessons can be that much more important. We’ve grown a lot since embracing this RV lifestyle five years ago. Here are our top RV lessons. 

1. Communication is paramount

Communication affects every single aspect of RV living. If we’re not communicating well, we’re not living well. It’s important that we share our thoughts and expectations about travel days, setups, plans, etc. Otherwise, it’s easy to assume that what’s in my head is also in Bob’s head and vice versa — which is hardly ever the truth. 

We had to come up with recognizable terms when parking our 42-foot fifth wheel. For example, instead of saying “straighten out” to mean five different things, like on our very first trip, I’ve learned to give more helpful advice, such as “get your truck in front of your trailer.” That may sound ridiculous because, of course, the truck is in front of the trailer when we’re towing. But we’ve come to understand that to mean the truck needs to be aligned with the trailer. 

2. Leveling doesn’t have to be complicated

We’ve had more issues with leveling our rig than we ever thought we would, especially considering it has a Lippert auto-leveling system. After much trial and error throughout our first couple of years on the road, we gleaned a few tips and tricks that have helped us streamline the leveling process. 

We don’t push the auto-level button until our unit is above level. We determine that status using a LevelMatePRO wireless RV leveling device (paid link) we added to the rig. We also stack rubber and Camco leveling blocks (paid link) under our six stabilizer jacks before pushing the auto-level button to help prevent stroke errors. 

In addition, Bob learned how to reset the Lippert system using the digital display screen inside the RV. In conjunction with the LevelMatePRO unit, he retrains the Lippert system to what level is when the unit unexpectedly loses its memory. 

3. Adaptability is the name of the game

Nothing is set in stone when you live in a vehicle. It moves. The things inside it move. Sometimes its parts fail. Tires go flat. Weather shifts. Plans change. You have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt. 

Having been a perfectionist most of my life, it’s taken me many years to get to the point where I can go with the flow — and even enjoy doing so. I attribute much of my success in this area to my husband, who has helped round my edges and make me a better person. If it weren’t for his efforts, I might not be able to survive and thrive in the RV lifestyle, something I really enjoy.

4. Preventive maintenance is beneficial

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nearly 300 years later, that adage couldn’t be more apt for RV life. 

Making a point to keep up with vehicle maintenance — on both our truck and trailer — can go a long way toward preventing issues literally down the road. Keeping tabs on tire pressure, performing oil and transmission fluid changes, greasing joints, and doing similar tasks are well worth the effort and the time they take. 

We can’t help but wonder if preventive maintenance could have avoided our freeway mishap at the end of our last travel season. 

5. A TPMS is invaluable

With 10 tires between our truck and fifth wheel, we’ve had our share of tire issues. In fact, in one year, we experienced four flat tires — all on the RV. Thankfully, they didn’t all happen at the same time. 

Before we first set out on the road, we invested in an EEZTire tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS; paid link) and are super grateful we did. As soon as a tire starts losing pressure, we get alerted. On more than one occasion after safely pulling to the side of the road, we’ve gotten out of the truck and heard air rushing out of the faulty tire. Thanks to early notification, the TPMS has saved our rig from damage.

6. Pleather doesn’t last

Our 2018 Jayco Pinnacle came with a three-person couch and a reclining loveseat. This furniture is wonderful for hosting family and friends who want to visit — or at least it was. Because the pieces are finished with pleather, or plastic leather, they started to peel after five years of use, making them quite unattractive.

We found a temporary fix with a self-adhesive leather repair kit (paid link). That lasted for a year. It’s still holding at the time of this writing, but it’s starting to detach at the edges. On top of that, our furniture began peeling in other areas. We’ll probably bandage it with the temporary fix as well, but eventually we’ll need to replace our furniture with fabric pieces. 

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