Like many trades and industries, the RV industry has its own lingo. You may have come across a term and wondered what it meant. Here, we explain some of the common vernacular of the lifestyle, as well as some of our own terms.
awning - a vinyl sun shade that connects to the side of an RV and extends manually or electrically
black water tank - a temporary holding tank for toilet water
basement - storage under an RV’s flooring that’s accessible from the outside
boondocking - camping off the grid; no electric, water, or sewer hookups
class A motorhome - a big-rig, bus type of RV
class B motorhome - a camper van
class C motorhome - a drivable RV that has a bed over the top of the cab; smaller than a class A motorhome
dually - a truck that has four tires on a single rear axle
dump station - a location where it’s safe to empty RV tanks; it may or may not have potable water
fifth wheel - an engineless RV that connects via a kingpin or gooseneck in the bed of a pickup truck
fiver - another name for a fifth wheel RV
freshwater tank - a temporary holding tank for potable water
full hookups - electric, water, and sewer connections
glamping - glamorous camping; can be in a cabin or in a big-rig RV
gray water tank - a temporary holding tank for shower and sink wastewater
Gulliver - our 2018 Dodge Ram 3500 dually with a Cummins 6.7-liter diesel engine
loft - an elevated interior space; it’s often above another room and may contain sleeping space
moochdocking - staying on the property of friends or family and using (“mooching”) their amenities, such as electric, water, and/or laundry
motorhome - a drivable RV
residential refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that runs on normal, 120-volt, household AC electricity
RV - recreational vehicle
shore power - RV electricity from the electric grid
slideout - expandable section of an RV that slides out on rails when stationary to increase living space
sticks and bricks - a traditional, stationary house
stinky slinky - the flexible hose used to dump RV wastewater tanks
Tagalong - our 2018 Jayco Pinnacle 37MDQS fifth wheel with four slides; it measures 42 feet long and 13 feet, 3 inches tall
three-way refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that can run on propane, 120-volt household AC electricity, or 12-volt DC battery power
toad - the vehicle towed behind a motorhome
toy hauler - a travel trailer or fifth wheel that has an opening ramp in the back to haul an ATV, motorcycle, or golf cart
travel trailer - an engineless RV that connects to a ball hitch off the bumper of a vehicle
two-way refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that can run on propane or 120-volt household AC electricity
weekend warrior - an RVer who takes their rig out on the weekends rather than living in it full time
awning - a vinyl sun shade that connects to the side of an RV and extends manually or electrically
black water tank - a temporary holding tank for toilet water
basement - storage under an RV’s flooring that’s accessible from the outside
boondocking - camping off the grid; no electric, water, or sewer hookups
class A motorhome - a big-rig, bus type of RV
class B motorhome - a camper van
class C motorhome - a drivable RV that has a bed over the top of the cab; smaller than a class A motorhome
dually - a truck that has four tires on a single rear axle
dump station - a location where it’s safe to empty RV tanks; it may or may not have potable water
fifth wheel - an engineless RV that connects via a kingpin or gooseneck in the bed of a pickup truck
fiver - another name for a fifth wheel RV
freshwater tank - a temporary holding tank for potable water
full hookups - electric, water, and sewer connections
glamping - glamorous camping; can be in a cabin or in a big-rig RV
gray water tank - a temporary holding tank for shower and sink wastewater
Gulliver - our 2018 Dodge Ram 3500 dually with a Cummins 6.7-liter diesel engine
loft - an elevated interior space; it’s often above another room and may contain sleeping space
moochdocking - staying on the property of friends or family and using (“mooching”) their amenities, such as electric, water, and/or laundry
motorhome - a drivable RV
residential refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that runs on normal, 120-volt, household AC electricity
RV - recreational vehicle
shore power - RV electricity from the electric grid
slideout - expandable section of an RV that slides out on rails when stationary to increase living space
sticks and bricks - a traditional, stationary house
stinky slinky - the flexible hose used to dump RV wastewater tanks
Tagalong - our 2018 Jayco Pinnacle 37MDQS fifth wheel with four slides; it measures 42 feet long and 13 feet, 3 inches tall
three-way refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that can run on propane, 120-volt household AC electricity, or 12-volt DC battery power
toad - the vehicle towed behind a motorhome
toy hauler - a travel trailer or fifth wheel that has an opening ramp in the back to haul an ATV, motorcycle, or golf cart
travel trailer - an engineless RV that connects to a ball hitch off the bumper of a vehicle
two-way refrigerator - an RV refrigerator that can run on propane or 120-volt household AC electricity
weekend warrior - an RVer who takes their rig out on the weekends rather than living in it full time