Bob and Lana’s RV Terms Glossary
Like many trades and industries, the RV industry has its own lingo. Here, we explain some of the common vernacular, plus our own terms.
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