Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms that matter when you buy, tow, hook up or maintain a motorhome.
| Term | Definition | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) | The maximum operating weight of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer, usually printed on a sticker inside the entrance door. | Core |
| Payload (the load you carry) | The mass a vehicle can carry: GVWR minus the real kerb weight, including passengers, water, luggage, battery and gas. | Core |
| Tongue weight (nose weight on a caravan) | The downward force that a towed caravan applies to the hitch, typically 5 to 15 percent of the caravan's total weight. | Core |
| Gross combined weight rating (GCWR) | The maximum lawful weight of the towing vehicle plus its caravan, which limits the combination more than either part does on its own. | Core |
| Towing capacity (braked towing weight) | The maximum mass a vehicle may draw, which falls sharply on gradients and in strong crosswinds. | Core |
| Dry weight (unladen mass) | A vehicle's weight with no passengers, no options and, often, no water or battery. Always check what the figure leaves out. | Core |
| Dry camping (wild camping) | Camping with no mains services, so the unit must supply its own water, power and waste handling. | Core |
| Wild camping (boondocking in North America) | Camping without a mains supply, typically on public land; in the western United States it is called dispersed camping, elsewhere wild camping. | Camping |
| Full pitch supply (electricity, water and waste at the pitch) | A campsite pitch with electricity, fresh water and waste discharge connected at the pitch itself. | Camping |
| Shore power (a mains supply at the pitch) | Mains electricity fed into the motorhome through a shore power lead, from a campsite, a marina or a generator. | Power |
| Generator (generator set, or genset) | A portable or on-board unit that makes electricity from fuel, used when no mains supply is available. | Power |
| Inverter (DC to AC) | A device that converts the battery's 12 volts into 120 or 230 volts AC for ordinary mains appliances. | Power |
| AGM battery (sealed lead-acid) | A sealed lead-acid battery that accepts deep discharge far better than a conventional flooded cell but gives up about half its capacity in practice. | Power |
| Lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4), a lithium battery | A deep-cycle battery that accepts deep discharge and fast charging, costs two to four times as much as an AGM battery, and gives far more usable capacity. | Power |
| Amp-hour (Ah), a measure of battery capacity | A unit of battery capacity: multiplying Ah by voltage gives the stored watt-hours. Size it against daily consumption, not against the wattage of the panels. | Power |
| MPPT charge controller (a solar regulator) | A solar charge controller that converts a panel's voltage output into maximum current, winning back a meaningful share of what a cheap controller loses. | Power |
| Solar panel wattage (peak watts) | The instantaneous output of a solar array in watts; divide daily consumption in watt-hours by the hours of sunshine to size it. | Power |
| TT-30R socket (North America) | The North American RV pitch supply point giving 120 volts at 30 amps, distinct from a 50 amp 120/240 volt pitch. | Power |
| Fresh water tank (potable water) | The tank that supplies drinking water to the taps, the shower and the toilet, and which weighs one kilogram per litre when full. | Water |
| Grey water tank (wash water) | The tank that collects water from the basin and the shower, and which is not designed to be left standing. | Water |
| Black water tank (toilet waste) | The tank that collects toilet waste, which must be emptied at a disposal point and never left to dry out completely. | Water |
| P-trap (a sewer trap) | The water-filled bend in a waste pipe that blocks sewer gas; if it dries out, the cabin smells of the tank. | Water |
| Winterising (winterisation) | Draining, blowing out or antifreezing every water-bearing component before a freeze, to prevent split pipes and split tanks. | Water |
| Water heater (a hot water tank) | The vessel that heats fresh water, either by gas, by 12 or 240 volts or by engine coolant, and which must be drained before a freeze. | Heating and cooling |
| Gas fired heater (an LPG heater) | An RV heater that warms cabin air directly with gas, working with no engine or mains supply but using roughly one to two kg of gas an hour. | Heating and cooling |
| Hydronic boiler (a wet heating system) | A heater that warms water, which then heats the cabin through radiators or floor piping, and which is usually plumbed into the hot water loop. | Heating and cooling |
| Diesel-fired heater (a diesel burner) | A heater that burns the vehicle's own diesel to make hot air or hot water, allowing an overnight stay in cold conditions without starting a generator. | Heating and cooling |
| Awning (a sun canopy) | The retractable fabric shade over a door or a window; it must be dried out fully before retracting and is never extended in high wind. | Core |
| Slide-out (a side extension) | A living or bedroom section that slides out sideways to gain floor area, and whose seals are among the most wear-prone parts of a motorhome. | Core |
| Pop-up roof (a raised roof) | A raised roof section, common on campervans and pickups, used to gain standing headroom while parked. | Core |
| Rock and roll bed | A VW California-style bed that folds out of the back of the van into a transverse double bed. | Core |
| Spirit level and levelling wedges | Devices used to make the rig level on an uneven pitch before you extend the awning, the slide or the stabilisers. | Towing and drawing |
| Stabiliser (a steady leg) | A telescopic leg that steadies the rig and reduces movement, which it does by taking the load rather than by levelling on its own. | Towing and drawing |
| Wheel chock (a chock) | A wedge that stops a caravan's wheel rolling, required whenever you unhitch or stand for any length of time. | Towing and drawing |
| Breakaway system (a breakaway cable) | A lanyard and battery unit that applies the caravan's brakes automatically if the caravan separates from the towing vehicle. | Towing and drawing |
| Safety chain (a breakaway chain) | A crossed pair of chains meant to keep the caravan attached to the vehicle if the primary coupling fails, and to stop it running away. | Towing and drawing |
| 7-pin and 12-pin sockets | The multi-pin socket carrying caravan lights and, on heavier European trailed caravans, brakes and a 12 volt supply. | Towing and drawing |
| Air suspension and air assist (air helper springs) | Air bags or an air suspension system that raise the ride height, level the rig and reduce sway on a towed axle. | Towing and drawing |
| ACSI star rating (European campsite grading) | The one to five star grading used across most European campsite networks to rate the facilities on a site. | Camping |
| Aire (Spanish: area de paso) | A purpose-built, usually municipal rest area for campervans, free or cheap, with water and often electricity on site. | Camping |
| Freedom camping (self-contained camping) | New Zealand's term for camping in a self-contained vehicle on designated public land, subject to the rules of the local council. | Camping |
| Self-contained certification (the XO plate) | A New Zealand certification that the vehicle carries a toilet, grey water containment and a means of waste disposal, and which unlocks freedom camping. | Camping |
| Dispersed camping (camping on public land) | Free, unserviced camping on public land in the western United States, which demands self-sufficiency and leaving no trace. | Camping |
| Static caravan (a holiday home on a pitch) | A transportable holiday home left on a pitch and never drawn behind a car, so it falls under building and planning rules rather than vehicle rules. | Core |
| Skoolie (a converted school bus) | A school bus converted into a camper, popular in North America, with a flat floor and full headroom but heavy steel and a stiff ride. | Core |
| ST tyre (a caravan tyre) | A special caravan tyre with a high pressure and a thin sidewall; it wears quickly under load and does not tolerate being under-inflated. | Safety |
| Expedition RV (an expedition motorhome) | A motorhome built for remote travel: four-wheel drive, large water tanks, solar or generator power and serious recovery gear. | Core |
| Campsite (a camping site) | A managed site offering pitches, and in most of Europe and Scandinavia a booking ahead is required in high season. | Camping |
| Road vignette (a motorway sticker) | A prepaid toll required on motorways and expressways in Austria, Switzerland and several other European countries. | Core |
| Carbon monoxide alarm (a CO alarm) | Carbon monoxide is odourless and lethal, so the alarm is mandatory wherever a fuel-burning heater or generator is used. | Safety |