Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms that matter when you buy, tow, hook up or maintain an RV.
| Term | Definition | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Gross vehicle weight rating | The maximum operating weight of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer, usually printed on a sticker inside the entry door. | Core |
| Payload | The mass a vehicle can carry: GVWR minus the real kerb weight, including passengers, water, cargo, battery and gas. | Core |
| Tongue weight (nose weight) | The downward force a towed trailer applies to the hitch, typically 5 to 15 percent of the trailer's total weight. | Core |
| Gross combined weight rating | The maximum allowable weight of the towing vehicle plus its trailer, which limits the combination more than either part does alone. | Core |
| Towing capacity | The maximum mass a vehicle may tow, which drops sharply on gradients and in strong crosswinds. | Core |
| Dry weight (unladen weight) | A vehicle's weight with no passengers, options and, often, no water or battery. Always check what the figure excludes. | Core |
| Dry camping | Camping with no mains services available, so the rig must supply its own water, power and waste handling. | Core |
| Boondocking | North American term for camping without hookups, typically on public land; elsewhere called wild camping or dry camping. | Camping |
| Full hookup | A campsite pitch offering electricity, fresh water and waste discharge at the pitch itself. | Camping |
| Shore power | Mains electricity supplied to the RV through a shore power cable, from a campsite, a marina or a generator. | Power |
| Generator | A portable or onboard unit that makes electricity from fuel, used when no mains hookup is available. | Power |
| Inverter | A device that converts the battery's 12 volts into 120 or 230 volts AC for normal mains appliances. | Power |
| AGM battery | A sealed lead-acid battery that accepts deep discharge far better than a conventional flooded cell but loses about half its capacity in practice. | Power |
| Lithium iron phosphate battery (LiFePO4) | A deep-cycle battery that accepts deep discharge and fast charging, costs two to four times an AGM battery, and gives far more usable capacity. | Power |
| Amp-hour (Ah) | A unit of battery capacity: multiplying Ah by voltage gives the stored watt-hours. Sized against daily consumption, not panel watts. | Power |
| MPPT charge controller | A solar charge controller that converts a panel's voltage output into maximum current, recovering a meaningful share of what a cheap controller loses. | Power |
| Solar panel wattage | The instantaneous output of a solar array in watts; divide daily consumption in watt-hours by sunlight hours to size it. | Power |
| TT-30R receptacle | The North American RV campsite socket that supplies 120 volts at 30 amps, distinct from a 50 amp 120/240 volt pitch. | Power |
| Fresh water tank | The tank that supplies drinking water to the taps, shower and toilet, weighing one kilogram per litre when full. | Water |
| Grey water tank | The tank that collects water from the basin and shower, and which is not designed to be left standing. | Water |
| Black water tank | The tank that collects toilet waste, which must be emptied at a disposal point and never allowed to dry out completely. | Water |
| P-trap | The water-filled bend in a waste line that blocks sewer gas; if it dries out, the cabin smells of the tank. | Water |
| Winterisation | The process of draining, blowing out or antifreezing every water-bearing component before a freeze, to prevent split pipes and tanks. | Water |
| Water heater | The vessel that heats fresh water, either by propane, by 12 or 240 volts or by engine coolant, and which must be drained before a freeze. | Heating and cooling |
| Propane furnace | An RV heater that warms cabin air directly with propane, working with no engine or mains supply but consuming roughly one to two kg of gas an hour. | Heating and cooling |
| Hydronic boiler | 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 heater that burns the vehicle's own diesel to make hot air or hot water, enabling overnight standing in cold conditions without a generator. | Heating and cooling |
| Awning | The retractable fabric shade over a door or window; it must be dried fully before retracting and never extended in high wind. | Core |
| Slide-out | A living or bedroom section that extends sideways to gain floor area, and whose seals are among the most wear-prone parts of an RV. | Core |
| Pop-up roof | A raised roof section, common on campervans and truck campers, used to gain standing headroom while parked. | Core |
| Rock-and-roll bed | A VW California style bed that folds out of the rear of a van into a transverse double bed. | Core |
| Level and levelling wedges | Devices used to make the rig level on an uneven pitch before extending awnings, slides or stabilisers. | Towing |
| Stabiliser | A telescopic leg that steadies the rig and reduces movement, which it does by taking load, not by levelling on its own. | Towing |
| Wheel chock | A wedge that stops a trailer's wheel rolling, required whenever you unhitch or stand for any length of time. | Towing |
| Breakaway system | A lanyard and battery unit that applies the trailer's brakes automatically if the trailer separates from the vehicle. | Towing |
| Safety chain | A crossed pair of chains meant to keep the trailer attached to the vehicle if the primary coupling fails, and to stop it running away. | Towing |
| 7-pin and 12-pin connectors | The multi-pin sockets carrying trailer lights and, on heavier European trailers, brakes and a 12 volt supply. | Towing |
| Air suspension and air assist | Air bags or an air suspension system that raise ride height, level the rig and reduce sway on a towed axle. | Towing |
| ACSI star rating | The one to five star grading used across most European campsite networks to rate a site's facilities. | Camping |
| Aire (area de paso) | A purpose-built, usually municipal rest area for campervans, free or cheap, with water and often electricity. | Camping |
| Freedom camping | New Zealand's term for camping in a self-contained vehicle on designated public land, subject to district rules. | Camping |
| Self-contained certification | A New Zealand certification that the vehicle carries a toilet, grey water containment and waste disposal, and which unlocks freedom camping. | Camping |
| Dispersed camping | Free, unserviced camping on public land in the western United States, requiring self-sufficiency and leaving no trace. | Camping |
| Static caravan | A transportable holiday home sited on a pitch and never towed, regulated under building and planning rules rather than vehicle rules. | Core |
| Skoolie | A bus converted into a camper, popular in North America, with a flat floor and full height but heavy steel and a stiff ride. | Core |
| ST tyre | A special trailer tyre with a high pressure and a thin sidewall; it wears quickly under load and does not tolerate under-inflation. | Safety |
| Expedition RV | An RV built for remote travel: four-wheel drive, large water tanks, solar or generator power and serious recovery gear. | Core |
| Campsite | A managed site offering pitches, and in most of the world booking ahead is required in high season. | Camping |
| Road vignette | A prepaid toll required for motorways and expressways in Austria, Switzerland and several other European countries. | Core |
| Carbon monoxide alarm | A mandatory safety device wherever a fuel-burning heater or generator is used, since the gas is odourless and lethal. | Safety |