Guides

Putting your RV away for winter

Getting the trailer ready to sit still, and recovering from it having sat still. See the RV Storage and Winterizing overview for how these fit together.

• RV storage and security: the complete guide, start here, what goes wrong while a trailer sits and in what order.
• Winterizing an RV, the water job in the order it goes, and where the manufacturers contradict each other on air pressure.
• RV covers, damp or wind, because a cover cannot fight both.
• Keeping mice out, the holes are where the wiring and ducts come through.
• Dehumidifiers, including the ones that need no power.
• Battery maintainers, a discharged battery can freeze around 19°F.
• Freeze alarms, warning you before the plumbing decides for you.

Leaving your RV unattended

Locks, trackers, cameras and the sensors that watch the trailer while nobody is around. See the Trailer Security and Monitoring overview for the full picture.

• Wheel and coupler locks, the ones that stop the trailer being towed away.
• RV trailer door locks, the key code problem is real, but not the one most articles describe.
• RV hitch locks, a receiver lock and a coupler lock are sold under one name and do different jobs.
• RV battery locks, the usual advice to lock the battery in a steel toolbox creates a venting hazard.
• GPS trackers, the one thing that still helps after the trailer has gone.
• Security cameras, for a trailer nobody is standing next to.
• RV statistics, the ownership, sales and theft numbers that trace back to a source, and five that do not.
• Water leak detectors, the failure the plumbing gives you no warning about.
• Smart temperature sensors, for a trailer you are not standing in.

Sleeping with a CPAP off grid

Running a CPAP away from shore power, which is where this site started. See the RV Power and CPAP Setups overview for the whole system.

• CPAP power off grid: the complete guide, start here, the whole problem in one piece.
• Batteries for CPAP camping, sized against what the machine draws.
• Portable power stations, watt hours are fuel in the tank, and the humidifier empties it.
• Quiet inverters, the fan is the part that wakes you.
• Solar panels, matching the panel to the station without an adapter cable arriving later.
• RV solar panel kits, what a kit leaves out, how much solar a CPAP night needs, and PWM versus MPPT.

Towing your RV safely

What connects the trailer to the truck, and what stops it. See the RV Towing and Tires overview for the rest.

• RV towing guide: tires, hitch, and brake controller basics, the pillar page tying the whole towing system together and routing to each specific guide below.
• Travel trailer tires: why they age out before they wear out, the date code, what each maker publishes about replacement age, and five tires compared on specs their manufacturers will put in writing.
• RV tire covers, whether they work, how to measure a tire for the right size, white or black, and five covers compared.
• Weight distribution hitch for a travel trailer, whether you need one, the tongue weight number that decides it, and how to tell when it is set up right.
• Trailer brake controller repair, why the fault is usually the connection rather than the controller, and what the manufacturers publish.
• TPMS setup for a travel trailer, what the sensors weigh, where the repeater goes, and why the alarms go off on the first drive.
• Trailer wheel chocks, the difference between a wedge chock and an X-chock, and the highest reviewed picks on Amazon.
• RV leveling blocks, how high you can stack them, and why the three or four block rule comes from no manufacturer at all.
• RV backup camera, wired versus wireless for a trailer, four picks, and why a pre-wired camera goes dark until the truck's headlights are on.
• Proportional brake controller, what it does, how to tell which type is already under your dash, and how to set the gain.
• RV battery testing, the resting voltage table for your chemistry, how long to wait before reading, and when a load test is the only answer.
• Brake controller wiring harness, the four wires every controller uses, the two 7-way color standards, and where the factory connector hides.

Hooking up your RV at a site

Everything between the campground spigot and your faucet. See the RV Water and Plumbing overview for the rest.

• RV water pressure regulators, a bench test where the cheap one beat the one costing five times as much.
• RV water filters, no RV hose filter appears in NSF's certified products database, and most publish no micron rating at all.
• RV toilets, what decides whether a replacement fits, and the bolt spacing neither Thetford nor Dometic publishes.
• RV sewer hose, what size and length you need, how to connect it, and the order that keeps the hose clean.
• RV sewer hose supports, when you need one, how much slope a hose needs, and five supports compared.
• Best RV toilet paper, the jar test that tells you in ten seconds, and five picks that pass it.

Living in your RV

The gear you use every day the trailer is parked and plugged in at a site.

• RV air conditioners, how the rooftop unit works, what size you need, and why the sizing charts have no manufacturer behind them.
• RV thermostats, why a home thermostat will not work in a trailer, what the wires do, and how to tell the thermostat failed rather than the air conditioner.
• RV air conditioner covers, who needs one, four that fit real units, and the one rule that matters more than which cover you buy.
• RV ceiling fans, two real 12 volt picks, why a household fan will not fit, and what flush mount installation requires.
• RV slide out types, the four mechanisms, how to identify yours, and what the manufacturers say about maintaining each one.
• RV slide out repair, what to check when a room won't move, moves on one side only, or leaks.
• RV mattress replacement, why the size names mislead, what to measure, and when a topper beats a new mattress.
• 12V portable fridges, what the compressor draws once it is not on a spec sheet.
• RV surge protectors, how they work and what an EMS adds that a basic unit does not.
• 30 amp surge protectors, what to buy if your cord ends in a three prong plug.
• 50 amp surge protectors, why open neutral is the fault that should worry you, and what to buy.
• RV wall hugger recliners, why the wall clearance spec matters more than the cushion.
• RV blackout curtains and shades, what blocks the light and whether curtains or shades work better.
• Starlink for RV, whether it is worth it, Mini or Standard, and why power draw matters more than speed off grid.

Fixing what broke on your RV

Five repair and upkeep jobs worth doing yourself before calling anyone.

• RV water heater repair, the checks that come before a service call, and why the tank metal decides whether it needs an anode rod.
• RV roof sealant, which one your roof needs, and why the rules for a coating are not the rules for a seam.
• Manual vs. electric RV awning, which one holds up long term and what it costs to switch.
• How to clean an RV awning, without the fabric-damaging mistakes most cleaners make.
• RV awning shade, what the mesh numbers mean, how it attaches, and what your awning maker says about hanging anything on it.