Think back. Try to remember your very first RVing experience. Where did you camp? How did you decide on your route? What activities did you enjoy? As I think back over the years, I just have to smile—and marvel at all of the changes, too.
RVing has changed a lot, and the biggest shift may be how much technology is now woven into our RV trips from start to finish. Is technology a good thing or bad? We’ll get to the poll in a moment. First, let’s give a quick rundown of the technology impacting RVing today.
Booking and check-in tech changes
Today’s campers can book and manage stays through a variety of apps like Recreation.gov. You can use Google Earth to virtually “see” your campsite before you arrive. Some campgrounds even offer online instructions and QR-code check-in when you get to the campground. What a difference from pre-tech days!
Navigation
“Getting there” has also become easier with today’s technology. RVers use smartphone-based GPS tools along with built-in vehicle navigation. In other words, getting there is no longer limited to a Trip-Tik or impossible-to-refold highway map.
Newer trucks and drivable RVs continue to bundle more driver confidence and safety technology into the driving experience like lane departure, rearview cameras, and more. That’s been a major change, as well.
Tech assist upon arrival
Many travel trailers now come with power tongue jacks that make hitching and unhitching easier. There’s also auto-leveling, power stabilizing jacks, and motorized awnings that simplify setup.
Inside today’s RV
The RV industry is openly leaning into smart systems. Winnebago, for example, highlights smart connected coach features through Winnebago Connect. This includes control of power, lighting, climate, and tank levels—all from a touchscreen or mobile app. The same system also includes maintenance reminders, push notifications, and remote control of lights, locks, and other systems.
Winnebago is not alone. Other manufacturers also incorporate similar technology and continue to search for new ways to insert technology into the RVing experience.
Comfort tech
Comfort tech has moved well beyond the cockpit and into the coach itself. You need not look far to find powered reclining seats, smart TVs with Bluetooth audio integration, and premium sound.
Add in features like on-demand tankless water heaters and washer/dryer capabilities, and it is easy to see why many RVers now expect the comforts of home rather than “roughing it” for a weekend.
Family tech
Technology has also impacted everyone in the family. Kids zoom around campgrounds on electric scooters, teens drive golf carts, and, at night, families gather around to watch a movie on their RV’s outdoor television.
Pet tech, too!
Then there’s pet-friendly tech. For example, Winnebago Connect includes a Pet Minder function that helps maintain the right interior temperature for pets. There are also third-party tech RV pet monitors (like Waggle, for example) designed to send alerts about heat, humidity, and power loss so owners can react quickly.
For a lot of RVers, that peace of mind is part of what makes today’s RVing much less stressful than in the past.
Not everyone loves technology
Of course, not every RVer loves every gadget. More tech can mean more convenience, but it can also mean more systems to learn and more things to troubleshoot. It can also mean more time staring at a screen when some people would rather just watch the sunset.
Poll
RV technology can make travel easier, safer, and more comfortable. However, it can also change the feel of the RV experience in ways some campers appreciate more than others.
So, where do you stand? Answer the poll and then leave a comment.
MORE RECENT POLLS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- Do you have a dash camera on your RV or tow vehicle?
- Would you pay more for an RV with additional safety features?
- How important to you are online ratings of an RV park when making a reservation?
- Do you have Starlink?
- How likely is it that you will buy an electric car/truck in the next year?
RVT1264
favorite tech hassle has been the installed Fusion/Garmin tablet.
I added SiriusXM to the mix. So far, the XM has refused to turn off twice.
Nothing would turn it off, or reduce the volume. Disconnecting the engine battery was the only solution. Fusion tech and I spent 2 hours on the phone chasing this problem with no solution in sight.
Stick to basics. It seems that the more tech added to an rv creates more issues to deal with. Leave them at home. We recently sold our 2008 travel trailer. It had LP, water, and electricity. No gadgets, no screens, no pads, no electric jacks or hitch. You go out into the woods, and it’s just like being in a cabin. Far, far away. I like tech, but I like leaving it at home.
Seems everything now relies on ‘Smart’ tech. Phones, tablets and fancy touch screens.
They work fine, until they don’t.
Very few of these things have manual override.
The only thing I will argue about is the power tongue jack. But, they do have a manual crank if needed.
One thing that needs to be re-thought is the manual override on the awnings. You need a ladder to access it.
I am very grateful that we have an older RV with physical switches for lights, sides and the awning. I love technology for many things, but I don’t want a touch screen that controls these things. I’ve had too many issues with iPads and cell phones needing to be restarted because the touch screens stopped working properly.
There is excessive programming in anything these days, with vehicles being the absolute worst and subject to constant malfunctions.
When that plane crashed in Africa during DJTrump’s first term and killed everybody, it was a computer that couldn’t be overridden.
Technology is way overboard, and AI is just starting its path to human obsolescence.
For me, technology enhances my RV experience.
Huddling around a candle for heat, light and entertainment just isn’t my definition of enjoyment. Using a road atlas that lacks fuel stops or driving to a campground to discover it’s closed doesn’t tickle my goat either.
Nope, I have dozens of apps to help with logistics, StarLink for connectivity and an RV that makes great use of digitally controlling its devices.
No matter where I’m camping, I love to be able to watch my baseball games and golf on TV, if I’m not fishing.
I would never buy any RV that required turning lights on and off with a phone app. I do, however, appreciate that I can use my phone to check my cameras at my stix-&-brix home when we are on the road. So, some tech is useful, but give me real, on-the-wall light switches, slide controls, WH controls, and a wall thermostat!
We just purchased a new Arctic Fox TT and it has a touchscreen that controls the entire trailer from lighting to slides, awnings, water pump, and the water heater. We also have auto-level and all that goes with it. From my perspective I really like all that Arctic Fox has done with integrating the functionality into the touchscreen. I also clearly understand what can happen if the touchscreen fails or the auto-level stops auto-levelling. For now, I’m grateful for the technology. It makes it much more possible for me with my age, ailments, and equipment, to continue to enjoy camping and the outdoors.
While I agree with you concerning ailments, and equipment, to continue to enjoy camping and the outdoors. But I don’t want headaches when some don’t work when it’s time to leave the campsite. I prefer just switches. I’m disgusted with the electronics in my F150 hybrid always having an issue. I’m done buying new vehicles with the modern electronics. No more for me.
Neither… it’s just different. Outdoors is still outdoors. You need to change and adjust with the times or stay home.
Look what has happened to the auto industry and the ability for owners to work on and repair their vehicles due to the technology that has been built into them. When anything goes wrong it take a specialized educated auto technician with unique skills and equipment to find and repair the problem. The engine compartments are jam packed with stuff making it almost impossible to work on them any longer. I like technology when it enhances your life, not when it complicates it.
Loved all of the tech but with power comes complexity. Even so I’d rather have it than not.
Love the tech. Window shades that can open or close a whole section – or the whole coach – at a touch. Being able to either use the installed screen in our RV or control almost everything remotely from an app on my phone. The side cameras that make blind spots obsolete, tankless water heaters that never run out of the hot, a smart system that will start our generator if the power fails so the A/C can keep our dogs cool, and so much more. Starlink has changed my comfort level at being in remote areas. Knowing emergency help is still available – albeit a little longer to reach us – regardless of where we are and that they get our location pinpointed by that technology is huge for me.
We spend 4 months a year in the RV. Tech helps us keep an eye on our home when traveling, as well as monitor our RV when away.
Some consider mobile phones a leash. I say we’re already leashed and technology makers it longer.
I’ve been happy with technology since the invention of knife, fork, and spoon, along with the hammer, screwdriver and pliers – and there has been no need to upgrade them with a chip.
I read the comment before I saw your name, Kelly, but I knew it was from you by the time I got to “spoon”.🤣 Have a good afternoon/evening. 🤗 –Diane
As I sit back in my powered recliner with the heat and massage working on my achy body, I remember our first RV. We didn’t have a bathroom. It had no hot water and the sink had a hand pump to get water. I think back to the hours I spent trying to get it level and having to untangle and run outdoor extension cords for power and hoses for water. I don’t miss those days. Now I back in, push the auto levelers, pull out and plug in the 50 amp cord on a power wind up, pull out and connect the water hose on a reel, then go inside to the air conditioning and put out the slides. I then turn on my big TV with my WiFi streaming service and say, “This is the life.”
Thank goodness for compressor fridges, solar and starlink
No need for propane or a generator
I don’t have or want any high tech (other than a 12 volt flat screen TV and LED lights) . My MH is 48 years old and all the manually lit and operated appliances still function. A road atlas is all I use for navigation. I’m a firm believer in KISS (keep it simple stupid). A lot cheaper to maintain and less frustration and headaches.
When some of that technology FAILS and you have to cancel campground reservations because some faulty sensor is the cause, a pox upon “technology.” Yes, had a faulty DEF sensor on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. Seeing as this is a polite comments section, I can’t describe what I wanted to do to unelected govt. bureaucrats who required this fault prone technology. I prefer simple systems that are easily repaired by the owner, not having your rig waiting week$ at dealer$ for fixing.