In this new column, we will be sharing some of the not-so-brilliant things we, the RVtravel.com staff, and you, our readers, have done while RVing. We hope that in addition to a chuckle or two, we can learn from others’ RV mistakes and not make them ourselves!
Please leave a comment at the bottom with your own RV mistake. There have to be many among our seasoned and newbie RVers…
Just a few of my own “oops” RV mistake moments
I have plenty to start out with! We have been RVing for more than 30 years so we have made LOTS of mistakes.
Where did those branches come from?
I always walk around the RV when my husband is backing up to check the location of the water, electric pedestal, trees, and to make sure the slides will go out without hitting anything. One time, I didn’t check the tree branches above, though. After the Dish satellite got stuck, we had to cut down the tangle of branches and limbs that hooked the dish in order to lower it again. Oops.
Can’t go forward and can’t go back!
Another even grander “oops” was getting stuck over a dip in the road that tore off the back end and the front end of the RV. And here is where it becomes we, not just I. I was screaming “Stop!” while my husband insisted that going forward fast was the only way to get out. Nope—he landlocked both the front and back end. That required much more than a phone call to the factory. It required a trip there. Read about that experience here.
Why won’t the awning go out?
Because it was wrapping itself around a tree! Yes, I knew the tree was there. I watched carefully as my husband drove into the narrow site. Later it was getting warm and I started putting the awning out. I continued trying and thought the motor quit—nope, the whole awning quit. Guess it didn’t want to give that tree a big, tight, hug…
Show off
My husband is a kid magnet and a group of Cub Scouts surrounded him to see what he was doing at the dump station. He savored the attention until he pulled the black tank valve. The hose let loose and spewed you know what all over. “Ugh!” “Yuck!” Run!” screamed the scouts.
Straight into the corn!
The GPS said to turn left next to a Nebraska cornfield. Turned left, yep, learned that was wrong. Nowhere to turn around. Thankfully the crops were in and the ground was frozen as we had to turn around IN the corn field.
Over-clamped
This one happened today.
I was preparing our RV for freezing weather in Minnesota before we leave for warmer parts. Last year during the Texas ice storms we totally froze over, including the water lines, and I wanted to avoid that happening again. The furnace will warm the wet bay but I don’t want to run the propane furnace all night. Maybe it’s safe, but it sure is loud! I contacted our own Dave Solberg for advice and he suggested a light bulb to help keep the wet bay just above freezing.
No problem! I found a clamp-on light, incandescent light bulbs, and even reptile warming light bulbs on Amazon. Ordered and ready to experiment. I even have an infrared thermometer to test temps of both the reptile warming and regular old-fashioned (not LED) bulb. I clamped it to the hose reel and it was perfect, but I decided to just let out a little more hose to clamp it more securely. BIG mistake! The clamp jammed, the hose reel quit and it took an hour to dislodge the clamp without springing a leak in the hose.
I called the Tiffin Service Center and the service tech asked how I managed to jam the clamp. He was silent for a second. It is probably a new issue. I wonder if they keep track of the stupid things people call the service center about and chuckle over lunch break. After walking me through the location of the fuses, how to open the stuck fuse box, and watching the ready lights, it worked again. He said my husband didn’t even need to know. I thanked him profusely but, unfortunately, my husband was right there.
I haven’t done a full test on the bulbs yet. At first reading, the reptile bulb might be too hot. After the clamp episode, I don’t want to melt the water hose and tank dump valves!
Please share your RV mistake story
Humor can be the best medicine and mistakes the best lesson! Have you had some unfortunate “oops” mistakes during your RVing adventures? We would love to hear them. Please fill out the form below and include a photo if you have one. Thank you!
I own a tent trailer. I forgot to put the underside supports down on one side of the tent trailer. Then I got on the extended bed to open the zippered windows and that side of the tent trailer tilted to the ground (along with the whole tent trailer). Nothing was damaged but the tent trailer was sure at a goofy angle until I scrambled back to the center of the tent trailer and we got outside and pressed down on the tent trailer to get it back to a normal resting angle. They give those sequence of set up steps in the directions for a reason!!
Yup, done that. Quick look around to see if anyone was looking.
We also lost our toddler through the gap at the canvas edge of the bed. We thought we were protecting him from falling out of bed by putting him on the “inside”. Poor kid hit the ground, uninjured but screaming bloody murder. He hates camping to this day.
Does that count as a mistake?
About 15 yrs ago, before we started using map service for traffic we were looking for a campground when we got tired. You could find overnights anywhere back then. Didn’t have a camping app so we followed a highway sign pointing to camping. The way was clearly marked. It took us down a long narrow road with trees close on both sides. Until we went around a curve and over a steep hill. About 100 yds in front of us the road went under water. It looked like a huge lake, but it was flooded. But there were no signs, no barriers, nothing. My husband had to back the trailer up the hill and around the curve to the nearest driveway that was about 1/2 mile back. We have always looked at a map since.
Fist time using my macerator, I forgot to remove the end cap which caused the hose to turn into a fountain (grey water) after ballooning up nicely. I quickly shut things down before I polluted the Portneuf River and later that day I learned how to replace a macerator hose.
Looking up before pulling in is one of the first things we do. Second is look down for any sharp objects that can puncture a tire. A few months ago RV Travel reran an article that we submitted several years ago showing a photo of at least a dozen or more objects that can puncture a tire that was found on the ground at one campsite alone. Just last month my wife found a handful of screws on the ground right where the left tire of our MH would have been. These days I don’t put it past some people to intentionally sabotage a site, I guess I lost a lot of faith in humanity!
A whole lot of crickets here…..
Thank goodness you can’t see me rolling my eyes…..
No one knows but me, & I’m not tattling!
Aww, you’re no fun, Cee. BTW, your comment was held for approval because you changed your “handle”. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I’ve been out of touch for awhile. Didn’t mean to change my user ID, just couldn’t remember it exactly, as you can see from the later post.
I changed the ID on your original post, and deleted the second post since it wasn’t necessary then. I think we’re back on track now, Cee. I just mentioned it in case you were wondering why your post earlier from “CeeTee” didn’t get published right away, until it could be approved. Take care. 😀 –Diane
Thanks Diane for cleaning up my mess, I had a feeling I didn’t use the correct ID when I saw it was ‘pending’. Have a nice day
👍🤗 –Diane
No one knows but me, & I’m not tattling!