In this column, we are 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’ RVing mistakes and not make them ourselves!
Please leave a comment in the form below with your own RV mistakes and “oops” moments. There have to be many among both our seasoned and newbie RVers…
Tripped the entire campground main breaker
Vaughn R. certainly learned his lesson on amps and breakers. He wrote, “We bought our camper in the fall of 2022 and only camped one weekend in September. We had a great experience and found that everything worked just fine, including the furnace. During the winter our reservations were made for 2023 and a four-day weekend trip for the 4th of July at a distant, small campground was planned. Even though we were still ‘newbies’ we were pretty confident in our skills. We arrived and set up camp.
“It was extremely hot, so we rushed to crank up the A/C to keep ourselves, our dog, and cat comfortable. I was sweaty and dusty, so I decided to take a shower. My wife began defrosting something for dinner in the microwave. The next thing I hear is my wife hollering that the A/C, microwave, radio, etc., had all stopped working. I figured we must have tripped the campsite breaker. Since I was in the shower, I sent her out to reset it. Well, the A/C and other electronics didn’t come back on. So, I suggested that she turn everything off and try resetting the breaker again. Meanwhile, I’m rapidly running out of hot water. I quickly finished my now-cold shower and got dressed so I could check the breakers and fuses in the camper.
“Meanwhile, my wife had left our site to find the campground owners. It turns out that we had tripped one of the main breakers for the campground. Since the campsite only had a 20-amp breaker he suggested we not run all our electronics at once. I sheepishly admitted that I could have switched the hot water tank and fridge over to propane if we wanted to keep the A/C running AND use the microwave. It was a valuable lesson learned as it turned out to be a very hot summer for us camping in the Northeast.”
Black water tank on the ground along with contents
Melvin B. will only make this mistake once! He wrote, “We pulled into the RV park with our 5th wheel. I started to hook up the water when I spotted a friend. I hooked up the water hose and turned on the city water. Then went over to visit with my friend for a while. A few minutes later I heard a loud boom and a brown mist came out of the top of the trailer. I ran over to see what had happened.
“Well, you guessed it. I had hooked the water hose to the black tank flusher. The black tank filled with water and expanded, spreading the rails that the tank sat on, blowing the brown stuff up the vent pipe. Then the tank fell through the Coroplast and was laying on the ground with broken sewer pipes.
“What a mess. It took me three days with a bucket laying under the trailer to drain the tank and get it back into place. Luckily no one knew what happened. I called a mobile RV wash and had them clean my trailer and a neighbor’s trailer who got some of the brown mist on her roof. I told her I had a free wash that was about to expire. Needless to say, I marked the flusher inlet in red and the city water inlet in black. Now I don’t get distracted when hooking up. I tell friends that I’ll be with them after I get done hooking up and double-checking everything.”
“Do not leave unattended”
Calvin W. has his own black water tank horror story. He wrote, “There’s a very good reason why the stickers over the black water rinse hose fittings say ‘DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED’. We had an Open Range ‘Journeyer’ travel trailer. They are designed like a fifth wheel with the floor plan reversed so the bathroom is in the elevated section. When the black water holding tank was full of water it pushed up through the pipe to the toilet, filled the toilet bowl, and overflowed spreading out over the entire floor of the 36’ trailer. About 2/3 of that floor was carpeted. It took a week for a dehumidifier and six fans blowing 24/7 to dry it out.”
Trailer hitch buried to frame
Elizabeth C. writes about parking the RV on a slope and a near-total disaster. “This was our first full year of RVing full-time. We were in Ohio visiting our son. We arrived in a park that had a hill driveway that was worse than a roller coaster drop. I have a video!!
“But that isn’t our ‘oops’ story. I get backed in. The slag is deep and looks newly laid. I don’t like the looks of the sight. We put X braces and a small yellow plastic chock. Hubs starts getting bracing off our center line weight distribution anti-sway hitch.
“Now to unhitch truck. Well, the site was on a grade. It looked slightly sloped back but didn’t seem like a big slope. The trailer rolls backward. Thanks to the heavy slag, not too far. Neighbors (two) come to help. One comes with a bottle jack bigger than the tiny one we have. One brings a 4×4 with him. We were told to never use X braces. They do nothing and the chock we had was too small. Did I tell you this was our first full year??
“With their help, we hook back up to the truck (2500 Ram that sits high, not lifted though) and get the trailer where we want it. They put 4×4 behind the wheel. I am inside the trailer turning on the level mate gadget. They unhitch the truck. The trailer jumps the 4×4, goes a long way!!! The trailer hitch is buried in the frame. It was the only thing that stopped me and the trailer from going into the brush and into an old retention lake!!
“We now need a new trailer hitch and motor! With more help, we got the trailer pulled out and up closer to the entrance to the site. We bought a bigger bottle jack; we ordered a new jack and motor; we carried a 4×4 with us; and we threw away the X braces. The manager of the park said the guy who put in the sites (the park was fairly new) said a 3% slope was fine. The back end of that site was more than 3%, in my opinion. Opinions are worth a buck ninety-eight. I have another story from our stay there. Next submission…”
Help arrived just in time with the brotherhood of firefighters
Craig S. only forgot to put one thing on the RV checklist. He wrote, “We spent the 4th of July holiday camping with friends. Packing up to go home was hectic, with kids still riding bikes, loading all the accessories of a long weekend, and everyone leaving at the same time. We had a 27-foot Nash and K2500 pickup at the time. I was using a Hensley hitch and lowered the tailgate to retrieve the stinger. I carelessly placed the stinger in the receiver, and didn’t secure it with the pin, while I finished loading the back of the truck.
“Needless to say, we traveled only a few miles before the stinger pulled out at a railroad crossing, dropping our travel trailer in the middle of the roadway. We were moving at less than 20 mph, but the tongue jack was damaged so I couldn’t raise the trailer to reconnect. Traffic was already backing up to the next town.
“It was then a tow truck pulled out of the queue and came alongside us. The driver called through the open window, ‘Looks like you need some help. My shop is a block away, let’s get you out of the road.’ I pulled our pickup out of the way and he quickly raised the trailer tongue with the forks, secured it, and pulled it to his parking lot. The hitch and components were undamaged. The pin was still in its hole, waiting to be installed correctly. I raised the trailer with a high lift jack and hooked it up.
“In the meantime, I asked my wife to settle the bill with the driver. I expected a scene from a Hollywood movie. You know, the stranded family is at the mercy of the mechanic. When asked how much we owe, they’re answered with, “How much ya got? All of it.”
“My wife returned. I asked how much was the tow? She replied, “No charge.” What!? While making conversation the tow truck owner said he was a volunteer firefighter, and happened to be returning from an early morning house fire. My wife told him I was a captain with our city’s fire department. “Your husband is a fireman? No charge.” I couldn’t believe it. The firefighter family is a close-knit community, with a long history of brotherhood.
“I graciously shook his hand, and on our next trip to his town, I dropped off a department sweatshirt and shoulder patches. I earned a private pilot license in college. I’m used to flying with a checklist. So when we started RVing I created checklists for packing, hitching, unhitching, etc. Securing the stinger pin wasn’t on the list. It is now.”
Please share your RVing “oops” 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!
##RVT1141
Thank you, Nanci! The story of the fitefighters was especially endearing. I am glad that you got to share it. Safe travels! 🙂
“…the guy who put in the sites (the park was fairly new) said a 3% slope was fine.”
This guy must travel the country putting in sites at RV parks! 😉🙂