Common-sense
rules of etiquette prevail when you check into any campground, public or
commercial. Whether you plan to stay for one night or an extended visit,
you are joining a "community," and you are expected to be a good
neighbor. You'll be delighted with the friendliness of RV people. Your
new neighbors will want to know where you are from, will be curious about
your vehicle and your itinerary. If they've come from the direction you
are heading, they will offer tips on sights and places to camp.
In turn, they
will expect you not to make excessive noise, to respect the environment
around you, to clean up any litter and not to let any pets become a nuisance.
If you arrive
at a campground at night, keep your lights dim and make as little noise
as possible. If you see a campsite empty except for a chair or similar
object, it means that someone has staked it out, but is touring for the
day in their vehicle.
Pass it up
for another space; they'll be back later.
JARGON
Black Water --
disposal water from toilet system, held in "holding tank" until
you "dump it, in large tank available at most campgrounds.
Convenience Kits
-- see "Liveability Packages."
Dinette --
booth-like dining area. Table usually "drops" to help convert
unit into a bed at night.
Double sink
-- sink with 2 compartments; deemed more versatile than one with a single
one.
Dual electrical system --
RV equipped with lights, appliances which operate on 12-volt battery power
when self-contained, and with a converter, on 110 AC current when in campgrounds
or with an on-board generator.
Gray Water
-- disposal water from sinks, shower. In some units, this is held in a
tank separate from "black water"; is also dumped in tanks at
campgrounds.
GVWR -- Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating. The maximum loaded weight for which the vehicle
was designed.
Liveability Packages --
items to equip a motorhome for daily living, which may be rented at nominal
cost from rental firm, rather than brought from home. Include bed linens,
pillows and blankets, bath towels, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, cutlery.
Propane --
LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas, used in RVs for heating, cooking and refrigeration.
Also called "bottle gas," for manner in which it is sold and
stored.
Rig -- what
many RVers call their units.
Roof air conditioning
-- air conditioning unit mounted on roof of RV, to cool the RV when it
is parked. When moving, most RVs are cooled by separate air conditioning
units which are components of the engine, or they may be cooled by a roof
top if a proper size generator is installed.
RV - short
for Recreation Vehicle, a generic term for all pleasure vehicles which
contain living accommodations. Multiple units are RVs and persons using
them are RVers.
Self-contained --
RV which needs no external electrical, drain or water hook-up. Thus, it
can park overnight anywhere. Of course, self-contained units can also hook
up to facilities when at campgrounds.
Information and photographs utilized in this publication
were contributed, in part, by individual member dealers of RVRA by the
Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, by Outdoor Resorts of America,
and by the tourism or travel commissions of Arizona, Wyoming, and Calgary,
Canada and the city of Cheyenne.
