The Weight Problem
The most serious and most common packing mistake is overloading the RV. Every RV has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) — the maximum safe loaded weight. New RVers frequently have no idea what their rig weighs when fully loaded, and many discover they've been driving overweight for their first several trips.
Overloaded RVs have degraded handling, extended stopping distances, increased tire blowout risk, and accelerated wear on suspension and brakes. More importantly, if you're overloaded and have an accident, your insurance may not cover it.
How to check: Find a truck scale (Love's, Pilot, and many grain elevators have public scales for $10-15). Weigh your rig fully loaded with water, food, gear, and people. Compare to your GVWR, found on the certification label on the driver's door frame. Also check individual axle weights — you can be within total GVWR but have one axle overloaded.
Where weight accumulates: Water is the biggest culprit. A full 100-gallon fresh water tank adds 834 pounds. Fill the water tank at the campground, not before a long drive. Clothes (new RVers overpack dramatically), kitchen equipment, tools, and recreational gear add up faster than you expect. Audit ruthlessly after your first trip and remove everything unused.
Forgetting the Things That Actually Stop Your Trip
New RVers pack extensively for comfort and forget the items that cause trip-ending problems. The most commonly forgotten functional items:
- Sewer hose and fittings: This is the item that sends new RVers to the campground store on the first day. Bring the entire sewer kit including the elbow fitting, hose support, and a rubber glove.
- Electrical adapters: A 50-amp to 30-amp dogbone adapter and a 30-amp to 20-amp adapter. Without these, you can't plug in at campgrounds with the wrong pedestal type. A surge protector (EMS) protects your RV from bad campground power.
- Water pressure regulator: Campground water pressure can exceed 80 PSI — high enough to burst RV water lines and connections. A $15-20 inline regulator prevents this.
- Leveling blocks and wheel chocks: Required at almost every campsite. Bring enough blocks to level on uneven ground — typically 3-4 interlocking pads per side.
- Tire pressure gauge and portable compressor: Check tire pressure before every travel day. Cold tire pressure should match the sticker on the RV door jamb, not the maximum listed on the tire sidewall.
Overpacking the Kitchen
RV kitchens are small and storage is limited. New RVers typically bring their entire home kitchen on the first trip, spend two days reconfiguring constantly-falling-out cabinet contents, and return home with half of it unused.
Practical kitchen kit for most RV trips: one skillet, one pot, one small Dutch oven (does double duty as pot and oven-capable vessel), a cutting board that fits over the sink, a knife set (3-4 essential knives), a few utensils, and plates/cups sized to stack efficiently. A portable induction cooktop is more useful than most RV stoves and saves propane. Cast iron works on any heat source including campfire.
Spices and pantry items: use small travel spice containers rather than bringing full-size bottles. A silicone ice cube tray with measured portions of olive oil, butter, or other fats packed frozen saves space and prep time.
Not Understanding Hookup Scenarios Before You Arrive
Arriving at a campsite without understanding what hookups are available and how your rig connects to them causes confusion and sometimes damage. Three scenarios to understand before your first trip:
Full hookups: Electric, water, and sewer at the site. Connect water with your pressure regulator inline. Connect sewer with the elbow fitting and hose. Connect electric with the correct plug (30 or 50 amp). Keep gray and black tank valves closed until you're ready to dump — leaving the black tank valve open causes solids to accumulate and sensors to fail.
Partial hookups (electric and water only): No sewer connection. Manage tanks and dump when needed at the campground's dump station. Most campgrounds with partial hookups have a dump station.
Dry camping (no hookups): Rely on your fresh water tank, battery bank (or generator) for power, and hold waste in tanks until you reach a dump station. Conservation mode: short showers, LED lighting only, minimize water use.
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