27 BIG Lessons RVers Learn the Hard Way - Things Every RVer Owner Should Know

Close to 6 years of full-time RV living has shown us some ugly lessons. We show you our best 27 tips and worst mistakes every RV owner should know. We cover everything from ant infestations to having no trailer brakes on the highway (our scariest moment).

RV life is full of stress, but we will bring you the best tips and tricks for the upcoming camping season!

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_DISCLAIMER: HappilyEverHanks is a YouTube channel intended for entertainment purposes only. We are not RV experts and these opinions are only intended to show what methods we use when it comes to RV Living. Do not use this information as professional advice.

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[iflys]

I flew helicopters for the Army for many years. Two things I've brought over to our RV life. 1) Do the walk around close up to your RV and do another walk around about 20 feet from your RV. You'll be surprised what you can find with the two perspectives. It's saved my life several times. 2) Pull out of your parking site, stop and look back at the empty site for anything left behind or fallen off of your RV. Love your vids.

[andrewspies]

Thanks for mentioning us mobile techs. We really are a viable alternative to the dealers.
- Andrew, Ranger RV Services, Houston, TX

[ellenpowers]

Great tips! One caution: if you’re going to put a bunch of stuff on the bed (which is a great place to put it on travel days), be aware of the weight if the bedroom is on a slide. Just had to replace a slide motor and it might have been from overloading the slide while it was going in and out. Used a mobile tech to do the repair and he was awesome: Sean at Tucson Mobile RV Repair.

[asana_awakening]

When we first bought our RV I heard a story of a couple that left their awnings out with a storm coming and a big gust of wind caught their awning and flipped their RV over!! Their RV was also an older model with only one emergency exit (that was blocked) so they were stuck for hours. Because of that story we have never left them unattended but we see other people do it all the time 👀 this is great advice!

[dianekell]

We use to drive semi for a living, we always as traveling with our Rv do a pre trip inspection, and if we stop for fuel we check again before hitting the road. Very good habit to get into.

[herb]

Well presented & All great tips! 45+ years RV-n & still learning (mess-n up too !) . One of my worst disaster was trying to 'multi-task' with the neighbor who came over to chat while we were setting up. Attached the city fresh water supply to the black tank swirly clean out (bad design; they're next to each other). 10 minutes later Ol' Facefull geyser in the bathroom. needless to say the "Boss" was not happy. You could hear the screech from inside for miles. It was so high pitched all the dogs in the CG came running or howling. I got to do the clean up. ...

[Yoteach]

In addition to practice backing in a large open area (Walmart parking lot), I would HIGHLY suggest that the practice should be done during both daylight and dark. We both know that certain circumstances require the O-DARK 30 backup experience

[ALittleBitUnhitched]

Checking tire pressures the morning of leaving...THIS ONE IS HUGE! I can not tell you guys how many times we have told people to always double-check before you hit the road! It's huge! Always appreciate your videos and the wisdom you all spit on the daily!

[Elizabeth-rqvi]

Thanks! We’re a year before we leave on our 4 year Odessy so having this list will do us good. We’ve been tent camping since we were babies so some of these can be transferee to RV life.
One thing I would add is have a physical check list to use for the arrival & leaving jobs. Also put the height/length on your dash.

[motorcoachtech]

I see you are being nice to Carl by throwing him on the bed, instead of bounding him, taping his mouth and throwing him under the bed!😂. Have a good week. Rick

[RealizingICreateHappiness]

My wife & I get so excited on thursdays just to watch y’all new video

[trustme]

1.Diatomaceous earth IS a gardening item and it's not soil although it comes from the ground. It looks and feels like flour. Best used in a garden on the ground to keep crawling insects off the plants. It actually cuts insects when they get in it so they die but it's messy and slow acting. A better, cleaner, mess free and very long lasting product that kills all insects is Bifenthin. You'll find it in the garden section too. It's the active ingredient in products like Orthos Home Defense. If you buy it ready to use, just wet a paper towel and wipe it on the floor in a narrow band next to walls and cabinets. (wear a glove) It takes VERY little. I use it in my house this way and spray it around the perimeter outside. It lasts inside over 8 months. If you have pets or little children apply it where they can't get in to it and where you won't step in it. I wouldn't use it outside at a campsite. The next people wouldn't know. You could spray the tires, jacks and other place where ants would get up into the rig. Keep in mind that you wouldn't want to touch these places with bare hands later.

2. I'm surprised that you missed the obvious.
MAKE A CHECKLIST. Do it on your phone or on a computer so you can print it. Either way it's easy to add to it and make adjustments, and you certainly will. You'd be surprised at how long and useful the list can be. I print mine and keep it on the engine dog house in our motor home. I have one for set up and one for leaving. As a pilot I know that checklists are extremely important. I also do a walk around and look underneath at every stop.

3. I wrote my height and length on a post it and stuck it to the dashboard so I can quickly see it at a glance at any time.

4. All excellent ideas that I always have been doing. Probably your most useful video for all experience levels.

[rogercastle]

Just a word of advice don’t let your RV set too long without checking on it. I have mine in storage for the winter and don’t have room to open it up and check it out. I do however have room to open the door and give it a quick look but that’s not good enough. I just purchased and second AC unit and was going to it install it myself so I brought the unit home. I got a big surprise when I opened it up. It had a leak in the roof at the point where the nose cap and the roof come together. What a mess. Needless to say I have a lot of clean up todo before I can install the AC unit.
Thanks for the show.

[amytooyou]

Stumbled upon your channel when researching full-time RV living, I have started saving all of your tips and tricks videos! I am excited to go FT in a year and half myself! Keep up the great job!

[adriannurse]

I've also found that you need to make sure your slides can open before leveling and hooking up. Before leaving look on the roof and make sure that the satellite dish and any antennas are down and properly stowed.

[philipgerry]

You made any good points. Keeping hitched until electric, sewer, and water hookups are connected is a time saver. Nothing more frustrating than the electric is 1 foot too far away.

[BassFeverEver]

Thank you for sharing these tips! Excellent video! One I might add is that during your walk around, take a few pics of your rig and site. You never know when they might come in handy down the road.

[playmistiforme]

Mr Hank reminds me of the actor French Stewart from 3rd Rock From the Sun! The longer I watch, the more I'm convinced yer related!!❤😂

[rv_at_the_beach]

Another great video. We can't be reminded too much. You're so right, check, check, check. What we've found is take your time. Don't hurry. Time spent checking and re-checking is time well spent.