21 RV Beginner Mistakes New Owners Should Avoid

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Published November 17, 2021 | Last updated May 7, 2026

Every new RVer makes mistakes.

I don’t care how many YouTube videos you watch, how many Facebook posts you read, or how many checklists you print out. Once you pull into that first campsite and start hooking up water, sewer, electric, slides, jacks, awnings, hoses, filters, and everything else, something is probably going to go sideways.

And that’s okay.

Susan and I have made plenty of RV mistakes over the years. Some were annoying. Some were expensive. Some were embarrassing. And a few were the kind of mistakes you only laugh about after enough time has passed.

I once bought a cheap sewer hose and the connection popped loose. I ended up covered in poop. That is not a typo, and it is not an experience I recommend.

I also left my iPhone in the path of a slide-out. The slide crushed the phone, cracked it, and made the slide go crooked. That was an expensive little lesson.

We’ve bought the wrong water hose, melted a cheap surge protector, broke an awning arm, built a poop pyramid, overflowed gray water into a slide-out, and even had the fireplace heat and air conditioner running at the same time.

So if you just bought your first RV, this article is not here to make you feel dumb. It is here to help you avoid the mistakes that cost money, ruin travel days, or make your first few camping trips way more stressful than they need to be.

1. Buying Cheap RV Gear the First Time

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make because RV gear gets expensive fast.

You buy the RV, then suddenly you need a sewer hose, drinking water hose, surge protector, water pressure regulator, leveling blocks, chocks, gloves, tank treatment, adapters, and a bunch of stuff you did not even know existed.

So you start grabbing the cheapest version of everything.

I get it. I have done it too.

But cheap RV gear can cost you more in the long run. A bad sewer hose can leak. A cheap water hose can split. A cheap surge protector can fail when you need it most. And cheap leveling blocks can crack or slide around when you are trying to get set up.

You do not need to buy fancy gear. But you do need to buy decent basic gear.

Start with the essentials:

Sewer hose kit

Drinking water hose

Water pressure regulator

Inline water filter

Surge protector

Leveling blocks

Wheel chocks

Disposable gloves

Basic tool kit

Tire pressure gauge

You can upgrade later. But do not cheap out on the stuff that protects your RV, your plumbing, your electrical system, or your dignity.

You can also check out our Gear Page to see the RV gear we actually use and trust, so you don’t waste money on cheap stuff you’ll have to replace later.

2. Not Practicing Before Your First Campground Trip

Your first time backing into a campsite should not be at a crowded campground with people watching you from lawn chairs.

Find a big empty parking lot and practice.

Practice turning.

Practice backing up.

Practice pulling through tight spaces.

Practice stopping.

Practice using your mirrors.

Practice communicating with your spotter.

If you have a travel trailer, practice backing into imaginary campsites. If you have a motorhome, practice wide turns and learning where the back end swings.

New RV owners often underestimate how different an RV feels compared to a regular vehicle. Everything is longer, wider, taller, heavier, and slower to react.

That does not mean you should be scared. It just means you should practice before the pressure is on.

3. Driving Too Fast

A lot of new RVers drive like they are still in a regular car.

That is a mistake.

Your RV is heavier. It takes longer to stop. Wind affects it more. Other drivers cut you off. Tires heat up. And if you are towing a trailer, sway can get scary fast.

For most RVers, a comfortable towing or driving speed is usually around 60 to 65 mph. Sometimes slower is better, especially in wind, rain, mountains, or heavy traffic.

You are not trying to win a race. You are trying to arrive safely with your RV, your family, and your sanity intact.

4. Forgetting How Tall Your RV Is

This is one mistake that can get expensive in seconds.

Before your first trip, know your RV height.

Not the brochure height. Not your best guess. Know the actual height with the air conditioner, vents, satellite dome, or anything else on the roof.

Then write it down and keep it where you can see it while driving.

Low bridges, gas station canopies, fast food drive-thrus, tree limbs, and campground entrances can all become problems if you forget how tall your RV is.

One bad decision can rip off an air conditioner or damage your roof.

That is not how you want to start your RV life.

5. Trusting Every Road Your GPS Gives You

Regular GPS apps like WAZE and Google Maps do not always understand that you are driving an RV.

They may send you under low bridges, down narrow roads, through tight neighborhoods, or into gas stations that are not RV-friendly.

That is why you should always preview your route before you leave.

Look for:

Low-clearance areas

Sharp turns

Steep grades

Fuel stops with enough room

Campground entrance roads

Construction zones

You do not need to overcomplicate this. Just do not blindly follow your phone like it knows what you are driving.

We use RV Trip Wizard for trip planning and RV-safe GPS so we can avoid low bridges, tight roads, and other route problems before they happen.

6. Arriving at the Campground Too Late

Getting to a campground after dark as a new RV owner is asking for stress.

Everything is harder in the dark.

Backing in is harder. Finding the hookups is harder. Leveling is harder. Seeing tree branches is harder. Not arguing with your spouse is harder.

Try to arrive while there is still plenty of daylight. I would rather leave earlier, drive fewer miles, and get set up calmly than roll in late and start making mistakes because I am tired.

A good beginner rule is to stop earlier than you think you need to.

Your future self will thank you.

7. Not Walking the Campsite Before Backing In

Before you pull into your site, get out and walk it.

Look for tree limbs, rocks, picnic tables, sewer hookup location, water spigot location, electrical pedestal, slope, soft ground, and anything that could hit your RV.

Also look at where your slides will open.

This is where I learned a painful lesson. I left my iPhone where the slide could hit it. The slide came out, cracked the phone, and knocked the slide crooked.

Now I am much more careful before extending slides.

A two-minute walkaround can save you from a very expensive mistake.

8. Forgetting to Level the RV Before Camping

Your RV does not have to be perfect, but it does need to be reasonably level.

If it is way off, doors may swing open, sleeping can feel weird, the refrigerator may not work properly, and walking around inside can feel awkward.

If you have auto leveling, great. We love our auto levelers in our Class A motorhome. But we still keep a four-foot level on board so we can check things and calibrate when needed.

And sometimes, if the campsite is very unlevel, we use leveling blocks so the wheels are not hanging off the ground when the auto levelers do their job.

If you have a travel trailer, use leveling blocks side-to-side before unhitching. Then use the tongue jack to level front-to-back.

Do not use stabilizer jacks to level the RV. They are for stabilizing, not lifting the camper into position.

9. Putting Jacks Down Without Looking Closely

This one cost us.

We once lowered a leveling jack onto a parking curb at the end of a campsite and bent the jack.

That was completely avoidable.

Before you lower jacks or stabilizers, look underneath. Make sure the foot pads are landing on solid ground and not on a curb, rock, root, hole, or soft mud.

This is especially important at tight sites, older campgrounds, or sites with weird slopes.

Slow down and look before pushing buttons.

10. Opening Slides Without Checking Inside and Outside

Slides are wonderful until they hit something.

Before opening any slide, check outside for trees, power pedestals, posts, picnic tables, and other obstacles.

Then check inside.

Make sure cabinets are closed, furniture is clear, rugs are not bunched up, and nothing is sitting in the slide path.

This is one of those simple habits that can prevent a big repair bill.

11. Not Using a Surge Protector

I would not plug our RV into a campground pedestal without a surge protector.

Campground power can be unpredictable. You can run into low voltage, bad wiring, open grounds, reversed polarity, power surges, and other electrical problems.

A surge protector helps protect your RV’s electrical system from damage.

And yes, I learned this the hard way too. I bought a cheaper surge protector and melted it.

That was a clear reminder that electrical protection is not the place where I want to gamble.

At minimum, new RV owners should use a good RV surge protector every time they plug in.

12. Skipping the Water Pressure Regulator

Campground water pressure can be too high for your RV plumbing.

That is why you should use a water pressure regulator between the campground spigot and your drinking water hose.

Without one, high pressure can damage fittings, cause leaks, or stress your RV plumbing system.

This is a cheap and simple piece of gear, and it should be part of your normal setup every time.

While you are at it, use a drinking water-safe hose and an inline water filter. I once bought a bad water hose and it leaked everywhere, so I am a little pickier about hoses now.

13. Not Knowing What to Do With the Water Filter Between Trips

This sounds small, but it confused me early on.

I did not know what to do with my water filter between trips, so I kept buying a new one for every camping trip.

That gets ridiculous fast.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your filter, but in general, you want to drain it, cap it if possible, and store it where it will not sit in heat, dirt, or direct sun.

If it has been sitting too long, smells odd, or you are unsure about it, replace it.

Clean drinking water matters. But you do not need to throw away a filter after every weekend unless the instructions say so or it has been contaminated.

14. Leaving the Black Tank Valve Open

This is one of the most common RV beginner mistakes.

When you hook up your sewer hose at a full hookup site, it feels logical to leave the black tank valve open.

Do not do that.

Your black tank needs enough liquid to flush waste out properly. If you leave the valve open, the liquid drains away while solids stay behind. That is how you build a poop pyramid.

And yes, we have built one.

It is just as unpleasant as it sounds.

Keep the black tank valve closed until the tank is at least about two-thirds full or you are ready to dump. Then dump the black tank first, followed by the gray tank to help rinse the hose.

15. Using a Cheap Sewer Hose

A bad sewer hose can ruin your day in a hurry.

I know because I bought a cheap one, the connection popped loose, and I got covered in poop.

That is the kind of mistake you only need to make once.

Buy a decent sewer hose kit with secure fittings. Use disposable gloves. Make sure the connection is tight before opening the valve. And always keep your sewer gear separate from your freshwater gear.

I like using a dedicated bin for sewer fittings and hoses so nothing touches clean water equipment.

16. Forgetting About the Gray Tank

New RVers often focus so much on the black tank that they forget the gray tank can cause problems too.

We once forgot to open the gray tank while doing laundry, and the drain water overflowed into the slide-out.

That was not a fun cleanup.

Your gray tank holds water from sinks and showers. Depending on your RV and how much water you use, it can fill faster than you expect.

Watch your tank levels. If you are doing dishes, showering, or using a washer, pay extra attention.

Gray water may not sound as bad as black tank water, but you still do not want it overflowing inside your RV.

17. Taking a Shower Without Turning on the Water Heater

This is a classic new RV owner mistake.

You get ready for a nice shower, turn on the water, and realize it is cold because nobody turned on the water heater.

We have done it.

Depending on your RV, your water heater may use propane, electric, or both. Learn how yours works before your first trip.

Also remember that RV water heaters are usually smaller than home water heaters. Long showers are not always realistic unless you have an on-demand system.

A good beginner habit is to check your water heater before shower time, not during shower time.

18. Running the Heat and Air Conditioning at the Same Time

This sounds silly until you do it.

We have had the fireplace heat and the air conditioner running at the same time.

RVs have different systems, and it is easy to forget what is on. You may have a propane furnace, electric fireplace, heat pump, roof air conditioner, and thermostat settings that are not always obvious.

Before bed or before leaving the RV, check what is actually running.

It saves power, reduces wear on your systems, and keeps you from wondering why the RV feels confused.

19. Leaving the Awning Out in Wind or Rain

Awnings are great until the weather changes.

We once did not tilt the awning before rain came through, and the weight of the water broke one of the arms.

Another time, we hung Halloween lights on the awning. It got windy, the wind sensor rolled the awning up, and all the lights got wrapped up in it.

That was a mess.

Your awning is not a permanent porch roof. Bring it in when you leave the campsite, go to bed, or see wind and storms coming.

If rain is possible and you keep it out, tilt one side so water can run off.

But honestly, when in doubt, bring it in.

20. Packing Up Wet and Forgetting to Dry Things Later

Sometimes you have to pack up in the rain. That happens.

But if you roll up an awning wet or pack away wet gear, you need to dry it out later.

Wet fabric can lead to mildew, mold, and bad smells.

When you get home, open the awning or unpack wet gear as soon as you can. Let things dry completely before storing them.

This is one of those boring little chores that prevents bigger problems later.

21. Not Using a Departure Checklist

Leaving the campground is when a lot of mistakes happen.

You are tired. You are thinking about the drive home. Maybe it is hot, raining, or everyone is ready to leave.

That is when people forget antennas, steps, sewer hoses, water hoses, chocks, leveling blocks, storage doors, cabinets, and even the power cord.

Use a checklist.

It does not need to be fancy. It just needs to work.

Before leaving, check:

Slides in

Awning in

Jacks up

Power disconnected

Water disconnected

Sewer disconnected and stored

Antenna down

Steps in

Storage doors locked

Tires checked

Hitch connected properly

Safety chains connected

Breakaway cable connected

Lights working

Campsite walked one final time

I also like doing one slow walkaround before pulling out. Start at the driver’s door and walk all the way around the RV.

That final walkaround can save you from dragging something down the road.

RV Beginner Mistakes Are Part of the Lifestyle

You are going to make mistakes.

Every RVer does.

The goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to avoid the big expensive mistakes, learn from the small ones, and get more confident every time you camp.

Some of our worst RV mistakes have turned into funny stories. I did not think getting covered in poop was funny when it happened, but I can laugh about it now.

Mostly.

The good news is that RVers are usually very forgiving people. If you are struggling to back in, hook up, dump tanks, level your camper, or figure out your water heater, somebody nearby has probably made the same mistake.

Take your time. Ask questions. Use checklists. Buy decent basic gear. And remember that your first few trips are not supposed to be perfect.

They are supposed to teach you how your RV works.

And once you get past the awkward beginner stage, RVing gets a whole lot more fun.

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Related Reading for RV Beginner Mistakes to Avoid:

– Best RVs and Campers for Beginners

– How to Setup Your RV Campsite for Beginners

– Best RV Video Training Courses for Beginners

– 38 Awesome RV Blogs to Follow that can Benefit Anyone from Beginners to Retirees

– 10 Best Facebook Groups for RV Owners

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