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Recreational vehicle
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Recreational vehicle
In North America the term recreational vehicle and its derived
acronym, RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of
equipment dually used as both a
vehicle and temporary travel home. In other parts of the world,
particularly Australia, the term may be used to refer to a
sport utility vehicle, also known as an SUV. This article discusses
the North American usage.
While RVs are intended for brief leisure activities such as vacations and
camping, some people, especially retirees, live in their units and are known as
fulltimers. RVs can be rented in major U.S. and Canadian cities.
There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:
A truck camper
- Truck Camper - unit is affixed to the bed or chassis of a
pickup truck.
- Folding Camping Trailer - also known as a pop-up trailer; a
light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage. Suitable
for towing by many vehicles.
-
Travel Trailer - heavier unit with rigid sides designed to be
towed by most larger vehicles by means of a bumper or frame hitch
- Hybrid Trailer - a blend between a travel trailer and a folding
(tent) trailer. With rigid sides and pull-out tent sections (usually beds)
- Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - designed to be towed by a pickup
truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed
- Park Model - designed for occasional relocation and will require
a special tow vehicle and a highway movement permit
- Motorhome ("Winnebago", a product of
Winnebago Industries that dominated the market for many years, was long
a synonym for a motorhome, but this usage has faded in recent years.)
- Class A Motorcoach - constructed on either a commercial truck chassis, a
specially designed motor vehicle chassis, or a commerical bus chassis. Sizes
run from 26 to 45 feet.
- Class B
Campervan
- built using a conventional
van, to which
either a raised roof has been added or had the back replaced by a
low-profile body (compared to a Class C). Sizes run from 19 feet to 24 feet.
- Class C Motorhome - built on an truck chassis with an attached cab
section, which is usually van based, but may also be pickup truck based or
even large truck(freightliner) based. Size can vary from 17 feet to 34 feet.
- Toterhome, a motor home built around a semi truck chassis such as
a
freightliner. This type of motor home allows you to pull large and heavy
trailers while having all the conveniences of a large motor home
A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage
areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master
bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and internet
access, slide-out sections, and awnings; many RVs can cost (new) from less then
$10,000 to $100,000 with some costing over $1 million. These high end RVs
typically need to be financed by banks or specialized lenders.
Many RVers stay at RV parks,
most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service (full hookups),
as well as cable television and wireless Internet. Amenties often include
swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as
horseback riding. While others prefer staying at locations in rural, remote
areas, called Boondocking and still others at public campgrounds with minimal
facilities.
Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel
rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, sleeping in a bed you are
comfortable with and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating
in restaurants. At the same time, an RV provides more organized living space and
better protection from the weather than a tent. Children also tend to like RVs.
Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow
vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is
available at a few high-end resorts), and larger RV models can be hard for the
novice to drive or tow.
Some people also live in RVs because they lack funds for more conventional
housing.
Similarly, RVs — specifically, trailers which strongly resemble travel
trailers, but usually with fewer amenities — have been used to temporarily house
victims of natural disasters. A notable example is
Hurricane Katrina; the federal disaster relief agency FEMA has ordered large
numbers of such trailers to house victims of the storm in Louisiana and
Mississippi.
Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans, or used passenger and
school buses.
Elkhart, Indiana, is known as the "RV Capital of the World" because it is home
to many RV manufacturers, including, Forest River, Heartland RV, the Damon
Corporation, Four Winds, Hy-Line, Keystone, Monaco, Sun Valley, and Travel
Supreme. Many other manufacturers, including Dutchman, Gulf Stream, and Jayco,
can be found in the nearby towns of Goshen, Middlebury, Nappanee, and Wakarusa.
In 2005,
these locales experienced a boom because of the large number of trailers ordered
to house Hurricane Katrina victims.
External links
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