Newbie RVers – 10 Things NOT To Do That We Did (Seriously)

Thinking about full-time RV life? Here’s a list of 10 things not to do during your first year. Newbie RVers learn from our newbie mistakes.

🙃 Our First Year of RVing Was a Hot Mess (and What We Learned)

Ah, the open road. Endless freedom, breathtaking views, and the joy of taking your home anywhere.

But our first year of RV living?

Let’s just say… the highlight reel would’ve been titled “Disaster Diaries.”

We were so excited. We’d downsized. We’d dreamed. And planned (well… sorta). And then we hit the road and discovered just how much we didn’t know.

In true newbie RVers fashion, we didn’t even know how to hook the 5th wheel into the truck hitch. Thankfully, someone was still available at the dealership to help us.

If you’re a soon-to-be full-timer or thinking about RV life, bless your heart. This post is our gift to you.

Learn from our early fails, and save yourself the headache (and flood insurance claim).

🛻 We Overloaded a U-Haul Trailer Like We Were Moving Into a Mansion

Somehow, we believed the laws of physics didn’t apply to us me.

We loaded up a small U-Haul trailer, except it wasn’t that small once we crammed it full of “just in case” items.

Weight distribution? What’s that? Towing capacity? Never heard of her.

Our RV (a 5th wheel at the time) did not appreciate the extra load. She groaned and swayed like she was trying to do the cha-cha on the highway.

I had so much stuff that all the boxes barely fit inside.

👉 RV tip: Know your tow ratings. If you have to look up what GVWR means, you’re not ready to hitch a trailer. Yet. And, weigh the unit BEFORE you put anything in it. The sticker isn’t always correct. (Don’t ask me how I know!)

📦 We Filled the Largest Pod Imaginable with Our “Essentials”

Ah yes, the great lie of downsizing: “We’ll only keep what we really need.”

…And then we filled an entire giant storage pod with stuff we didn’t want to part with.

Spoiler: 90% of it we never touched again. And paying monthly to store forgotten spatulas and winter coats in Florida? Not our best financial move.

After 4 years of paying $400+ a month, we moved the stuff out of the POD and into a regular storage unit. (That was $100 a month!)

Then, after 2 more years, we moved everything out, had another yard sale, and got rid of a few more things.

We moved the rest of the stuff into my son’s storage room at the pizzeria. It still sits waiting for me to get rid of it.

👉 RV tip: If it won’t fit in your RV, chances are you won’t miss it. Do a second (and third) purge before launch.

🥣 We Didn’t Secure the Cupboards (Newbie RVers #1 Mistake)

One bumpy backroad later, and BOOM…our kitchen became a projectile zone.

Plates shattered. Spices flew. And there were rainbow jimmies everywhere. No one told us these things, which is why I’m telling you now!

A year later, we were still finding rainbow jimmies everywhere.

👉 RV tip: Use child locks, bungee cords, zipties, or tension rods. Your cupboards aren’t as loyal as you think.

💦 We Forgot to Turn Off the Water Pump

We pulled into a beautiful site. Unhooked. Never went inside and left to run an errand.

Came back to a full-blown flood in the kitchen.

Turns out, if your ice maker is left on and your water pump is on while moving, you’re in for a surprise water feature (not always).

It wasn’t actually the ice maker’s fault. It was whoever hooked up the water line’s fault. The connections were not tight and came apart as we were traveling.

👉 RV tip: Make a departure checklist. (We now live and breathe by ours.) Double-check water pump, propane, slides, and yes, even the fridge ice maker.

🚚 No Towing Mirrors. None

We were out here, towing like champions, except we couldn’t see anything behind us.

Changing lanes was a leap of faith. When we had to change lanes, we would sway one way and then the other way so we could see if anyone was behind us. (That was before we installed a rear backup camera.)

Backing up was a team sport. And don’t even get me started on narrow campgrounds.

👉 RV tip: Towing mirrors are non-negotiable. If you’re towing and can’t see the rear of your trailer, it’s time to invest in mirrors (or therapy, honestly).

🤦‍♀️ Plugged into a Regular Outlet and Tried to Run the AC

We thought we were being clever. Who knew?

We parked at a friend’s house and plugged into their regular household outlet. Then we flipped on the air conditioner. And the washer. And maybe a few other things.

The result? A tripped breaker, a fried cord, some confused homeowners and a trip back to the dealership.

👉 RV tip: 15 amps ≠ 30 amps ≠ 50 amps. Learn your power needs and don’t assume you can “just plug in.” A surge protector is your BFF.

🕶️ We Had No Trailer Lights. At Night

Nothing like rolling down the interstate in stealth mode.

Yep – our trailer lights weren’t working, and we didn’t even realize until a friendly (and slightly panicked) fellow traveler flagged us down.

Yes, we did check them upon leaving. Yes, they were originally working.

Not sure what happened, but we kept blowing fuses in the truck for the 7 pin plug.

Upon arrival at our very first campground, Cooks RV Park in Springfield, MO, we weren’t sure what to do.

Thankfully, the owner was super nice and, after explaining our dilemma, he was kind enough to help us out.

He got his tester (something all newbie RVers should have in their tool kit) and began testing. Turned out, there was an issue with the 7 pin plug. Phew, we dodged a bullet there.

Did you know (and we kind of knew this beforehand because the place that installed our B&W Hitch clued us in) that most dealerships won’t work on your RV if you didn’t buy it there?

Yep, it’s true. Sad, but true. Oh, they may work on it…After it’s been sitting there for 7 months. Current customers always come first.

👉 RV tip: Always do a full light check before hitting the road. Brake lights, running lights, blinkers…the works. (And thank you to the good Samaritan who saved us that night.) Be sure to double check them at every rest stop as well.

😳 Someone Knocked on Our Door at 2 A.M

Let me tell you, there is nothing more unsettling than a knock on your RV door in the dead of night.

We were parked at El Dorado State Park in Kansas, minding our own business (sound asleep). But still, someone needed to say hello…at 2 a.m.

Harley started barking after she heard some rustling outside. It was October, so there were a lot of leaves on the ground.

The next thing you know, there is a knock on the door. Harley started flipping out, my heart was beating a mile a minute, and they weren’t going away.

Tim almost opened the door, but thankfully thought twice and opened the small window next to the door to talk to the person.

It was a large man, holding a lantern in one hand with a dog on his shoulder. Sounds like something out of the movies, right?

We’ve since beefed up security, lighting, and our boundaries.

👉 RV tip: Always park in well-lit, safe areas. Consider a motion light, door camera, or even a “do not disturb” sign for added peace of mind.

🛣️ We Drove Too Far. Way Too Far

In those early days, we tried to cover hundreds of miles in a single day. This is something that many newbie RVers seem to not understand.

We’d arrive frazzled, frustrated, and too tired to enjoy anything. Not exactly the dream.

Now, we stick to around 200 miles and arrive by 2:00 and stay for 2 nights. When it’s a one-night stop, we still arrive by 2:00 and drive around 200 miles. Occasionally, we will do 300 if there is an extreme need to.

👉 RV tip: Try the 2-2-2 rule — drive 200 miles max, arrive by 2 p.m., and stay at least 2 nights. Or even better: the 3-3-3 rule. Your body (and your co-pilot) will thank you.

😂 And We Laughed Through (Almost) All of It

Here’s the truth: that first year was messy. It tested our patience, our packing skills, and our plumbing.

Ok, maybe the first day when we were unpacking the U-Haul trailer, we weren’t laughing. It was about 90 degrees, we had only a few hours after our PDI walkthrough, and we had no idea where we were even staying.

There may have been a few arguments and not-so-nice words said.

To this day, neither one of us can remember where we stayed. I do know that we left at 6 am so there was less traffic to worry about who was behind us, because remember…we couldn’t see with our current mirrors.

But it also gave us some of our best stories. We grew. We learned. And leveled up.

And you will too.

🧭 Final Thoughts for Newbie RVers : Survive Year One (Without Losing Your Mind)

RV life is beautiful, but it’s not always smooth.

You’ll make mistakes. You’ll forget things. You might even cry behind a Flying J while eating snacks for dinner.

But every stumble makes you stronger (and every mishap makes for great content).

If we can survive floods, towing fails, and midnight wake-up calls, you can too. We have survived 8 years, so our first year must not have been that bad!

Just don’t do what we did. Or if you do… at least laugh about it later. 😉

👍 Want more newbie RVers survival tips?

Inside our Adventure Simplified membership, we guide newbie RVers through the good, the tricky, and the unforgettable. From first checklists to packing hacks, you’ll find the support you need for every mile ahead.

💬 What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made on the road? Drop it in the comments — we’ll swap stories and maybe even turn yours into a future post!

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