RV Lingo

We were bilingual. We speak fluent English and fluent government acronyms (let's not forget the whole acronym language used in e-mails and boards on the net). Most people probably don't recognize government acronyms as another language but if you ever have the opportunity to work around the government you will find that employees speak a language entirely known to them. It is interesting how quickly you get sucked in. I speak it and am not aware of how ingrained it is until I am meeting with a new employee who is looking at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

Such is the same with RVing. We are learning yet another "language".....RV Lingo. So, I guess that means we are trilingual now? Well, we're not fluent in RV language yet but fully expect to be soon enough.

Let's see...here are a few terms to share so that those who haven't been exposed to RVing will know what I'm talking about when I mention these terms.

1. Class A Motorhome-An RV with the living accommodations built on or as an integral part of a self-propelled motor vehicle. Models begin at 24 feet long and go up to 40+ feet. We have a 39 foot Class A motorhome. I've heard my husband call it a "coach" too. I'm not quite sure if the term "coach" only applies to Class A motorhomes or not.
2. Cockpit-This is the area where the driver sits. I've worked around aircraft a good portion of my professional career and I'm here to tell you....this is not like any cockpit I've ever scene.
Edited to add: My husband read this post after I had posted it. He sent me the following email in response: "I must say, I read that [cockpit definition] with some concern…fully expecting to read “this is where my husbands sits…how appropriate….” I figured everyone else would get a laugh from that comment as well.
3. Basement-This is the storage area around the bottom of the motorhome.
4. Boondocking: Camping in your RV without water or electrical hook-ups. Most commonly, people talk about boondocking at Walmart parking lots. Have you ever noticed RVs parked in the lot of a Walmart? It is because most Walmart stores do not mind RVers staying the night just to have a place to rest if there aren't any campsites nearby. I'd like to think its their way of giving back to me the thousands of dollars that I have spent in Walmart over the years.
5. Full-Timers: RVers who live in their RV year around. That would be us.
6. Slideout: An option in many RVs where a portion of the unit can expand to create more room in the RV. We have three of these with our new RV. It definitely adds more living space.
7. Rig: Another name for the coach
8. Galley: Kitchen
9. Full-Hookup: No. It's not something you did in college. This means they have the direct sewage connection, power and water at each individual campsite.

These are just a few terms that I have learned over the past few months. I'll share more as I become more fluent with RV lingo. I'm still a novice at this point. I'll publish the masters guide when I've become completely fluent. There has got to be a market for that.