“While boondocking, after visiting the dump station, we took the toad to a potluck where we sat in the shade next to the basement of a fifth-wheel slideout parked beside a Class C.”
I doubt anybody other than an RVer could figure out that sentence loaded with jargon specific to the RV lifestyle.
This “language,” usually undecipherable to the mainstream populace, becomes even more mysterious when used with new arcane definitions. In fact, even the term “RVer” doesn’t appear in standard dictionaries. Search RVer in Google and you receive the response, “Did you mean: def:SERVer defEVer define:EVer def:REFer.”
Take “boondocking” for example. Most people have heard the word boondocks, but few could describe boondocking as driving an RV down a small two-lane or dirt forest service road and camping without any water, electric, or sewer hookups – not even in a campground for heaven’s sake.
One might also guess that “dump station” would mean a city dump, but would they guess that to RVers it means a place where they can attach a sewer hose to their waste tanks and empty them into a sewer?
And would the non-RVer figure out that instead of taking their pet toad to a function called a potluck, the word “toad” would actually refer to the car that they towed (“toad”) behind their motorhome – and with a little luck the “toad” would not end up in the “pot” of the potluck mistaken for a frog whose legs would be consumed after cooking.
The term potluck is defined by The Free Dictionary as “Whatever food happens to be available for a meal, especially when offered to a guest.” It sounds like a way to get rid of leftovers feeding a guest you don’t really care much about. Unlike midwestern Sunday potlucks, in the RV world there is an additional step added. Since RVs are short on storage, most RVers do not include service for twelve for feeding potluck parties, so RVers in addition to bringing a casserole or other one-dish entree, salad, or desert to be shared by a group, they also bring their own chairs, eating and serving utensils, plates, and cups.
The term “basement” or “basement storage” also confuses non-RVers. There’s a basement under the motorhome? Below street level? Basement, of course, refers to the area beneath the floor of the motorhome or fifth-wheel, not beneath the RV itself as it would be with a house. RV basements do not have stand up room suitable for a party room with wet bar, but instead mean additional storage below the floor of the RV.
If you asked the non-RVer what a “slideout” was without looking at an RV with the slideout extended, you would likely get a blank look, the same look you would get if you asked them to describe a “fifth-wheel” RV. Anyone familiar with truckers would think of the way Peterbuilts hook up to their trailers, but would not likely corrolate that with a “fifth-wheel” RV trailer hooking up to a pickup truck.
Further confusion shows when the terms “Class A” or “Class C” get floated around. Who would guess that a “Class A” meant a motorhome (often confused with mobile home) built on a truck or specialized chassis from the ground up. Or that a “Class B” would be a cutaway van with permanent truck camper-like living quarters built onto it.
But once you’ve learned these RV lifestyle terms, be gentle and understanding with your non-RVing friends when they stare at you with that blank look. You were there once yourself.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing ebooks on Amazon Kindle.