Village Welcome, friends! We’ve bought enough RVs over the years to know one thing for sure: when buying an RV, it is really easy to buy the wrong one, and that’s a very expensive mistake. Just because it looks beautiful under the lights at an RV show doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

So before you sign any paperwork, run through these 10 questions. Number one just might save you from the most expensive mistake you can make.

10. How Are You Actually Going to Use It?

Weekends? Full-time? Boondocking? Full-hookup resorts? State parks with water and electric only? National parks with size limits? Your answer to this one question shapes every other answer on this list.

9. What Are Your Non-Negotiables?

Make a deal-breaker list before you walk in. A king bed, a recliner, a big fridge, whatever matters most. Everyone’s list is different, and that’s fine.

Jimmy’s #1? A big shower. He has broad shoulders, and there’s nothing worse than finding out on your first trip that you have to shower sideways. Pro tip for tall folks: look for a shower with a skylight dome for extra headroom.

8. Can Your Truck Really Tow It?

If you’re buying a towable, from a pop-up to the biggest toy hauler on the lot, make sure your truck is rated for it before you buy. Check the weight sticker on the side of the camper and compare it to your truck’s ratings.

As a former truck driver, Jimmy puts it simply: you are responsible for your load. Not the dealership that told you it was fine. If in doubt, go with the bigger truck.

7. How Much Can the RV Actually Carry?

Subtract the empty weight from the maximum loaded weight (many campers list this as cargo capacity). Our rig has about 2,800 pounds to work with. That sounds like a lot until you add:

• Clothes for every season, boots and sandals
• Pots, pans, dishes and a pantry full of food
• Solar panels, batteries, hoses, hose reels and every other accessory

A week of groceries alone can weigh 30 to 40 pounds. Our running joke: “If that’s coming in, what’s going out?”

6. What Can You Reach With the Slides In?

Pull into a fuel stop and close the slides. Can you get to the bathroom? The bed? The fridge? This matters even for weekend campers loading up in the driveway where there’s no room to open the slides.

5. Does the Floor Plan Work for Everyone?

We learned this the hard way with a bunkhouse. When the recliners were out, the kids couldn’t get to the bunk room without cutting through the kitchen while Lisa was cooking. Not ideal.

Someone once told us, “It doesn’t matter, you’ll be outside all the time.” Then it rains all Friday afternoon and everyone is stuck inside. Plan for the rainy days.

Our favorite RV show trick

Sit down in the RV you love, kick your feet up, and just listen. Other shoppers will walk through and talk about what they don’t like. They aren’t in love with it yet, so they’ll spot the problems you can’t see.

4. Can You Change What You Don’t Like?

If you hate the door location or the window layout, move on. You can’t change the bones. But if you love everything except the cabinet handles or the backsplash? That’s two screws per handle and a weekend project. Over the years we’ve swapped sofas, recliners, TVs, mattresses and hardware, and even built a whole new mantel. Treat it like a house with pink walls you’d just repaint.

3. Is Bigger Really Better?

Bigger feels great when you’re full-time in 400 square feet. But many national parks can’t fit rigs over about 40 feet. If national parks are your dream, a giant fifth wheel may leave you camping outside the gates. Balance what you need inside with where you want to go.

2. Do You Trust the Dealership You’re Buying an RV From?

Something will break. Not if, when. That’s true of houses and cars too. Pick a dealership you trust, because the place you buy from usually puts its own customers first in line for repairs. If you travel full-time, also think about how far you’ll be from that dealer.

1. Are You in Love With the RV, or Just One Part of It?

It’s easy to fall for a gorgeous pantry or a fireplace and miss that the shower is too small. The best advice we ever got came from a young salesman at an RV show, years ago, when we told him we weren’t buying anything that day:

• Walk through every RV that fits your type, like every fifth wheel with a bunkhouse.
• Go home and make a family deal-breaker list, ranked most to least important.
• Take that list to a dealer you trust and let them show you what fits.

Walking in without a list is like grocery shopping hungry. Everything looks good.

Bonus Tips for Buying an RV at a Show

• Read the model codes on the tag. RL means rear living, RK means rear kitchen, BH means bunkhouse, and the first numbers often hint at the length.
• Bunkhouses usually have a double stack of windows somewhere.
• Check the floor-plan board at the start of each brand’s display, then ask to see just the ones you want. Your feet will thank you.

Find RV shows near you on Go RVing. Heading to a show? Don’t miss our Hershey RV Show tips. Thinking about going full-time? Read Is Full-Time RV Living Still Worth It in 2026?

Got a question about a brand or floor plan? Drop it in the video comments and we’ll do our best to help.
— Jimmy & Lisa, FindUsCamping