The right RV is the one that fits how you’ll actually travel, not the one that wowed you at the show. Before you sign anything, figure out how you’ll use it, write down your non-negotiables, check what your truck can tow and what the RV can carry, and walk the floor plan with the slides in. Do that, and you’ll dodge the most expensive mistake in RVing: buying the wrong rig.

Village Welcome! We’re Jimmy and Lisa from FindUsCamping. We’ve been RVing for 18+ years, 6+ of them full-time on the road, and we have bought enough RVs to know just how easy it is to fall for the wrong one. So here are the 10 questions we run through every single time before we sign on the dotted line.

How are you actually going to use your RV?

Start here, because every other answer depends on it. Weekend trips, full-timing and boondocking all call for different rigs.

Think about where you’ll park it, too. A campground with full hookups is a very different stay than a state park with water and electric only. And plenty of state and national parks have size limits, so a giant rig can lock you out of the places you were dreaming about.

What are your non-negotiables?

Make a dealbreaker list before you walk onto the lot. These are the things you have to have, no matter what. A king-size bed, a microwave, a recliner, a certain TV. It doesn’t matter what’s on it. What matters is that you have the list.

Ours probably won’t match yours. Jimmy’s biggest one? A big shower. He’s got broad shoulders, and we’ve had campers where washing his hair meant bumping into the walls. Once you’ve lived that, the “princess shower” goes straight to the top of the list.

Can your truck safely tow it?

If you’re buying a towable, check your truck’s tow rating before you buy, not after. That goes for everything from a pop-up to the biggest toy hauler on the lot. You want to be sure you’re not overloading your truck, and that the camper is within what it was built to handle.

How much can the RV actually carry?

Look at the weight sticker on the side of the RV. It lists the empty weight and how much it’s rated to carry. Then think honestly about everything you’ll load in: food, water, clothes, tools, chairs, the grill and all the “just in case” stuff. Every RV is designed to carry a certain weight, and staying under it protects the rig and keeps you safe on the road.

What can you reach with the slides in?

This one gets missed a lot. Picture yourself at a truck stop getting fuel. The slides are in and you need the bathroom. Can you get to it? Can you get to the fridge for a snack? Ask the dealer to bring the slides in and walk through it before you buy. It’s a quick check that saves a lot of daily frustration.

Does the floor plan work for everyone traveling with you?

Walk it as the people who will really live in it. If it’s just the two of you, does it work? If the kids, grandkids or the dogs come along, where does everybody sleep, eat and hang out on a rainy day?

What can you change, and what can’t you?

If it’s easy to change, don’t sweat it. If it can’t be changed and it bugs you, move on. Lisa is the pro at this one. A door in the wrong spot? You can’t move that. Too many windows, or not enough? Some folks won’t buy an RV unless they can see out to their campsite. Know which things you can live with and which ones you can’t.

Is bigger really better?

Not always. Especially when you’re full-time, it’s tempting to get the biggest RV you can because you’re sharing a small space all the time. We hear you. But this goes right back to question one: if your dream is to visit the national parks, a lot of them have size limits. Pick the size that fits the trips you want to take.

Do you trust where you’re buying it?

Pick a dealership you trust, because something will need fixing at some point. That’s just RV life. Having a good service team behind you makes those moments a lot easier.

Are you in love with the whole RV, or just one part of it?

This is the big one, and it’s the best advice Lisa ever got at an RV show. We live by it every time we look at a new rig. Did you walk in and go, “Oh my gosh, this pantry! This fireplace!”? It’s easy to get so focused on one beautiful feature that you miss the rest, like the shower being too small for Jimmy’s shoulders. Love the whole thing, not just one piece of it.

Our quick RV-buying checklist

1. Write down how you’ll use it: weekends, full-time or boondocking.
2. Make your non-negotiables list before you shop.
3. Confirm your truck’s tow rating for any towable.
4. Read the weight sticker and add up what you’ll carry.
5. Walk through it with the slides in.
6. Picture everyone who travels with you living in that floor plan.
7. Sort what you can change from what you can’t.
8. Match the size to where you want to camp.
9. Pick a dealership you trust for service.
10. Make sure you love the whole RV, not just one feature.

Quick answers

What’s the biggest mistake when buying an RV?
Falling in love with one feature, like a pantry or fireplace, and missing that the RV doesn’t fit how you’ll actually travel.

What should I decide before I go RV shopping?
How you’ll use the RV and your list of non-negotiables. Those two answers narrow the choices fast.

Is a bigger RV better for full-time RVing?
Not always. Bigger rigs can be shut out of many state and national parks with size limits.

Why check the RV with the slides in?
So you know you can still reach the bathroom, fridge and bed on travel days and at fuel stops.

Come find us in the village

Once you’ve found the right rig, come put it to use with us! We host 5+ campouts a year with 25 to 100 RVs, and there’s always room for one more. See what’s coming up on our campouts page, check out the 2027 Margaritaville RV Crawl, and join our newsletter so you never miss a thing. You can also find the village in our Facebook group, FindUsCamping Villagers, and on our YouTube channel.

What’s the one thing your next RV absolutely must have? Tell us. We’d love to hear it!