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Recreational Vehicle (RV) is a broad term used to describe a large enclosed piece of equipment with wheels designed to be moved from place to place for people to temporarily live in and be protected from the elements while away from their permanent domicile. While RVs are intended for brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, some people, especially retirees, live in their units and are known as fulltimers. RVs can be rented in major U.S. cities.
There are many different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:
- Truck Camper - unit is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck.
- Folding Camping Trailer - also known as a pop-up trailer; a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage
- Travel trailer|Travel Trailer - heavier unit with rigid sides designed to be towed by most vehicles by means of a bumper or frame hitch
- Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer - designed to be towed by a pickup truck equipped with a special hitch in the truck bed
- Park Model - designed for occasional relocation and will require a special tow vehicle and a highway movement permit
- Motorhome ("Winnebago", a product of the Winnebago Company that dominated the market for many years, was long a synonym for a motorhome, but this usage has faded in recent years.)
- Class A Motorcoach - constructed on a specially designed motor vehicle chassis, typically resembling a bus
- Class B Campervan - built using a conventional van, to which a raised roof has been added
- Class C Mini-motorhome - built on an automotive manufactured chassis with an attached van cab section
A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models add full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms, etc. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and internet access, slide-out wall panels, and awnings; many RVs can cost in excess of $100,000 and some can cost up to $1 million.
Many RVers stay at RV parks, most of which feature electrical, water and sewer service (''full hookups''), as well as cable television and wireless Internet. Amenties often include swimming pools, gamerooms and even destination-resort activities such as horseback riding.
Advantages of RVs include not having to move one's things in and out of motel rooms, not having to rent multiple motel rooms, and the fact that preparing food saves money compared to eating in restaurants. At the same time, an RV provides more organized living space and better protection from the weather than a tent. Kids also tend to like RVs.
Disadvantages of RVs include low fuel economy for the motorized RV or tow vehicle, lack of maid service as experienced in motels (maid service is available at a few high-end resorts), and larger RV models can be hard for the novice to drive or tow.
Some people also live in RVs because they lack funds for more conventional housing or are evading the law. Some people craft their own RVs out of cars, vans (vandwellers), or used passenger and school buses.
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