This will be a short post, but with a very important question that I hope you can help answer.
On this website and in this blog, I have been calling my trailer a number of things … an RV, a camper, a trailer, a camping trailer, a travel trailer, an RV camper, etc. Even I am confused! What do I call the trailer (besides “Towhee” of course)? Is the trailer an RV, or a camper, or a travel trailer, or just a trailer, or what?
The acronym RV stands for “recreational vehicle”. It seems to me that a “vehicle” should have its own engine and power train (transmission, etc). My camper, or trailer, or camping trailer (whatever it’s called!) certainly does not have an engine. So maybe a trailer used for recreational camping is not an “RV”.
Equally problematic, the word “camper” is so often used to refer to a camper that is slid onto the bed of a pickup truck, so maybe a trailer used for camping is not a “camper”. So maybe my trailer is really just a trailer? Except that “trailer” can mean a horse trailer or a yard waste trailer or a trailer that hauls motorcycles or a gynormous semi-truck trailer .. any number of things.
Wikipedia says an RV is “the usual term for a motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home”.
The dictionary, Merriam-Webster, says an RV is “a vehicle designed for recreational use (as in camping); especially :motor home”.
Dictionary.com says an RV is “1. recreational vehicle. 2. Revised Version (of the Bible).”
The Collins English Dictionary says “An RV is a van which is equipped with such things as beds and cooking equipment”.
And then there’s this website (ok, yes I obviously got sidetracked but that’s the fun and fascination of online research), there’s this website Go RVing, that has some really interesting history about RVing. Evidently, the first RVs were built around 1910, and RV camping clubs date back to the 1920s. People who traveled in such vehicles were called Tin Can Tourists because they drove Tin Lizzies and ate food mostly out of tin cans since they had no refrigeration.
1920’s Tin Can Tourist Camp in Gainesville, Florida, USA.
But, back to my question .. what do I call my trailer? I guess it’s … a travel trailer? What do you think? I’m sure all of your suggestions will be most helpful. 😉