Newbies! Sometimes you've just gotta laugh!

[DutchmenSport]

OK, my wife has a friend (former work colleague) that is several states away. He put a post on Facebook just the other day that made us laugh so much, we though we'd wet our pants.

He's never owned and never used any type of RV before, and I don't think he's ever's slept anywhere except in his own bed or a motel room all his life. He has no concept of what "camping" is all about.

So, he put this post on Facebook that he wants to take a vacation and "rent a drivable camper."

Well... we laughed so hard on that one we almost died!

My wife did tell him "gently" on Facebook that a "drivable camper" is called a motor home and fall into 3 categories, Class A, B, C, with a very quick description of what each one was.

We were on our way home from a great week-end camping ourselves when his name came up in conversation. And once again, we both laughed at that comment.

It is a reminder that there are some people out there who are absolutely, completely, wholeheartedly clueless about camping and RV usage or ownership!

Just thought I share this "funny one" with everyone!

[mich800]

Fulltimers wrote:
When I was traveling on the east coast, they called every RV a camper. I would cringe when they called my 36 foot Class A motorhome a camper. To me, only something you carry on the back of a pickup truck is a camper.

Same around here. At least with me. To me camper is the same as Kleenex.

[mowermech]

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

For example, around here there are "pickups", and there are "trucks", but hearing "pickup truck" is VERY rare!
But, I would never call someone stupid for saying that. Uninformed, yes. Stupid, no.
My Dodge is both a pickup and a truck, but it is not, IMO, a "pickup truck", and I would never refer to it as such.

[drsteve]

A guy doesn't know the terminology and that is somehow hilarious and worthy of ridicule? SMH...

[discovery4us]

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

X2

Many different terms for the same thing. Grandparents referred to their Class A as a motor house. I have also heard an A referred to as a coach, an RV, a camper, Motor Home, house on wheels and the list goes on.

[bid_time]

Crowe wrote:
Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

Well said. Let anyone's who was born knowing eveything about everything please make themselves known here and now. Otherwise quit casting rocks, you were once just as stupid.

[Big_Katuna]

That’s where one year old used RV’s come from. I bought a two year old Class A that had 6000 miles on it. The bed had never had the plastic removed, oven never baked in.

He had retired, someone told him he should buy a motor home. He tried it, didn’t like driving it, wife hated it.

[Crowe]

Right now, even after just a few posts, I can envision some newbie saying "no thanks" to the lifestyle because of the ridicule on here. It's disheartening. Not everyone is well-spoken and because someone describes something in terms HE understands it is not up to us to call him stupid. Lighten up.

[jplante4]

When I told my pilot friends that I was traveling around the country in an RV, they thought I meant this.

[Tyler0215]

When selling a fifth wheel once I had a woman call and ask about it. Several questions in she asked if I was selling the part that hooks up to the car.??? I asked what she was going to be towing the fifth wheel with and she said: Dodge Caravan. Told her she needed a pickup to pull a fifth wheel. She said a van was like a pickup. Told her to look elsewhere and she got mad and "If you don't want to sell it, just say so". .

[garmp]

I'm from the old school and believe there is a difference between camping and RVing. A camper for a good 40 years plus and finally upped to the RV world. Yes there is a difference. Still love the outdoors, but age, health and pure laziness lead us to the RV life. And loving it!
As for those who don't understand the concept, be thankful. Aren't the parks crowded enough? I mean the good days of winging it are gone. Now you have to make reservations and still are lucky to get in many parks.
Let those who don't understand continue to stay in their Holiday Inns. But by the same token: I will go out of my way to help anyone interested in experiencing the wonders of the outdoors, either camping or in a RV.

[bikendan]

15-20 years ago, I would be more understanding with clueless newbies.

But in the Information Age, there are numerous RV forums, dealer reviews, campground reviews, blogs and RV videos that A newbie can get nearly all the information they need.
Yet they show up here and at campgrounds and demonstrate that they've done no research or even try to educate themselves.
Then they come here asking for help.

[wannavolunteerF]

When I traded from a Travel Trailer to a Class A, my granddaughter said I now had a "driving camper". since she wasn't quite 5 and had only spent a week or two at time around my previous TT, I will give her the benefit of the doubt and invite her along to go "camping in Nana's driving camper".

[bukhrn]

Different stroke for different folks, as they used to say, I worked with a friend just before I retired, when I told him I was buying a MH when I retired, evidently he thought I was talking about a PU, (even though I don't consider a PU as roughing it),he said he couldn't go roughing it, he said roughing it to him was 3 day old sheets at Holiday Inn. :S

[rockhillmanor]

SoundGuy wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
It is a reminder that there are some people out there who are absolutely, completely, wholeheartedly clueless about camping and RV usage or ownership!

We were all newbies at one time or another.

I remember years ago not understanding at all how a cassette toilet worked, now when I look back it seems so silly. :W

X2
I still think about my first trip with my first RV which seems like eons ago!

The Awning! I had the instruction manual in my hand and was 'trying' to deploy and lock in the arms and everything else on that awning.

After about 10 minutes of total confusion a fellow RV'er walked over and set it up for me explaining to me each step as he locked everything in.

Now? I can put that awning up and down in a minute without thinking about it. Even faster when that dang tornado came thru the CG I was at!! Since then I have helped numerous other new RV'ers paying it forward! :C

[pasusan]

Fulltimers wrote:
When I was traveling on the east coast, they called every RV a camper. I would cringe when they called my 36 foot Class A motorhome a camper. To me, only something you carry on the back of a pickup truck is a camper.

We have 2 campers and neither one is a truck camper. One is drivable - and we would certainly not call it a motorhome.

My aunt and uncle did cringe and get a little funny when we called their Airstream a camper.