RVing Safety ... Don't Bet Your Life on a Senseless RuleRVing safety is a serious issue. But, there's a silly "rule" out there, popular with RVers, that could kill you.
Don't believe it! Don't wreck your RV or lose your life because of such nonsense. RVs have cargo carrying capacities based on weight limitations. Many of them have unrealistically low limits. It is very easy to exceed the limit. For your RVing safety, as well as that of everyone you meet on the road, it is important to be within your rig's limits. But counting objects is not the answer to RV safety. Ever counted how many individual items you buy when you go grocery shopping? Follow the above rule and if you buy 20 items, you must take 20 items out. Milk, in -- shirt, out. Roast beef, in -- book, out. Three apples, in -- three photos of the grandkids, out. A dozen eggs in -- a dozen something or another, out. The weights of the items aren't considered and neither do they consider that you most likely are replacing items you used earlier in the week. He buys a pipe wrench and throws out a pair of socks. She adds a sewing machine and takes out a pancake flipper. They add a 10-volume set of reference books and get rid of that big fluffy pillow on the couch. That results in keeping the RV within its weight limits? How stupid! How dangerous! Taking something out of the RV every time you put something in, does not make sense. It is not practical. More importantly, it won't balance the RV's weight. It could, in fact, be a very dangerous practice, as it could lead to a false sense of security. If you follow the rule, and think you are keeping your rig within safe weight limits by doing so, you could end up killing yourself. Don't listen to the advice of every RVer out there. Even if the person giving the advice is in a position where he should know. Even if he claims to be an expert. Don't blindly accept all advice and "rules" as being good. The way to know if your RV is overweight is to know your rig's weight limits and the weight of the rig. The only way to find out what your RV weighs is to weigh it. Many truckstops have scales. If you have a two-part rig, such as a motorhome and a towed vehicle or a truck and trailer, weight the parts separately, and then as a unit. If you have a two-part rig, you have three sets of weight limits to contend with -- that of the towing vehicle, that of the towed vehicle, and that of the unit as a whole. Do not trust your RVing safety to some crazy rule involving counting things. The number of objects in your RV has almost nothing to do with its weight. One feather tallies the same as one brick, but they do not weigh the same.
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