hat you’re reading is, in the belief of those who produced it, quite an ambitious undertaking: a magazine created by — and for — hands-on RV enthusiasts. As such, I’m dedicating this space to provide a bit of the rationale behind RV Enthusiast — and to introduce you to the crew that made it happen.

Anytime you take what’s essentially a house on wheels and subject it to the continual jostling of on- and off-highway travel for hundreds (if not thousands) of miles, things are going to shake — and, sometimes, break. It’s not a question of “if” it will happen, but “when” — and what happens afterwards. Because while most people love their RVs, they don’t necessarily know how to fix, maintain or upgrade them to suit their particular needs. As a result, the service bays of most RV dealerships are often flooded with motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth-wheels in need of some attention.

At RV Enthusiast, we have a better idea.

Fix it yourself.

It’s our belief that, armed with a toolbox and accurate knowledge of exactly what the repair requires, many RV owners are capable of troubleshooting electrical systems, maintaining their AC generator, replacing a water heater, installing an awning or affecting any of dozens of other tasks. They simply need the confidence to tackle them.

To that end, we decided to pool — and share — our combined knowledge after having spent upwards of 80 years as RV industry technical writers and editors.

Bob Livingston — Perhaps the most experienced technical writer in the RV industry, Bob spent more than 40 years at Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines, finishing his career there as Group Publisher. Bob is also the author of Trailer Life’s RV Repair & Maintenance Manual, at one time considered the authority on RV repair for the do-it-yourself crowd. Inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame in 2014, today Bob and his wife, Lynne, are full-time RVers.

Chris Dougherty — An RVDA/RVIA certified RV technician, Chris has worked as a dealer service manager, served on an RVIA training committee and, for the past few years, was Technical Editor of Trailer Life and MotorHome while also being an in-demand presenter at RV rallies, speaking on a variety of topics. Chris was a full-timer for 10 years; he and his wife, Karen, currently own a fifth-wheel and a truck camper he’s restoring.

Chris Hemer — A gearhead from an early age, Chris spent years as technical editor and editor of automotive magazines before turning to RVs. After a long stint as Technical Editor of Trailer Life and MotorHome, Chris continued to author tech articles for both while developing his own marketing firm focused on the nuts-and-bolts of the auto and RV industries. An off-grid camping enthusiast, his most recent RV was a well-travelled Ram 2500 and truck camper.

Bruce Hampson — Like Chris, I grew up spinning wrenches on cars, then took that experience and a love of journalism to the publishing field, overseeing a number of automotive, marine and RV magazines. I also learned the “inside” of the industry firsthand as longtime editor of the trade magazine RVBusiness. My RV ownership includes a restored ‘70s-era motorhome that took my son, Jeremy, and our Siberian Husky across the country several times.

The personalities behind RV Enthusiast also include Jim Mac — formerly the longtime marketing director of Keystone RV, who is overseeing our social media effort — and Sue Seidlitz, who brought her sales acumen honed during more than 35 years at Trailer Life and MotorHome to the team to oversee the sales side.

So there you have it. The people behind the idea. We hope you enjoy what we’ve created — and look forward to reading each issue with the same enthusiasm we put into producing them.

One more thing: we’re here to help. If you’ve got a problem with the operation of systems on your RV, we want to hear about it. Our contact information can be found on page 4 of this issue. We welcome your feedback, your ideas and your technical questions. Most of all, we welcome you.