We bought used 2010 Forest River Wildwood several years ago and absolutely enjoy it. My biggest complaint so far is that the entry-door locks are very difficult to use — the tumblers on the front and rear doors are difficult to lock and unlock because of the quality of the lock itself. The baggage door locks are not much better. In fact, there were a couple of times when I thought I was going to need a pry bar to get into the main baggage door. Who makes a good lock and where can I pick up the two locks and the baggage door locks? — Jeff Heale

Jeff, I feel your pain. There’s nothing worse than being out on a camping trip and getting the feeling that you’re going to get locked out. There are several decent RV entry-door locks out there that will match yours. Bauer (bauerproducts.com) makes a high-quality replacement lock for your trailer, as does Creative Products Group (rvlocksandmore.com).

f you own an RV it probably came equipped with a patio awning, an addition that undoubtedly makes lounging outside much more pleasant. Patio awnings provide shade — and protection from the rain — when going in and out of your RV. Unfortunately, time, the sun and the wind (without a system to retract automatically) will eventually combine to destroy the majority of awning fabrics, especially the section that’s exposed constantly to the sun when retracted.

Some might argue that acrylic fabric will last longer than vinyl, but the fact remains that at some point all awning fabric replacement may be necessary, especially when the RV is used frequently or full time. Complete awnings can be an expensive proposition, but if the hardware is still in good shape you can replace the fabric at a much-reduced cost — and end up with an awning that looks good as new. In some cases the roller tube assembly will also have to be replaced, but adding that cost is still lower than the amount of cash needed to replace the entire awning.

n extended patio awning is a wonderful thing to have when you’re camping; one that’s ravaged by the wind is not. Strong, unpredictable winds can literally destroy your patio awning in a matter of seconds. Extreme weather is probably the Number One reason patio awnings are ruined, which likely also results in collateral damage to the RV, not to mention impacting your entire vacation. If you happen to be in the RV at the time of a wind event you can quickly retract the awning, but if you forget to retract it before leaving the site for a while, you have two choices: hope for the best in the event of an unexpected storm — or rely on an automatic closure system that retracts the awning at the first sign of trouble. We prefer the latter.

Carefree of Colorado, a leading manufacturer of RV awnings, offers a solution to this dilemma with its Direct Response electronic motion sensor upgrade, which will automatically retract the awning in strong winds. The device mounts in the vicinity of the motor/head assembly and has a preset sensitivity, which can be turned on or off when washing the awning fabric. The first hint of strong winds or a sudden gust will signal the system to retract the fabric. Many awnings are fitted with such a device, but it is typically reserved for more expensive RVs; most older rigs aren’t equipped with an automatic retraction system. The kit for the Carefree Traveler, part number SR0093, retails around $98, while the kit for the Eclipse model (SR0036) is $350. Most handy owners are capable of installing either kit.

s RVers, we’re accustomed to following rules. Check your tire pressure. Don’t overload. Take short showers. Quiet hours are from 10 PM to 7 AM. We slowly get used to the idea that living in an RV is much different from our homes — not only is it a comparatively small space to live in, but “the freedom of the open road” has its limitations.

Along with that, trying to personalize your RV can be difficult. The floorplan can’t easily be re-arranged and furniture choices are, for the most part, limited to…well, RV furniture. Most of us make the space our own with a few pictures, some throw pillows and cutesy signs that say things like, “Home Sweet Home,” or “A bad day fishing is better than a good day working.”

nspiration for RV renovation can come from just about anywhere — and in the case of DIY fanatics Janelle and Chad Payne of Nipomo, California, that just happened to be the next-door neighbor.

“She had this old 1974 Ideal travel trailer sitting on her property,” Janelle explained, “and I thought maybe she’d make me a deal. When I approached her, she said, ‘Thank God, I’ve been praying that someone would just come and take this.’ She just gave it to us. The funny part is, they had originally purchased it from the people that had owned our property. Now it’s back.”

Getting the trailer for free allowed Janelle to fearlessly pursue her creative vision. “I don’t have a plan when I go into something,” she told RV Enthusiast. “I just knew that I wanted it white and bright. Everything was wood, and that was common, but it had oak — and, I don’t know, it’s not my thing. I wanted it to feel more open. I just wanted everything gone. There were so many closets in it, a huge TV opening, two full-size closets on the right of the bed, plus a cabinet above the master bed. In the bathroom next to the toilet, there was a huge enclosed closet…I think the furnace used to be there. I ripped it all out. My husband would come by and say, ‘Okay, what else is going to be gone?’”

Vers may have a multitude of reasons for buying a toy hauler — and they don’t always include toys. “I wanted to be able to open up that big back door and sleep by the ocean,” said Janelle. “We found a 2006 Jayco Octane travel trailer toy hauler with no water damage for $10,000. That’s expensive for us, but it was worth it.”

For this project, Janelle decided on a dark, masculine ‘loungy look.’

“The toy hauler wasn’t my style at all, and creating a darker, moody vibe…it’s very hard to find and to shop for.” As with the Ideal travel trailer, Janelle started by painting everything, then added decorative features you’re unlikely to find on any other toy hauler, like wood beams on the ceiling and (drum roll please) chandeliers. She also turned the kitchen TV enclosure into a plate holder, restyled the wheel wells and painted the tub. But by far the biggest achievement, in her estimation, are the unique countertops in the kitchen and bath area. “I found a product called Stonecoat countertops (stonecoatcountertops.com/home),” she said. “They are so awesome for DIY; they lay it all out for you and you can’t mess it up. It’s a super lightweight epoxy resin and you just pour it on — it’s crazy how easy it is. You can swirl it, do straight patterns, whatever you want.”

or Kelsey and Sebastian Paz, the decision to remodel their 2017 Jayco Eagle fifth wheel was an easy one. Having served in the Air Force for several years, Sebastian was finally returning home — and the couple saw full-time RVing as a perfect opportunity to spend more time with their two children and see the country. “We sold our home and most of our belongings in the summer of 2020,” Kelsey recalled. “I thought, now that this RV is our home, I’m going to make it feel like one.”

Kelsey and Sebastian are both travel nurses, who fill in at short-staffed hospitals when needed — so while patching up people is something they’re both familiar with, fixing up an RV was alien to them. “We had never even been camping in a trailer, let alone lived in one,” said Kelsey. “YouTube was my best friend…I watched a lot of videos, and started following remodeling accounts on Instagram. I drew pictures of what I wanted to do and my husband made it happen.”

t’s become something of a tradition to watch Christmas-themed movies during the holidays — and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” ranks right up there with the best of them. Especially when it comes to the travails of “Cousin Eddie” (Randy Quaid) and his much-rusted 1972 Ford Condor motorhome.

Well, here’s the contemporary version.

Granted, this isn’t an “RV renovation” in the strictest sense. Owners T.J. and Heather Bedacht have pretty much left the interior of the 2014 Fleetwood Discovery original. “It’s actually a beautiful coach underneath the skin, and was very well taken care of,” said T.J.

But oh, that skin.

kylights have been part of the RV’s roof landscape for many years, offering additional height in showers and natural lighting. For the most part, these plastic domes have a good lifespan (unless, of course, you collide with a low structure or tree limb), but the seal that ensures a tight fit on the roof can deteriorate over time, requiring attention to prevent moisture intrusion. Hence, skilled service technicians recommend inspecting the roof seals annually, or immediately after any driving mishap.

When we aided a friend in examining the roof of his five-year-old fifth wheel, it was plain that the seal around his skylight was weathered, dried out — and a prime candidate for creating problems inside the rig. Allowing water to penetrate the roof, or any other place in an RV, leads to costly dry-rot damage and long downtimes — usually at the most inopportune times.