How to Keep RV Windows From Getting Broken
Our RVs are sacred to us. Whether it’s a prized possession we finally bought for ourselves after retirement or the place we call home – a broken window definitely puts a damper on our week.
Broken RV windows make us feel less secure, increase our anxiety and let the elements into our road warrior machine. No one wants that.
In this post, we go over some of the ways you can prevent getting broken RV windows.
1. Be extra careful when backing up
Just because you may have a rearview camera these days, doesn’t mean you won’t back a side window into an object. Backing up your RV is an art and something you may want to practice.
What can happen sometimes is you back up into an object that’s protruding out and you just can’t see it or don’t notice it. If you feel like you’re in a tricky situation when backing up and there’s a chance you may run into something – or your gut just tells you something – then get out of your RV and walk the perimeter just to be extra certain you’re not going to back into anything.
Things that RV owners back into:
- Branches
- Metal objects that protrude out (fences, things that stick out from walls like rebar)
- Other vehicles
- Boulders at campsites
2. Be careful where you park
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This is more about being really aware once you become an RV owner. Unfortunately, it may take some trial and error to get this “sixth sense” ingrained into you.
For instance, all kinds of stuff can fall into your windows and break them. We see this with people who park their RV in narrow driveways that are bordered by walls, sheds, and shelving. What happens is people will lean outdoor umbrellas, big metal poles against walls or just upright anywhere that was convenient at the time. Or they stack stuff on top of sheds or shelves and these items fall into windows. For example, we’ve heard of a box of pavers falling into the side of an RV that was up on a shelf.
Another thing to watch out for are trees! You may want to consider NOT parking under big trees or near big trees where branches can fall into your windows during storms.
3. Rough parts of town
This can be hard to do if you must park there. But cities that have a lot of vehicle crime can be a nuisance for RV owners. Thieves may want to break into your rig and look for valuables. The best defense is to use window blinds and make seeing into your RV difficult. Some people will go as far as to leave windows intentionally open to effectively send the message that “there’s nothing you want in here.” However, even we feel that’s a bit extreme, but perhaps this strategy works for you.
4. Bears
If you like to take your RV camping, chances are you also like to pack your RV full of food, snacks and treats to enjoy on your trip. And the more you bring and the more you eat on the road, the more your RV emanates delicious smells to the bear population you’re camping near.
This is quite a problem for RV owners. Bears have an excellent sense of smell. If they are attracted to your RV because they smell something interesting inside, they can easily break a window or rip open your entrance door. Your RV is like a soda pop can to them.
Remember! We said “interesting smells”. It doesn’t have to be JUST food smells. They may be interested in your toothpaste or sunscreen. Anything that emits an odor should be taken out of your RV.
- Put your food in bear boxes (if provided) as soon as you arrive at your campsite. Also, keep the bear box doors closed! A lot of people forget to close them and that also can attract bears.
- If the campsite doesn’t have bear boxes, you can bring your own food canisters. This is tricky though because most bear canisters are made for hikers and not RV-ers. You’ll have to string your bear cansister up in a tree so bears can’t get to it. You should also string it up in a tree away from your campsite.
- When you arrive, clean out your RV. Throw away all food wrappers and crumbs that were created during your drive up. Brush off your seat and floors if they’re pretty messy.
5. Drive slow and careful
One way to break a window is to get into an accident on the road. This will obviously be worse than just breaking a window. But we need to say something.
We see you guy! Racing around on Friday afternoons, trying to beat traffic, trying to get out of town in a hurry.
SLOW DOWN.
Getting in an accident is a great way to ruin your trip. And how much time are you actually saving by driving fast and dangerously? Here’s some math:
- 250 mile road trip at 75 mph: 200 minute long trip
- 250 mile road trip at 65 mph: 230 minute long trip
- 250 mile road trip at 55 mph: 272 minute long trip
If you have the patience and control to wait 70 minutes, you have a great chance of getting to your destination safely, alive, without a ticket, or insurance increases, AND you’ll save money on fuel because you’ll be driving more efficiently.
6. Be careful when doing things inside your RV!
Believe it or not, you can just as easily break a window from inside your RV than from outside. Some RV owners will get a bug to do some interior remodeling, or decide to move things around inside their motorhome. Perhaps they are storing things like bed frames, or tools that have the potential to smack into a window and crack or break it.
7. Watch out for bad weather
If you have a heads up that a big storm is coming your way, you may want to park your RV in a safe place. Perhaps even in a parking garage if possible (watch clearance). Or if you’re driving across the country, you may want to track the weather far out. You don’t want to drive into tornadoes or hurricane weather.
8. Sporting and music events
Some people enjoy taking their RV to sporting events like baseball games, golf events, and music venues. There’s a small chance that a fly ball or golf ball breaks your window. Now, this is a lot less likely at professional sporting events. However, if you’re at your kid’s or grandson’s baseball game – you’ll likely be a lot closer to fly balls. We’ve seen this happen more than once!
Also, people park near driving ranges, and even though they have nets to prevent most balls from leaving the range, enough make it through to be a threat.
Finally, music events are an interesting hazard. This usually applies to musicians or tour bus operators that frequent events. Some events can get rowdy and sometimes RVs and tour buses can get thrashed by out-of-control or inebriated concertgoers. Another thing – lately, people have been RV-ing to music events like Burning Man and other shows where RVs are parked IN the show grounds and not in a parking lot. In this scenario, again, you’re closer to partying, drunkenness and an all-around wild time. Just something to keep in mind!
9. The kids in the neighborhood
You may not feel like parking your RV in your driveway or in the back of your property. Perhaps after a long haul, you just want to pull up to your house and park on the street.
Now, if the kids in your neighborhood like to play baseball or street hockey, this could be a recipe for a broken window or dent. Your RV is a big target and it’s probably going to get smacked a few times from the street sporting league on your block. Even a good kick to a soccer ball or basketball may even dent some of your RV side paneling. It’s also possible they’ll break a window.
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