8 RV Mistakes That Cost Us $26,000 (Learn From Our Pain)
RV Podcast - Stories From The Road
Mike Wendland
4.5 • 704 Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’ve made a lot of RV mistakes over the years… but these eight? They cost us a jaw-dropping $26,000.
In this episode, we’re getting real and sharing the costly, embarrassing, and sometimes downright scary mistakes we’ve made on the road, from a $16,000 fuel disaster to a tailgate crunch, a campsite mishap, and one very icy near-disaster that could have ended much worse.
The truth is, none of these were bad luck. Every single one was preventable.
If you’re new to RVing, or even if you’ve been doing it for years, these lessons could save you thousands of dollars, a whole lot of stress, and maybe even your safety.
Here’s what we cover:
• The $16,000 fueling mistake that forced us to replace our truck
• A simple hookup error that cost $7,000 in seconds
• Why rushing into a campsite can cost you big
• The embarrassing backing mistake in front of a crowd
• How ignoring the weather almost tipped our fifth wheel
• Why driving too far leads to costly decisions
• The checklist mistake that shattered a window
• The fuel habit that nearly left us stranded
And the big takeaway? RVing isn’t hard… but it is unforgiving if you’re not paying attention.
Learn from our mistakes so you don’t have to pay for them.
Also in this episode"
Travel tips to make your next trip smoother
- Our RV Question of the Week, with a practical answer you can use right away to save on fuel costs (especially diesel)
- A featured RV destination to inspire your next adventure- The Great Lakes Shoreline Tour
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The RV Trip Dashboard app we made - https://rvlifestyle.com/tripdashboard
Our May 14 workshop on Fixing Problems on the Road - https://rvlifestyle.com/workshop
Departure Day Checklist - https://rvlifestyle.com//DepartureApp
The Great Lakes Shoreline Travel Guide - https://rvlifestyle.com/tripdashboard
https://gasguddy.com
https://gasguru.com
https://truckerpath.com
https://rvlifestyle.com/tripdashboard
- Get a free quote from Wholesale Warranties: https://wholesalewarranties.com/rvlif...
- Find unique overnight spots at farms, ranches, wineries, and more - use code RVLDEAL for 40% off: https://RVLifestyle.com/rvovernights
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to episode 606 of the RV podcast and this week on the podcast. |
| 0:07.3 | We're going to share eight mistakes we've made over our 15 years of RV and that cost us $26,000. |
| 0:14.4 | It's so embarrassing. We have to admit this, but for the greater good, maybe you could learn from our mistakes and then |
| 0:22.0 | you won't have the same problem. That's coming up in the embarrassing conversation of the week. |
| 0:27.3 | Plus, we're going to share some travel tips. We have a great trip of the week, an epic trip. |
| 0:32.8 | We're going to answer some questions and much more. I'm Mike Wendland. This is my co-host, my lifelong traveling |
| 0:39.4 | companion, and my bride, Jennifer. Hello, my dear. Hello, my Michael. And this is the RV |
| 0:45.3 | podcast, Stories from the Road Edition. You can find complete show notes for this episode at |
| 0:50.4 | RVPodcast.com. We also released two episodes every week. I don't know if you know that. |
| 0:55.2 | This one, the Wednesday one, has been our stalwart. We've been doing this for well over a decade now. |
| 1:00.9 | This is called Stories from the Road, and it focuses on the RV lifestyle, the people, the places, |
| 1:06.3 | and the experiences that make life on wheels so special. And then on Monday, I come back with an RV |
| 1:13.0 | news edition covering the biggest stories of the week that impact your travels. So two podcast |
| 1:19.6 | episodes every week. And before we get in today's show, I have to tell you about something |
| 1:24.7 | we just released. And I want to be direct. |
| 1:28.1 | There is nothing like this. |
| 1:30.5 | We're really excited about this. |
| 1:32.0 | It's the RV Lifestyle Trip Dashboard. |
| 1:35.4 | It's one tool. |
| 1:36.7 | Every trip you do, everything you need to plan and organize, and you can do multiple trips |
| 1:41.4 | as many as you want, all in one place, synced automatically across all your devices, |
| 1:47.0 | the routes, the driving days, campgrounds, budget, checklist, packing list, |
... |
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