Glossary of RV and RV Roost terms
New to RVing, or to RV Roost? Here are plain-English definitions for the terms used throughout this guide and around the app.
RV travel terms
Boondocking — Camping without hookups, often for free on public land, in a parking lot, or at a rest area. Also called dry camping. RV Roost maps thousands of these spots; see Dump stations and overnight parking.
Dry camping — Camping with no water, power, or sewer connections. See boondocking.
Dispersed camping — Camping outside a developed campground on public land, such as BLM or National Forest areas, usually free and with few or no facilities.
Lot docking — Spending a night in a business parking lot that permits overnight RV parking.
Full hookups — A campsite with water, electric, and sewer connections. You can mark full hookups as a preferred or required amenity in your RV profile.
50-amp service — A higher-capacity electrical hookup that larger rigs with multiple air conditioners often need.
Pull-through site — A campsite you can drive straight through, so you never have to back in — convenient for big rigs and towables.
Dump station — A facility for emptying your RV's gray and black water tanks. RV Roost has a dump-station map layer; see Dump stations and overnight parking.
Boondocking spot vs campground — A campground is a developed site (often with hookups and amenities); a boondocking spot is an undeveloped place to park overnight.
Rig — Your RV. "Rig-aware" means the app accounts for your specific RV's size and weight.
Axle load — The weight carried by an axle, used along with total weight to keep you off weight-limited bridges.
RV Roost terms
RV profile — Your saved rig details (length, height, weight, propane, fuel) and travel preferences. It drives routing and campground fit. See Set up your RV profile.
RV-aware routing — Routing that uses your rig's dimensions to avoid low clearances, weight-limited bridges, and propane-restricted tunnels. See How RV-aware routing works.
Match Score — A 0–100 rating of how well a campground fits your rig and preferences. See Understanding the Match Score.
AI review summary — A short, AI-written digest of camper reviews for a campground. See AI review summaries and ratings.
Alternates — The ranked list of other nearby campgrounds you can swap into a stop. See Swap in a different campground.
Explore map — The interactive map of campgrounds, attractions, and overnight parking you can browse without planning a trip. See Use the Explore map.
Collaboration link — An editable trip link that lets travel partners help build a trip. See Collaborate on a trip.
File and tech terms
GPX — GPS Exchange Format, a standard file for routes and waypoints you can load into a GPS device. One of RV Roost's export formats.
ICS — The iCalendar file format, used to add events (like your overnight stays) to a calendar app.
XLSX — The Excel spreadsheet format, one of RV Roost's export options.
CarPlay / Android Auto — Apple's and Google's systems for showing phone apps, including navigation, on your vehicle's built-in display. See Turn-by-turn navigation.