In North American English the term recreational vehicle and its derived acronym, RV, are generally used to refer to an enclosed piece of equipment dually used as both a vehicle, a temporary travel home or a full time home.

RVs are intended for everything from brief leisure activities such as vacations and camping, to full time living, for which they are often parked in special trailer parks (however, many trailer parks are reserved just for Mobile Homes, not to be confused with Motorhomes). RVs can also be rented in most major cities and tourist areas.


In British English the term recreational vehicle is little used; terms covering some of the vehicles classified as RVs in North America are camper van and caravan, the term motorhome is also used. In other parts of the world, particularly Australia, the term may be used to refer to a sport utility vehicle.

In France, the French-made English term "Camping-car" is used, and term has also spread to Japan.(albeit rarely) used to mean 'travelling together as a group' in British English, leading to a different meaning.

There are different classes of vehicles generally labelled as RVs:

Truck camper

In North America the term truck camper and its derived acronym, TC, are generally used to refer to any recreational vehicle or RV that may be carried in the bed of a pickup truck. In North America, this RV type is sometimes known as a slide-in.
In Europe the term demountable or dismountable is more frequently used, and in Australia, the term slide-on is used to describe RVs of this type.
Truck campers are the most versatile form of recreational vehicle. They are capable of going virtually anywhere a pickup truck can go. The truck camper has been around since the early 1950s, and has gone through an evolution in development that places it on par with many larger RV types.of vehicles generally labelled as RVs.

Truck camper a camper shell unit that is affixed to the bed or chassis of a pickup truck. Folding trailer also known as a pop-up, a light-weight unit with sides that collapse for towing and storage. Suitable for towing by many vehicles.