7 Best RV Living Magazines For Beginners Nomads Swear By

You’re parked at a remote campsite, the internet is spotty, and you’ve just discovered a leak under your kitchen sink. While online forums are great, sometimes you need a curated, reliable source of information you can hold in your hands. This is where RV magazines prove their worth, offering vetted advice, deep-dive reviews, and a sense of community that a scattered blog post just can’t match.

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Why RV Magazines Still Matter in a Digital Age

Let’s be honest: the internet is a firehose of RV information, and not all of it is good. You can find a dozen conflicting opinions on how to winterize your pipes or which tire pressure sensor is best. A good magazine cuts through that noise. Editors and experienced writers vet the articles, test the gear, and present information in a structured, easy-to-digest format.

Think of a magazine as a conversation with a panel of experts, delivered to your mailbox every month. Instead of endlessly scrolling through forums hoping to find a credible answer, you get focused content on new destinations, maintenance schedules, and rig modifications. It’s a reliable baseline of knowledge that helps you make smarter, more informed decisions on the road.

Plus, there’s a practical advantage you can’t ignore. When you’re boondocking in the middle of a national forest with zero cell service, your tablet is a paperweight. A physical magazine is your offline guide for troubleshooting that finicky water heater or finding inspiration for your next stop. It’s a dependable resource that works anywhere.

RV Magazine: The All-Around Industry Standard

If you’re new to RVing and don’t know where to start, start with RV Magazine. It’s the quintessential generalist publication that covers the entire spectrum of the lifestyle. You’ll find everything from reviews of massive Class A diesel pushers to features on ultralight travel trailers.

The content is designed to be broadly appealing, which is perfect for beginners. One month might feature a buyer’s guide for solar panel kits, a travelogue about the Oregon coast, and a technical piece on properly sanitizing your freshwater tank. This breadth exposes you to aspects of RVing you might not have even known to ask about.

This is the magazine for the RVer who is still figuring out their travel style. It provides a solid foundation on all fronts—the vehicle, the destinations, and the lifestyle. It won’t give you the extreme depth of a niche publication, but it will ensure you have a working knowledge of every important topic.

Trailer Life: Essential for Towable RV Owners

The moment you hitch a trailer to a truck, you enter a different world of physics and responsibility. Trailer Life is the bible for that world. It exclusively serves the owners of fifth wheels, travel trailers, and toy haulers, and that focus is its greatest strength.

Forget articles about engine maintenance on a motorhome; this magazine is all about the art and science of towing. You’ll get head-to-head comparisons of tow vehicles, in-depth reviews of the latest hitches, and technical guides on setting up your brake controller. They tackle the topics that keep trailer owners up at night, like managing sway, calculating payload, and preventing tire blowouts.

If you own or are considering a towable RV, this magazine is non-negotiable. The advice is specific and actionable. For example, instead of a general article on "RV maintenance," you’ll find a detailed walkthrough on lubricating your fifth-wheel’s suspension or choosing the right tires for your truck based on your trailer’s GVWR.

MotorHome Magazine: A Focus on Drivable RVs

On the other side of the coin is MotorHome Magazine, the dedicated resource for anyone driving their house. Whether you’re in a massive Class A, a nimble Class B van, or a family-friendly Class C, this publication speaks your language. It understands that when your engine and your living room are part of the same vehicle, you have a unique set of challenges.

The magazine dives deep into the mechanical heart of motorhomes. You’ll find articles on chassis maintenance, engine performance, and tips for navigating tight spots in a 40-foot rig. They compare the Ford F-53 chassis to the Freightliner XCR and explain the real-world differences in handling and power.

This is where you go to learn about your generator, your leveling system, and the complex electrical systems that power your life. Trailer Life worries about the connection between two vehicles; MotorHome Magazine worries about the single, complex machine you’re piloting down the highway. It’s an essential guide for keeping your drivable RV safe, reliable, and running smoothly.

Escapees Magazine: For Community and Connection

After a while, you realize RVing is less about the rig and more about the people and the lifestyle. Escapees Magazine is the official publication of the Escapees RV Club, one of the oldest and largest support networks for RVers. This magazine is all about the human side of nomadic life.

While it includes technical tips and product reviews, its core focus is on community. You’ll read stories from fellow members, get updates on upcoming rallies and gatherings, and learn about the club’s advocacy efforts on issues like parking rights and healthcare for nomads. It’s the glue that holds a widespread community together.

This magazine is for the RVer who craves connection. It provides practical resources for the logistics of full-time living, such as mail forwarding services, domicile advice, and RVer-friendly health insurance options. If you’re looking to find your tribe on the road, reading and joining Escapees is one of the best first steps you can take.

Family RVing: Tips for Traveling with Kids

RVing solo or as a couple is one thing; doing it with kids is a completely different adventure. Family RVing, the magazine of the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA), is tailor-made for those navigating the beautiful chaos of life on the road with children.

The content directly addresses the unique challenges families face. You’ll find articles on road-schooling, kid-friendly destinations, and strategies for keeping everyone happy in a confined space. They review bunkhouse models and other family-centric floorplans, offering practical insight into what actually works for a family of four.

This magazine moves beyond basic travel tips to tackle the real-life questions. How do you build a routine for kids without a fixed location? What are the best ways to foster friendships for children on the move? For any parent considering this lifestyle, Family RVing provides a roadmap and a reassuring voice from others who are already on the journey.

Rootless Living: A Modern Digital Nomad Guide

The face of RVing is changing. It’s no longer just for retirees; a growing wave of working-age professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs are hitting the road. Rootless Living is the magazine for this new generation of digital nomads.

This publication focuses on the intersection of work, life, and travel. You won’t find many articles on retirement planning here. Instead, you’ll get detailed comparisons of mobile internet solutions like Starlink and cellular hotspots, guides to finding reliable workspaces, and profiles of people successfully running businesses from their rigs.

Rootless Living has a distinctly modern feel, both in its design and its content. It embraces the challenges and opportunities of a location-independent career. If your primary question isn’t "Where should I camp?" but "Where can I camp and still get enough bandwidth for my Zoom calls?", this magazine is for you.

RV PRO Magazine: For the Technical-Minded RVer

For the RVer who isn’t satisfied with just knowing how to use their equipment but wants to know why it works, there’s RV PRO Magazine. This is technically a trade publication for industry professionals like dealers and technicians, but for the serious DIYer, it’s a gold mine of information.

Don’t expect travel guides or lifestyle stories. RV PRO is all business, with deep dives into emerging technologies, detailed analyses of new components from suppliers, and service tips straight from the manufacturers. This is where you’ll read about the next generation of lithium battery management systems or the engineering behind a new slide-out mechanism before it even hits the consumer market.

Subscribing to this magazine is like having an insider source. It’s dense, technical, and not for the casual reader. But if you perform your own maintenance, are considering a major system upgrade, or just have an insatiable curiosity for how your rig is built, the insights you’ll gain from RV PRO are unparalleled.

Ultimately, the right magazine is the one that speaks to your specific needs—whether you’re a family on the move, a weekend warrior with a travel trailer, or a full-time digital nomad. Choosing one or two subscriptions is a small investment that pays huge dividends in knowledge, confidence, and connection on the road ahead.