RV & Van Life Tools
Tanks, propane, power and payload — the numbers that decide how long you can stay out.
How many days your fresh, grey and black tanks last — and which one actually stops you, which is rarely the one people watch.
Propane Duration CalculatorHow many days a propane tank lasts given the weather, with the furnace duty cycle doing the work it actually does.
RV Power & Solar SizingAmp-hours a day from a real load list, the battery bank that carries it, the solar that replaces it, and why 50 amp is 3.3 times 30 amp.
RV Weight & Payload CalculatorPayload against GVWR with water counted properly, tongue weight in range, and the tow-vehicle check that catches almost everyone.
Winterizing Checklist — RV & BoatThe steps that actually cause damage if you skip them, how much antifreeze the water system needs, and whether the battery will survive.
About these rv & van life tools
Water is what puts most recreational vehicles over their weight limit, and it is invisible because it arrives at a tap rather than at a checkout. Fresh water weighs 8.34 pounds per US gallon, so a 40-gallon tank is 334 pounds, and a rig carrying fresh, grey and black tanks part-full can easily be moving half a ton of water before any luggage or passengers. Cargo carrying capacity — the number on the sticker — is what remains after the manufacturer has accounted for the vehicle itself, and on many models it is smaller than a family plus their gear plus full tanks. Travelling with the fresh tank a third full unless you know you will need it is the single largest weight saving available, and it costs nothing. The second thing worth knowing is that propane and battery capacity are quoted in units that hide how much you actually get. A lead-acid battery bank should not be taken below about half its rated capacity without shortening its life sharply, so 200 amp-hours of lead is around 100 usable, while lithium of the same nominal rating gives most of it. Comparing the labels rather than the usable figures overstates lead by roughly double. The third is that tyre pressure on a heavy vehicle should follow the measured axle weight rather than the maximum on the sidewall. Running maximum pressure on a lightly loaded axle reduces the contact patch, harms braking, and wears the centre of the tread — the load and inflation tables exist because the right pressure changes with what you are carrying.