Travel Trailer Abbreviation Codes: What Does BHWE Stand For?
RVers talk in code. It is the same for many different industries and you may be familiar with this setup if you use a computer and social media a lot. Just like computer geeks, RVers have developed their own coded language and it takes a while for your to get up to speed and know what someone is talking about.
There is a long list of abbreviations RVers and RV makers use to shorten their speaking and writing time. This code can get confusing and you may have to print the information out and refer to it from time to time so you can keep up with the content of what someone is saying.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It provides a list of acronyms, abbreviations, and code letters so you know what is being referred to when they are used in a sentence. The list is quite long and some are easy to understand.
RV Abbreviation Codes
What do The Letters Mean on RV Models?
You are definitely not going to like the answer to this question. To be honest, they rarely mean anything except to the RV maker. There is no universal application or designation for these code letters and numbers.
That is the easy part of this answer. The difficult concept is that some RVs and trailers can have the same exact code but be two different trailers from two different brands. Or they are the same exact trailer from 2 different brands and have 2 different model numbers.
On it goes. There is no set standard for these model numbers. When it comes to the numbers, sometimes they refer to length and sometimes to the square footage as we will explain next.
However, sometimes those numbers are just numbers. They mean nothing except to say one trailer has a slide and one does not. The letters that follow the numbers usually refer to the features inside the trailer or RV.
For example, if you have a model number- 212RBSWE- the letters mean rear bath, slide, and western edition. Because all RV makers use their own system, you will get different model numbers meaning different things
What do The Numbers Mean on RV Models?
You may hate this answer by now but it will depend on who is making the RV or trailer. For example, prior to 2008, there was a 2-number code that referred to the length of the coach or trailer. For example, if the model number said AB30, it meant that the model number was 30 feet in length.
If the model number read AB190 then that meant you had 190 square feet of RV or trailer space. However, after 2008, things became confusing. The Class A & B RV makers stick with the 2-number code while Class C RV makers will use the 3-number code.
Then the travel trailers and 5th wheel makers will use the 3-number system. This is only if the RV maker follows this system. Some may not.
What Does BH Stand For in RV?
The letter B can stand for bath, bed, or bunk but when it is followed by an H then those letters stand for bunkhouse. And as far as we can tell, all RV makers use those letters to mean the same thing.
Your RV or trailer will have bunk beds inside when you see the BH next to the numbers in the model number. We are going to provide you with a long list f acronyms and abbreviations later but here are some codes that relate to the beds inside an RV or trailer:
DB- dual beds- 2 queen-sized beds, FQ- front queen, K/KB- king size bed- standard, Q/QB- queen size bed- standard, TB- twin beds, MB- mid-bunk, and RQ- rear queen.
But the letter B is used quite often and when you see BG, it means bar & grill, RB is rear bath, and FB is front bath. As you can see it takes a bit to get used to these codes.
What Does The W Stand For in Jayco Trailers?
As far as we can tell and this is taken from a list from a Jayco forum, the W when by itself stands for wide or western. BUT be careful as Jayco seems to have many uses for the letter W.
WM or Wally world stands for Walmart, WD or W/D stands for washer and dryer, W/E/S = water/electric/sewer, WH is used for water heater, WWW stands for world wide web and WTNH is what the heck.
It is easy to get confused when you are new to this code game. You will see these letters and meanings on a longer list in a few minutes. There are a lot of them but get one thing straight, while we will post some letters and definitions they may only be used by Jayco and not the other RV makers.
We will provide links to other lists so you can make comparisons to see which ones are the same for everyone.
What Does BHWE Stand For?
Unfortunately, we had to check several lists to get the correct meaning of these letters. The BH will stand for bunk house and the WE will stand for western edition.
The difficulty comes in when the lists do not include every possible letter code formation. BH seems to be standard across the industry as well as WE but many times they do not put the 2 together which means that those letters could also stand for bunk house, washer, and electricity.
We are not trying to confuse you any further, we just want to cover all the bases so you understand what you are reading when looking to buy a new RV or trailer.
What Does OHC Stand For in RVs?
These letters are code in RV language and not for model numbers and so on. Usually, when you read a post made by a member of an RV discussion forum you will see these from time to time these letters.
They stand for overhead cabinets. Many RVs and trailers have these inside. If you look at some other letters used in RV speak you will see OTH which means ‘on the other hand’.
The letters OK can mean that everything is alright but in RV speak it usually means outside kitchen. Be careful with OPD as it is used for two different RV components. One is the ‘overfill protection device’ and the other is the ‘overfill prevention device’.
As you can see, model codes and RV speak can get confusing at times.
What Does BHS Mean?
Generally, this should mean bunkhouse & slide or more technically, bunkhouse with slide out. If another B is added between the H and the S, then it means bunkhouse bedroom slide out.
As far as we can tell, those letters mean the same for every RV brand you can buy. There are no other combinations using those exact same letters for different features in your RV, that we found so far.
We do encourage you to do some more research on this topic as the lists we provide do not seem to be complete and they are being added to all the time. With different RV brands using the letters for different features, do not assume you always know what those letters mean.
What Does VBM Mean in RVs?
We did check several lists for this letter combination and none of them listed this combination. Even V or BM by itself was not listed on any of these lists. The closest we could come was VIN which stands for a vehicle identification number.
When we looked at the letters V & M, there were no stand-alone meanings for those letters. B, on the other hand (OTH), stands for bed, bunk, or bath. We keep checking as we write and it is possible that VBM should read VBN which stands for very bad news.
However, no VBM was placed on any list we were able to check.
Travel Trailer Abbreviation Codes
Since most lists are a mixture of abbreviations and acronyms, we will split one list into two parts. It is a long list but before we do that, here is a link to some acronyms for all vehicles. The one for RV brands is on page 2 of this list.
It includes Jayco-JAY, Airstream-AIRS, and more RV brands. The following list and the one for the next section are taken from the Jayco discussion forum at this link. It is being updated all the time so it may change in a few months.
4X2 = 2 Wheel Drive
4X4 = 4 Wheel Drive
4WD = 4 Wheel Drive
55+ = Age 55 plus Park
5'er = Fifth Wheel
A/C = Air Conditioning A/C (Do not use AC)
AC = Alternating (AC) Current as in 120VAC
AMP = Amperes
APU = Auxiliary Power Unit (Generator)
AWD = All Wheel Drive
BH = Bunk House
BHBE = Bunk House, Bathroom Entry
BHBS = Bunk House Bedroom w/Slide (Out)
BHS = Bunk House w/Slide (Out)
BHDS = Bunk House double slide
BIL = Brother In Law
BLM = Bureau Of Land Management
BOHICA = Bend Over, here it comes again
BTW = By The Way
C2C = Coast to Coast Resorts
C2C = Coast to Coast - reciprocal campground to a membership resort
CAPS = Capital Letters. Using all CAPS is considered SCREAMING
CAT = Caterpillar
CB = Citizens Band (Radio)
CC = Crew Cab
CDL = Commercial Drivers License
CG = Camp Ground
CO = Carbon Monoxide (Read this Wikipedia article about the gas)
CO2 = Carbon Dioxide (Read this Wikipedia article about the gas)
COE = Corp of Engineers (US Army)
CSP = Continued Service Plan
CTD = Cummins Turbo Diesel
CUL = See You Later
CW = Camping World
D/A = Duramax Diesel / Allison Transmission
DAMHIK = Don't Ask Me How I Know
DC = Direct Current as in 12VDC
DD= Darling or Dear Daughter
DH = Darling Hubby or Husband, Dear Hubby,
DIL = Daughter In Law
DO = Dutch Oven
DOT= Depart of Transportation
DRW = Dual Rear Wheels (AKA Dually)
DS = Dear Son
DSI = Direct Spark Ignition
DSBH = Dinette Slide Bunk House
DW = Dear Wife, Darling Wife
EGT = Exhaust Gas Temperature
EMS = Electrical Management System
ERS = Emergency Road Service
ESP = Extended Service Plan
FAQ or FAQs = Frequently Asked Questions
FBS = Front Bedroom w/Slide (Out)
FBTS = Front Bath Triple Slide
FBV = Front Bathroom, V-Nose
FHU = Full Hook Up
FKS = Front Kitchen w/Slide (Out)
FKV = Front Kitchen, V-Nose
FT = Full Time
FW = Fifth Wheel
FWD = Front Wheel Drive
FWIW = For What It's Worth
FWT = Fresh Water Tank
FYI = For Your Information
GF = Girl friend
GPS = Global Positioning System
GAWR or GAW = Gross Axle Weight Rating
GCVW or GCW = Gross Combined Vehicle Weight
GCWR = Gross Combination Weight Rating
GIZMO = See PUP
GSRS = Good Sam Road service
GTWR = Gross Trailer Weight Rating
GVW or GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
GOB = Good ol' Boy
HD = Heavy Duty
HDT = Heavy Duty Truck
HH = Happy Hour
HT = Half-Ton
HVAC = Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
HWH = Hot Water Heater, for those who heat it.
HWT = Hot Water Tank
IIRC = If I Remember Correctly
IMO = In My Opinion
IMHO = In My Humble Opinion
IP = Internet Provider
ISP = Internet Service Provider
JMHO = Just My Humble Opinion
JMO = Just my opinion
JOF = Jayco (RV) Owners Forum
KPTS = Kitchen Pantry w/Triple Slide (Outs)
KOA = Kampgrounds of America
List Of RV Acronyms
See the first link in the previous section for this list and here are some more from the Jayco discussion forum.
LB = Long (Pickup Truck) Bed (or Box)
LEO = Law Enforcement Officer
LKTS = L shaped Kitchen Triple Slide
LMAO = Laughing My (butt) Off
LOL = Laughing Out Loud
LP/LPG = Liquid Petroleum Gas
LS/MFT = Lucky Strike / Means Fine Tobacco (Who remembers that?)
LT = Light Truck tires (as in LT245 tires)
MB = MegaByte: One megabyte = 1,000,000 bytes of data. However, note that in computers, Random Access Memory (RAM) is normally specified in binary, and one binary megabyte = 1,048,576 bytes of data.
mb = Murphy bed - google it
MH = Motor Home
MIL = Mother In Law
MM = Mile Marker
MSRP = Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price
MW = MicroWave oven
nambarc = JOF's unofficial mascot & world class nose picker
NFS = National Forest Service
NPS = National Park Service
ODS= Opposite Door slide
OEM = Original Equipment by the Manufacturer
OP = Original Poster (The person who started the thread)
OPD= Overfill Protection Device
OPD= Overfill Preventation Device
OTH = On The Other Hand
PDI = Pre-Delivery Inspection
PEBCAK (Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard)
PED = Pedestal- for shore power (and sometimes other utilities like CATV, Phone, etc.)
PICNIC (Problem In Chair Not In Computer)
PITA = Pain in the (butt)
PO = Previous owner
POL= https://propanewarehouse.com/wp-cont...POL-x-FNPT.jpg
PPA = Passport America, half off campsites reservation club.
PSD = PowerStroke Diesel
PTC= Push To Connect fittings
PU = Pop Up (camper) -or- Pick Up (truck)
PUG = Pop Up Gizmo (Solar "Blankets" that cover the canvas ends of Pop-Ups and Hybrids)
PUP = Pop-Up
QB = Queen bed
We had to leave some off due to space considerations. Click on the link in the previous section to get the full list. Other lists are at this link,
this one, this one, and this one. If you want a guide to different terms, then click on this link.
Where do I Find My RV Model Number?
You should find all that information on your purchase paperwork. It should be listed on the invoice, sales agreement, and other important documents you will need to register the vehicle.
If you have lost or misplaced that information, check the driver's side of the coach. It can be under the small window on the driver’s door, behind the front seat, or on the side of the door.
For trailers and 5th wheels, look for the model number and VIN on the driver’s side of the tongue. It may also be stamped on the pin box of a 5th-wheel trailer.
Some Final Words
You probably thought you left school but learning never stops. Once you enter the RV world, you will have a new language to learn. The lists and links placed in this article should help you get up to speed and talk like a seasoned RVer in no time.
The only words of caution we have is to be careful. When it comes to different brands, what you think an abbreviation means for one brand may not mean the same thing for another.
When in doubt ask the other members what they mean by their use of an abbreviation.
