Three RV organizations are joining forces to develop “Camper College” for women who like to RV or someday hope to.
Two Beards and a Babe plus Queen Bee RV are working together to plan and provide hands-on training for members of Girl Camper, an organization dedicated to helping women enjoy the RV lifestyle with their families or by themselves.
Plans tout four Camper College events during the next 18 months. The first session takes place Dec. 13 – 17 at Texan RV Park in Athens, Texas. Others are scheduled quarterly at different locations across the country.
Created to provide 15 hours of classroom instruction and hands-on labs to help women understand how their RVs work and how to maintain them, the event also includes social components typical of other Girl Camper events.
Each gathering will provide three half-day basic training sessions on electrical and propane systems, as well as specific instruction on RV appliances. The first session will zero in on battery maintenance, refrigerators, furnaces slideouts and more. Since this session takes place in the winter season, winterization will also be included in the training.
Women who complete all four modules will receive a Camper College Graduate certificate from Girl Camper.
Instruction will be provided by NRVIA-Certified RV Inspectors and RVTAA-Certified RV Technicians. These instructors graduated from the National RV Training Academy and work as independent contractors not affiliated with the training center. Participants will also be able to schedule service work to be performed during the week.
“Our goal is to inspire women to learn more about how their RVs work and, perhaps, inspire some of them to become certified RV inspectors and technicians,” said Stephanie Henson with Two Beards and a Babe. “The sessions are set up so women can jump in at any time without thinking they’re missing out on a prerequisite session.”
“These sessions are true hands-on, deep dive training to give Girl Campers the confidence to not only operate their RVs safely, but also perform their own seasonal maintenance and acquire basic skills to repair or troubleshoot on their own,” added Brenda Puckett, owner of Queen Bee RV inspections.
The cost to participate in Camper College is $395 plus lodging. The price includes training sessions, materials, manuals and some training tools as well as supplies to complete hands-on exercises. Participants will also enjoy catered meals, social events and receive a gift bag as well as a training binder to collect handouts or notes.
Attendance is limited to 50 participants to keep training sessions small and provide for better hands-on experiences, said Henson.
“The training is designed for campers of all experience levels,” she added. “It will help women build a solid foundation on essential core subjects, but also explore preventative maintenance on various systems.”
For more information or to register, visit www.girlcamper.com/camper-college. Sponsorship opportunities are available for RV industry suppliers as well.