MORryde StepAbove

We Bought Better RV Steps for Our Dog. Turns Out, We Needed Them Too.

By: Debbie Dashwood – RVD Contributor

Cooper has been camping with us for almost his entire life. He’s an 11-year-old Lab who’s been along for hundreds of campgrounds, countless hikes, lake days and more road trips than I could possibly remember. My husband Steve and I travel in our 2018 Jayco White Hawk 28RL, and Cooper has always considered the trailer as much his home away from home as we do.

For years, we never gave much thought to our RV steps. They were the traditional fold-out steps that came with the trailer. They moved a little when you stepped on them, but we were accustomed to it and never considered replacing them.

As Cooper got older, though, things began to change. He’s developed some arthritis and isn’t quite as sure-footed as he once was. One evening, we were returning from a walk when he started up the steps and his back legs slipped between them as the steps moved underneath him. Steve was close enough to grab him and thankfully Cooper wasn’t hurt, but the experience frightened him.

The next time we returned to the trailer, he stopped at the bottom and refused to climb the steps.

Finding a Better Option for Cooper

For the rest of that trip, Steve would stand above Cooper while I helped lift his back end from below. At about 75 pounds, Cooper isn’t exactly a dog you simply tuck under your arm and carry inside.

We managed that way for another trip before deciding we needed a better solution. That’s when we discovered the MORryde StepAbove.

What appealed to us most was the way the steps are supported. Instead of hanging from the side of the trailer like our original steps, the StepAbove extends to the ground and uses adjustable feet for support. That creates a much more solid surface with considerably less movement underneath you.

We introduced Cooper to the new steps slowly. He was hesitant at first, which wasn’t surprising after his fall, but he quickly realized they felt different. With the steps firmly supported on the ground, he gradually regained his confidence and before long he was walking in and out of the trailer without our help again.

That was all we had hoped for when we bought them. What surprised me was how quickly I realized that Cooper wasn’t the only one who benefited from the change.

A Difference I Hadn’t Expected to Notice

I had been using traditional RV steps for so long that I no longer noticed the slight movement under my feet. Once that movement was gone, I wondered why we’d waited so long to replace them.

The difference is particularly noticeable when I’m carrying something. Groceries, laundry and the various things that seem to travel between the campsite and the trailer all feel easier to manage when the steps beneath me are stable. I also appreciate them early in the morning, at night and when the weather is wet.

The adjustable feet have been useful as well. Campsites aren’t always perfectly level, so being able to adjust each side helps us get good contact with the ground rather than having the steps rock on an uneven surface.

At our age, neither Steve nor I has difficulty getting in and out of the trailer. Still, I’ve reached the point where I appreciate anything that makes an everyday task a little safer and more comfortable. We use these steps dozens of times during a camping trip, and stability matters more to me now than I realized it did.

What We’d Tell Someone Before Buying Them

There are a few practical considerations with this style of step. Proper measurements are important because MORryde offers different configurations based on the RV’s doorway and entry height. This isn’t something I would order based simply on what another RVer owns. I’d take the time to measure your particular trailer and make sure you’re choosing the correct model.

The StepAbove also folds vertically into the doorway for travel rather than folding underneath the RV. We don’t mind that design, but I do make a point of cleaning the steps before putting them inside if we’ve been camping in mud, sand or wet grass.

You’ll also need enough clearance in front of the RV to lower the steps. We’ve rarely found that to be an issue at a campground, but it is worth considering if you camp in particularly tight sites or park your trailer in a narrow storage space.

Those are small compromises for us, but they’re things I would want another RVer to know before making the change.

Would We Buy Them Again?

We would. We bought our MORryde StepAbove because an aging dog needed a more stable way to get into the trailer. We thought we were solving Cooper’s problem, but the experience made us realize how much better a solid set of steps could be for all three of us.

Cooper is comfortable using them again, and Steve and I appreciate the stability every time we’re carrying something into the trailer or simply going in and out during the day. They’re one of those upgrades we probably wouldn’t have considered if circumstances hadn’t given us a reason.

Someday, Cooper won’t be making these trips with us anymore. That’s something I prefer not to think about just yet. But whenever that day comes, I know we’ll still have these steps on our trailer.

He may have been the reason we bought them, but he ended up finding a better set of steps for all of us.