Stability, Stability, Stability – RV SnapPads

By: Caly J. Behymer

Long before RV Destinations Magazine ever existed, and long before SnapPad became an advertising partner of ours, I learned about them the hard way.

We were traveling in our first Class A diesel pusher sometime around 2015 or 2016, and I was underneath the coach trying to line up those little square pads beneath the leveling jacks. Of course, we had chosen the heavy-duty ones because apparently I enjoy making life difficult for myself. By the time I finally had all of them in place, I was hot, sweaty, my hair was a mess and I was pretty much over the entire setup process.

That’s when one of our RV neighbors walked over.

After watching me wrestle those pads into place, he casually told me about something called SnapPads. They attached permanently to the leveling jack feet, which meant no more dragging pads out, crawling underneath the coach or trying to get everything lined up just right.

I’m pretty sure my first thought was, “Where have these been all my life?”

We ordered our first set soon after, and that was it. Game changer.

Fast-forward about a decade and we’re now on our third set of SnapPads on our third Class A. We’ve purchased them for every coach we’ve owned since that first set, and they’re still one of those RV products we recommend to other RVers all the time.

Why We Became Such Big Fans

Think about what is actually holding up your RV when you’re parked.

Our Class A diesel pusher weighs tens of thousands of pounds, yet when those leveling jacks come down, you’re relying on relatively small metal feet to help stabilize all that weight. The first time you really look at those little metal discs and think about what you’re asking them to do, it seems a little crazy.

SnapPads permanently attach to those existing jack feet, creating a larger footprint where the jack meets the ground. And after using them on three different coaches, we can absolutely tell a difference in stability.

When you’re living in an RV full-time, you notice those little movements. Someone walks through the coach, the dogs start wrestling or one of us gets up in the middle of the night and you can feel when a coach isn’t planted well. SnapPads have helped our coaches feel more solid and stable once we’re set up.

And really, that’s the part that has always made the most sense to me. When you look underneath a massive motorhome and see those relatively tiny metal circles supporting thousands and thousands of pounds, why wouldn’t you want a larger footprint underneath them?

And They Stay Put

This might be one of my favorite parts.

Once SnapPads are installed, they stay attached to the leveling jack feet. There’s nothing extra for us to pull out of a storage bay when we arrive at a campground and nothing to retrieve before we leave. We pull into our site, put the jacks down and we’re done.

For the girl who used to crawl underneath the coach wrestling heavy pads into position, that’s a pretty big deal.

It also means we’re not trying to remember exactly where the jack is going to land as Randy positions the coach. If you’ve ever played that fun little campground game of “move the pad three inches to the left…no, your other left,” you know exactly what I’m talking about.

And then there are those rainy travel days. Anyone who has ever picked up a leveling pad that has spent several days sitting in mud or standing water knows that’s not exactly the glamorous side of RV life. I don’t miss that either.

They’re Not Just for Big Motorhomes

Another thing I like about SnapPad is how much their product lineup has grown since that RV neighbor first told us about them all those years ago.

They’re definitely not just for big Class A diesel pushers like ours. SnapPad offers solutions for a variety of RVs, including fifth wheels and travel trailers, with products designed for different leveling and stabilizing systems.

Because jack sizes and leveling systems vary from one RV to another, you’ll want to make sure you’re ordering the correct set for your particular rig. SnapPad’s website makes it easy to find the products designed to work with your setup.

Would We Buy Them Again?

Considering we’ve already bought them three times, I think you know the answer.

Absolutely.

There are plenty of RV gadgets we’ve purchased over the years that seemed like a great idea at the time and eventually disappeared into a storage bay, were given away or simply didn’t make the cut when we moved into the next coach. SnapPads aren’t one of them.

They’ve been part of our RV setup for roughly a decade, through three different diesel pushers and countless campsites across the country. We were customers long before RV Destinations existed and long before SnapPad ever advertised with us. That’s probably the best endorsement I can give a product.

They’re simple, they’re convenient and most importantly for us, we’ve noticed a real difference in the stability of our coach.

Plus, I haven’t had to crawl around underneath our home on wheels, sweating with my hair stuck to my face, trying to perfectly position a ridiculously heavy leveling pad in years.

That alone might be worth the price.

www.RVSnapPad.com