The 5 Reasons We Park Our Motorhome Facing East

Because we often boondock in wide open spaces, we can face our RV in any direction. Any spot on the compass is available to us, so why do we always face East when we have the option (especially in the winter)? In this post, we’ll tell you exactly why we do that, and it might give you some ideas about what might work best for you.

Facing East isn’t the best choice for every RV or every situation. But when you see our reasoning, you’ll be able to tell what makes the most sense for you, too. Spoiler alert: It surely won’t surprise you to learn that the sun is a huge factor in all this! 🌞

5 Reasons Why We Park Our RV Facing East

Again, we’re not suggesting that facing East will work best for everyone because we recognize that other RVers may have different issues to address than we do. We also know that different floor plans mean that the components in other rigs are located in different areas of the RV from where ours are located on our motorhome.

That said, here are the five top reasons why we choose to park our rig facing East whenever possible, especially when we’re boondocking during winter months when days are shorter and the sun stays lower along the Southern horizon.

Morning Sun Position

When camped in desert locations during winter snowbirding trips, having the morning sun come in through our large windshield is a great (and free) way to help warm up the inside of the RV. It’s often chilly in the desert overnight, so we like having the sun warm up the rig as soon as possible after sunrise.

When the weather is warmer, and we don’t want the sun to come in on any given morning, we could leave the shades down and/or put up our outside windshield screens.

If we were to face our rig in the opposite direction during warmer weather, the hot afternoon sun would come right through that big windshield and into our living space, heating us up too much. So even in the summer, having the afternoon sun hit the rear of a motorhome (where there’s no windshield) is usually preferable, since it’s better insulated back there.

Awning Placement

Facing the RV East places our awning on the south-facing side of the RV. This allows us to use the awning to help keep the side of the RV cool and/or to provide a shaded area to sit on the patio. Yes, we could sit in the shade on the North (left) side of the RV, but that’s not the “patio” side!

Most RVs designed for use in North America or on the European continent have the main patio awning on the right side. In countries that drive on the left (Australia, England & New Zealand, for example, all of which we’ve RVed in), the awning is usually on the left side since that’s the “curb-side” or “patio-side” or “door-side” when you drive on the left.

If you’re looking for more shade and/or privacy, a Tough Top Awnings privacy panel can be a great addition to your rig, too.

Also, having the left side/driver’s side of the rig facing north has its advantages as well. First, no matter what time of year it is, the north side never gets any sun. That means we don’t need to put window awnings out on that side no matter how warm the weather gets. That’s especially nice when we’re in an area with a beautiful view, leaving the view to the North unobstructed by window awnings.

For the same reason, we only need to put our RV tire covers on the South side of the rig. The tires on the North side don’t get hit by the sun at all, so they don’t require as much UV protection. If we’re staying longer than a few days we’ll usually put all of our tire covers on anyway, but it’s one less thing to do when we’re setting up for a shorter stay.

Afternoon Sun on the Rear of the RV

Again, when the late afternoon sun hits the rear of the RV at the warmest time of the day, having our rig facing East keeps the heat away from the living area, so it stays cooler. That then gives the bedroom some time to cool down after sunset before it’s time to hit the sack.

Additionally, the rear of our rig is more heavily insulated. First, there’s no glass back there, and there are also additional areas of insulation like the gap between the rear fiberglass cap and the rear wall of the closet. The closet and other cabinets in the back act as a buffer, better keeping the heat out of the living space.

Refrigerator Location

With our floor plan, the refrigerator is on the driver’s side/left side of the RV. Our original refrigerator was a typical propane-powered RV fridge and we later installed a residential refrigerator.

Having that side of the rig facing north ensures that the refrigerator doesn’t have to contend with increased temperatures caused by the sun baking that side wall of the RV. This helps food to stay colder, and the refrigerator doesn’t have to work as hard.

Of course, your RV may have the fridge on the same side as the patio awning, so not every rig can be faced optimally for every situation. It’s all a balancing act. But there can be compromise solutions, such as installing a Privacy Panel and keeping it, and the patio awning, out over the fridge on sunny days. Every rig is different, and so are each RVer’s priorities.

Optimal Solar Panel Angle

We’ve saved the elephant in the room for last — solar power production.

If you have tiltable solar panels, the direction you face them can make a HUGE difference in how much power you produce. That’s most important during shorter winter days when the sun stays low on the Southern horizon. For us boondockers, this is the most important consideration of all.

Half of the solar panels in our M0untain Aire’s rooftop solar array are on electrically operated lifts, but they can only tilt the panels in one direction. We mounted them so that the panels tilt toward the passenger/curbside, so they’ll be facing the South when the RV faces East.

Tilting our panels toward the low-in-the-southern-winter-sky sun increases their output by about 25-35%. During those short winter days, maximizing solar output is more important than ever. For more, check out our video about why we park our rig facing East whenever we have the opportunity:

Since you rarely get the choice of which direction to face when parked in a campground or RV park, our reasons for facing East are most usable in non-designated camping spots like BLM boondocking areas. But having shore power allows you to manage your environment much better without having to concern yourself with the direction your rig is facing anyway.

PRO TIP: A caveat: In the hottest part of the summer (which coincides with longer days and higher sun angle — both good for added solar power), we occasionally opt to face North. That prevents the sun from ever shining directly into our motorhome’s big windshield, keeping us cooler. When too much heat is the biggest consideration, keeping the largest glass areas out of the sun can be the most important decision. And while we can’t tilt our panels to the South, tilting them isn’t needed in summer anyway.

Of course, the type of RV you have, floorplan, window locations, etc., will affect the best direction to face your rig. Obviously, a fifth wheel with a large rear window may be better facing West for the same reasons we face East. The point of this isn’t to say that every RV should face East. It’s to list the factors that makeus face that way so you can figure out what works best for your RV’s layout.

Which Direction Do You Face Your RV When Given the Choice?

Depending on the type of RV and floorplan you have, you might want to face some other direction when you have a choice. Maybe your fridge is on the other side of the rig or you have a fifth wheel with a large window in the back. Maybe you only camp in the summer in the forest, so sun angle, solar panels, and all the rest of this aren’t that important to you.

Whatever your situation, we hope our reasons for facing East provide some food for thought about which direction you might want to face your own rig when you’re boondocking.

For more tips about camping off the grid, check out our other related posts: 27 boondocking tips, the 11 best ways to find RV boondocking spots, the 7 best free camping apps for the avid boondocker, and our complete guide to Class A RV boondocking.

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