When Heath Padgett left his traditional 9-to-5 in 2014, he didn’t have much of a plan beyond a borrowed RV and an itch to see the country. He and his wife Alyssa hit the road with “no marketable skills,” as he likes to say, but plenty of determination. They filmed a documentary in which Heath worked a job in all 50 states while Alyssa learned video production. The project jump-started a career in content marketing for RV brands — and a decade-long experiment in building a life around the open road.
Today, Heath has become something of a household name in the RV community. He’s traveled to all 50 states and RVed through 21 countries, from the winding roads of New Zealand to the campgrounds of Japan. He’s founded companies, sold companies, hosted conferences, and even bought (and sold) a campground in Colorado. Through it all, one theme has persisted: creating businesses that solve problems RVers face every day. His latest venture, a mobile app called RV Help, may be his most impactful project yet.
Listen to the podcast interview with Jeremy and Heath by clicking on the media player above–or subscribe to the RV Atlas wherever you get your favorite shows!
An RVer First
If you’ve ever questioned whether the people behind RV businesses really camp, Heath is proof that some of them do — obsessively. He and Alyssa spent five years as full-time RVers, then continued traveling internationally with their two young children.
RVing in Japan stands out as a favorite memory. The Padgetts were rare sights in their rented motorhome, surrounded mostly by elaborate tent setups that looked, as Heath put it, “like something out of Harry Potter.” Reservations had to be printed in both English and Japanese, every step planned with meticulous care. Experiences like these, Heath says, are his true KPI for success: hearing Alyssa say, “I love our life.”
That authenticity matters because it grounds Heath’s businesses in lived RV reality. Every idea he’s launched has come directly from his time behind the wheel — from struggling to find reliable campground reservations to the endless frustration of waiting weeks for RV service.
The Business Chapters
Heath’s entrepreneurial résumé reads like a map of the RV industry’s pain points:
- Content Marketing & Video Production (2014–2016): After their documentary, Heath and Alyssa built a small agency producing content for brands like Winnebago.
- The RV Entrepreneur Podcast & Conference (2016–2021): What began as a podcast about running businesses from the road grew into annual conferences with up to 400 attendees, where major brands sought feedback from real RVers.
- Campground Booking (2017–2021): A software platform to modernize campground reservations, eventually sold to Good Sam.
- Montrose, Colorado Campground (2019): An experiment in combining camping and co-working, born from the dream of raising their kids at a campground. Ultimately sold when the timing wasn’t right.
Each project taught lessons — about scalability, community, and the tension between life on the road and raising a family. Each also reinforced Heath’s belief that solutions for RVers should come from people who live the lifestyle themselves.
The Problem That Wouldn’t Go Away
Throughout his years of RVing, one frustration kept resurfacing: getting service when something broke.
For full-timers, dropping an RV at a dealership for weeks isn’t just inconvenient — it’s impossible. For weekenders, a breakdown at the start of a vacation can mean the entire trip is ruined. Dealership wait times often stretch four to six weeks, and hourly rates can be staggering. Heath remembers his own family trips being derailed by simple repairs that could have been fixed on the road.
This pain point stuck with him. And after selling Campground Booking, Heath began working on a solution.
Enter RV Help
Launched in 2024, RV Help is a free app that connects RV owners with certified mobile technicians. The concept is simple but powerful: instead of taking your RV to the shop, a qualified technician comes to you.
Through the app, users can:
- Search for nearby certified mobile technicians
- Message providers directly and schedule appointments
- See reviews and credentials (all providers are vetted, many certified through the National RV Training Academy)
For those who want more peace of mind, RV Help also offers a Pro Membership, which includes:
- Virtual diagnostic services via video call
- Discounts from service providers
- Emergency dispatch, which blasts urgent repair needs to all providers in a given radius
It’s the kind of tool that makes you wonder why it didn’t already exist — a sign, perhaps, that Heath is once again ahead of the curve.
Behind the RV Help App: Real People, Real Stories
RV Help is more than just software. At its core, it’s a network of small business owners — many of them RVers themselves — who’ve found a new livelihood as mobile technicians.
There’s Chris Pacheco, a full-time RVer traveling with his family, who uses RV Help to find work on the road. The platform even shares data on “hotspots” of service demand, helping techs like Chris plan their routes.
And then there’s Bobby Greenwell, who famously got an RV Help tattoo after Heath jokingly promised to feature him on the homepage. Heath held up his end of the bargain. “He earned it,” Heath laughs, “and a deal’s a deal.”
These stories illustrate a key truth: RV Help isn’t just solving problems for RV owners. It’s also creating opportunities for technicians to build flexible, independent businesses — often while living the RV lifestyle themselves.
The Road Ahead for RV Help
RV Help is already partnering with manufacturers, who are beginning to refer warranty work through the app. If adopted widely, this could radically reshape the way RV owners get service, bypassing bottlenecked dealerships for quicker, more convenient solutions.
For Heath, though, the mission is the same as it was when he first set out in 2014: build businesses that allow more people to love the RV lifestyle. Whether it’s helping a family salvage their summer trip, or giving a traveling technician the tools to thrive, RV Help reflects the same spirit that drove Heath across 50 states and 21 countries.
In the end, Heath Padgett’s story isn’t just about building apps or selling companies. It’s about living the RV life deeply enough to see its cracks, then caring enough to fix them.
RV Help is his latest answer to the question he’s been asking since 2014: How do we make RVing better for the people who love it?
If history is any guide, it won’t be his last.
Learn more or download the app at rvhelp.com.
