Like many travel trailer owners, for years we were doing it wrong. Every time we left our RV, we’d simply close the screen door and then slam the main door shut. For 14 years and across two different trailers, this was our routine. Then, a couple of weeks ago, that familiar slam resulted in an unwelcome snap – the handle on our screen door latch broke clean off. Suddenly, getting the screen door open became a mini-project involving tools and frustration.
A quick trip to Camping World and a replacement RV screen door latch later, and we were back in business. Choosing the correct latch – right hand or left hand – was a minor puzzle (for future reference: standing inside your RV, if the door hinge is on your left, you need a right-hand latch). However, the real revelation came during the installation of the new Screen Door Latch For Travel Trailer. Taking the time to examine the design, materials, and component placement, it became clear what we’d been doing wrong all along, and how to prevent future mishaps with our travel trailer door latch.
The Problem: Slamming the Outer Door Damages Your Screen Door Latch
The core issue is simple: repeatedly slamming the main door against a closed screen door is a recipe for disaster. This action puts undue stress on the delicate components of the screen door latch for travel trailer, specifically the handle. Over time, this constant impact leads to material fatigue, and eventually, the handle will break – exactly as ours did.
Image alt text: Profile view of the angled hook mechanism on a travel trailer door, showing the sloping nose designed to interact with the screen door latch handle.
The Solution: Latch Your RV Screen Door Correctly
Instead of just slamming the outer door, the correct method is to FIRST latch the screen door to the outer door. This is done by depressing the small handle on your screen door latch. You’ll notice an angled hook on the outer door. This hook is designed to engage with the handle of the screen door latch when it’s slightly depressed. When engaged, the hook holds the handle in a partially retracted position, which in turn retracts the “tongue” of the latch. Once the screen door handle is properly engaged by this hook, it’s safe to close the main door without putting stress on the screen door latch mechanism.
Image alt text: Close-up of a travel trailer screen door latch handle in the depressed position, illustrating its readiness to engage with the outer door hook mechanism.
Understanding the Mechanism of Your Travel Trailer Door Latch
The interaction between the angled hook and the cutout on the back of the screen door latch handle is crucial. Ideally, the angled cutout should smoothly slide down the “nose” of the hook and click into the engaged position automatically. However, in reality, the materials used are often not robust enough to withstand repeated impacts from slamming the door. This repeated stress is what ultimately leads to a broken screen door latch handle.
Image alt text: Image showing the screen door latch handle correctly engaged with the hook on the travel trailer outer door, demonstrating the proper latching technique.
Image alt text: Rear view of a screen door latch handle, highlighting the angled cutout designed to interact with the door hook and the point of potential failure due to material fatigue.
Break the Habit: Latch Screen First!
After years of doing it incorrectly, retraining ourselves to latch the screen door first is taking conscious effort. To help remember, we’ve even put a small reminder note inside our door lock: “LATCH SCREEN FIRST.” Hopefully, this new habit will save us from future broken screen door latches for our travel trailer and extend the life of this often-overlooked RV component.
