Locks & Latches

Picking the right RV lock or latch

Replacing a lock or latch mostly means matching the mechanism and, for locks, deciding whether keying-alike matters to you. Sort out a few things before you buy:

• Cam locks. Compartment and hatch locks like the RV Designer 5/8-inch cam lock and the Ace 7/8-inch chrome lock turn a cam behind the panel. Match the cam length to your door thickness so it clears the panel and catches the frame.
• Locking T-handles. The die-cast chrome T-handle keyed to the common 751 pattern is the go-to for larger baggage doors, drawing the door tight and locking with a quarter turn.
• A note on keying. Plenty of RV compartment locks share a common key such as the 751 pattern, which makes them convenience locks rather than security locks. Handy, since one key works every bay, but do not lean on them to stop a determined thief.
• Rubber hood latches. Rubber pull latches like the RV Designer and JR Products units (1-5/8-inch closed) hold generator doors, battery boxes, and access panels with tension. Match the closed length so the latch sits under proper stretch.
• Surface bolts. A brass surface bolt with strike plates, like the JR Products 3-inch, adds a simple slide-bolt wherever you want a second point of hold on a door or gate.

Lost your key? Ordering a matched set keyed alike puts you back to one key for the whole rig. Screen-door-specific latch hardware is covered in screen doors, and the doors these locks secure are in baggage and compartment doors.