RV Leveling Blocks vs Wood: An Honest Comparison
Plenty of experienced owners use lumber and always will. Here is exactly what you gain and give up either way, and the one version of wood that is genuinely unsafe.
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The verdict
Buy blocks. Wood works and costs almost nothing, but blocks interlock so a stack cannot walk apart, they weigh a fraction as much, and they do not rot or split unseen. The gap is small enough that if you already have suitable lumber cut, you are not doing anything wrong — with one exception, below, that genuinely matters.
This is a long-running argument in the leveling category and both sides are mostly right. What follows is the specific list of differences rather than a verdict dressed up as one.
Side by side
| Purpose-made blocks | Wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low, and a one-time purchase | Nearly free if you have offcuts |
| Weight | Light. A ten-pack is easy to carry | Heavy, especially thick lumber |
| Stacking | Interlocks. A stack stays a stack | Nothing holds it together |
| Storage | Nests flat, fits a small bag | Awkward, and it stays wet |
| Longevity | Years. Plastic does not rot | Splits and rots. Inspect every season |
| Driving up | Designed to be driven onto | Needs a ramp piece or you hit a step |
| Soft ground | Depends on footprint | Good. Wide boards spread load well |
Where wood genuinely wins
Footprint. A wide board spreads weight across a lot of ground, which is exactly what you want on wet grass, and it does that better than a narrow stack of blocks. If your regular site is soft, a couple of wide, solid boards under the wheels is a legitimately good solution.
Cost is the other one, and it is not a small thing. If you have suitable lumber in the garage already, the correct answer may well be to cut it and spend the money elsewhere — on a sewer hose or a surge protector, both of which matter more.
Where blocks win
The interlock. A wood stack is held together by friction and optimism, and when a tire rolls onto it at an angle, the top piece can shoot out. Interlocking blocks physically cannot do that, and that single property is most of the reason the category exists.
Weight and storage are the other two. Wood that has been under a tire on a wet site comes back soaked, muddy and heavy, and it has to go somewhere. Blocks go back in a bag.
If you are going to use wood, do it properly
Use solid lumber, not plywood or particle board. Plywood delaminates when it gets wet and gives way without warning.
Cut the boards wider than the tire so the whole contact patch is supported. A tire hanging over the edge of a board loads the sidewall, which is the one thing you want to avoid.
Cut a tapered ramp piece. Without it you are asking the tire to climb a vertical step, which is hard on the trailer and hard on your temper.
Inspect every season. Wood splits along the grain and the split is often on the underside where you will not see it unless you turn the board over.
If you decide to buy blocks
Interlocking blocks for the default case, a wide-footprint set if your sites are soft, and a curved leveler if you would rather not stack anything at all.
Best for Most first trailers
Camco FasTen Leveling Blocks (10-pack)
The default first purchase for a travel trailer: interlocking blocks you stack into a ramp, cheap enough to buy two sets.
Best for Heavier rigs and soft ground
Tri-Lynx Lynx Levelers (10-pack)
The upgrade you make after your first soft-ground site: the same stacking idea with a structure that spreads weight instead of concentrating it.
Best for Leveling in one attempt
Andersen Hitches Camper Leveler
The one that removes the trial and error: a curved ramp you drive up until level, then stop, with a chock that drops in behind.
Questions people actually ask
Can I use wood to level my travel trailer?
Yes. Use solid lumber rather than plywood, cut it wider than the tire so the whole tread is supported, add a tapered ramp piece so the tire is not climbing a step, and inspect it for splits each season.
Is plywood safe for leveling?
No. Plywood delaminates when it gets wet, and it fails without much warning. Use solid lumber if you are using wood at all.
How to make leveling blocks for a travel trailer?
Cut solid lumber into pieces wider than your tire, typically two-by-eight or two-by-ten stock, in a couple of thicknesses so you can combine them. Cut one piece with a tapered end as a ramp. Screw a rope handle on so you can drag them out from under the wheel.
Are RV leveling blocks bad?
No, but a narrow stack on soft ground will sink, and people read that as the blocks failing. Lay them two wide rather than two high on grass, and the complaint mostly disappears.
Can I use cinder blocks to level a camper?
No. Hollow concrete blocks are designed to carry distributed load inside a wall, not a concentrated load under a tire, and they fail suddenly. Use purpose-made blocks or solid lumber.
Sources
Read next
Leveling & Chocks
Best RV Leveling Blocks for a First Travel Trailer
Interlocking blocks, curved levelers and jack pads compared for someone leveling a trailer for the first time.
Leveling & Chocks
How to Level a Travel Trailer (Step by Step for Beginners)
The full arrival sequence for leveling a towed trailer, in the order that means you only do it once.
Leveling & Chocks
How Many Leveling Blocks Do I Need?
Block counts by axle setup, how to estimate lift from a bubble reading, and when more blocks is the wrong answer.
Reviewed September 25, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.