No thank you. Don't need your help
We had just arrived back at the park when new neighbors arrived to pull in across the way. I am not a busy body so really wasn't paying attention other than to notice that they were really making a pr...
Forum Discussion
I would and have rejected "help". It has absolutely nothing to do with macho or ego. It's a matter of trust. I don't know you or anything about you. You could be like my DW who can't judge distances to save her life.
If you've already hit a tree, how can you "trust" yourself? Obviously the driver couldn't judge distance or hadn't learned how the rig behaves just yet. There's also the "embarrassment" factor-that's not so much ego as self-esteem. If the guy and his wife are arguing, the last thing he wants is an "I told ya so" from her.
We never had any issue with our pop-ups-hubby has been trailering boats forever. The first time out with the 5'er presented a new challenge. We went out early in the year to avoid crowds. The cg had a "tiered" layout, and a couple in their 60's or so turned their chairs around to watch the "entertainment" as we had some trouble negotiating the site. Mind you, it was a large, square, no interference site, but a 30' 5th wheel handles just a bit different than a 12' pop-up. After a few minutes as we were trying to puzzle it out, he put down his beer and offered his help. His words were something like "It appears you are new at this. I've driven every type of rig out there and been in your shoes many times. Would you like some help?" We thanked him and said we've got one more plan and if that doesn't work, then YES we'd love his help. He smiled and said "OK, I'm just up the hill if you need me". On the last try, we got a perfect line-up. A lot is in how you present your help. Empathy goes a long way.
Fast forward to the Endura. 35 feet of rig, 20+ feet of Chevy Tahoe attached. Detach Tahoe, no problem. At one campground we had 6 retired gents "help" us get the rig into the spot. We didn't need it, but they offered and hubby just let them give direction (which was exactly what he was doing anyway) and they walked away with a smile and feeling good about themselves. Yes, you learn by doing but if what you are doing is not working and potentially setting yourself up for damaging your unit, it's time to push past your pride and trust someone else's judgement.
My favorite, however, was the night hubby wasn't feeling well, I was driving, and our site was a little on the small side for our rig. My son undid the toad, hubby drove that and I backed the Endura into a spot just big enough for it to fit in. One shot, absolutely dead on. By the time I had backed in there was a CROWD, partly because it was not long after the Super Cs were introduced and partly because there were some who wanted to offer help. I hopped out and all of a sudden I heard "Wow, it's a WOMAN driving!" from an older gent. I just looked and said "fancy that".
If you've already hit a tree, how can you "trust" yourself? Obviously the driver couldn't judge distance or hadn't learned how the rig behaves just yet. There's also the "embarrassment" factor-that's not so much ego as self-esteem. If the guy and his wife are arguing, the last thing he wants is an "I told ya so" from her.
We never had any issue with our pop-ups-hubby has been trailering boats forever. The first time out with the 5'er presented a new challenge. We went out early in the year to avoid crowds. The cg had a "tiered" layout, and a couple in their 60's or so turned their chairs around to watch the "entertainment" as we had some trouble negotiating the site. Mind you, it was a large, square, no interference site, but a 30' 5th wheel handles just a bit different than a 12' pop-up. After a few minutes as we were trying to puzzle it out, he put down his beer and offered his help. His words were something like "It appears you are new at this. I've driven every type of rig out there and been in your shoes many times. Would you like some help?" We thanked him and said we've got one more plan and if that doesn't work, then YES we'd love his help. He smiled and said "OK, I'm just up the hill if you need me". On the last try, we got a perfect line-up. A lot is in how you present your help. Empathy goes a long way.
Fast forward to the Endura. 35 feet of rig, 20+ feet of Chevy Tahoe attached. Detach Tahoe, no problem. At one campground we had 6 retired gents "help" us get the rig into the spot. We didn't need it, but they offered and hubby just let them give direction (which was exactly what he was doing anyway) and they walked away with a smile and feeling good about themselves. Yes, you learn by doing but if what you are doing is not working and potentially setting yourself up for damaging your unit, it's time to push past your pride and trust someone else's judgement.
My favorite, however, was the night hubby wasn't feeling well, I was driving, and our site was a little on the small side for our rig. My son undid the toad, hubby drove that and I backed the Endura into a spot just big enough for it to fit in. One shot, absolutely dead on. By the time I had backed in there was a CROWD, partly because it was not long after the Super Cs were introduced and partly because there were some who wanted to offer help. I hopped out and all of a sudden I heard "Wow, it's a WOMAN driving!" from an older gent. I just looked and said "fancy that".
