We had clip-on mirrors for our Chevy 1500 Suburban we used to tow our 18 foot Dutchmen Sport. Although the mirrors did create visibility, under normal usage they shook so much when driving, they were practically useless. I kept them on because the law require it. But I did learn to depend upon the existing mirrors and have been doing that ever since. I learned to watch for shadows on the road behind the camper, or the movement of light after dark.
The next tow vehicle we got was a 3500 dully (gas) Chevy and it had extendable mirrors so didn't have the visibility problem, nor the shake. But I still learned to rely upon watching shadows and glimpses of light when I cannot see anything.
So, 3 dully's later, and my current truck has 2 mirrors on each side, one flat and one convex. The convex mirror is by far the best! I use it all the time, unconsciously as it provides the best view.
Sometimes though, a car will follow so close, or the car will be so small it's not in view of the mirror. This happens. I suppose this is the situation where a back-up camera would be beneficial. I don't have a backup camera on my camper, so I still rely on watching shadows and slimpses of light movement.
I have also learned, especially with my convex mirrors, unless I am attempting to turn, or switch lanes of traffic, if they are behind me and I can not see them, I can make movements safely anyway. If they ARE in my mirrors where I can see them, they are usually in the next lane beside me, I cannot make my lane changes or I'll cut them off or side-swipe them. Basically ... to see DIRECTLY behind the camper when on the road is really not necessary. But is helpful if you have a back up camera.
Invest in convex mirrors. They will give you the best visibility.
