Trailer towing on one's own...
Greetings! While I'm not new to TT towing, I've always had someone along to help guide me into those tight (often very beautiful) campsites. I did a solo trip last September, and everything went well ...
Forum Discussion
Well, 22'x7' is still kinda small and you will get used to it pretty quick. :) Our old TT was 20'x8'. Our inaugural trip was to Brae Island at Fort Langley, a very long 15 min. drive from our place in pretty much a straight line. We insisted on a pull-thru site because I didn't think I could back that huge rig into a spot. Before I even left the driveway, my palms were sweaty, I was white as a sheet and you couldn't have pulled my hands off the steering wheel with a crowbar. Got there without any incidents... It really wasn't very long after that before I was flinging the TT around corners at high speeds and driving up and down congested parking lots at malls. A few months later, I had to back the trailer about 1/4 mile down a winding road in a CG to get to a site. Had a few onlookers say how impressed they were.
We bought a new 29' TT and 3/4T truck last year. That has been a challenge for sure. It's so much heavier and longer and even after one full season, I still am getting used to it. I actually got the TT stuck between a tree at the front and one at the rear at a Thousand Trails (oops).
I quickly learned that you must keep your TV in the very center of your lane at all times. You can't wander right or left in your lane like you can in a car. If you are unsure, stop on a road somewhere with nobody around and walk around your TV and TT and see how it is centered in the lane. For that length, just keep it centered at all times and the trailer will follow you nicely around corners and bends in the road.
When you get to a CG and are having trouble backing into a site, there's always someone that will come over to help, and sometimes even if you don't want the help, lol. If you get really stuck, expect 1/2 the CG to come over (BTDT, see above). You could try and find a big empty parking lot to practice tight turns and backing up. Can't recall what's over Tsawwassen way for large lots.
One thing I have found is that after a long day of driving and you are tired and hungry, it can get a lot harder to back into a site and it will help to get out and take a break and then go finish it. I've even had trouble with a pull-through when too tired.
A pair of extended side mirrors will really help - get ones that will go out as far as are available for your TV. The hardest thing about learning to back up is which way to turn the steering wheel when looking in a mirror because it's the reverse. Otherwise, I think it's all just practice. Always be mindful of kids when backing up alone and you shouldn't do it in on a CG roadway and only into the site itself. You may need to get out multiple times to check.
I think you will find 22x7' to be fairly easy after a short time. Best thing to do is just hook it up and go do some local driving.
Not sure what types of campgrounds you are planning to stay in when in the US. There's lots of them with pull-through sites. We are members of RPI, Coast to Coast and a couple of other networks. They publish books with CG listings in them and they tell you how many pull-thru or back-in sites they have. You can always research CGs online in an area you're travelling to. And there's the Woodalls CG directory. In the 10 or so KOAs we've been to, I don't recall any pull-throughs. You'll often need to book well in advance to get a site you want.
Have fun!
We bought a new 29' TT and 3/4T truck last year. That has been a challenge for sure. It's so much heavier and longer and even after one full season, I still am getting used to it. I actually got the TT stuck between a tree at the front and one at the rear at a Thousand Trails (oops).
I quickly learned that you must keep your TV in the very center of your lane at all times. You can't wander right or left in your lane like you can in a car. If you are unsure, stop on a road somewhere with nobody around and walk around your TV and TT and see how it is centered in the lane. For that length, just keep it centered at all times and the trailer will follow you nicely around corners and bends in the road.
When you get to a CG and are having trouble backing into a site, there's always someone that will come over to help, and sometimes even if you don't want the help, lol. If you get really stuck, expect 1/2 the CG to come over (BTDT, see above). You could try and find a big empty parking lot to practice tight turns and backing up. Can't recall what's over Tsawwassen way for large lots.
One thing I have found is that after a long day of driving and you are tired and hungry, it can get a lot harder to back into a site and it will help to get out and take a break and then go finish it. I've even had trouble with a pull-through when too tired.
A pair of extended side mirrors will really help - get ones that will go out as far as are available for your TV. The hardest thing about learning to back up is which way to turn the steering wheel when looking in a mirror because it's the reverse. Otherwise, I think it's all just practice. Always be mindful of kids when backing up alone and you shouldn't do it in on a CG roadway and only into the site itself. You may need to get out multiple times to check.
I think you will find 22x7' to be fairly easy after a short time. Best thing to do is just hook it up and go do some local driving.
Not sure what types of campgrounds you are planning to stay in when in the US. There's lots of them with pull-through sites. We are members of RPI, Coast to Coast and a couple of other networks. They publish books with CG listings in them and they tell you how many pull-thru or back-in sites they have. You can always research CGs online in an area you're travelling to. And there's the Woodalls CG directory. In the 10 or so KOAs we've been to, I don't recall any pull-throughs. You'll often need to book well in advance to get a site you want.
Have fun!
