I've noticed that we are the only ones who use Marshalling wands, like airplane marshals. In dark, rain, fog, whatever, it makes it really simple. A side benefit is that when I jump out with a safety vest and marshalling wands, NO ONE ever tries to come over and "help". Our system is that I do the guiding and The Mrs. does the driving. She's come to prefer the wands even when it's daytime, just because they make the signaling super clear.
For radios... People suggesting cell phones must not be in the mountain west much. Most of the places we camp there is no AT&T coverage. Because of this, we keep dual FRS/GMRS radios. We easily get 1/2mile range out of the the $50 Motorola bubble pack radios. Just make sure to get the kind where you can set a channel (frequency) and a code (CTCSS tone) to reduce crosstalk with your neighbors.
