More Pictures To Come!!!!
Backing up a vehicle can be fun when you have a fancy back up camera and sensors but backing up a vehicle with a pop-camper is extremely stressful! I’m not going to lie, if you are first starting out you will get frustrated and you will feel overwhelmed. I mean come on you don’t want to damage your pop-up camper or worse the vehicle. To be fair warned this does test marriages and the word “Divorce” has been said a few times when attempting to back up.
Take it from me, a single mother trying to make an effort to do it all with my child in the car along with trying my darn hardest not to lose my shit and kill the one person in the car trying to calm me down. Yes, I have screamed and cursed and yes, I still do!
Backing up can also be gratifying when your hit your marks and park right in with little to no effort, AWH!!!! The sound of success!!!! I mean who has seen that person who just drives right in an backs up with little effort and with ease. That is who we want to become!
Let me first say this took practice, and lots of it!!! Even though I am now a seasoned vet, I still find it tricky to back my pop-up camper into my shop. However, saying that I still have hit some items backing up into my shop and no not a person. YET!
Strategizing
First thing first, get a camp site with a pull through! So easy, you don’t need to back up. LOL! Ok, ok, I know that doesn’t t happen all the time and you find yourself with the last open spot. Your first thing to know is the direction the street or road is going. Most camp sites have one-way roads or very thin lanes enough for one car. Knowing this in advance can help you pull through better and allow you to know what side you will turn into.
If possible, visit your campsite or look at a map. When you know where your essential services are stationed, like your electrical compartments and water utilities, you are able to make better parking decisions. Some sites leave room for extra parking or spaces for picnic tables. Most of the time picnic tables and ring fire pits are movable, yet some can be in concrete, and you will have to work around that. Pretty much every time I visit a campground, we move the picnic table and fire ring. I don’t like the smoke from the fire pit close to the camper and prefer the table away from the camper door. I also Like my service close to my pop-up camper like with in 2 to 3 feet. This allows for the electric cords and water hoses to no be extended out too far and people to trip over them, leaving me more camping space on the other side.
Arranging to Back Up Your Trailer
When you have strategizing where you will back up at, your vehicle and trailer will need to be straight or perpendicular to the street. Having a spotter or using your mirrors can help you with this. Straighten your steering wheel and wheels to be postition forward, then drive about 10 feet past your parking spot. I like to park closer to the side of the street I’m turning to, this allows my large SUV to have room to maneuver on the opposite side.
Time to Reverse your vehicle
Left turn
Turn your steering wheel left, then start to slowly move backwards. You will see you trailer moving in the right direction. Once you have a good turning radius, slowly move your wheel the opposite way while backing up. This should allow you to straighten up and move further back without turning even further and breaking the hitch off the vehicle.
Right turn
Turn your steering wheel right, then start to slowly move backwards. You will see you trailer moving in the right direction. Once you have a good turning radius, slowly move your wheel the opposite way while backing up. This should allow you to straighten up and move further back without turning even further and breaking the hitch off the vehicle.
Slowly straighten out your steering wheel and back up to the depth you need.
It’s ok too….
- To start again and again and again!
- Hit the steering wheel
- Turn the wheel wrong
- Move back and forth, over, and over and over again.
- Get in and out of your vehicle multiple times
- Ask for help!
- Bit your tongue
- Practice beforehand