RE: How did you learn to back up the camper?

[C. Hains]

 
My goal this spring is to learn to back up the camper.  I can set it up and take it down, but I can t back the darn thing up so I always have to request a pull through site.  You are supposed to hold the steering wheel at the bottom with one hand and turn the wheel the direction you want the camper to go -- right?  It all sounds simple but I ll be darned if I can do it!  My son very patiently tried to help me for several hours one day last summer and after many attempts he smiled bravely and said " Mom, I think we should call it quits for today!"   We never tried again after that -- as a matter of fact we avoid the subject!! LOL
 Are there some tips that would be helpful or do you have to just practice, practice, practice?

[MtnCamper]

 C. Hains
Take the camper to a empty  parking lot. Put down some cardboard boxes, and practice.
 
 I think the biggest hint is, hand at the bottom of the wheel, and don t take your eyes off the mirrors. Look over your shoulder, and your brain goes into a wrong way type thing.
 
 Also if your TV has a long wheelbase (distance between front and back wheels) you turn the steering wheel in small increments. A little goes a long way. If you find yourself going from one direction quickly to the other, you are turning the wheel too much. Move the wheel a little and travel, see how the camper reacts. You ll get it.

[GaryWT]

 C. Hains
First off take your time, think about what you want to do and then take your time again, it is not a race.  When pulling up to a siteplan your back up as you are going forward to start to get the angle that you need and to be sure you pull up far enough.  Before backing up, get out and look aroound the site to be sure you see all the trees, the picnic table and fire ring.  Oh did I say take your time.
 
 Before your next trip head out to the mall when it is closed and practice with nothing around, as you get better back in next to something, see how close you can get without hitting it.
 
 So relax and take your time and you will get it, you will.

[GaryWT]

 C. Hains
One more thing, I have never used the bottom of the wheel trick, I do use the mirrors, drivers side the most.

[JemJen24]

 C. Hains
My hubby took me to a parkinglot that had trees in it.  I used the trees to back up in between.  It was at a park next to our house.
 
 I learned how to do it in about 30 minutes, but I m VERY rusty.  Like anything, I m sure you get more confident the more you do it.
 
 Easiest thing for me to do is turn around and simply look behind me.  I can t use mirrors yet.  That gets too confusing.
 
 I backed it by myself last week at Cedar Hill, but my sister had to guide me and it took 6 tries.
 
 It s like riding a bike...the more you do it..the easier it gets.  If everything fails, ask someone for help.
 
 J.

[MtnCamper]

 C. Hains
Tim, We need a page on learning to back the camper!

[diggescampin]

 C. Hains
I hope this will make you feel better......
 
 Our current pu is our 2nd one. We had a bass boat for 12 years. I have a 4  X 10  tilt trailer to haul my golf cart. What I m saying is.......I have backed trailers for 20 or more years. The last time we camped last fall, I backed our pu into the electric post, slightly denting the body and crushing the taillight lense. Give me another 20 years and I think I will have it made. []

[mike4947]

 C. Hains
Let s see I drove tractor trailer off and on for 10 years in my younger days and have been backing everything from 4 foot utility trailers to the above mentioned 40 foot trailers. This spring when I get the new PU I ll immediately take it to the first open space I can find and LEARN how to back it up.
 
 Every TV/trailer combo is slightly different and it s also a case of use it or lose it. So retraining is necessary (at least for me) every spring.
 
 It also helps if you have a good mombac. You know the person that stands behind the PU going " mom bac, lot s of room"

[Red neff Barchetta]

 C. Hains

It also helps if you have a good mombac. You know the person that stands behind the PU going " mom bac, lot s of room"

 LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[griffsmom]

 C. Hains
Here is a really helpful article for learning how to back up your camper:  
 
 http://popupcamping.tripod.com/backingtips.html

[Miller Tyme]

 C. Hains
I learned from a lot of years backing up a snowmobile trailer with 2 sleds on it. The big thing to remember is SLOWLY back up, if you get off center. Then just correct which way you re going..
 I, myself, throw an arm over the back of the seat and " sight"  the trailer in. Or have Linda or Chris give me hand signals.[][8D]

[Turn Key]

 C. Hains
Learned when I was in the USAF.  I was a munitions specialist and trained on trailers loaded with 500 lb. bombs and other such goodies[].  Often pulled tandom trailers.  Needless to say, you learn to be VERY careful.

[wynot]

 C. Hains
Guess I ve been doing since I was fairly young with a tractor, so it isn t the most difficult thing for me.
 
 But I do generally turn around and look over my shoulder and move the wheel where I need to go, because that is the way people back tractors!  I can back up relatively well with mirrors, but I actually need to really concentrate on that if I do it exclusively.
 
 I actually flip back and forth between looking over my shoulder and the mirrors when backing up, so I have to constantly adjust my thinking.  But I also live in fear of somebody darting behind me and my not seeing them in the mirrors.
 
 The best practice for what needs to happen when backing?  Get a lawn tractor and a pull behind cart and practice.  Things happen SO FAST with that combination, that the camper will be in slow motion.  But you ll be able to see what turning the wheels, etc. does.

[Trlrboy]

 C. Hains
I use my mirrors most of the time because I can usually see one of the corners of the camper that way.  I just try to remember that small, incremental steering changes are better than big turns of the wheel and back up slowly.  I park my camper in a 3rd bay of a garage and can back it in through a 9  door opening from a 90 degree rearward turn without hitting the garage walls.  Took a little practice but it sure makes backing into a campsite a snap.

[CAPEd CODger]

 C. Hains
I thought it was spelled " MONBAK" [] ie/come-mon-back
 Every trip is a learning experience. Don t be hard on yourself. Rome wasn t built in a day. More cliche s follow.....
 
 Happy Camping!!