How to Backup a Travel Trailer Like a Champion?

Having a travel trailer brings you to your second home. It’s just that, it goes with you on your adventure. It’s like your portable house with kitchen, living room, bedroom, and other space useful for your travel.

It’s easy to drive trailers since you just have to pull it from behind to your vehicle. However, it is a challenge for almost every driver to back it up. It’s not as simple as parking your own car to your garage. It takes a lot of patience and time to be able to learn this. There is a lot of drivers who can do this. Why can’t you? So, here’s how to back up a travel trailer like a pro.

Safety Comes First

When backing up your trailer, you have to double and triple-check everything. There are instances where people are hurt because of neglecting safety measures.

Check Your Surroundings. Make sure that you’re chosen area has enough room or has blank space to fit your trailer with. Enough space that it will not smash or collide into something or to someone. This will avoid accidents and even damage expenses.
Adjust Your Mirrors. From your side mirrors to your rear mirrors, and even to your views from your dash cameras, you have to adjust them well that you are able to do everything from behind. It will be easier to stop when needs to, like if there is a person behind, a barrier, another vehicle, trees, or even cliffs.
Ask for Assistance. It is not bad to ask for assistance. It will not lessen your manhood if you’re the man, or it will not make you lady-like if you ask for help. It is better to be safe than to choose to protect your image. First, have your assistant stand away from your trailer’s back; there is a possibility of injuries.
First Aid Kit and Car Tools. Worse comes to worst if accidents really do happen. You have to be prepared. Put your kit and tools inside your vehicle. But this is only your last resort. You have to drive safely and backup as carefully as possible.

Communication is a Tool

Having your assistant help you, you must first initialize your communication. An example is using walkie-talkies as a form of communication instead of shouting towards one another. Two-way radio communication is much advisable than using cell phones that don’t have signal stability. Some drivers use the “Driver Side” and “Passenger Side” instead of saying, “to the right” or “to the left” because it produces confusion to both individuals. Right communication leads to the right backing up.

Some Turning Techniques

Scoop. This technique is making a scoop or a letter C from towards the parking area to away from it before making a reverse. This gives the trailer the right space to backup properly.
S-Turn. This technique is driving next to the area then reversing towards the driver side (this is the initial S-turn). If there is already enough space to back up towards the parking area, then reverse and continue the S-turn until the trailer is parked properly.

Dos and DON’Ts

Make small and slow movements at a time. Making fast movements only leads to mistakes and accidents.
Don’t be intimidated by people around you or what other drivers say about how you back up. Just do what you’re supposed to do.
Try and try until you succeed. Do not be ashamed to try if you make a wrong turn, or mistakenly reverse to the opposite side. Experience and practice will be your teacher. So just try and do what you can and you’ll be able to get there.

Now, you’re ready to back up your trailer like a pro!