How many tries to get into a site

[markb5900]

Up until the last trip out, I could honestly say I hadn't found a site I couldn't get backed into. Well that all changed.
Found a great campground, reserved a site.
Arrive, they show me the site on the map, and we head down to it. We are right on the lake, nice hill in front of us going down to the lake. Road is about 1.5 cars wide.
I think to myself this is going to be a little challenging, but I can do it.
Try 3 times to try and not hit the tree on one side, the power and water hook ups on the other and not put my truck down the hill into the lake.
After third try, guy next to us comes over and says he had trouble too, but he went around the loop and got it in trying from the other direction. Tell him thanks and sounds like a good idea.
Go around the loop, heading other direction now. First try, get within an couple inches of tree. STOP. Lets try this again. I can't really pull straight forward because of the hill heading down to the lake and other stuff.
After 20 minutes of back and forth, I am completely frustrated with myself. Most of the campground seems to have gotten a cold beverage and lawn chairs to watch. I go to the office and tell them I can't get in that site and see about another one. ONLY 30 or 50 amp site left. They offer to send a couple of their guys to help. Mumbling to myself going back to the site. Two NICE guys show up and suggest I pull in the grass between the sites so I can have a better turn radius. They proceed to move picnic tables etc.. for me.
I am thinking to myself, if I knew they wouldn't throw me out for driving on their grass, I would have done that!!!
Back in, two pull ups to straighten her out and life is good.
Just thought I would share. Looking back it HAD to be comical watching me trying to get into that site.

[bob213]

Other than the launch ramp at the lake not much beats watching people back in to an almost impossible site. As long as it's not me of course!

[SilverbackMel]

1 hr 15 mins at Ft Wilderness trying to get in a treed, similar slot at Christmas. Would not ask for easier pad because we were jammed, 3 inch clearance and only option provided was leave campground, circle back and get into reception line for re entry! Really?! Gives the term MICKEY MOUSE true meaning! All about the $$$$$.
Finally got er in!! Out was a weee bit easier! Not by much!!

[markb5900]

Originally Posted by SilverbackMel

1 hr 15 mins at Ft Wilderness trying to get in a treed, similar slot at Christmas. Would not ask for easier pad because we were jammed, 3 inch clearance and only option provided was leave campground, circle back and get into reception line for re entry! Really?! Gives the term MICKEY MOUSE true meaning! All about the $$$$$.
Finally got er in!! Out was a weee bit easier! Not by much!!

Ft Wilderness can be tricky!! We have been there several times. My trailer always seems to grow about 4 feet when I make the reservations, HOPING to get a site I can get into without too much trouble.
Last year, we watched a poor guy take 45 minutes to get out of his site with a BIG 5er. Didn't see him arrive, so no clue how long he struggled to get in.

[Wobbles]

Brother, you did ok. Lessons and all of that.

It comes with experience and some luck. I am new.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a camper pick the worst spot in the world to try. I offered to help spot for him. After screaming at him to stop. Another camper came over and we both pushed on the wall of his rig to keep it off of a tree, so he could pull forward to try again. We got him in. Never gonna do that again.

Did I mention that I was screaming at him? He had his windows up and the radio blasting.

[DreiHunde]

That one does NOT sound like fun at all! What is really bad is when you have PLENTY of room on a large site with plenty of access and turning room and hardly anything in the way and.....it takes you 3 times to get into the site. It's happened to me twice, quite embarrassing. I just summed it up to I got lazy in my "backing plan" and it bit me in the butt! and of course I will "try" not to do that again!!

[Old car]

Markb5900--was this campsite in Missouri? We go out every other weekend and the only place I seem to have trouble is at the state park on Stockton Lake. I can back the trailer just about anywhere but for some reason I struggle down there. First with my Windjammer and now with the Sabre fiver. Mine is probably mental!

[pjnlorrie]

It happens. The worst situations I have encountered are when the CG roads and site paths change angle/elevation. Causes my combo to do all many of wonky things.

[robert.beck.7737]

Originally Posted by DreiHunde

That one does NOT sound like fun at all! What is really bad is when you have PLENTY of room on a large site with plenty of access and turning room and hardly anything in the way and.....it takes you 3 times to get into the site. It's happened to me twice, quite embarrassing. I just summed it up to I got lazy in my "backing plan" and it bit me in the butt! and of course I will "try" not to do that again!!

This happened to me at Ocean Lakes in Surfside, south of Myrtle Beach, SC. Roads were so narrow and roadsides crowed with tow vehicles combined with the fact that I am not a professional truck driver made it next to impossible for me to get into a narrow site. Luckily for me, a professional truck driver parked the rig for me. I was able to get out on my own. We now stay at Ocean Breeze RV Park & Family Campground in Supply, NC, one mile from Holden Beach. The sites are 40ft wide and 79 ft long, most are drive through.

[bob caldwell]

All about length and turning radius.... and when the park was built.

[Maggiewaggie]

Watched a guy try to squeeze into a tight spot from a narrow road at Fishing Bridge, Yellowstone NP. After 30 minutes of everyone helping he gave up. His lady hopped in the truck and slipped it in on the first pass. The men shook their heads, the women wore smiles and the guy popped a beer before he even unhitched. We all have those days. And.... We've all given trailer backing lessons to newbies.

[mud yapster]

LOL been there done that, 42' 5er can be tough sometimes.

[thetanu539]

I never learned how to back mine in until the first time I went out without DW (She joined me later because she was working). Usually she was the spotter and I just did as she would tell me (such is life). Even then it took three or for or ten tries sometimes to get in a spot, often times feeling like I was the entertainment for the CG.

So as I drive to the CG that evening all I could think was how in the H was I going to do it without her and how fun it was going to be for the people around me. When I showed up and found my site (looked easy on the map if it were to scale) would be a challenge for a pro I about left. The only reason I tried was because the guy next to me suggested I jack knife it in like he did. I had never tried this before but understood the concept. So I tried it and felt like a a pro, I got in on one try and only had to get out to see how far back I needed to go (I need a backup cam on trailer now).

Now every time we go out I have my wife stay in so she is not tempted to take us back to our old ways of getting it in. Heck the jack knife solution even works to get it into out tight spot in between to HUGE 5ers at our storage lot including when she is not able to be there.

May not work for everyone but I have become a jack knifing pro and it is about the only way I back in now. Some people look at me funny when I start but are quick to point out how easy I make it look when I hit it on the first try.

[Loraura]

With my first camper, an 8 foot single axle popup, I would pull up next to the site, unhitch, and shove the thing in by hand.

That little trailer reacted SO fast and would jack-knife on a dime.

Our bigger trailers were so much easier to back in! I can get our 33'' TT into just about anything these days, even with someone waiting on me to get by.

[kholmes]

Were only allowed 2 tries in Saskatchewan, then they kick us out!! Lol

[bob caldwell]

Originally Posted by kholmes

Were only allowed 2 tries in Saskatchewan, then they kick us out!! Lol

And that is with pull -thru's!

[Ham Camper]

I had to laugh at your predicament but only because it reminded me of when I bought a 30 ft SeaRay boat that was docked at Lake Erie near Sandusky, OH. This had a single screw and as I found out it was quite hard to maneuver. I backed the baby out and ended up going around in circles. All the boat owners around were either sitting there with cocktails in hand laughing or standing out on the edge of the boat trying to ward off me hitting them. Needless to say it was a bit embarrassing. Took me a while to learn how to dock the darn thing but usually there was someone around to help when u came in. That always helps

[Tonkatoy77]

Originally Posted by bob caldwell

All about length and turning radius.... and when the park was built.

X2

One of the CG's I stay at was built back when there was no such thing as a slide out and crew cab pickups were rare. They have a few 45 degree spots that are easy, and the rest are 90 degree or pull through loops. The 90 degree ones are tough because the road is only about 10 feet wide and they put concrete curbs at all the site entrances. The pull through loops are really small and they have curbs the entire length of the driveway. With my CCSB pickup and 26' trailer I almost always have to jump a curb to get in or out of the site. The guys with big trailers do some serious curb jumping.


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[coupevillefish]

BFR (before Forest River), we were going to our first rally with our newcTT. One of the campers asked our site number so they would all get their lawn chairs out and watch us back in. My response was:

A. I've been backing trailers for years, and
B. We have a pull through spot.

Party over.

[BusyRetirees]

People have such a good time and a good laugh watching me back in that I am now charging for the entertainment.