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Old 03-23-2015, 10:31 AM   #1
mamawildbear
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Women who pull?

We camp with several friends and none of the wives will drive the TV. This seems to be very common and it is quite a shame.

We started out with a popup camper in 2009 and I was even the first person to drive it because hubby was at work and I needed to get it to the trailer shop for new brakes. I confess I did call the neighbor who came over and said, "oh do you need me to hook it up." And I said, "No, you need to hook it up and drive it to the service place." He did and luckily he spoke redneck fluently so he was able to communicate with the geezers at Magnum Trailer for me. But later I bit the bullet and went to pick it up myself. So my very first attempt, I have to exit the place turning left onto HWY 620 in Austin, which is hugely busy. I made it though and after about 6 failed attempts of trying to get that thing into the garage and jackknifing multiple times, my neighbor came back out and taught me how to back up with a trailer.

The nice thing is I've been able to take the kids camping when hubby is not available, stay longer at campgrounds when he has to go back to work, etc. My friends can't go camping if their hubbies aren't available. I think that's a shame.

This new trailer (26 foot Springdale 260LE) was super scary though and the more my hubby drove it, the less inclined I was to do it. I finally decided now or never so I drove home from our 4th trip. And poor hubby doesn't like driving after dark so on our way to spring break last week, I took the night shift. Backing up into the campsite at 1:30 in the morning was pretty hairy because I couldn't see a thing but he got out and directed and I just went on faith. Now either one of us can drive it which is a comfort in the event of an emergency or if one person gets sick. I think every adult in the family should know how to tow the trailer.

Let's hear from the ladies who pull or the guys with wives that pull.
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Old 03-23-2015, 01:19 PM   #2
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My wife pulls our Laredo 5th wheel with our Dually. She's got pretty good over the past couple years. I now am comfortable even catching some Zzzzzz on those long through the night drives.


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Old 03-23-2015, 01:24 PM   #3
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We have been camping for 25 years from pop ups being towed buy a minivan to now a 35 foot TT being towed by a 350 crew cab. My wife has not towed one inch. She has never even driven any of the 4 trucks I have had through the years. She has never been involved in the outside set up, leveling, opening the pop up or anything. She sets up the inside.

That said, the last year or two, when I was sick or when it is just the 2 of use, she will do the corner jacks or will pull the truck forward 2 feet when unhooking.

I do not mind though, I love to drive and hate being the passenger with most anyone. We just took a 1,600 mile trip without towing and I drove the first 1,500 miles and my son did the last 100. Being in the car for 27 hours over a 52 hour period is tough.

Anyway, I know a lot of woman tow and camp but I think our trailer would either be sold or be put on a seasonal site if I could no longer drive.
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Old 03-23-2015, 02:19 PM   #4
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I've been trying for over 15 years to get the DW to drive. She won't even drive just the truck, let alone with a fiver hooked on.

I have threatened to pull over and get out until she slides over into the drivers seat... Notice I said threatened.
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Old 03-23-2015, 02:22 PM   #5
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I drive our Ram and Laredo - gives honey a break so he can snooze a bit. I've gotten used to the big trucks wiggling my rig.

Also, most importantly, I'm the BEST backer upper in the family. DH struggles and no amount of swearing fixes his attempts....
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Old 03-23-2015, 02:24 PM   #6
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My wife will not drive my truck with the camper hooked up, but she will drive the truck by itself. I'm fine with that, now my daughter on the other hand drove the truck one time with the camper, I was showing her how too back up when the transmission broke so I pick on her about breaking my truck the one time I let he drive it with the camper. She is willing too learn and I might just let her try again, and I have a newly rebuilt transmission in this truck so no worries there.
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Old 03-23-2015, 02:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mamawildbear View Post
We camp with several friends and none of the wives will drive the TV. This seems to be very common and it is quite a shame.

We started out with a popup camper in 2009 and I was even the first person to drive it because hubby was at work and I needed to get it to the trailer shop for new brakes. I confess I did call the neighbor who came over and said, "oh do you need me to hook it up." And I said, "No, you need to hook it up and drive it to the service place." He did and luckily he spoke redneck fluently so he was able to communicate with the geezers at Magnum Trailer for me. But later I bit the bullet and went to pick it up myself. So my very first attempt, I have to exit the place turning left onto HWY 620 in Austin, which is hugely busy. I made it though and after about 6 failed attempts of trying to get that thing into the garage and jackknifing multiple times, my neighbor came back out and taught me how to back up with a trailer.

The nice thing is I've been able to take the kids camping when hubby is not available, stay longer at campgrounds when he has to go back to work, etc. My friends can't go camping if their hubbies aren't available. I think that's a shame.

This new trailer (26 foot Springdale 260LE) was super scary though and the more my hubby drove it, the less inclined I was to do it. I finally decided now or never so I drove home from our 4th trip. And poor hubby doesn't like driving after dark so on our way to spring break last week, I took the night shift. Backing up into the campsite at 1:30 in the morning was pretty hairy because I couldn't see a thing but he got out and directed and I just went on faith. Now either one of us can drive it which is a comfort in the event of an emergency or if one person gets sick. I think every adult in the family should know how to tow the trailer.

Let's hear from the ladies who pull or the guys with wives that pull.
My wife towed ours on a busy interstate 24 ft wilderness first time I was a little nervy but I got over it
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Old 03-23-2015, 03:04 PM   #8
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I wish.

I could nap and be rested when going to set up. But not going to happen.
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Old 03-23-2015, 03:22 PM   #9
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In a perfect world, both adults, husband and wife, should be able to not only pull the RV but also to maneuver it. This is especially important, as you pointed out, in cases of emergency or when the husband or principal driver gets sick and is unable to operate the vehicle.

But alas, we don't live in a perfect world. Many women, and especially "seniors" are not at all comfortable with this and are just too nervous and "afraid" to learn. I would not want anyone - man or woman - who is that nervous and uncomfortable behind the wheel pulling my 5th wheel on some busy Interstate 8 lane highway. While it may be true that "you are never too old to learn" the older one gets the less confident one becomes and less likely to take risks - including pulling an RV.

While you may be totally at ease and comfortable doing what you are doing, there are many women who would not be. They are quite fine with the husband driving and have no desire whatsoever to get behind the wheel. In my case, my wife could, take over and do just fine along a "quiet" interstate (if there is such a thing) or in an emergency. But she would rather just let me do the driving - we are both happy with that - and there is no "shame" involved.
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Old 03-23-2015, 04:03 PM   #10
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My wife drives often, she calls it "driving mister lazy"
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Old 03-23-2015, 04:24 PM   #11
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I have friend of mine that shows cattle for fun, she can drive from NC to Montana and back with a load of 1800+# show beasts in a big goose neck rig. But can't back it up to save her life.

My wife knows what needs to be done, but isn't comfortable towing at this point. I think eventually she will learn, but she and the dog would rather sleep while I drive.


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Old 03-23-2015, 05:34 PM   #12
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I drive our truck and whatever happens to be hooked up behind it. In fact, I'm the only one who has driven our truck pulling the camper since we got the camper last spring. I'm thinking this summer I have to let my DH drive on at least one trip, or he may get grumpy.

My DH works out of state most weeks, home on weekends, so I'm pretty self-reliant if I want to do something with the truck/trailers and tractor on our little "farm". And I've taught the kids to help "spot" when I'm backing the camper up in its parking spot next to the house since the fifth wheel is harder than any bumper-pull trailer to back up for me. The only thing we haven't figured out yet is how to pick DH up at MSP airport, due to the height of the camper, on our way down to the favorite campground in southern MN. But, this summer the kids and I are off on a camping adventure to upstate NY where DH is working to spent a week or so with him there. We can't wait!
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Old 03-23-2015, 05:37 PM   #13
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My wife wouldn't even think about puling our 5th wheel and so far she hasn't driven my new dually. She would occasionally drive the F250 a short distance but she has no desire to drive the F450 which is fine with me. I'm beyond anal so guess she's smart enough to not want to hear me constantly critique her and I don't blame her. Plus, pilots are control freaks and she knows me way too well after 18 years. Of course there's one dent in our toy hauler and I did it so she's never going to let me forget it either. I let the front of the toy hauler down and hit the very edge of my son's bag and it crinkled the side panel a little. Of course I blamed my son for leaving his bag there.
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Old 03-23-2015, 07:17 PM   #14
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My DW prefers to have me drive, but she agreed that she needed to be able to handle the trailer in an emergency so she learned how.

Her being relatively comfortable with it has come in handy several times.
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Old 03-23-2015, 10:37 PM   #15
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The wife and I tag team drove a motorhome from Calif to Alaska a few years back. I would sleep while she drove and vice versa as we were time limited requiring long days on the road. She's a good driver, but backing a trailer isn't in her bags of tricks. Our current TV is a stick. She has bad hips, so she's relegated to co-pilot status, regardless.
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Old 03-24-2015, 02:41 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vampress_me View Post
I drive our truck and whatever happens to be hooked up behind it. In fact, I'm the only one who has driven our truck pulling the camper since we got the camper last spring. I'm thinking this summer I have to let my DH drive on at least one trip, or he may get grumpy.

My DH works out of state most weeks, home on weekends, so I'm pretty self-reliant if I want to do something with the truck/trailers and tractor on our little "farm". And I've taught the kids to help "spot" when I'm backing the camper up in its parking spot next to the house since the fifth wheel is harder than any bumper-pull trailer to back up for me. The only thing we haven't figured out yet is how to pick DH up at MSP airport, due to the height of the camper, on our way down to the favorite campground in southern MN. But, this summer the kids and I are off on a camping adventure to upstate NY where DH is working to spent a week or so with him there. We can't wait!
Have him take a shuttle bus to an outlying parking lot! Been there done that, my bride is a Sr Flight Attendant and I have hauled the camper to one of the outer lots at the airport and parked on the road and waited for her to come back from a trip. And in a few cases she has flown to an airport along the route.

Aaron
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Old 03-24-2015, 01:31 PM   #17
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Going on 18 years together, 6 pickups, 3 boats, several rvs. DW refuses to drive any truck or boat. She loves rving and fishing/boating and stays in camp while hunting so, I gave up trying to get her to drive anything but, her explorer or camry. To late to take her back and get another who will drive.
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Old 03-25-2015, 10:25 AM   #18
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I am a 53 year old female and I drive a 2013 Ford F-150 and I am the tower of a 32 foot Keystone Passport. My Dad taught me to back up I still need his advise but I think we do pretty good.


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Old 03-25-2015, 03:04 PM   #19
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Have him take a shuttle bus to an outlying parking lot! Been there done that, my bride is a Sr Flight Attendant and I have hauled the camper to one of the outer lots at the airport and parked on the road and waited for her to come back from a trip. And in a few cases she has flown to an airport along the route.

Aaron
Thank you for the idea! It's funny because the smaller airports seem to be more friendly to larger vehicles, just not MSP. Something about the airport being squished in the middle of a city or something.
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Old 03-25-2015, 04:13 PM   #20
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Thank you for the idea! It's funny because the smaller airports seem to be more friendly to larger vehicles, just not MSP. Something about the airport being squished in the middle of a city or something.
Yep... we prefer the small commuter type airports over the big ones for just that reason.

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