Towin' and Backin'

Over the past several months, we’ve towed our Airstream more than 10,000 miles. Hopefully I’ve learned a little about towing and backing.

Probably my best advice with regard to towing is to buy more truck than you need. Our “big dog” truck SEEMORE has handled every mountain we’ve tossed his way, including the Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. For this hulking hunk of diesel machinery, our 8,000-pound Airstream is light lifting.

Our most negative towing experiences? Rush hour in Miami; rush hour in Calgary; rush hour in BFE, British Columbia; and rush hour in Los Angeles. See a connection here? Avoid an urban rush hour and you’ll be a much happier camper. Together our truck and trailer are 45-feet long. There’s no such thing as a simple lane change.

Now with regard to backing up the beast…

Campsites come in a variety of forms, but they are typically either “pull-through” or “back-in.” A pull-through site is a luxury. It’s designed so you can literally just pull your rig right through the site. You don’t even have to unhitch the trailer! Just put your truck in park, and you’re ready to uncork that celebratory bottle of wine.

But the task of backing into a campsite strikes fear into many RV'er hearts. We’ve backed into many, many campsites, from Key West to Seattle. It’s a team effort, with Kristy and I communicating via cellphone. In our first few months of Airstream ownership, we had more than a few hair-raising moments. Once I managed to wedge our rig in an almost impossible-to-escape angle between a fire hydrant and a tree. But these dramas have all but disappeared as we’ve gained experience.