Re: I don't want to be roadkill ...
LOL, how did y'all know my name?
TexasClodhopper - 12/13/2010 5:46 AM
Marian, pulling trailers is not that difficult, but that doesn't mean it isn't somewhat complicated by other traffic.
Then don't forget that once you get to a camping site, you still have to know how to set it all up and make it work.
Then don't forget there is no phone for "room service". You still have to cook something to eat. (Not to mention that you had to acquire that food and haul it into your RV.)
Then don't forget that you have to put all this stuff away once you're through having "fun" with your friends at the camp out.
Then don't forget that you have to haul that trailer back to your home and clean and park it until the next camping trip. When will that be?
I would say that it's a whole lot easier to get a hotel room and then drive out to the campground where your friends are camping. Maybe one of them will let you camp with them? Then all you have to do is haul firewood and poke at the fire. :clown:
I've never really just had fun with friends so this would be a new experience for me - and believe me, this was a shock to everybody that knows me. They look at me like an alien has taken over my body.
I've never even had "room service" and the first thing I've looked for in a trailer is the kitchen - it has to have an oven - an 18" regular stove would be best, but I guess I could get by with a trailer model. Initially, I thought I wanted a table and chairs, but now I've decided I definately want a booth with the storage under the seat.
Plus, a childhood friend of mine and his dog will probaby go alot and he's been to chef schools in Paris - the friend, not the dog - so cooking won't be a problem.
C Nash - 12/13/2010 7:36 AM
Marian, If you have pulled a horse trailer there should not be that much difference. Proper matched tow vehicle, hitch and sway controls makes the difference. Can you back a trailer? Will you be camping alone and having to do all? .... Most of us started out being uneasy towing. You should be able to adapt. Where in Alabama are you? Keep us posted.
I was thinking it would be like pulling a horse trailer and after I saw that video, it scared me! I won't be going by myself, it would be my sister and me and our friend. I'm in Mobile
try2findus - 12/13/2010 8:39 AM
Hello Marian. Do not be intimidated by pulling or driving an RV. Although I have never backed ours into a campground site, I have driven all over the country. There was only 1 very frightening time where the wind was SO strong, that the steering wheel literally jerked out of my hands! That was with BOTH hands planted firmly on the steering wheel. My heart skipped a beat or two then it was back to fighting the wind. That episode was out west and though I would not want to repeat it, I would not give up RV'ing for anything!!!
I would suggest you take those lessons from your mom's neighbor and build up your confidence. With several hours of practice under your belt, you will probably be hooked on RV'ing. But I agree with Nash, rent one first and make sure you feel comfortable before making the decision to buy!
Happy and safe travels to you!
If that happened to me, my heart wouldn't just skip a beat, it would probably stop. When I've made the statement that I can't pull a trailer, people tell me it's easy and they can do it, but when I say I can't "back" a trailer they say they can't either and they've been pulling trailers for years. I know my luck and I would get 5 miles down the road until I need to back up. If I can lasso my cousin between driving his truck and raising cattle I'm gonna get him to show me, it'll be a whole lot more fun - I can see him now saying Hail Mary's ..
cwishert - 12/13/2010 9:35 AM
Tex, I am offended!
Marian, you don't need a man to do anything for you if you want to do it bad enough. That being said, I have never pulled any trailer so I am not an expert on that. But if you plan on traveling by yourself mostly, then you might want to consider a class b conversion type van.... Again Tex, you sound just like my husband! I know that it is more than just getting in the vehicle, going to the site, having fun and coming home but you don't have to make it sound like women have no clue the work it takes to go camping! I have to remind him all the time that I know as much if not more about planning and make ready as he does. I may not have the ability to do some of the things that may be necessary like fixing a motor or something, but I do know how to dial a phone if necessary. I do know how to check tire pressure, oil, etc. And until a man started criticizing me I used to change my own oil and do a lot of maintenance on my own vehicles. But that is another story and Tex just hit a nerve. The way that you write Marian it does remind me of my 17 year old when she gets excited so maybe that is why Tex has posted this way. I'm not sure. Tex I still like you and respect you and think you are one of the smartest men that I almost know. Can't say that I know you because we have never met but I feel like we are friends at least on the forum.
:laugh:
LOL, I know what you mean! I have no brothers and living on a farm, we helped daddy do everything. It's not that I couldn't do it at one time, but with health issues I'm not so sure. You will probably love this ... after my daddy passed away I was going to work one morning down the interstate and saw a man pulled off the shoulder off the road with a bull he was hauling climbing out of the trailer. So I pulled up behind him and got out with my make-up, a dress, shoes and stockings and asked the man if he needed any help. I don't think I have to tell you what was running through that man's mind - yeah right, I looked like I could be a lot of help! But he told me he was going to the stockyard and I asked where he was from and he told me. I then went to the trunk of my car and got some super duper nose-tongs and we clamped that bull's nose and pulled him back down into the trailer, tied him off and off to the market he went. The man just so happened to live close to my sisters flower shop so he returned the nose-tongs to her and he got a big laugh out of that.
Since my folks have passed away and I don't have cows or horses anymore, life is quite boring and visiting campsites with lakes would be an adventure. I wish I was 17 .. I wouldn't have any problems at all.