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Travel Trailers: Hard-sided Camping

© Thomas Stephens Sr.

We were finally on the road. With our brand new 22-foot trailer in tow, we began the climb through the Tehachapi Mountains of California, headed for Sequoia National Park. My wife Pam had just begun her first turn behind the wheel when I heard it. It was a weird "eeeeeee" sound that came and went. I thought, "uh-oh, something is wrong with our tow vehicle or trailer." But no, it was Pam squealing under her breath as a big rig truck passed us by! She rarely "eeeeeee's" anymore when 18-wheelers cause that infamous sucking sensation. In fact, she tows our new 27-foot travel trailer as well as, or better, than I do.

If you have never towed a travel trailer, let alone backed it into a camp site, it is a whole new experience. It does take some getting used to. Not that pulling a trailer is so difficult. It is simply different, especially if you are used to having a pop-up tagging along behind. We believe it is worth the effort and are now on our second one. Seven years of camping in a nice hard-side has spoiled us for sure; camping, for us, has never been more fun! Trailers, as with any other mode of camping, offer unique advantages and disadvantages. If you are thinking of buying one, there are some important specifics to consider.

As one who knows, towing is hard work for most vehicles. After pulling our 22-foot across country, through Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and then up, down and through the hills and hollows of Eastern Kentucky, we spent over $1,400 to rebuild the transmission. The Crown Victoria Wagon (rated to tow 5,000 lbs.) did have over 66,000 miles on it and we over used fourth-gear (overdrive), I'm sure. Three components of a tow vehicle - the engine, transmission and differential - are responsible for pulling a trailer. The weakest of these will determine its towing capacity. (The suspension, of course, must also be adequate.) Be certain that your tow vehicle is rated to tow the weight of your trailer (loaded) and that the trailer's tongue weight is within the limits specified for your vehicle. Understanding all this can be very confusing for a beginner, and not all RV sales reps are helpful. Most trailer and truck manufactures publish pamphlets that include this information. Also, the use of weight distributing (spring) bars is very important. These bars shift some of the trailer weight to your front tires.

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