BACKING UP a travel trailer into a campsite is one of the trickiest skills any towable RV owner has to master — but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Towing a travel trailer or fifth wheel on the highway is easier than parking and maneuvering around a campground. Anyone who says you don’t have to worry about backing up a trailer is either lying, a pro, or has never done it.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to make things easier. And whether you’re backing up a travel trailer, fifth wheel, or pop up camper, these same principles apply.
Key Takeaways
- A wireless backup camera makes backing up a camper solo far easier.
- Always scout your campsite on foot before backing up your travel trailer.
- Use a spotter with agreed-upon hand signals or two-way radios.
- Position the campsite on the driver’s side whenever possible.
- Try the Z-method to reduce your backing angle.
Quick Answer: To back up a travel trailer: (1) scout the campsite on foot, (2) use a spotter, (3) position the site on your driver’s side, (4) place hands at 8 and 4 on the steering wheel, (5) go slow, and (6) use the Z-method to reduce your angle.
Why Practice Backing Up a Trailer Before Your First Trip?
Before you attempt to back up a trailer into a campsite with many watchful eyes bearing down on you, you can apply the steps below to any parking space that’s roughly as wide as a campsite.
Somewhere in your town, find a large parking lot that empties out sometime during the week. Take your trailer and spotter there to practice. Imagine that a set of two (or even four) parking spaces is your intended campsite.
Then apply the steps below to practice backing up your trailer into that site from various angles.
How To Back Up a Travel Trailer: Step-by-Step
Here are some tips and advice to help you get your towable RV where you want it. Practice these enough, and you’ll be a pro in no time.
Step 1: Scout Your Campsite Before Backing Up Your Travel Trailer
One of the best things you can do is check the campsite before backing in. Identify obstacles or issues you didn’t notice from your tow vehicle. Walk around with your spotter to examine the space you’re backing into before setting up your RV.
Pay close attention to overhanging branches and other obstructions to ensure you can back your trailer into your campsite safely. This helps you avoid any unfortunate surprises.
Step 2: Have a Spotter
I spoke of a spotter above. Have one. It can be your spouse, your kid, a neighboring camper—anyone. You just want an extra set of eyes looking out for obstacles. This helps keep you and your trailer safe and makes backing in much easier.
Generally, you just need a window to communicate with your spotter, but you can always use a pair of two-way radios or a cellphone while backing up. These two options are more respectful when pulling into campgrounds after dark, as they eliminate speaking loudly and waking your neighbors.
Keep your eye on your spotter at all times when backing in. They need to be able to signal verbally and visually to help you make steering adjustments as you’re backing up your trailer.
Common Spotter Hand Signals for Backing Up a Trailer
Speaking of those signals, verbal cues, hand signals, or a combination of the two will work. Just ensure you’re on the same page about the signals you’re using and what they mean.
Here are some typical questions that spotters will ask when learning basic hand signals for guiding an RV:
A: Stop.
A: Swing the back of the RV in the direction the arm is pointing.
A: Come straight back.
A: Remaining distance to move before stopping.
A: Slow down.
A: Cut the wheel right or left.
And here are some tips for verbal cues that your spotter can use:
- Give distances (even if they’re approximate)
- “About five feet left” is always more helpful than “Keep coming…”
- Use your hands to provide visual distances if the driver can’t hear you
- Consider the driver’s left and right instead of your own
- Ask the driver to stop and hold if you’re unsure about clearance
Step 3: Set Up The Turn on the Driver’s Side
You don’t want to back up blindly. When you park and attempt to look out the passenger side of the vehicle, backing up a trailer is much more difficult.
When you pull up to a campsite, ensure it’s on the driver’s side of the tow vehicle. Then you can use your driver’s side mirror or look over your left shoulder to monitor your camper’s progress as you back in.
Your spotter should remain visible on the driver’s side, too, but they may move out of view momentarily to check clearance on the passenger side. Stop backing up when this happens to avoid injury and miscommunication with your spotter.
If you can’t back in with the campsite on the driver’s side, you’ll need to utilize your spotter even more. This is another scenario when two-way radios come in handy.
Step 4: Reverse Your Grip On The Steering Wheel
Many new trailer drivers struggle with the opposite effect – turning the wheel one way directs the back of your trailer in the opposite direction.
But you can make things easier by reversing your normal grip on the steering wheel. Normal, in this case, refers to your hands at 10 and 2, as most of us learned in our first driving lesson.
Reversing your grip means placing your hands at 8 and 4 on the bottom of the steering wheel. By doing this, when you rotate the bottom of the wheel to the left (aka clockwise), it will push your trailer to the left, and vice versa when you rotate to the right (aka counterclockwise).
Step 5: Take Things Slow
No matter how you feel about backing in your RV, you need to take things slowly. Going slow will allow you to readjust before it’s too late. With towable RVs, there’s a delay between your steering adjustments and your trailer’s reaction.
Going slow will let you account for that time and recognize steering errors before they become costly. This seems obvious, but it’s hard to slow down when your fellow campers are waiting to get into their own campsite.
Don’t let other people rush you! When you rush, you’re far more likely to either get the camper in the wrong spot or damage it by colliding with something. Slow and smooth is the way to go.
Step 6: Try the Z-Method
The Z-method might sound difficult, but it really isn’t. Here’s an example:
You’ve pulled your tow vehicle and travel trailer to the right side of the road with your campground on your left. You want to back into that campground over your left shoulder.
Before backing up and after checking traffic, turn your tow vehicle to the left and pull forward 5-10 feet. This angles the rear of your trailer towards the campsite and reduces the angle you take when backing up.
From there, turn the wheel clockwise and back into your campsite while keeping an eye on your trailer and listening for your spotter’s instructions.
This principle can be reversed if backing into a campsite that’s positioned over your right shoulder when you’re in the driver’s seat.
Quick Tips for Backing Up a Travel Trailer
In addition to those step-by-step instructions for backing a trailer up, here are some additional tips:
- Never rush — other campers can wait.
- Disconnect your weight distribution hitch bars when maneuvering in tight spots.
- If you lose sight of your spotter, stop immediately.
- Practice in an empty parking lot before your first campground trip.
- When backing up a camper trailer without a spotter, use your mirrors and go in small increments.
- A backup camera is worth the investment for solo travelers.
A Cheat Code For Backing Up a Trailer: The Backup Camera
Speaking of, many RV owners take it a step further by installing an RV backup system. Most modern towables are wired for a rear observation camera, though it may not be a standard feature.
Installing a backup system is great if you’re traveling solo and occasionally navigating into campsites without a spotter’s help. For help installing a backup system, consult your trailer’s owner’s manual or stop in to speak with a Camping World service center staff member.
Hopefully, those tips make your life a little easier the next time you back your RV into a campsite. With enough practice, this will become a seamless part of your RV setup and breakdown!
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Do you have any other tips for backing up a travel trailer or fifth wheel? If so, leave a comment below.
If backing into a driveway with a dip and then an incline, is it best to remove the WDH bars prior to backing up? Once out of the driveway and on level ground put WDH bars on? This happens at my daughter’s house in a sleepy development. Have an equal-I-zer.
Hi Cindy,
The benefit of the spring bars is mainly for driving down the road to balance the load across the platform. When maneuvering into a parking spot, there is little reason to keep them in place, as they may interfere with sharp turns when backing, especially on extremely uneven surfaces where they may prevent the tow vehicle wheels from following and staying in contact with the terrain.
Hope that helps!
Can a car dolly be sack up with these tips? Also, is it different backing up a car dolly with the towable car still in the dolly? I have read that it is impossible to back up a car dolly.
Hi Patricia,
Backing a tow dolly by itself is possible but due to the design, very difficult to do. Loaded with a vehicle on the dolly would only damage both car and dolly, don’t do it.
Hope that helps!
Don’t be afraid of disconnecting the tow vehicle from the trailer to reposition the tow vehicle. In tight spots, this technique can be a huge time and frustration saver.
A tip for the spotter is to tell them that if they can’t see your mirrors then you can’t see them.
If the terrain is uneven, consider disconnecting the WDH bars.
Another tip; if the driver can’t see his spotter STOP and get out of your vehicle and check where the spotter is. He could have fallen tripping on something walking backward. No YELLING or LECTURING stay calm.
Jim, all great suggestions! I appreciate the comment.