Rv Parking
Each person you ask will give you a variety of tips for parking your RV. With any luck at all, the person you ask will have experience at driving and parking an RV and will give you helpful suggestions.
In order to familiarize yourself with the turning radius, the swing you'll have behind your rear tires and the feel of backing up such a long vehicle, it is a wise idea to find some type of traffic cones or markers and an empty parking lot to drive around in with your partner. With one person outside, practice your turns and signals. Have your partner watch your turns and critique how you're doing. Knowing the feel of your RV will help your ability to park it quite a bit.
The first thing to remember is that, unless otherwise marked, parking lots are set up for small passenger vehicles and small trucks. I'm not just referring to the size of the parking spots. The aisles in most parking spots are a bit narrow to drive your RV down comfortably. People driving the vehicles that these parking lots are designed for will park as close to the store or venue they are visiting. I have found that parking my RV as far away as possible allows me the convenience and safety of being able to maneuver my RV in and out of a parking space without other drivers causing obstructions.
My husband and I have determined that parking a RV in most places is a 2 person job. We've come to this conclusion because of the amount of blind spots you have when your trying to park an RV. We have set up and practiced our signals to assure we have no communications problems. We have a pair of flashlights and an inexpensive set of walkie talkies that we use when we are parking.
When you arrive at a spot where you're going to park your RV, it's best if both of you get out and look over the the site you're parking in. Make sure that you have clearance beneath your RV, above it and on both sides. Look for things like broken trees, large rocks that may fall or anything else that may damage your RV during your stay. Locate the amenities and discuss how you want your RV to rest in the site and the best way to get it into that position.
Why start your trip by getting frustrated by finally getting your RV into a spot only to find your cables and hoses are in the wrong place to reach the amenities that the campgrounds have provided, or by knocking a hole into your rooftop air conditioner when it's 109 degrees outside?
Now it's time for the person parking it to start moving your RV into the spot. The key thing to remember if you are the person guiding the driver is that if you can't see him/her in the mirror, they can't see you. This isn't a race. Take your time. This is where all the communication you've set up will come in handy.
The little extra time and care you take in parking your RV can possibly save you money and aggravation in the future. In time, using these tips, you'll find that parking your RV and setting up your site can be done in a matter of minutes.
