Many people get on the road with a camper. There are a variety of campers in many shapes and sizes. There are pop-ups, small, towed campers or large campers that requires a fifth wheel on a pickup truck. Others have a drivable recreational vehicle (RV) or a pickup truck insert camper.
Experience Matters
Most people on the road with a camper don’t do so very often. They may only drive with the camper a few times a year. Some rent their camper for intermittent camping vacations or trips. Those who rent their camper may have never driven or towed a one before.
Most RV’s are not driven or towed throughout the entire year. For most users, they are used seasonally in warmer weather.
Driving or towing an RV requires additional knowledge and skills than driving a passenger car. Experienced campers know how they handle on the road as well as their limitations.
Stopping distance is farther when towing a camper. Caution is needed when stopping. If the towed vehicle does not have brakes, the trailer or camper can jackknife and flip over causing a serious accident.
Where are You Going?
The route to a campground must be reviewed before departure.
There may be road restrictions for towing vehicles. Many road restrictions don’t have to be considered for passenger cars. Height limits could prevent some campers from traveling on certain roads. Weight limits over some small bridges could prevent some large RV’s from going over them. Some roads may be particularly narrow and don’t allow for wide vehicles to use them.
Height and Weight
Is the car towing the camper capable of pulling the load? Towing capacity varies from vehicle to vehicle. Towing a camper that exceeds the capacity of the towing vehicle can cause significant damage to that vehicle and cause it to operate erratically.
Knowledge of the weight of the camper is also required. Campers often weigh much more than their listed dry weight. Most travelers load their campers up with other camping equipment. All of this extra equipment adds significant weight to the towed vehicle. Adding extra weight to the towing vehicle can also impact performance.
The height of a camper needs to be taken into consideration when selecting the route. Overpass height might not be a concern in a passenger car but many campers have a height that could exceed the clearance of some bridges.
Route Considerations
Some roads to campgrounds go through mountainous terrain. These roads can also have many narrow roads with sharp turns. Passenger cars would not usually have any difficulty but these are additional concerns when towing a camper.
Enjoy Your Trip
We are here to help. Contact us if you have any mishaps on the road involving a camper.
