Special Feature
Rolling Solo?
WORDS & PHOTOS LISA MORA
A
common “just arrived at the
campsite” conversation is often
about the mishaps or incidents
that are unfortunately an inevitability of
frequent travels with older trailers (and
even more so for those of use with older
tow vehicles as well!).
I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I
can admit that I’ve forgotten one of each
of the steps of the process of hitching up
and towing, backing and setting up and
unhitching at least once I am sure! (that’s
all it usually takes to never forget again!)
I also had an advantage having been
into showing horses prior to becoming a
vintage trailer tragic, so I was somewhat
familiar with the process but I still love
the stories I hear about other women’s
experiences setting out on there own
for the first time, trailer in tow. It’s easy
to laugh about it in hindsight but can be
quite a terrifying experience for many
first timers.
The most common question I get asked
by fascinated women whenever I take
my trailer to a show and they find out I
have travelled there solo (after: “Do you
actually sleep in that?”) is: “Are you ever
afraid?”
My answer has always been: “No”. I trust
my gut instincts, I assume the best in
humanity and expect to manifest only
that into my life. If I focused on all the
things that could go wrong or the bad
things that might happen I might never
do what I love doing so much: travelling
around the country with my cute little
home office behind me. I’d probably
never get on a plane or cross the road
either. I don’t want to believe that I am
any more at risk than a man travelling
on his own would be. Having said that;
I don’t take stupid risks and I always take
necessary pre-travel precautions.
These are my top ten tips for solo travellers setting out on the road for the first time:
Always get your tow vehicle checked
1. over prior to going out on a long
road trip towing a trailer. Make sure all
the fluids are up, the tires and brakes
are good and the tire pressure has been
adjusted to carrying an extra load (don’t
forget all that extra stuff us glamper
types lug around with us everywhere we
go can weigh a lot!)
Make sure your trailer sits level when
hitched to your car. Measure the height
from the ground to the top of the tow ball
receiver on the trailer when it is 100%
level and then get a tow ball hitch that is
the same height on your car. If your trailer
sits too high at the front or too low, your
ability to control the trailer is severely
compromised. There should be a straight
line all the way along from the A-frame
to the car.
Because I’m often tired when I get
2. back from a big road trip to a rally,
I clean the trailer BEFORE I go out on the
next trip rather than when I get home.
But never leave any food inside the
trailer as mice love any excuse to make a
nest inside that cozy abode of yours!
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