If I was a Man it might not matter/ Safety Issue

[DuneElliot]

One more thing about hauling a trailer behind a big truck...most people don't generally related big trucks with us ladies. I get a lot of impressed looks when driving my F250 diesel and hauling a trailer (at least anywhere that's not Wyoming). A big truck and a couple of badass redneck bumper stickers is going to make people think "guy" more than a Class B or C.

 

[GHostRiDer]

Situational awareness will prevent it..or give you time to react accordingly. I spend my time awake at nights..stores at night. My head is on a swivel before I get out of my truck.

I am also a night person. Work nights, but am up all night on days off also. Don't know how that will change when I get on the road.

 

[GHostRiDer]

I get a lot of impressed looks when driving my F250 diesel and hauling a trailer (at least anywhere that's not Wyoming).

I bet you do! I did really like the idea of having the truck to ran around in. Is it hard to back up, unhitch?

 

[lenny flank]

 I started out terrified, there's lots of noise in a swamp, I was real scared the first night and day. By the forth day and night I realized absolutely nothing happened other than I became strong.

Yes, many people have the same unfounded fears about camping outside as they do about "someone will break in and get me in my van".  While of course one should take sensible precautions, the reality is that statistically the odds of anyone being eaten by a bear, attacked by a mountain lion, bitten by a venomous snake, abducted by space aliens, or whatever else, are indistinguishable from "zero". (An average of THREE people are killed by bears each year---compare that to the 20 or so people each year who are killed by their own dog.)

Humans are, alas, not very good at assessing the actual risk of very rare events.

 

[Queen]

... Humans are, alas, not very good at assessing the actual risk of very rare events.

We tend to live in (often false) bubbles of security.  We're surrounded by air bags, TSA, food safety rules, police officers, child proof pill bottles... so we lack the ability to judge danger.  I imagine our ancestors, who might actually be eaten by a bear or die from eating spoiled food, had more internal mechanisms to assess danger.

 

[slynne]

The dangers were different in the past. But also how we received information was different. If you lived in a small tribe and one person got killed by a bear, that was significant and meaningful. You wouldnt hear about it if someone in a different tribe encountered the same fate. Now though, you often hear about such things even if they occur far away. It skews our perception of risk, For me the best example is my fear of flying and my lack of fear of driving. Why? I hear about it if 200 people die in a plane crash but dont necessarily hear of 200 auto fatalities in a given year because they arent as widely reported. The worst part is that I still have this skewed assessment of risk even though rationally, I know better.

 

[DuneElliot]

I bet you do! I did really like the idea of having the truck to ran around in. Is it hard to back up, unhitch?

I've been hauling trailers for 20 years (even had to learn HOW to drive in general with a trailer attached because my boss didn't want to unhitch) so my answer is slightly misleading. I have NO problems backing up and unhitching but I also prefer a 5W for that reason...much easier to do alone, is more maneuverable and easier to navigate tighter turns and back up. They are also easier to tow. A 24ft 5W and truck is obviously shorter than a 24ft TT with a truck, and also pulls so much nicer. I also have a slightly different hitch (Andersen Ultimate Gooseneck hitch) in my truck which I can remove myself and it is easy to see to hook up to as it is visible out of the rear window.

 

[ArtW]

learning to back and hitch / unhitch definitely has a learning curve, but a good tip is: when not towing, rest your hand on top of the wheel for backing, when towing, rest your hand on the bottom of the wheel for backing, that way the trailer will respond to the left / right input the same way your truck would without the trailer 9the truck itself will react opposite) and # 1 protip: back SLOWLY when towing
As for hitching, you just have to learn what 'lined up' looks like
One of the reasons I like the idea of a Runaway Camper for some folks is you can push the trailer to the truck, not back up to it, but it's not super roomy (think Minivan)

 

[lenny flank]

As they say, the most dangerous part of any airplane trip is the drive to and from the airport.  

And statistically, the most dangerous thing about living in a vehicle is ..... driving it.

 

[mayble]

^
Excellent point.  A thousand questions all over this forum about how to be safe while parked, and not one about how to be safe while driving.
It's our wonderful monkey brain.  It can't compute the dangers of traveling 70 mph, but it's quick to grasp the primitive fears of strangers and things that go bump in the night.

 

[Queen]

I'm one of those that finds music inspiring, sometimes the right song at the right time can alter my thoughts fundamentally, even if it's just the right pop song.  

This is Kelly Clarksons new video Invincible, it's four minutes of empowerment.  

 

[davidson]

After living full time in a class C Lazy Daze for seven years, and now with an apartment and a converted cargo van, I would go with a small Class C RV like a 24 foot Lazy Daze or 22 foot Born Free.  So much more space with toilet and shower.  The used prices are not that bad.  Class B's are just too small and cramped for my taste for full timing.  They would be great for shorter trips just as our camper van is.

Regarding safety, carry Pepper Spray or Bear Spray with easy access.  My wife and I never had any problems during our seven years, but the pepper spray puts the mind at ease.  Personally, a handgun poses too many safety issues and problems with crossing into Canada.  Good luck on your choices.

 

[lenny flank]

Keep in mind, though, that in some areas it is also illegal to carry pepper spray.

 

[decodancer]

I had the very same concerns when I started fulltiming. I had a 17 foot travel trailer and while comfy when parked, the hookup and unhitch were hard to do solo. Lived three months in a high top van and lots of traveling to and from and that was better safety wise but just too cramped for long term. Love my class C and even if I won the lottery and could buy anything I wanted, it would be another class C.
I have three dogs, two are tiny and one is a large mush of a Standard Poodle. I know they are a visual deterrent, especially the big guy but it's the Toy Poodles who will let me know first if someone or something is outside. I then have time to access the situation and take measures to protect myself or get the hell out of there. I would never park where I did not have the option to do that.

 

[jonesingforadventure]

I also want to be able to drive away without leaving the RV and am looking at a small type of Class C motorhome (would like no longer than 22'). I think I would feel too cramped in a Class B :/

 

[mizjewels]

I've been following this thread with great interest, due to having the same kind of concerns about camping alone. For those of you not in a van - just how are you able to drive off in a heartbeat if you've got leveling jacks/stabilizers set up and/or a slideout in use? The C was making a lot of sense until that thought occurred to me. I'd never be able to afford one new enough with all power jacks and everything...so how do you make a quick getaway if the vehicle is in camping mode?

 

[decodancer]

There has only been one time since I have owned my class C (2 years) that I have had to use leveling jacks. Mine is 31 feet long, a shorter one will be even easier to find a level spot. I do stay mostly at campgrounds though or Cracker Barrel or Flying J. Make level a priority when picking a spot. I don't have slideouts, nice for extra room if you stay put for long spells but just one more thing to break or leak.

 

[StarEcho]

so how do you make a quick getaway if the vehicle is in camping mode?

If it was just leveling blocks, you could just drive off them and drive off.  If you're in a bad situation, losing those would probably be the least of your worries.  But the stabilizing jacks, if you used them?  With a Class C anyway, if you used bottle jacks as stabilizing jacks, I'd think as you drove forward they'd topple and at most you'd risk driving over them.  Not a good thing, but if you were in fear for your life, maybe a worthwhile risk?  I don't know.  

If you can be happy without being level or only park places where you were already level, then you wouldn't have a problem.  Otherwise, you have to weigh the risk. 

I'm in the group that isn't going to let fear of the what-if to dictate how I do things.  Maybe shape my actions, but not dictate.  

 

[DrJean]

Fear is subjective.
Situational awareness is key.
If you do all you can to be safe (don't pull into a site you have to back out of if you can be blocked etc)... then you've done all you can do.

I survived Hurricane Andrew at ground zero. There's no such thing as safety in numbers.
I believe I am safest when I am in God's will where He wants me to be.

A couple I met at PT waiting is thinking of coming on board...going RV permanent. Prior military, he, too, has PTSD and wants to go! (I don't want to be anywhere, I just want to GO...) The wife is concerned for safety, she likes the roof over her head of a house. I reminded her she only has the impression of safety as it only takes one tornado and that house is gone.

We live in houses with alarms, locks, video cameras, gated communities, police/security patrol and guess what? When someone wants to do bad things, none of that stops them. There's only the subjective idea of safety there.

As for men being safer.... IDK... in today's world I really think there are evil people who are out to get anyone, not just women. I think what is different is the man's attitude and presentation in the situation. A woman might need to learn that but can exude it too!

I'd be more concerned about the strange disappearances in the National Parks, especially in the NW Territory.

Anyway, modern neurobiology has proven what we call "the observer effect" in that what you BELIEVE you will encounter is what you WILL encounter... the mind's thoughts are not ethereal but real entities growing in the brain and are visible on scans.... you can create with your mind!

Come on ladies.... you know how to make an entrance into a room when you want to impress! Use that same attitude when you're camping and especially if you encounter a never-do-well! Power.

 

[waldenbound]

Speak softly and carry a big ice axe.