Women Drivers

[05ModPod]

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

Women RVers or "glampers" are the largest growing segment in the RV world.

Most of them are 50+ in age who are divorced or widowed, and want to hit the open road after years of looking after a family, house, etc.

And they are doing it all! Towing, maintenance, etc.

Ha ha I resemble this post although I did not have kids (not my choice) I did spend 30 years looking after a 6'.2" kid

Did the career thing, did the american (come Canadian) Dream thing - saved all the money, did what we were supposed to do. Married young, prepared for a family, got the house the dog and the family car and two great jobs. You know follow the society rules, the parents aspirations, all the education teachings - life was set - yeah right. Only to have it all taken away in a matter of a few years just when you are about to retire.

On top of that add anomalies and twists in your life journey you never expect, or wanted - but have no choice but to accept, stand back up brush yourself off - and hit the road in your airstream best medicine in the world!!!

Life is BIG but never too LARGE is my motto.

I hope you get out there streamrollin - if simply not for peace of mind as a back up driver in case of injury or under the weather...I guarantee you will have fun and after the initial learning curve and butterflies you will say to yourself why on earth was I ever worried about towing...

[overlander63]

I do all the towing, but I insist Marie knows how to hitch up and tow the trailer home in case something bad happens to me again. I don't expect her to back into our driveway, though. She is to tow the trailer to the shop and have one of the guys put it in storage until I am back up and around.

[kds]

Originally Posted by beckybillrae

I hitch it, I pull it, I back it. All as easy as pie. You just have to take your time, leave a nice space between you & the guy in front of you, and don't have an audience while learning to back up! My daughter also can do all of the above. She's 28 and well on her way to being an independent camper. Our husbands have jobs that don't allow them to travel much in the summer, so we go together in our own little caravan to the state park that's about 40 minutes away. I'm more seasoned than she & have pulled trailers since I was her age. YOU CAN DO IT! Airstreams are such a breeze to tow...you don't even feel trucks going by!

Yes, I hitch it, I pull it, I back it and more. My husband is a workaholic so if I waited for "him to drive" we would never go anywhere. I love it when he joins me but I always drive, he navigates. He 's the best.

I feel so very lucky that he likes to work and I like to travel in the AS. It works for us. Ladies, if I can do it, anyone can!

kds

[cbcnm]

i am a solo mom to a 7 and 10 year old. i hitch , tow and back up on my own. i have had the opportunity to get some lessons in all of those skills. everyone has been pretty generous with advice and i always ask what your favorite towing tip is when i meet a new trailer person. my sometime boyfriend took me out on a country road with his boat and stick shift toyota. he gave me a lesson and then got out his i phone and played angry birds for 2 hours while i backed up and down that road with my tires on the yellow line. i was sweating but there were no more tears when faced with backing up after that .

[masseyfarm]

MGW is a super driver. She can tell when I am going to fast, to slow, to close to the curb, not in the right parking spot, (that one is closer!) should have started earlier, should have stopped back there, you missed the turn, that light was yellow, you need fuel, and the good advice just keeps commin'.
She does it all from the passenger seat.

But, I would never get there without her.

Dave

[Diesel1]

My wife does all the driving....I just work the pedals.

[danlehosky]

My wife, for whatever reason likes to do the monotonous Interstate driving. I do all of the backing.

Dan

[Skater]

My wife does some of the driving. Do I vote "Yes"?

[slowmover]

Does she pull it? What is this poll/thread about?

[StreamRollin]

The thread is titled WOMEN DRIVERS, what do YOU think it's about - maybe read the original posting.
Wendy

[StreamRollin]

Thanks to all for the great advice. I think as long as we're on the route less traveled, I will definately help out so Jim can at least rest his legs & mind. It's really only the first 2 days of our big vacation that are pounding pavement ... once we get to Livingston TX from Denver, it's short 3 to 4 hours trips between destinations. I certainly appreciate all the input. Wendy

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by GT1963

Ha ha I resemble this post although I did not have kids (not my choice) I did spend 30 years looking after a 6'.2" kid

Did the career thing, did the american (come Canadian) Dream thing - saved all the money, did what we were supposed to do. Married young, prepared for a family, got the house the dog and the family car and two great jobs. You know follow the society rules, the parents aspirations, all the education teachings - life was set - yeah right. Only to have it all taken away in a matter of a few years just when you are about to retire.

On top of that add anomalies and twists in your life journey you never expect, or wanted - but have no choice but to accept, stand back up brush yourself off - and hit the road in your airstream best medicine in the world!!!

Life is BIG but never too LARGE is my motto.

I hope you get out there streamrollin - if simply not for peace of mind as a back up driver in case of injury or under the weather...I guarantee you will have fun and after the initial learning curve and butterflies you will say to yourself why on earth was I ever worried about towing...

Excellent reply, GT.

Not every rig consists of man, woman, and dog.

The open road is just that.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - Official Trailer - YouTube

[Skater]

The poll appears to be aimed at women, but my wife does not read these forums. So should I check yes for her?

My opinion: If you can pull the boat and trailer, you'll be fine with the camper. I think an Airstream in particular is easier to tow - the weight distribution is better than boats usually are (low center of gravity, over the wheels and slightly forward instead of in the back of the trailer).

[eubank]

My wife won't pull the Airstream because she won't drive the truck. The problem, as unlikely as it may seem, is that she really doesn't like an automatic transmission. Argh. And our truck is the very first automatic-transmission vehicle we've ever owned! Guess I should have ordered a manual.

Lynn

[clemdogmom]

Please see me on You Tube - "Martha's Airstream".

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by clemdogmom

Please see me on You Tube - "Martha's Airstream".

Hi, good job Martha; And a great video too.

[StreamNTyme]

Every woman should tow, it lets their partner relax a bit and if there were an emergency, she could take over with no problem.

[loudruff]

Originally Posted by clemdogmom

Please see me on You Tube - "Martha's Airstream".

Way to go, Martha!!! Love it!
You are a Silver Sister!!!

[Foiled Again]

Love this thread. In my home campground I'm a bit of an odd bird - most of the women DON'T tow, so it's refreshing to see how many really DO. Of course there are a lot of 80 somethings in my campground.

I have seen a few who after losing their husbands, finally have to decide to give up camping or learn - and they all succeed eventually. Fear is the biggest obstacle. Getting over the fear of being laughed at is the second one. I think I'll never be an expert at backing, but every now and then I get into a difficult space on one try and am still secretly rather pleased at myself for doing it. When in doubt I get out and LOOK... and if someone has to wait for me for 30 seconds T.S.!

Paual

[webspinner]

I have towed before and I'll tow again.

I have towed solo, with my family in the car, with just my husband, and just my son. All configurations have their advantages and disadvantages. None are impossible.

When backing, remember to turn the BOTTOM of the steering wheel the way you want the BACK of trailer to go. Beyond that, it's a question of trial and error while you learn how quickly it responds, when to start a turn, and when you've gone too far for the trailer to be responsive (jackknifing).

I love the freedom of knowing that I can, and the peace of having my thoughts to myself. Also, it helps a lot to know that my husband won't be exhausted from doing a long day of driving on his own. Sometimes we have a far destination and not enough vacation time and long haul days are necessary.

The more you pull, the easier it gets.