Doug & Sharon M.

   My wife and I took this course together.  We are both completely new to RVing, and have never pulled any trailer even close to this size (41 foot triple axle 5^th wheel pulled by a Silverado 3500 dually with a full crew cab and long bed.)  Just learning to drive the truck without the trailer has been a learning experience (due to the turning radius and massive size of the thing).

    After using the trailer for the first time, and spending 3 embarrassing hours trying to back it into our first camping spot, we knew we needed some help.  Some bloggers we follow (Mark and Julie Bennett with RVLove) suggested we check out the driving school affiliated with Escapees.  (We are Escapee members).

    We located Bob in Benson AZ on the driving school locater map, and drove over from San Diego to take the class.

    The two day class provided a tremendous confidence boost! By the time we completed the course, we could both back the trailer in a straight line as far as we wanted, and we had each successfully backed the trailer into a typical sized RV lot from a typical narrow street using both the standard approach from close to the curb, and the “Z” approach in which you first position the trailer at an angle from the spot. (The RV lot and street were simulated with traffic cones)

     Bob was a real pleasure to work with.  He also helped us refine our skills in hooking and unhooking the trailer, and developing a thorough checklist to be sure we didn’t forget anything (like putting down the tailgate!)

    We also spent time with Bob and his wife after the class discussing all things RV.  We learned a lot and made some new friends.

     Finally, we now have the confidence to take the trailer out and continue practicing and honing our skills on our own.

         Thanks much,