Practicing parking a camper is the best experience you can have in properly parking your camper. Bring your rig to a large empty parking lot or field and practice backing and pulling into various areas to simulate a campsite. This allows you the confidence to successfully park your camper when you go camping.
Pull-through campsites offer the convenience of simply pulling in and setting up the trailer and pulling out when leaving camp with out much maneuvering. When parking in a pull-through camp site, you should pull the camper in close to the side opposite the entrance to allow room to set up your camp.
For back-in sites, you must pull past the site and back the trailer in by turning your steering wheel the opposite way you want the camper to turn. Back in slowly and do not jack knife the trailer by turning too sharply. If the trailer turns too far, simply pull back out, straighten up, then start backing in again. Backing-in sites take some skill and it is best to practice in an open area before arriving at a wooded or small campsite.
When parking your camper, choose an area somewhat flat which allows you to level it properly for use. A parking area should have enough room to walk around the camper, access its storage compartments and allow the slide-out rooms to fully open. Do not park your camper on a muddy, soft or extremely sandy surface, as it could sink and become hard or impossible to remove.
Parking a camper for an extended period takes some extra precautions to prevent damage and wear to the camper. Pick an area away from trees if possible, as they can drop limbs causing damage or unwanted dust and sap that ruins the finish of the camper. Parking the camper's tires on a hard surface such as concrete, wood or gravel prevents tire rot from constant contact with moisture.
