Positioning the Trailer Within a Site

Once you've found the campsite you want, you then need to position your RV within the site. This sounds a bit mundane, but with certain campsites it can really make your stay in the campground much more pleasant.

While staying at Blanco State Park this past winter, we positioned our trailer over to the passenger side of the site as far as possible so that the awning -- when extended -- would cover us all the way to the covered picnic table (see picture below). It was raining almost daily at the park during our stay, so this allowed us to go back and forth to the picnic table and be fairly protected from the weather.

The location of shade trees around your site may also determine how far back into your site you may want to park your RV. During warm weather, you will want to park to get the most shade possible, while in cold weather you would want your RV more fully exposed to the sun.

Unfortunately, not all RV sites are level, and this may determine exactly where you position your RV within a site. We have found this to be a problem for us when the site slopes more and more the farther back you get into the site. I like for my truck to be safely off the road, so under normal circumstances, I try to put the trailer as far back into the site as I can. I can then back my truck into the site, drop the tailgate, and use it as an extra work area. However, if I have to position the trailer closer to the front of the site, this may not leave room for my truck.

If the site is paved, then we normally like to park to take the greatest advantage of this. In such cases, I may try to get over as far as I can on the driver's side of the site. This leaves a lot of paved area on the side where our 2 doors are on the trailer. We can then go in and out of the trailer on pavement, a great plus especially during nasty weather. We have an outdoor carpet which is, I believe, 6' x 9'. It's always nice when we can place it on a smooth, level surface. Not only does it keep the carpet cleaner, but it makes for a smoother walking surface. There have been many times when we've had to place our carpet down on an uneven surface, perhaps with rocks and roots. This is not a big thing, but a smooth surface does make for a bit more pleasant stay.

You need, of course, to always be mindful of your slide out(s). Is there enough room to slide out without hitting a tree or post? And if you intend to use your antennae, make sure you can raise and lower it without hitting obstacles. The same applies to your awning. We've been in more than one place where there simply was not enough room to fully extend our awning. Since we love being outside, this is important to us. I love sitting out under my awning during a light rain, especially if there is a light nip in the air and I have a good cup of coffee to warm me up. Isn't it experiences like this that make us want to have an RV in the first place? Then why not make sure you've done everything to get the most out of it?