Tested: Reverse Mate

They say public speaking is the biggest fear of most Australians, but many owners of big caravans will testify that backing their tandem axle beast into a tight spot at a busy caravan park, with a snickering crowd watching, is more nerve wracking.

It's a growing problem with the increasing number of caravanners purchasing larger 20ft-plus models, and exacerbated by the sardine packed situation at many popular parks these days.

While many park operators offer 'courtesy' parking for nervous or inexperienced drivers, or you could perhaps opt for a powered caravan mover, sooner or later you'll want to bite the bullet and learn how to reverse park your big van properly, either from a professional or by spending a few hours in an empty parking lot perfecting your skills.

However, there is another option with a clever new and relatively affordable trailer reversing aid, designed to take the heartache and guesswork out of reversing a large 'van into perfect position.

The Reverse Mate is the brainchild of Queensland septuagenarian Graham Pilgrim, an experienced RV traveller and budding inventor with a background in engineering and building (he's also working on a prototype for a new under-awning clothes line for caravans!)

Pilgrim came up with the Reverse Mate concept after towing around his 31ft fifth-wheel caravan and noticing how often people struggled to reverse park their vans. The end result was his "world's first" invention which boasts an international patent pending design so simple you wish you'd thought of it yourself.

While the actual product is pretty basic (a couple of bright orange 600m long aluminium poles supported by fold-out cross plates and stored in a soft zipper bag when not in use), you do need to spend a few minutes reading, understanding and then carefully following the instructions for it all to work as described in the manual and video (and also practice a few times so it becomes second nature).

Without going in to too much detail, the steps include taking a few measurements of your van, using one of the built-in tape measures, before crunching a mathematical equation to end up with two vital measurements: the 'pivot distance', or distance between the two markers placed as guides around the outer edge of the campsite, and the 'pivot point', or spot on the van that's used as a guide for when to straighten up the steering wheel while backing up.

Once the markers are in the right spot, taking into account any additional space on the door side needed to set up an awning or annexe, the driver then backs up the the van using the towing mirrors, with the ideal approach from the driver's right side although the left side also works but with different marker positions.

The aim is to get the wheel(s) of the van 300mm from the first marker, before turning in towards the second marker and straightening up the steering wheel when the van's 'pivot point' also passes the marker. It's job well done when the rear offside corner of the van lines up perfectly with the second, rear marker.

I tried it for the first time with a 5.46m (18ft body length) single axle van, and after a couple of tries got it slotted nicely into position. The formula for determining the location of the pivot point is different for smaller vans -- it could be two metres in front of the axle, or the leading front edge of the body -- so some experimentation is in order to work out the precise location for your 'van.

While still useful for sub-20ft vans, Pilgrim admits the Reverse Mate formula was originally devised for and works best with larger vans like his big fifth wheeler, or the 25ft tandem axle van used in the instructional video.

Depending on the severity of the approach angle, he also admits you might have to do some to-and-fro shuffling to get the caravan's wheels lined up correctly alongside the first marker if coming from a jack knife style position.

Otherwise, the marker poles are bright and easy to see, with reflector tape and amber/white LED indicators for night-time parking, or for use as an extra work light. Each marker opens up and folds down easily, and the 2.6kg kit easily stores away in the supplied bag in the caravan or tow vehicle. Much more convenient than a set of witches hats!

Since launching the Reverse Mate, Pilgrim has made some improvements including extending the roll-out tape measure in each marker from 3m to 5m. While the painted black and orange aluminum components look durable, the fold out metal bases don't always sit flat on bumpy or uneven ground.

We'd recommend the Reverse Mate as a good learning tool for first-time caravanners, along with solo travellers and those with larger tandem axle vans. It could also serve as a 'marriage saving' device for caravanning couples, and it's a lot cheaper although less convenient than fitting a reverse camera.

The Reverse Mate retails for $150 from the official website, plus $10 postage anywhere in Australia, and $10 from each purchase is donated to the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation.