The most surprising and endearing aspect of watching Andy Thomson's towing seminar is that even if you have seen it in the past, it is continually evolving and being updated. I have been fortunate enough to have seen it no less than eight times over the last number of years and this past week in Niagara Falls, Ontario I feel like I learned more than I had previously.
We were at the Airstream Region 2 Rally at Jellystone Park with more than 100 other Airstreams that had come from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Ontario to catch up with old friends, make new friends and generally celebrate the RV Lifestyle. There was a dance, a movie and outings to the many tourist destinations in and around the Falls. But hands down the most participated event that weekend was Mr Thomson's towing seminar.
Row after row of extra chairs were set up and the room was packed. 
If you have not had a chance to see the towing seminar, do try to make it to a spring open house and test drive day or the Toronto RV Show or another event when Andy is guest speaking. Andy has been writing his Hitch Hint's column for RV Life Magazine for a couple of decades and his advice and knowledge is sought after from across North America. The towing seminar is actually just a glimpse into Thomson's extensive knowlege of all things towing. Just think of him as the "Yoda" of trailering. "Luke...use the Force of weight distribution, the Force is strong!"
Somehow Andy manages to describe what could be a super complicated topic about the forces that effect the towing and weight distribution of a wide variety of vehicles and circumstances without ever making one feel that they dropped into a seminar for NASA alumni. It might be as complicated as rocket science but through the use of diagrams, photos,
videos taken on race tracks and his humourous anecdotes you are never left scratching your head. It all just makes perfect sense! His other innate talent is his ability to indicate his least preferential tow vehicles and towing equipment in a way that those in the audience with that exact set up are not offended. Sometimes this is preferenced by "Ah is there anyone in the audience that is towing with a __________? Ok, good" Then he explains why. His good nature and kind manner is appreciated by all and the success of Can Am RV has a lot to do with his excellent judgement and people skills. Some of the topics he covered were load capacity, centre of gravity, hitch set up, tow vehicle choice and sway control. We were also updated on the latest adventures in towing with electric vehicles. In this case Andy has many miles of experience towing with Teslas and Airstreams. What began about 3 years ago as "The Tesla Experiment" has evolved into a body of knowledge and experience that has resulted in Can Am setting up dozens and dozens of Teslas ready to tow. Andy's recent trips to Colorado and Key West were discussed and the detailed documentation shared. With all his years of towing experience with a greater variety of vehicles than anyone else anywhere, Andy declares his Tesla set up is his favourite by far!
I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. I found it reinforced things that I already knew and understood and reaquainted me with facts that I had forgotten. And I also picked up new information and strategies that I will put to use this season.
And don't dispair if you have not had a chance to see the seminar in person. The link below with take you to our Hitch Hints Archive and keep checking our Can Am RV Blog for updates about the next presentation. Better yet, if you are not receiving our popular bi-monthly Can-Am RV Newsletter, use the link below to sign up for that. It has parts and service specials,travel tips and upcoming events that are pertinent to all brands of trailers and motor homes.
Link to Hitch Hints Link to Can-Am RV Newsletter Subscription
