Has anyone used Spotter Cones?

Deb55
Deb55 Member Posts: 293
in Trailer & Towing
We're new to towing. We've been trying to figure out a good way to mark the narrow part of our driveway where our Tab 400 will be parked, and also find a way to make backing into a small campsite easier. I found a product online called Spotter Cones, which have rechargeable lights and a laser sensor to help guide you and tell you when to stop. Has anyone used these? They don't give you a price online - - you have to call them. I'd rather not get a sales pitch without hearing someone's review first if possible. Alternatively, does anyone use just plain orange traffic cones for guidance? Thanks! 
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,533
    I've used everything from a rock to a pair of rolled up socks. The most used items, though, are the bright yellow chocks or the red lego blocks.  I'm going to use the chock almost immediately, anyway, after I stop the trailer.  I don't carry many "single use items."
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,655
    Some T@bbers carry cones to guide them while backing into campsites. I think I first heard about this from @Verna.
    I haven't tried it but it sounds like a good idea and I may give it a try. Much better than arguing with your spouse...  ;-)
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
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  • ADRawli
    ADRawli Member Posts: 199
    @pthomas745. Had to chuckle... rocks, socks, chocks, and blocks.  Have you tried locks or wood stocks?  😀
    Alan & Natalie       McKinney, TX
    nüCamp:  2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
    TV: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4x4    
     
    Dream big... work hard... never give up.
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  • klenger
    klenger Member Posts: 309
    Or just back up till it sounds really expensive :(

    T@B 320 manuals and electrical drawings
    Considering a 2024 TaB 400 with all the option packages (full lithium), 
    2023 Jeep Gladiator Sport S, Max Tow Package.  
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  • ScottG
    ScottG Administrator Posts: 5,655
    klenger said:
    Or just back up till it sounds really expensive :(

    Yeah, I almost did that my first season. Real easy site to back into, but I lost track of the tree directly behind me. Fortunately a watchful friend sounded the alarm!  :-0
    2015 T@B Max S (320)
    2015 Nissan Frontier SV V6 4x4
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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    Yes, there was a teardrop owner who used cones to guide her into her campsites. It worked for her. 

    At night, I put two of the bright LED lights from Harbor Freight on the ground facing each other about 5’ from where I want the tires to be even with, but angled so I can see them in my mirrors. It really works well, and actually makes it almost as easy as backing up in the daylight. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Homebodyatheart
    Homebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,516
    In the dark I’ve used a lamp or flashlight on the drivers side at the corner I want to end up at. It works well! (And my thanks to @Verna!)
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,533
    @ADRawli I didn't notice I'd done that!  I could have made a Dr. Seuss paragraph with all of that.....
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • kaylevine1
    kaylevine1 Member Posts: 165
    spotter cones $19.95 for bag of 50 you can get a variety of colors or all one color I would get the bright orange or yellow-sounds like a good idea-I've just been putting whatever I had handy to grab but they look nice n bright and easy to see
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  • kaylevine1
    kaylevine1 Member Posts: 165
    when I back up into the driveway at my house I like to put something near the overhand to make sure i'm not too close to the house-but would be good idea to put some on other side too as sometimes I have gone off into the grass
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  • Deb55
    Deb55 Member Posts: 293
    kaylevine1 said:
    spotter cones $19.95 for bag of 50 you can get a variety of colors or all one color I would get the bright orange or yellow-sounds like a good idea-I've just been putting whatever I had handy to grab but they look nice n bright and easy to see
    The Spotter Cones I saw online were some kind of fancy cones with rechargeable lights and laser sensors. They would flash once you were fully backed into your space, and at night the lasers made a bright lane for you to follow. They only come as a pair. You have to call the company for a price quote, which makes me suspicious, but they still sounded like a good idea. We'll probably get some cones that I saw on Amazon.com that can collapse flat for storage. I'm sure they're cheaper! 
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  • Deb55
    Deb55 Member Posts: 293
    This is what I was talking about...https://spottercone.com/
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  • VictoriaP
    VictoriaP Member Posts: 1,496
    Deb55 said:
    kaylevine1 said:
    spotter cones $19.95 for bag of 50 you can get a variety of colors or all one color I would get the bright orange or yellow-sounds like a good idea-I've just been putting whatever I had handy to grab but they look nice n bright and easy to see
    The Spotter Cones I saw online were some kind of fancy cones with rechargeable lights and laser sensors. They would flash once you were fully backed into your space, and at night the lasers made a bright lane for you to follow. They only come as a pair. You have to call the company for a price quote, which makes me suspicious, but they still sounded like a good idea. We'll probably get some cones that I saw on Amazon.com that can collapse flat for storage. I'm sure they're cheaper! 
    I’d go with the ones you found on Amazon + a couple of the lights Verna uses for those times when you arrive at night. 

    The lasers forming a lane are a brilliant idea, but with no price on the web and basically no info out there besides their own website? I’m just not impressed with a so called “business” that can’t even do e-commerce properly in this day and age...if they can’t manage a simple site plugin for a basic web shopping cart, I don’t have much faith in their device tech, fulfillment process, or support after purchase.
    2019 320s BD Lite, white with blue (“Haven”)
    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6r (unsafe 200lb tongue weight limit until 2020 models)
    2020 Subaru Outback XT
    Pacific NW
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  • Luckyj
    Luckyj Member Posts: 286
    pthomas745 said:
    I've used everything from a rock to a pair of rolled up socks. The most used items, though, are the bright yellow chocks or the red lego blocks.  I'm going to use the chock almost immediately, anyway, after I stop the trailer.  I don't carry many "single use items."
    Are you saying that you leave plastic lego block that will not decompose in tye ground at your campsite.  

    Is it my understanding of single use and lego blocks??
    2017 T@G Max Outback "Le Refuge"
    TV 2005 jeep TJ unlimited
    and/or 2005 Nissan X-Trail 4wd
    Alaskan Malamuthe on board!

    Les Escoumins and Petite-Riviere-St-Francois QC
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  • Deb55
    Deb55 Member Posts: 293
    I think what pthomas745 meant was that he or she used the "Lego" leveling blocks as a guide for backing up  and didn't carry items in the trailer that are only used for one purpose, like traffic cones. Not that plastic was being left behind in the ground at the campsite! 
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