Community Forums

Gregory0495 · 04-13-2015, 03:02 PM

Embarrassed to admit but I made a real "rookie" mistake - I am hoping I am not the only one and looking for your "fix" to keep it from happening again. This past weekend I was ducking under one of our open slides and came up a step too short - as a result, I now have six staples on the top of my head! Ouch! Has anyone come up with a safety solution to prevent injuries (aka trips to the ER)? I was thinking maybe pipe wrap or a pool noodle - not sure if this will work but I haven't yet tried as I am still nursing my wound. Anyone have any ideas or solutions...assuming I am not alone in suffering this "rookie" mistake...any advise is appreciated.

road dogs · 04-13-2015, 03:08 PM

I see lots of pool noodle safety bolsters on slide corners in RV parks. Our 5th wheel is pretty tall and I am not, so it's never been an issue except in a few places where the ground is high on the slide side. I do have a couple of head dings from shortcutting under the 5th wheel pinbox area and finding a latch or pinbox corner with my head though....

**CLIFFTALL** · 04-13-2015, 03:10 PM

You're far from the first. Sorry to hear yours required stitches. I did a search and came up with this link that has a few threads on this that may assist.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bang...com&gws_rd=ssl

waterboy10 · 04-13-2015, 03:17 PM

Wear a hard hat LOL. Been there done that (still).

LarrytheBear · 04-13-2015, 03:17 PM

Go ahead and do it about two more times and that's about the general learning curve... Just kidding...

I've seen noodles in use, as said above, but then the concern is to remember to remove them before putting slides in.

sirpurrcival · 04-13-2015, 03:19 PM

Yes, I too have had a run in with a slide and experienced the joys of pasta sauce on the old noggin. So sorry, you are just a copy cat.

Nowabeachbum · 04-13-2015, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarrytheBear

Go ahead and do it about two more times and that's about the general learning curve... Just kidding...

I've seen noodles in use, as said above, but then the concern is to remember to remove them before putting slides in.

Pretty sure that 3 times is indeed the general learning curve! The second and third time will be quite a while from now since it will take your head some time to forget it doesn't want to do that again! Pipe wrap works, but as stated before, it will not be needed for a long time. By then you may tire of putting it on and taking it off and that's when the second one happens! The good news is it's usually not as bad! By the third one, it's only a small headache!

Anybody that says they've never done it, has a motorhome with no slides!

jestal · 04-13-2015, 03:45 PM

Rest assured that you are not the lone ranger. Staples and permanent scars are more rare but I have hit my head on a slide more times than I care to admit. With little hair to hide them I just call them slide bites.

One thing you can do is to wear a ball cap when you are working around the coach or setting up or packing up. The bill and free space under the brow or crown of the cap gives you enough warning to lessen the blow if you are getting too close to something and the extra layer of padding elsewhere will usually reduce the sting and laceration. Seems too simple and obvious but it really works.

In many of the auto plants I have worked in ball caps are a mandatory safety item just like safety glasses. Head bumps and cuts were a major injury item and hard hats were just not going to happen in that atmosphere...... The head injury rate plummeted with the ball cap rule, however. Fact! They usually give you just enough warning to avoid a hard hit.

If you are a slow learner then maybe add an extra layer of foam to the top...

Keep an Entegra cap on a hook by the door to remind you to wear it!

MRUSA14 · 04-13-2015, 03:56 PM

The pool noodle would probably work but how are you going to get it to fit over your head?

Just kidding. Generally one such disaster is enough learning curve to keep one from repeating. I'll bet a little voice goes off in your head from now on whenever you are near the slideout. My wife had an incident like yours the first week we had a coach. Twelve years later now and no repeats.

papaw.1 · 04-13-2015, 04:16 PM

Hi ALL,
My vote is for bright colored noodles.Don't ask me why.Good Luck and Safe travels and take care of the old nogging.

Good To Go · 04-13-2015, 04:52 PM

After more than once, I now know where the term hard head came from.

Steve

hawgguy · 04-13-2015, 05:03 PM

I continue to bonk my noggin. At what point will I learn?

Gordon Dewald · 04-13-2015, 05:10 PM

Sorry - dont mean to bust your bean but it is not a rookie mistake. There may be one or two out in the wild but for the most part we have all walked away from a slide with a bruise or worse.

TerryO · 04-13-2015, 05:43 PM

After the last time and drawing a good amount of blood I've made the decision to only connect and disconnect water, sewer and power with the slides in since most of the run ins between my head and corner of the slide happen then. I must be a way slower learner than the rest of you because I'm way, way past three times now.