Camping on Sand

Do you have a 4WD truck? That is the major tip.

You want hard packed sand well above the high tide line. And if you hit a patch of soft sand do not stop or slow down.

I've pulled some folks out at Jacksonville beach, I have 4WD they did not. AWD does not count.

Air down, never stop or slow if you feel you are sinking, go where others have gone recently, carry a shovel, tow strap, D rings, ramps and have fun. (Oceano Dunes veteran here. Once in a Corvette but I was lucky and the girl was beautiful.)

Cannot speak to driving on sand but have camped near the shoreline, wonderful on a nice calm night, add some onshore wind and the waves crashing in all night long does not make for a restful night.

In WA state in Ocean Shores, you can drive on the beach.. You can't 'camp' or overnight there, but you can bring your rig on the sand...

All the soft sand is above the high tide level... That's where everyone gets stuck at least at Ocean Shores, WA.. :)

I've pulled out many small cars and 2wd trucks in my time going there with just a stock 4x4 F150..

I don't go into the soft sand like those stuck were in..

I have seen RV's out there, but they seem to stick to the hard packed side and move accordingly as the tide comes in and then leave when it gets too close.

I don't go out there anymore, as just way too many 'goofs' out there now... But, back in the day, it was fun and a family could enjoy themselves and not have to deal with all the ATV's and other such nonsense..

Ooops... Too many cold snacks I think... :)

OH yeah and salt and fine sand, so be prepared for a major truck and RV desalting cleaning and you'll be finding sand inside the RV for weeks

MNRon wrote:
We’re at Mustang Island SP (Corpus Christi) in the conventional campground. Just walked along the beach and looked at the primitive beach campsites. I’m intrigued, looking out over the waves and listening to the breakers sounds inviting. DW is less enamored, especially after just watching a class c being pulled out because he’d buried it up to the axles.

How many of you camp on the beach along south TX (S Padre Is has similar camping I believe). How risky is it with a 16k 5er, and an SRW 4wd truck? Am I just being too cautious, or too risky to think about it? Also, any tips or tricks?

As always, thanks for your insights.

Make sure you have a good Emergency Road Side policy that primary business is providing service for RV's. AAA would not be my choice.

Rust will ruin your TV and RV. Back away from shore to enjoy the area and not ruin your equipment.

Best if you air tires down to about 18psi. With 4x4 you you could pull it easily. I used to camp in the dunes at Pismo. Just need a compressor on board to air back up on the way out. My toy hauler was 17k loaded. Had never had a problem except when I didn’t air down all the trailer tires, only the truck one time.

I know of several people over the years who decided to go bombing around on what they thought was perfectly flat hard sand and found out when they got stuck that they ran into a 2 foot mat of seaweed that had a few inches of sand over it. The beach is isolated, so no help anywhere close. Bottom line is the tide swallowed them up, and trucks were a write off.

Conditions where you want to go might be different, but check with your insurance provider to make sure you are covered!

Due to the salt damage, we no longer camp anywhere salt water...so beach camping is out for me.

Ken