trying something new....heading to Florida in winter

We stay in Walmart lots otw down and back, 1 night each way. I've started the furnace a couple hours before we stop and it helped a little but it was pretty chilly inside still. Bring some extra blankets, maybe sleeping bags and I think you'll be fine. I now have a 5th wheel with a generator so we use electric space heaters along with the furnace and it warms up nicely. Have a good trip, I wish we were going south this winter.

I appreciate all the advice. I will spray off the under carriage somehow but at least most of it is covered. We are allowing for extra time on the way home before I have to go back to work. That way, if we should hit a delay, we should be ok. We would just need to find a pet friendly hotel if we cannot get to an open campground. I will have to do some checking to see where the all year campgrounds are off I 75 as we head back north.

Make sure your wally locations are in good areas. You can check the towns out beforehand at: Google crime rate for "neighborhood scout", also "Sperling"

I pulled our previous 5th wheel back from Florida to Michigan in a bad snow storm. It started with ice in Georgia. I think I was in 4wd most of the time and they closed I75 after we went through. Good luck. And, wash the under carriage of your trailer when you get home because it will be all rusty in the spring if you don't. I also replaced the kids bikes that were on the back of the 5th wheel from all the salt damage.

Best of luck to you. You should be fine if you are flexible and don't feel pressured to travel when the weather is problematic. We have homes in Fl and NC (two hours north of Atlanta). On two different occasions we have had to delay somewhere in south Georgia waiting for the roads to clear. One year we waited two extra days to get through Atlanta, then got snowed-in in NC and had to wait a week to get back to FL. One year we had to leave our TT at a service station in north Georgia for over a week while we continued our trip in the truck. Most of the time it is a piece of cake. lizzie

We take the long route every year in January & come back in February , 7,000 plus miles in ~ 3 wks. From Ontario down to Arizona up into British Columbia and return, probably 60 or 75 percent of it is winter towing. Not a huge issue, use common sense, follow the weather reports to keep ahead of storms and be prepared to hunker down if it gets ugly.

If we get a report of bad storms coming, we won't go. I don't mean a little storm, I am thinking more of the 10+ inches we just got, or when they predict ice storms. I will keep the Wally world in mind. That was going to be our first plan. We have never overnighted in a Wally World but I know a lot of people do it....our trips have always been within 1 day of travel. Ah, but the kids are getting older and will be able to handle the long ride better.

yr2017 wrote:
I avoid I75 - simply because too much semi traffic and if it's slippery - which it nearly always is - it's a bad place to be with nowhere to go - exc the ditch.

I prefer I65 even with the hills and keep it in 5 to 7th (out of 10)

From MI to FL, your only real choices are I-75 or I-77/I=95. I have not been south of NC on either in a while.

Dave H M wrote:
We rely heavily on the weather channel weekly planner and try to never never tow on slippery roads.

if you are not on a schedule why increase risks?

Smart. VERY SMART !

I chain up. The truck and the last axle on the horse trailer.

I avoid I75 - simply because too much semi traffic and if it's slippery - which it nearly always is - it's a bad place to be with nowhere to go - exc the ditch.

I prefer I65 even with the hills and keep it in 5 to 7th (out of 10)

In the past, we always towed thru the smokies in the winter and stayed a while in SC prior to going to FL.

We rely heavily on the weather channel weekly planner and try to never never tow on slippery roads.

if you are not on a schedule why increase risks?

it has been a while but there is really a nice Wally stop over just south of Nashville on 65.