Help preparing for first long distance RVing vacation

Agree with some of the great suggestions you got so far. We've done 3 trips across the US of 32 days or more and a lot of what you've been told is standard operating procedure for us.

Tires - yes, check them on TT and TV and don't forget the spares. I always take a pressure gauge and bought one of those laser/infra-red thermometers to check tire & hub temperatures when we stop.

Bearings - could be worth the peace of mind to have your trusted RV service shop repack them. You have a pretty ambitious schedule and a bearing failure would ruin a LOT of your plans.

Clearances - know them.

Weight - before we leave on any extended voyage all the unnecessary stuff comes out - television, extra chairs, even dishes and utensils. I get that trailer as light as possible. Weigh your rig loaded and ready for the road if possible.

I also agree with others in that you should plan to balance those days of hard driving with a day or two off the road. Add some days to your itinerary if you can, and yes, be open to unexpected attractions that are not in your original plan.

Yellowstone - specifically, make sure you stock up on food and other consumables before going in to the park. If you have to restock in YNP you'll find it very expensive and not a lot of things to choose from. Gas - nothing you can do about that as you'll likely be doing so much driving in the park that you'll have to bite the bullet. Be sure your furnace is in good working order, you have plenty of LP gas, and warm clothing. Nights at Yellowstone can be very cold, even in July. Case in point - we left YNP on the morning of July 5, 2004. It was 37 degrees.

Enjoy & safe travels.

Be nice to have a couple more days. Driving a truck and trailer is a lot slower going than traveling in a car. You are looking at 13 hours of road time per day.

Dave...

Agree with all of the above.

-tires,tires,tires. (weakest link), cheater/breaker bar
-leave early, pull off early
-avoid major metroplex during rush hours
-tank hits 1/4 full..be looking
-review your TV/RV insurance policies, warranties
-fuses
-know your gas station clearances
-Gas buddy app, Love's/Pilot locations
-less is more... tow light
-familiarize with all the manual back-ups, make sure they work
-Navy Vet ... FamCamps?

p.s. as ORbiker stated... the week after the 4th the Park is empty. BTDT.

Charles

Cup fan wrote:
Atomlinson, tires are obviously one of my biggest concerns. But the RV is new, and we only had it out 3 times after we bought out, the farthest being Branson about 90 miles away over Labor day weekend. So the condition of the tires should be fine.

Just be aware that your new tires on your new rig may be what so many refer on here as "china bombs", meaning low grade tires that the company puts on new campers these days. A simple search on here will show you various stories of tire failure, even with correct inflation, etc.
Good luck and have a good time!

"we will gone a total of 8 days. 2 days travel each way and 4 days at the park."

That not a vacation. That's torture. Especially on the 4th of July weekend.

Take an extra week off and enjoy Yellowstone.

Sounds like you have the bases covered for most items. Long trips are just more of the same as short trips. The biggest thing to think about is actual time in the seat. The Bighorns, for example, are fantastic - but driving is pretty slow. Very long uphills and downhills, with lots of sections of 15mph switchbacks, etc. Easily do-able, but don't plan to be covering 100 miles in an hour and a half. Go on-line, and purchase a copy of "The Mountain Directory-West" (downloadable). It covers all the routes in the western US and notes where there are steep grades.
While you may want to run at 60-65mph when possible to make time, budget an average of 40-45mph for the average per day to account for stops, slow areas, etc.
Yes, slower than when just in a passenger car, but your family, and tires, will be grateful.
1200 miles in two days is very, very ambitious when pulling a trailer! You'll be getting up really early, and arriving really late.

how old are your tires and have ever repacked the wheel bearings, two biggest concerns of mine. I also see the TT is new but you are asking why repack if the TT is new. many of us look at it this way, building a TT is not rocket science and if they build one it usually is full of misfits or shabby build practices. if they can't build a TT with the greatest quality what makes you think they packed the bearing properly too. every new or used TT I have purchased goes in for new and over sized tires and I get the bearings repacked. found some bearings not packed perfectly

Atomlinson, tires are obviously one of my biggest concerns. But the RV is new, and we only had it out 3 times after we bought out, the farthest being Branson about 90 miles away over Labor day weekend. So the condition of the tires should be fine. I'll just make sure that I monitor the tire pressure, and because they don't balance them at the factory, I will have that done as well.
ORbiker, we will gone a total of 8 days. 2 days travel each way and 4 days at the park. And we will be there July 4th through the 8th. As far as interstate travel, I prefer not to, but in this case, going out across Nebraska, it will be the best and quickest way. Now depending on which direction we decide to enter Yellowstone from, we might break off at Ogallala and go out through Scottsbluff. That gives us the option of going north through Sheridan and Bighorn, or west through Dubois and Moran.
I will probably want to make a campground reservation before we go once we decide where we are going to land. Probably West Yellowstone or possibly Gardiner since Fishing Bridge is already booked. I'm in the process of researching rv parks, plus I've asked for recommendations on another thread in this forum.

I would check the electric brakes, wheel bearings & tires including spare. Be sure you have a jack and correct lug wrench. Grease your contact points on hitch & bars. Hard to cover all your bases. I wish you well

Cup fan wrote:
I am in the beginning stages of planning for our first long distance vacation with the travel trailer. We will be going from Missouri to Yellowstone this summer. We have been camping for years and I'm comfortable towing the trailer, but we've never taken it on a trip of this magnitude. So I'm looking to the experts on here for tips and advice regarding pre-departure preparations and things that I need to be doing and watching for during the trip. It is a new trailer. We only used it three times before we had to put it away for the winter, and no issues with it thus far. Plus we'll take our usual local weekend trips around here before we go. I'm aware of the obvious things to do such as closely monitoring tire pressure and checking lug nuts, evenly distributing weight, proper hitch set-up, keeping my speed in check, etc. I am going to have the tires balanced before we go too. What i'm really looking for is the little things that could easily be overlooked both before and during travel. For example, I've never travelled with the fridge running, I know there could be wind issues across Nebraska and Wyoming, I'll need to use the transmission to help keep my speed in check and save brakes down any mountain grades, you get my drift. I know you can't plan for everything, I just want make sure we have as much of a trouble free trip as possible.

How many days are you planning on being gone?
When? Yellowstone area gets pretty crowded so some reservations might be helpful or find a stopping point further from the park.
It about 1200 miles one way. Do you really want to do the interstate or do you want to see America. Try getting off the interstate for a few hours here and there.