Getting Started - Longer Distance Camping

[Surgtech94]

We aren’t new to camping but new to venturing into longer distances. We are thinking about going out to Durango Colorado, from Michigan. We’ll be camping in a regular RV campground. What do we need to know, do etc? Normally we just camp in Michigan,with our dogs. We usually have our groceries bought and just gas up and head to our destination. We’re not sure if we’ll take the dogs, but it’ll be some sightseeing, hiking, photography. Thank you in advance for any tips, information , advice. Thank you

[dedmiston]

It's interesting to me that so many are focusing on the dogs.

But since everyone else is, why not join the fray?

We take our dogs everyplace with us when we're camping. They enjoy the trips as much as we do. Luckily they're content to hang out in the trailer and goof off while we go out and play. If we're going hiking, we take them whenever they're allowed (no national parks, etc.). We keep them leashed in places where we'll run into other humans and animals.

When we camp in the boondocks though, we always leave them free to roam while we're in camp. When we go for long rides, we leave them inside with food and water.

As for your longer trips, be flexible and be relaxed. Do all of your maintenance up front so your rig will be safe and roadworthy, and then you won't have to sweat it while you're driving.

Bring tools, but don't go nuts. Tires seem to be the neediest part of the rig for us, so I always bring a good compressor (not a little 12v one), a tire gauge, and a plug kit. If you've never plugged a tire, watch some Youtubes so you don't have to figure it out on the roadside.

Take a minute to figure out the things that you really need, and then figure out if they're a necessity or a hassle for traveling. I love to grill and I absolutely love my travel grill, but it's kind of a pain and I have to be honest with myself and decide whether it's worth setting it up and tearing it down for a couple burgers. Are there any favorite foods or adult drinks that might be hard to find on the road? If you can't live without them, stock up before you leave.

We travel a ton, and the one thing that always cracks me up is just how much food we unload from the trailer at the end of a trip. It always feels like we're bringing the bare minimum, but then we get home and there's all sorts of stuff we never touched. I didn't even know we brought half that stuff.

I agree with 50 mph as a good estimating tool for distances, mostly because the math is simple. If we're going to drive 300 miles in a day, we'd better leave in time to allow for six hours on the road.

If you're traveling during busy times, make reservations in advance. Reservations suck, but being stuck like Joseph and Mary going from inn to inn looking for a stable to camp in sucks even worse.

Figure out what you want to listen to and queue a bunch of it up in advance. And by "you", I mean the driver. A happy driver makes all the difference. There are tons of interesting podcasts nowadays, so load a bunch of them up beforehand. Find some quirky ones too. I couldn't care less about Richard Simmons, but Missing Richard Simmons was fascinating. And if you can select something relating to the locales you'll be visiting, that's even better. We used to listen to a lot of Tony Hillerman stories driving through the southwest. And my wife found a freaky series about mormon murders and played that for us in Utah (it's not for everyone, but it was pretty fascinating).

Anyway, I'd make a mental list of categories, and then start filling those categories with prep tasks and items to bring.

Safety & Maint:
- Tools
- Preventative maintenance
- Daily pre-drive quick inspections
- Smallish (2.5 gal) jug of diesel or gas, just in case
- Similar jug of old nasty diesel for starting campfire

Food:
- Meals
- Coffee
- Snacks
- Road drinks (tumblers, favorite ice, favorite drinks)
- End of day post-road drinks

Activities:
- Things to do in each of the stops, time permitting
- Evenings: videos, OTA TV channels, internet solution (bringing your own hotspot works great if you're someplace with cellular signal)

Dogs:
- Leashes
- Dog blanket for the rear bench seat
- Designated dog canteen and collapsable bowl
- Tennis balls and launcher (no kidding, my wife got tennis elbow from playing fetch with our dogs on a 3 month trip)

Tech
- Charge cables
- Portable power bricks
- Bluetooth speaker(s) if nobody is around


You get the idea...

[hornet28]

By all means take your dog. We toured the PNW in 19 and traveled 7600 mi. Our Goldendoodle is a great traveler. When we went someplace he wasn't allowed, restaurant, aquarium, museum or hiking at Mt Rainier we left him in the truck with his bowl of water. He's content to stay in the truck without whining or barking, he was 4 yrs old at the time. As been said have your RV ready for a longer trip than normal and carry some repair items and tools

[Grit_dog]

What’s the difference?
Isn’t it just more gas ups and more grocery store trips?
Strange question....unless there are more specific questions, some of which answers and cherished stories of days past have already been provided, albeit not expressly or implicitly asked for.

[Matt_Colie]

Nancy,
You did not say what the RV is and what your starting point will be. We live near Detroit and for us to go to Durango is 1600 miles and that has to be four road days. If you avoid blue roads (like we do), this will be longer. Make plans for stops. If you are self contained, these can be anywhere. (Anywhere with grass for the dogs.)

If you have stayed one side of the strait, you were restricted to about 300 miles. That would only be a part of a days run with this plan. This can be wearing. The non-driver should post as navigator. This unloads a lot of the stress on the driver. If you are AAA members, have them send you the maps for the six states you have to cross (at least).

I suspect that you will also want to take on provisions enroute. Off blue roads, this is easier. We discovered so really neat little town markets. During the season, watch for the local farmer's markets.

We travel with two dogs. The old one is too old for hiking now and does not mind telling us so, but early on we bought a portable dog waterer (a bottle with and attached tray) and both have been grateful.

About halfway across Nebraska is the Archway museum. It is actually across I-80 near Kearney. You have to plan carefully to get there from the interstate. At exit 284 from I-80 is the I-80 Truck Stop. You don't need it, but the museum next door is really great.

Most of all, enjoy the journey.

Matt

[docsouce]

Nice trip. As mentioned,be sure your rig is road ready. Good tires and a good tool kit are always handy. A Roadside Assistance program might come in handy too. We have 2 small dogs that we always take. They travel very well and don't bark when we are off on a short hike. However we always have to keep our hikes and side trips to 3 or 4 hours max because we have to check on them. Let them out and just making sure the A/C on the rig is ok. I don't know about your rig but in the Summer heat my rig can turn into an oven quickly. Some of the private campgrounds have pet sitters or can recommend one for you. We did a trip similar to this a couple of years ago. We made our way to Hannable Missouri and took US 36 from there. Headed south at some point to visit Marshall Dillon and Kitty in Dodge City then southwest to La Junta Co and on to Durango Co. So many great things to do in that area. We limit our daily drives to 200 miles or so and try to be in our campsites by 2pm. We avoid the interstates. So much to beauty on the "back roads". Being from the East coast these huge open areas take our breath away. I don't know what your time frame is but taking my time and enjoying sights and places I might never see again is what it's all about.

[Lwiddis]

If you enjoy your dogs on short trips, you’ll enjoy your dogs on longer trips IMO. Just follow campground and trail rules as I’m sure you do now.

[prichardson]

On the stocking of supplies and clothing. Stock food and clothing as you would for that period of time if you were at home. Since you are going to Colorado be sure to include some cool weather clothes, even in summer. Plan to use one day per week for grocery shopping, laundry and housekeeping.

[theoldwizard1]

valhalla360 wrote:
Not much else. Make sure the rig is in good operating condition.

I would carry a good tool kit including things like zip ties (several sizes), wire, duct tape, etc.

[Hondavalk]

I would take my dog. I can never recall a dog making excessive noise on a trail. Mine is always busy with her nose buried to the ground taking in all the new scents. I always heal my dog when we approach other people on the trail. While I love my dog I don't assume anyone else does. She loves the adventures and we love having her along. Maybe teenagers and little kids should be restricted also, they are a noisy lot.

[Guy_Roan]

Surgtech94 wrote:
We aren’t new to camping but new to venturing into longer distances. We are thinking about going out to Durango Colorado, from Michigan. We’ll be camping in a regular RV campground. What do we need to know, do etc? Normally we just camp in Michigan,with our dogs. We usually have our groceries bought and just gas up and head to our destination. We’re not sure if we’ll take the dogs, but it’ll be some sightseeing, hiking, photography. Thank you in advance for any tips, information , advice. Thank you

If you are planning on hiking, please leave the dogs at home.
As much as I love dogs and our kids grew up with one, when my wife and I are hiking out on a wilderness trail there is nothing more that I hate than to have the tranquility disturbed by barking dogs either coming down the trail toward us coming up behind us

Guy

[Fizz]

If you're driving through big cities aim for a campground past the city and avoid morning rush hour.

[Tvov]

Going longer distances camping isn't that much different than nearby.

What are you driving?

For planning purposes, use 50 miles per hour... this seems to work, not for your average speed, but for figuring traveling distances. It may seem odd, but figuring roughly going average 65mph on the road, then add in fuel stops, coffee - bathroom - rest stops, it actually works out to 50 miles per hour most times.

If you get tired driving, take a break! Figure in plenty of travel time so you can take breaks when you want to. We've gone to Disney World twice (Connecticut to Florida) and I found that stopping about every 1 1/2 hours for a break worked for me. Also, I filled up the trucks fuel tank roughly every 3 hours, so fit in with every other rest stop. Once I hit 1/2 tank of fuel, I started thinking about the next fill up and stopped if it was convenient. At 1/4 tank I stopped at the first gas station.

Figure out a possible route, then make a thread about it in this forum. People here will give advice, and most likely someone will have driven that route recently and can give a road condition update.

Plus, I find it fun helping others plan a trip!

[CA_Traveler]

Plan ahead for reservations like now for the summer. We use Google, Google Maps, GPS, Gas Buddy etc. for locating what we need on the road including places to visit. Apps to find CGs and ratings. Don't depend on CG WiFi or cable as it's often marginal. Verzion coverage is the "best" but other big names are close. While we have a Verizon hot spot we also have used our T Mobile phone as a hot spot and will be doing T Mobile testing this summer and possibly droping Verizon. There are about a million different opinions on what's "best".

[valhalla360]

Not much else. Make sure the rig is in good operating condition.

Plan out reasonable drive days keeping in mind you are probably only going to average around 50mph for planning purposes.

Read up on some of the mountain driving techniques (there's a recent thread on the forum, so I won't repeat).

Dogs can be a challenge. Will they stay quietly in the camper while you are out sightseeing? If not, that should be a deal breaker for leaving them behind. Also depending on the time of year, you may need to run the air/con so they don't overheat.

[Shearwater]

When are you planning to go? If you go in the winter you could run into some really substantial problems at high altitudes.