Too many miles?

[brebar]

Hello everyone. I am new to the RV experience, I just purchased a new Tracer 240 TE. I have planned a trip from Michigan to Glacier NP. I reserved all the camp sites along the way.

My question is, did I "over do it", as far as miles between campsites?

The first three days I am going to be driving 516 miles from Holly MI to Lake Gogebic MI, then from Gogebic to Devils Lake ND, 491 miles. Then from Devils lake ND to Shelby MT, 650 miles. most of the way we will be traveling on US. 2.

I recently read in "The RV book" by Mark Polk that I should try not to travel more than 350 miles per day. (I planned the trip before I bought this book)

I planned the trip so that we can stay at Glacier for 6 Days and relax and tour the park.

Any opinions or scoldings would be appreciated:h

[JohnG4706]

Well, towing the TT is something I have never done before, I was assured by the dealer that I my TV (2008 Ford Explorer) rated to tow 5500 lbs, could pull safely. They also sold me an Equalizer Weight Distribution hitch. I did some research on towing with this TV, and while it is probably near the limit, it seems that the weights are in spec.

The Prime Time web site says that the TT is designed to be pulled with an SUV.

The TT is rated at 4110, according to my MI registration.

I really didn't want to start a, " Can my TV tow this TT" thread here, because I can always look through the archives on this forum, or do the math myself. I will also weight it at a scale according to instructions given in some books I bought. Thanks for asking, it has been a real concern for me.

I did not want to start a "Can your TV tow this..." Since you have been reassured by the dealer, why should I even bring it up? By your own admission, you haven't towed your TT any distance. You haven't bucked a head wind...or experienced an 18 wheeler passing you like you're standing still...or a moderate crosswind...or a white knuckle experience. If you said you've got a couple thousand miles under the belt and completely familiar and comfortable with the set up of the WD bars, etc. you'd be speaking from an experienced point of view.

You don't want to take on a long trip, particularly your first major trip, to find out you're not properly prepared.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

[nomad297]

You need to figure some down time for changing blowouts along the way.

Bruce

[brebar]

"Taking naps regularly prevents old age, especially napping while driving!"

Thanks beemerphile1, you managed to boil it down to 10 words!! Mark Twain would be proud. I did LOL.

[intheburbs]

gmw photos wrote:

Huntindog wrote:


I don't think it is possible to average 65.
You would have to tow at 80 or more in order to have a shot a 65 MPH average.

That is what I was thinking when I saw that. All my years of long distance motorcycle riding, I found that very often I would end the day with an average of around 62 mph by running at around 70 mph, or a little more while rolling. And I was "trying" to keep my fuel and food stops as reasonable as possible, and was traveling solo. Any time you add more people into the mix, all stops become longer.

This was a preliminary schedule, just trying to get a feel for times and distances.

I use the 65 average because that's usually the speed I drive when towing. Stops for fuel and food are added to the drive times. Stops usually add 1-1.5 hours.

My wife and kids are well-trained. We've been doing long road trips since they were babies. Before she was one year old, my daughter had already attended 10 baseball games in 10 different major league parks, from Oakland to Kansas City to New York. They're used to long road trips, and they enjoy it, too.

Our current trailer has ~15,000 miles on it, and it's only 4 years old.

On big travel days, one stop is a sit-down restaurant. The rest are quickie fuel/bathroom stops. It works for us. YMMV.

[kernewek]

As some others have said, it really depends on you.
I rarely make such rigid plans as to have campgrounds booked along the way but I don't mind driving all day and regularly do 500 to 600 miles a day but for some it is way too much to do in a day.

I say go for it and if you find it too much it may cost you a couple of nights camping fees but on the other hand you will have an idea of what is comfortable for you and you will be able to plan accordingly in the future

:B

[DieselX]

intheburbs wrote:

brebar wrote:
That is why I booked the entire three week trip in January.

Do you Rv ers do the same thing? Am I missing something? Am I being too structured here?:o

I've had my Grand Canyon reservations since August. Trip is planned for July 2014. Regardless of where we're going, I've got the main structure (destinations, days, overnight stops, etc) planned at least 6 months in advance.

I'm not one of those OCD types, planning every day to the second. I make a basic structure of the trip, and play the rest by ear. We never plan specific activities, unless it's something like a helicopter tour that requires reservations.

This is what I'll have at least 6 months prior to a trip:

Wow!! We are going to the Grand Canyon in 2 or 3 weeks and haven't made any reservation haha. This time of year should be no problem though.

We are full timing and very rarely make reservations, never on the road. I like to drive until I don't want to drive, I don't like the pressure of keeping a schedule. But that's me!!! It'll bite me in the butt one day 😉

[beemerphile1]

I sometimes do big miles. Last week I did two stints of 950 miles. One way took 24 hours and the return took 25 hours. I hit a truck stop to sleep.

The primary error I see is reserving campsites. You aren't camping, you are traveling. Drive til you want to stop, sleep, and then repeat. There are tens of thousands of places you can stop and get some sleep while traveling.

[gmw_photos]

Huntindog wrote:


I don't think it is possible to average 65.
You would have to tow at 80 or more in order to have a shot a 65 MPH average.

That is what I was thinking when I saw that. All my years of long distance motorcycle riding, I found that very often I would end the day with an average of around 62 mph by running at around 70 mph, or a little more while rolling. And I was "trying" to keep my fuel and food stops as reasonable as possible, and was traveling solo. Any time you add more people into the mix, all stops become longer.

[Huntindog]

intheburbs wrote:

brebar wrote:
That is why I booked the entire three week trip in January.

Do you Rv ers do the same thing? Am I missing something? Am I being too structured here?:o

I've had my Grand Canyon reservations since August. Trip is planned for July 2014. Regardless of where we're going, I've got the main structure (destinations, days, overnight stops, etc) planned at least 6 months in advance.

I'm not one of those OCD types, planning every day to the second. I make a basic structure of the trip, and play the rest by ear. We never plan specific activities, unless it's something like a helicopter tour that requires reservations.

This is what I'll have at least 6 months prior to a trip:

I don't think it is possible to average 65.
You would have to tow at 80 or more in order to have a shot a 65 MPH average.

[TKW]

There are a lot of good advices here. I wouldn't want to comment on how long you can safety travel in a day b/c everybody is different. But one tip I would like to pass on: NEVER arrive at a campsite after dark.

I have done some 600 mile day which took me 14 hours including an unscheduled stop at a Costco to replace a dead TT battery. For those type of travel, we would have meal breaks at rest areas. Dog & passenger exercises while pre-cook meals are getting readied. At the end of the day, I'd pull in a Walmart parking lot and hit the sack for 6-8 hours then move on. No unhooking would be involved. We would make a point to replenish supplies in the morning before we leave. And the next day's travel time will be cut in half arriving destination at mid-day. I rarely do 2 long days in a row.

Since you are new to this, like everyone here has said, do a few short shake-down runs nearby before the long trip to get used to your TT is advisable.

[brebar]

Just a few suggestions... You've indicated you've only spent 20 minutes inside your new TT so obviously you haven't towed this TT any distance yet. Are you sure you have the right hitch and setup? WD and/or anti sway. You're traveling a long way it would be even worse if you don't have the right setup. Crosswinds, etc. You want to know before you start rather than mid-trip.

Keep us posted and enjoy.

Well, towing the TT is something I have never done before, I was assured by the dealer that I my TV (2008 Ford Explorer) rated to tow 5500 lbs, could pull safely. They also sold me an Equalizer Weight Distribution hitch. I did some research on towing with this TV, and while it is probably near the limit, it seems that the weights are in spec.

The Prime Time web site says that the TT is designed to be pulled with an SUV.

The TT is rated at 4110, according to my MI registration.

I really didn't want to start a, " Can my TV tow this TT" thread here, because I can always look through the archives on this forum, or do the math myself. I will also weight it at a scale according to instructions given in some books I bought. Thanks for asking, it has been a real concern for me.

[avoidcrowds]

I am in the camp of "driving is enjoyable", and can do 10 - 14 hour days. BUT, I also advocate audiobooks. Makes the drive much more enjoyable.

DW also likes to listen to the books. Used to get them on tape, then CD, now I download from the library as MP3 files. Much more convenient.

My point is, if you have a book, it keeps you more alert. Being more alert makes the trip safer. Looking at scenery is fine, but it takes a long time for it to change, sometimes.

Don't look at the trip with trepidation. Anticipate all the new places you will see, get enough audiobook files to last the entire trip (a couple of MP3 players can hold many hours of files). Drive as much as you are comfortable with. Only you can make that decision. You may fall into the camp of 250 miles a day, but that severely limits your range. If you are in my camp, you make the destination, and have a good attitude. Audiobooks help tremendously.

Enjoy the trip!

[pawatt]

I like to stay under 200 miles a day & enjoy the ride.

[intheburbs]

brebar wrote:
That is why I booked the entire three week trip in January.

Do you Rv ers do the same thing? Am I missing something? Am I being too structured here?:o

I've had my Grand Canyon reservations since August. Trip is planned for July 2014. Regardless of where we're going, I've got the main structure (destinations, days, overnight stops, etc) planned at least 6 months in advance.

I'm not one of those OCD types, planning every day to the second. I make a basic structure of the trip, and play the rest by ear. We never plan specific activities, unless it's something like a helicopter tour that requires reservations.

This is what I'll have at least 6 months prior to a trip: