I have a question for you experienced long haul campers.

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

I realize everyone is different in what they can handle driving while towing a bumper pull camper or anything else. So here's my question and I know most everything will be general. We are planning a trip to Maine from Atlanta this August towing our 8k lb Grand Design. We are looking at around 1300 miles total to our destination. I already know my top speed will be 65 for safety reasons. For you seasoned campers out there, we are very new to this, what would be considered a "reasonable" time and distance each day? I know there are so many variables here with a question like that just please just humor me and tell me what your experiences have been. I would really appreciate it.

Edit: I've done a few things to the truck and camper to help reduce towing stress, first one is I installed the Bilstein 5100's on the rear, no more bounce. Truck feels solid when towing at all times regardless of bumps or dips in the road, they work perfect!! I also bought the TST 507 TPMS for the camper tires so I will know immediately if I have one going down. To me that's a huge stress reducer. Any other tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Jettech1

XY74 · June 2, 2023

We have a daughter that lives 550 miles from us which I would call as far as I want to go dragging the camper. Another hundred would be doable, but tiring especially doing it again on day 2. My favorite way to travel is stay in camp to have breakfast, drive 250-350 miles and set up in the new location. Downside is it's really hard to get anywhere very fast doing that. If you have the time, taking 3 days to go 1300 would be reasonably comfortable to me. Of course that means 3 days to get home and nearly a week of your precious vacation time on the road.

Only travel tip I have is check your tires pretty close and feel the wheel hubs for temp every stop. China bomb trailer tires often give a little clue like a bulge or weird wear spot before they go off if you are watching closely and a little fortunate.

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

3 minutes ago, XY74 said:

We have a daughter that lives 550 miles from us which I would call as far as I want to go dragging the camper. Another hundred would be doable, but tiring especially doing it again on day 2. My favorite way to travel is stay in camp to have breakfast, drive 250-350 miles and set up in the new location. Downside is it's really hard to get anywhere very fast doing that. If you have the time, taking 3 days to go 1300 would be reasonably comfortable to me. Of course that means 3 days to get home and nearly a week of your precious vacation time on the road.

Only travel tip I have is check your tires pretty close and feel the wheel hubs for temp every stop. China bomb trailer tires often give a little clue like a bulge or weird wear spot before they go off if you are watching closely and a little fortunate.

Thank you very much. We have the Goodyear Endurance 10ply tires thank goodness on our camper. I was thinking 3 days too, we have 3 weeks to do this whole adventure, with 10 days at the actual campground along with a few days at our friends house in Salem, NH. So I would think we have plenty of time. I was just wondering if 3 days would be like an ok thing to do with that many miles....I know it's so subjective but I do appreciate your response sir. Thank you very much!

Cnick · June 2, 2023

5 hours ago, Jettech1 said:

I realize everyone is different in what they can handle driving while towing a bumper pull camper or anything else. So here's my question and I know most everything will be general. We are planning a trip to Maine from Atlanta this August towing our 8k lb Grand Design. We are looking at around 1300 miles total to our destination. I already know my top speed will be 65 for safety reasons. For you seasoned campers out there, we are very new to this, what would be considered a "reasonable" time and distance each day? I know there are so many variables here with a question like that just please just humor me and tell me what your experiences have been. I would really appreciate it.

Edit: I've done a few things to the truck and camper to help reduce towing stress, first one is I installed the Bilstein 5100's on the rear, no more bounce. Truck feels solid when towing at all times regardless of bumps or dips in the road, they work perfect!! I also bought the TST 507 TPMS for the camper tires so I will know immediately if I have one going down. To me that's a huge stress reducer. Any other tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

Have you driven up there before? The roads are pretty bad vs Atlanta. Get on 84 In Pennsylvania and take it all the way through Hartford. The further you stay from the coast the better, cheaper tolls, “better” roads , less traffic. Watch the cars/trucks ahead of you and how they react to bumps . Be prepared to slow down fast sometimes. 3 days is good and “normal” we would probably do it in 2 but I have also done it in 1 (not recommended) . 400 miles is reasonable in a day, but when it’s time to get somewhere I like to do more. When we do long hauls we generally stay at Walmarts in more rural areas . It’s easy to pull in at night and you have the freedom to go as far as you feel like going vs a reservation at a campground. We use the “AllStays” app to find Walmarts that allow overnight parking and to read “reviews” about the parking lot.

We also have a Grand Design TT and have been full time in for over 5 years. Enjoy Maine, it is our home state !

KARNUT · June 2, 2023

When I was pre 40 years old 1200 miles one day easy, after 40 two days. After 60 three. That’s not pulling or hauling. You should stop every 2 hours minimum. Preferably a rest area and walk a bit. Seven or eight hours max driving time. I usually get mentally exhausted.

the wanderer · June 2, 2023

I think this is dependent on many things; how stressed you get while towing, the road/conditions, how much time you have available, your experience, how close you are to repair facilities etc.

Some full time RV'ers will do 6+ hour stretches in one day, but I personally like to keep my freeway driving down to 5 or less. If it's mostly scenic back country roads I can go for longer.

When I first started towing I got really stressed and had to take my time and keep things deliberately slow and methodical or I would miss steps (forget to plug in my trailer brakes/lights or leave the WDH lever bar on the back of my bumper etc). Now I know how I am I keep people away from me (no talking or distractions while setting up/connecting etc!), take my time, really think what I'm doing, double/tripple check, and I get there when I get there. I never begin a longer journey after 3:00 PM as stuff like garages and stores start closing down soon and if you happen to need parts...

I also start my trip with a full tank of gas, and know that I can go about 4 hours max at 65 mph before I need gas. So I plan my trip around 3 to 3.5 hours and make sure there are gas stations along the way. I'll carry one or more gerry cans in my bed (emergency only!!) if my destination is unfamiliar and more than 4 hours from home, and that is a huge stress reliever. I never use them, but it's there in case you need them.

A new heavy duty truck likes yours should have 0 issues doing that in one stretch without even being shutdown, this is all mainly the people side of things, keeping it safe and stress free.

Randal Scott · June 2, 2023

One thing we do is decide where you want to pull in for the night. Parking lots or campgrounds. See what is on your way. Then check distance to these places. We do this with the camper and on motorcycle trips. You may do short days or long days. We have usually let the Last day be the shortest. Unless having a reservation that you can't be there before a certain time. And it depends on how many stops you make as you drive. You know, fuel and nature calls.

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

9 hours ago, Cnick said:

Have you driven up there before? The roads are pretty bad vs Atlanta. Get on 84 In Pennsylvania and take it all the way through Hartford. The further you stay from the coast the better, cheaper tolls, “better” roads , less traffic. Watch the cars/trucks ahead of you and how they react to bumps . Be prepared to slow down fast sometimes. 3 days is good and “normal” we would probably do it in 2 but I have also done it in 1 (not recommended) . 400 miles is reasonable in a day, but when it’s time to get somewhere I like to do more. When we do long hauls we generally stay at Walmarts in more rural areas . It’s easy to pull in at night and you have the freedom to go as far as you feel like going vs a reservation at a campground. We use the “AllStays” app to find Walmarts that allow overnight parking and to read “reviews” about the parking lot.

We also have a Grand Design TT and have been full time in for over 5 years. Enjoy Maine, it is our home state !

Maine is our home state too! And yes driven it many times over the years, just never with 8klbs behind me. We were looking at WalMarts too. Some allow it some don't so we need to download that Allstays app you mentioned. Thank you very much for your advice!

Edit: Our typical route is 85N to 77N to 81N up to Scranton, then pick up 84 through Hartford to the Mass pike 90 to 495 then 95. It allows us to skip many big cities and only adds 100 miles if I remember correctly but well worth it to avoid NY and DC. We've been asked many times why we drive when we can fly for free and in all honesty, we pack too much crap lol....it's always nice to have what you want when you want it. Another reason we bought our camper, now we pack even more crap....LMAO!!! Of course we fly up if we are just going for the weekend or something like that but staying 2 or 3 weeks. We drive because I can make it to Scranton in one shot, then finish out the trip the next day.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Jettech1

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

2 hours ago, Randal Scott said:

One thing we do is decide where you want to pull in for the night. Parking lots or campgrounds. See what is on your way. Then check distance to these places. We do this with the camper and on motorcycle trips. You may do short days or long days. We have usually let the Last day be the shortest. Unless having a reservation that you can't be there before a certain time. And it depends on how many stops you make as you drive. You know, fuel and nature calls.

I think we are going to try the Walmarts and or Cracker Barrels. I was watching a youtube video recently that said they welcome overnight RVers too.

XY74 · June 2, 2023

I generally plan on stopping at state parks or other public type campgrounds. So for a hypothetical trip from Atlanta to Bangor, I peruse google maps and see Kerr Lake rec area in NC right off I-85, about 430 miles from Atlanta. Roll in there late afternoon and you still have all evening to enjoy a park vs enjoying a WalMart.

vucelick · June 2, 2023

If you do have to make time, my girlfriend and I frequently tag-team drive if we have a schedule to keep. Her farm-girl driving skills towing a trailer equals my own. She sleeps, i drive, switch as needed.

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

5 minutes ago, XY74 said:

I generally plan on stopping at state parks or other public type campgrounds. So for a hypothetical trip from Atlanta to Bangor, I peruse google maps and see Kerr Lake rec area in NC right off I-85, about 430 miles from Atlanta. Roll in there late afternoon and you still have all evening to enjoy a park vs enjoying a WalMart.

Another excellent idea, I'll have to look into that. Bangor....lol...the mid point in Maine. Everything north is desolate and fairly cheap, everything south is over priced!! We are actually headed to Naples, Me. 4 seasons campground. I'm from Presque Isle but grew up in Naples, my wife is from Portland and grew up in Casco.....Awesome place to enjoy the summer if you have lots of bug spray and jackets when it rains....lol...

Jettech1 · June 2, 2023

2 minutes ago, vucelick said:

If you do have to make time, my girlfriend and I frequently tag-team drive if we have a schedule to keep. Her farm-girl driving skills towing a trailer equals my own. She sleeps, i drive, switch as needed.

Yeah.....no.....lol....My wife is a little squirt and too intimidated to even drive my truck. But that's ok, she makes up for it with her sweetness. Sweetest woman I've ever known....

UWSkier · June 2, 2023

My wife is also a non-driver when we're towing. She's Asian so any time she backs her car out of the garage without removing a side mirror, I'm proud of her.

Anyways, we go from Arizona to Wisconsin and back with our camper. Last year was the first attempt at this. I'd originally planned for 6-7 hour days but found that was a bit too optimistic. We found that around 5 hours of drive time if doing it in consecutive days was good, on average. There were some days that were "big push days" that would be closer to 6.5 and other days where it was a bit more relaxed and we'd do 4.5.

For stays, we found that most RV parks have availability for overnights. These were hit and miss in terms of location and quality, but they all had full hookups, so it was good to start each day with clean tanks (still towing with half ton, I try to keep weight down).

KARNUT · June 2, 2023

My wife at 16 was 95lbs and 4ft 11 when we got married. She passed her driving test in my grandmothers 65 4 door Chevy with no power steering at 17 and 6 months pregnant. For many years whatever hot rod I had was her daily driver. It took her awhile to appreciate high performance vehicles, she’s a trooper. She can drive anything. I was always too stubborn to give up the wheel. One day my truck was in the shop I had her car. She needed to run an errand. The day she learned to drive a stick. She’s not one to be told she can’t do something, she’ll prove you wrong. She’s a daughter of a Master Sergeant and first born.

Edited June 2, 2023 by KARNUT