Daily Travel Range

[ReneeN]

How long do you tow your 13ft camper per day?
Let’s say on a highway, at about 50mph. Not a stressful drive. Not super windy. Not too congested.

[Jon in AZ]

In my perfect world, I'd drive about 4-6 hours... every second or third day!

In my real world I drive up to 12 hours (with stops) to get to where we need to be. But we typically book stays of 3-5 days in one place. There's no way I would drive that long day after day.

I figure 45 mph average speed to estimate overall driving time. That includes long spells at 65 mph on the interstate, gas and meal breaks, and traffic delays, but not longer stops to visit tourist sites along the way.

[lisantica]

For an upcoming trip, I have planned 2 days of 5-6 hours of driving to get to the destination, then stay for 4 nights and return.

Like Jon, 4-6 hours is a decent pace, not too stressful.

I know my sister-in-law likes to travel about 3-4 hours per day, but she's hauling a long 30 foot Airstream-type trailer.

[ZachO]

It's really a personal thing. 4-5 is perfect for me, but I'll do a 7 hour drive without trouble. The trailer doesn't care. 20 years ago I'd probably go 12 hours without a second thought.

[floyd]

If we have a long distance to cover we leave in the late afternoon.
after maybe 6 hours, we stop for the night, awake in the morning with what seems to be a fresh start, already having around 300 miles covered.
On longer trips it works great.
On short trips of around 500 miles, it allows us to arrive at the campgrounds at check-in with plenty of daylight for set-up and socializing.


Even when we get out late from home it is nice to know that we are "on our way" and don't spend an extra night concerned about what we may have forgotten.

[thrifty bill]

How far to you drive per day with your car? Will you be doing quick overnights at Walmart or similar or will you be seeking a campground? Finding, checking in, setting up all takes time.

Some people just camp in their general vicinity. Travel 100, maybe 150 miles and they are there. Others take much longer trips distance wise. In my case, I live in the SE, but most of my camping is out west. If you are going to go such longer distances, you either have to take a lot of days, or squeeze in more miles per day.

Personally, I do not find towing a trailer any more stressful than traveling without it. But my average speed is lower, and I have to stop for gas more often.

If you have nearly unlimited time, then take as long as you want and travel a limited number of miles per day. If you on the other hand want to go to Alaska, and can’t take all summer doing it, then getting comfortable doing more miles a day is the solution.

Your choice.

[patrick crawford]

you've probably heard this before but, i use the 2, 4, 6 rule of driving days...

200 miles
4 hours
6 pm

whichever come first.

my speed is 62mph (2000rpm in 4th gear on my nissan frontier) and allowing for stops (at my age it's hard to avoid rest areas) i agerage about 50mph.

i travel solo and i'm never in a hurry to get somewhere. i've found that rule makes for a very pleasant trip.

p@

[redbarron55]

It depends.....

[ReneeN]

Thanks to everyone for their input. We will be driving with a destination in mind. A campground or campsite.
We have moved crosscountry without a trailer, and drive 6-9 hours. My husband drives like an old lady. I was think 6 hours at a leisurely pace would work but I was alarmed when a friend said they only drive for about 3.5 even when heading to a campground. We are newbies, so I guess I will find out.

[SMSample]

We have an 18 day trip coming up in August/September. The total miles is about 3700. Most places we're only staying overnight.
I plan my driving of 60-65 mph in 5-6 hours a day. So, when I plan, I look to only travel 300-400 miles per day.
This math worked out for us well last year on our two week trip to the east coast.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by ReneeN

Thanks to everyone for their input. We will be driving with a destination in mind. A campground or campsite.
We have moved crosscountry without a trailer, and drive 6-9 hours. My husband drives like an old lady. I was think 6 hours at a leisurely pace would work but I was alarmed when a friend said they only drive for about 3.5 even when heading to a campground. We are newbies, so I guess I will find out.

There are RV Trip planner/calculators available online. Good Sam has one for its members. You select a route and fill in miles per hour; number of hours your want to be on the road/day. The planner will allow you see available restaurants, gas station, and trailer parks so you can better plan your trip. These are really helpful.

Everything depends on your ability to concentrate at the end of each day. I would rather find a nice place to spend the night with some sort of restaurant near by and wake up ready for the next days drive. On the other hand, sometimes I find myself on the highway till after 9PM.

A 13 ft trailer is a lot easier to tow than a 21 foot trailer. But I like to stay within a 55 MPH limit (cruise control is beautiful thing). My husband ... he's a speed demon.

But sometimes you have a bad nights sleep. Maybe the day after you need to take it easy and make lots of stops. It's one of those hour by hour things. Bottom line: stay within your individual safety limits.

Have a great trip!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by SMSample

We have an 18 day trip coming up in August/September. The total miles is about 3700. Most places we're only staying overnight. ....

This brings up another point.. for extended trips (anything more than 10-14 days, or four or so stops), IMHO it is a good idea to plan for some delays. in other words, maybe plan a few extra days here and there on your itinerary. For long trips, plan to spend an extra day or three at some of the more appealing stops just in case you need to attend to repairs, or get overly tired, etc.

[Eggcentric]

Did 900 miles one day, wanted to get out of Texas that bad.
Old truck drivers trick, start out at 4 am, roll with breaks as needed until 3 pm,
shut down for the night you can do it day after day if you need to make miles.
Anymore am done driving long trips, even 10 years ago we tried to keep it under 2 hours per day.
I want a fully autonomous vehicle, climb in tell it the address to go to and put the tea kettle on.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Eggcentric

Did 900 miles one day, wanted to get out of Texas that bad.
Old truck drivers trick, start out at 4 am, roll with breaks as needed until 3 pm,
shut down for the night you can do it day after day if you need to make miles.
Anymore am done driving long trips, even 10 years ago we tried to keep it under 2 hours per day.
I want a fully autonomous vehicle, climb in tell it the address to go to and put the tea kettle on.

900 miles in one day would mean at least 18-20 hours or more on the road. With a trailer you can average 50MPH with gas, food and bathroom breaks. We've done 600 miles and was wiped out from driving 14-15 hours or more. Only did it to get home before a storm hit after a long trip.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

900 miles in one day would mean at least 18-20 hours or more on the road. With a trailer you can average 50MPH with gas, food and bathroom breaks. We've done 600 miles and was wiped out from driving 14-15 hours or more. Only did it to get home before a storm hit after a long trip.

I do not totally agree with your assessment as to the time it takes to tow 900 miles. Last spring on my way to Osoyoos, BC (Escape Rally) I towed from Welcome, MN, to Ranchester, WY, a distance of 706 miles in approximately 12 hours. Granted, it included a couple of bathroom stops and 1 fuel stop. While I was filling up my spouse purchased lunch (sandwiches) inside, which we ate on the road. I typically tow at 64/65 mph on the interstates and it was for all intents and purposes non-stop driving. It definitely wasn’t relaxing or enjoyable, but it was raining cats and dogs (all the way from Welcome across Minnesota, South Dakota, and much of Wyoming) and we didn’t want to set up for the night in a heavy downpour. I personally wouldn’t try for 900 miles, and I don’t aim for more than 500 very often.
All that being said, that kind of distance is not usual for me. Sometimes I climb into the driver’s seat and my mood allows me to go for hours. Other times I start driving and within a couple of hours I start wishing I had reached our chosen destination. Even on the long days, I have never towed after it gets dark. I like to be off the road and set up by 4:00 or 4:30. My only “nighttime” towing has been when we occasionally start an hour or so before sunrise.

[steve dunham]

I never liked driving , for me it’s just boring , repetitive, work and as I get older I enjoy it even less .
Four or five hours a day behind the wheel is about it
We made a 2400 mile trip to California , took us 11 days to ger there
We’re not destination campers , what’s along the way is just as important !

[Eggcentric]

We did not set out to break a distance record, but were sick and tired of Texas.
A month there, in poor weather, we picked up a pet wild rat that was proving impossible to get rid of,(rat bailed during the 900 miler). Did not like walking on beaches littered with oil well flotsam and stepping into sand that was hiding great gobs of black slimy crude. Not to mention a couple of not so pleasant interactions with the locals.
PS On that trip we were fascinated by visits to Arkansas, Louisiana N' Orleans and the 'deep south'. Drove the Natchez Trace, tried boiled peanuts (never again) at a roadside stand, were offered an interesting opportunity in Mena etc.

[Jon Vermilye]

While I enjoy driving, at least off the interstates, since retirement, I no longer need to "get there" in a rush, so I plan for 150 - 200 miles per day (3-4 hours) with 2 day stops most days. I try to pull into a campground by 2:00PM, which has the advantage of letting you enjoy the day after setting up, and the additional benefit of finding first come sites still open.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by CPW

I do not totally agree with your assessment as to the time it takes to tow 900 miles. Last spring on my way to Osoyoos, BC (Escape Rally) I towed from Welcome, MN, to Ranchester, WY, a distance of 706 miles in approximately 12 hours. Granted, it included a couple of bathroom stops and 1 fuel stop. While I was filling up my spouse purchased lunch (sandwiches) inside, which we ate on the road. I typically tow at 64/65 mph on the interstates and it was for all intents and purposes non-stop driving. It definitely wasn’t relaxing or enjoyable, but it was raining cats and dogs (all the way from Welcome across Minnesota, South Dakota, and much of Wyoming) and we didn’t want to set up for the night in a heavy downpour. I personally wouldn’t try for 900 miles, and I don’t aim for more than 500 very often.
All that being said, that kind of distance is not usual for me. Sometimes I climb into the driver’s seat and my mood allows me to go for hours. Other times I start driving and within a couple of hours I start wishing I had reached our chosen destination. Even on the long days, I have never towed after it gets dark. I like to be off the road and set up by 4:00 or 4:30. My only “nighttime” towing has been when we occasionally start an hour or so before sunrise.

We never drive that fast especially in a downpour. We don't drive over 60MPH ever. We've seen to many trailers rolled from speed and slippery conditions. We had a friend that rolled his Casita because a woman side swiped him when she slid on the road. 2 years ago we saw a larger trailer roll along with the truck upside down in Idaho over an hour from help and it was on dry pavement. So driving that fast in the rain is a no no to us. You had to drive at least 65 or more to get that far that fast.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

We never drive that fast especially in a downpour. We don't drive over 60MPH ever. We've seen to many trailers rolled from speed and slippery conditions. We had a friend that rolled his Casita because a woman side swiped him when she slid on the road. 2 years ago we saw a larger trailer roll along with the truck upside down in Idaho over an hour from help and it was on dry pavement. So driving that fast in the rain is a no no to us. You had to drive at least 65 or more to get that far that fast.

Actually, 12 hours times 60 mph = 720 miles. I said I went 706 miles in approximately, I repeat, APPROXIMATELY 12 hours. At 60 mph I could have gone another 14 miles in 12 hours. Two restroom stops of 5 minutes each and one fuel/take-out food stop of 10 minutes, with light midday traffic across SD and WY, no accidents, and no serious construction zones means no holdup. So no, I didn’t have to drive 65 or more to get there that fast, and I wasn’t even going 65 because it was raining. I was the one driving and I know the speed at which I was traveling so I think your assumption/assertion that I “had to drive at least 65 or more to get that far that fast” is a false calculation and an unsubstantiated insinuation that I was towing recklessly. Furthermore, in a previous post you pointed out that going 600 miles wore you out for the 14-15 hours of driving it took. 600 miles in 14 hours equates to an average of 43 mph. Even if your actual driving time were only 11 hours (3-4 hours of the 14-15 taking breaks) the actual speed would be 54 mph. I cannot say which would be more likely to cause a problem on an interstate, towing at 54 mph or at 60-62, but I can hazard a guess (pun intended!), and given the typical speeds I observe on the interstate, I’m not going to only go 54. Too slow a speed frustrates other drivers and can lead to road rage.