camping, how far do you pull?

[SunshineCamper]

We have a 26ft. TT pulled by a Toyota Tundra V8-We have to fill up every 2.5 hrs. going 70mph.

It takes us 30 mins to get to Ft. WIlderness. It's $60 to fill the Tundra. We just stayed at a SP park north of Gainesville, FL (High Springs) Easter weekend. It cost us $120 (TOTAL)in gas to and from. It cost us $15 a night at the state park. OUCH!!! We stayed 3 nights=$45 SO a total of $165

Cost for Ft. W a night (when we go-$50 a night -3 to 4 nights=$150=$200) gas to get there and back $60 TOTAL of $210-$260

Food would cost us the same since we don't eat at TE or anywhere else except when going into the parks we'll eat dinner there. But we eat dinner out sometimes while camping elsewhere.

So in our case the gas prices (especially by summer) will even us out on staying at the ft. vs. driving 2.5 hrs. to a state park. WOW!!!

Thanks for making me see that-it shows me that camping at the ft. is MORE cost effective now.-HA! For us camping at the Ft. is less driving stress if we time it right (Never leave for Disney after 3p or before 9:30am)

 

[SunshineCamper]

How long does everyone drive per day?

We usually hit the road by 4am or 5am then drive 8-9 hrs. per day. Get to our destination in the afternoon. Eat dinner and then get to sleep early to do it again the next day. We stop to gas up and hit the restroom and do an hr. lunch and let the kids run off energy.

In the evening when we arrive to a campground on a long trip we run the energy (best we can) out of the kids-like swimming or a playground while dh rests from driving.

We drove through FLAT windy KS last summer. DH was really tired that day trying to keep the TT on the road b/c it was so windy and there is nothing to see out there to keep your mind occupied. I-70 was soooo straight-but so worth it.

 

[dopeyprincesses]

Sunshine - thank you for posting how often you fill up. We have a 2500 GMC Sierra and 26ft TT.

 

[paper1225]

30 minutes, lucky you...........one of these days

 

[dopeyprincesses]

Sunshine - we just got the TT last year and the furthest we have gone is only 3 hrs away. FW will be our first lonnnnng trip lol. From Jersey, we are allowing two days down and back two days - not sure what time we are leaving to go there yet.

 

[SunshineCamper]

Hi Dopeyprincesses! You'll have a great time! Enjoy the journey down to the ft. Just a heads up-if you leave early in the morning each day it can put you at checking into the Ft. in the afternoon. It's almost like having another day. The 2 day and check-in day you can set up camp eat dinner relax, head down to Bay lake for the fireworks and Electric water pagent show. you'll be too excited to sleep.
I assume you'll take I-95 to I-4 and the traffic is usually not so "pretty" so if you arrive in "Orlando area" in the afternoon it will be less headache-to put it mildly.
Our next visits to the Ft. is labor day weekend, the Halloween weekend, then thanksgiving weekend, the weekend after new years. It's cooler and the cheapest. When we go and the kids are in school we take them out early to avoid traffic-it's that bad!
Can't wait!!!

 

[SunshineCamper]

Also, on our stop for the night and sleep we would go to a KOA for the night. these are usually just off the interstate. We pull in and NOT unhook from the truck-put the blocks under the tires, put the jacks down and pull our queen bed slideout-OUT. Sleep, then push it in, crank up the jacks, pull the blocks out from the tires, put the kids in the truck and we're off-cheap and easy.
We're not a fan of KOA's but it's cheaper than most hotels and we don't have to take our clothes and stuff in and out of the hotel. We're pulling our hotel We might as well use it since what we pay in gas hauling it would pay for a hotel stay.

 

[GreatLakes5]

How long does everyone drive per day?

We do about 11 hours give or take to Lookout Mountain and actually spend 2 nights there - do a little hiking and hit a really good used bookstore. Then about 9 hours to WDW. We are accustomed to driving straight through for trips out east to the Boston area so 12 hours is no problem, but also our limit.

The longest stretch always feels like Indiana - once we hit Georgia, though it's a long stretch, the landscape has changed enough that it's not quite as much like taking a bandaid and pulling it off slowly.....

Anyone who drives this route, one thing we can't get over - the amount of adult bookstore billboards. Oye! And I can't "change the channel" like I can on a television set. My young ones can't figure out what a lady in her underwear has to do with reading...

 

[Stacicory]

We just pulled our 26 foot travel trailer 11oo miles for a week of spring break at the Fort. If you figure the cost of a family of 5 it was about 1/2. While we had friends who flew and were there in hours I cannot afford that.

 

[tellnotails]

I hear ya there

 

[snocrossmechanic]

We pulled our 30Ft 5th wheel from MN to the fort in January this year. We had multiple paths in case of bad weather. It was 1680 miles each way and it was very tough driving the way we did it. We learned a lot about long distance driving during this trip. The next one this December will be much better.

I did learn not to push it. We drove too far for too long at it was not fun. Plus we arrived at the fort at 5:30 am and could not get a space anyway. So the next trip will have designated stops and times to make sure we arrive around check in time refreshed and ready.

As for fuel, we had to stop every 3 hours or so. We would get about 250 miles per tank (10-11 MPG) and the stops woke everyone up because we traveled mostly at night. This next trip I am having a 2nd fuel tank installed to get us about 500 - 600 miles. That way we can go with no stops until we rest for the day.

 

[Stacicory]

That is exactly what I need. Where do you find something like this. I have a 2006 Mega Cab gasser so I need fuel ever 250-300 miles. I would really like to extend that so that I can limit my number of gas station stops. It just seems like an ordeal to get into and out of one withput a head ache. If I could just pull over and unhook for the night run down and fill up and not worry about it again for a while that would be great.

 

[marybrat]

We will be towing our 27ft. hybrid from Buffalo in August. We are driving over the course of 3 days and staying at KOA's on our way down.

 

[snocrossmechanic]

Stacicory ,

Email me at markandco"AT"gmail.com and I will give you the links to the companies I have looked at.

Mark

 

[DisCamper]

We tow our new Keystone TT 165 miles each way. I just got a new tv and can't wait to see the gas mileage I hope it is high.

 

[djblu883]

We tow our new Keystone TT 165 miles each way. I just got a new tv and can't wait to see the gas mileage I hope it is high.

The cute avatar on the bottom of you page is so cute. I'd love one too!!

 

[BearwithMouseEars]

We tow from Atlanta to the Fort and I think even if diesel prices hit 5 bucks a gallon it wouldnt slow us down .
BUT DONT TELL THE OIL COMPANIES THAT!

 

[Dirtslinger]

We don't have a pop-up, we had a TT and in 3 days will have our new 32 ft 5'er. We are going again in June and can't wait. Our two girls love the drive down. Well atleast one does, the other is only 9 weeks old but she will go with the flow. The time with the family is something you just can't explain. It's 1081 miles for us from door to door, $600 in fuel is cheap when you look at the big picture. Pull your camper and have fun.

 

[Dirtslinger]

We don't have a pop-up, we had a TT and in 3 days will have our new 32 ft 5'er. We are going again in June and can't wait. Our two girls love the drive down. Well atleast one does, the other is only 9 weeks old but she will go with the flow. The time with the family is something you just can't explain. It's 1081 miles for us from door to door, $600 in fuel is cheap when you look at the big picture. Pull your camper and have fun.

 

[drewc]

We just got back from the Fort, towing our pop-up about 1,300 miles each way from upstate NY (we stopped in SC near the beach for a few nights on the way back though). The actual towing is fine, no complaints.

We drove straight through on the way down, and we won't do that again. Driving at 65 mph (which is about the max of what most standard pop-up tires are rated for), it took about 24 hours with stops. Next time we'll do it over two days. Driving in daylight is fine, but the night driving is killer (at least for me nowadays).

I think that by the next time we go (maybe next summer), we'll have a travel trailer, so the towing experience may be a lot different.