Travel trailer newbies with questions

[disneytriplets]

I've been lurking on the camping board for a little while now and thought it was time to say hello and ask a few questions.

We have six children ranging in age from ten years old (triplets) down to a one year old. We are hoping to drive to Fort Wilderness in Sept/Oct for about two weeks towing my ten year old daughter's travel trailer. She was diagnosed with leukemia last year and after chemo and a bone marrow transplant she decided she wanted her own camper. Make-A-Wish was fantastic and granted her wish! If her health continues to improve then we'll be heading to Disney in the fall!

I'm hoping you folks can answer a few things for us.

1. Any recommendations for a place to stop for the night just below Washington DC?

2. We read no propane tanks through the tunnel near Baltimore. What is the best route to avoid the tunnel?

3. Does FW allow clothes lines? We don't know how we'll dry all our towels!

4. Any suggestions for camper newbies? The camper hasn't left the driveway since DH drive it home from the dealer. It's seen a lot of use with driveway camping and it gets used as a clubhouse.

5. How do you drive 18 hours with little kids in the car? We don't plan on any overnight driving.

Thank you!!!

 

[4077]

As I am a newbie too, I don't have a lot of answers right now. However, what an adventure this is going to be! Hope we'll get to hear about it a bit as you prepare! My very best wishes for your daughters continued improvement! Hope it is a magical experience!

 

[WeCampDisney]

Hello Disneytriplets, welcome to the camping board. Great to hear your daughter is doing better. If you do a lot of planning you can have a wonderful vacation. I will be happy to give a few tips: 1) All tires on the tow vehicle and the trailer MUST be inflated to the maximum rating on the side of the tire. A low tire will heat up and could blow out. Check the tires often, a slow leak from a just picked up nail can lead to low pressure and a blow out. when you do check the air pressure, put some spit on the valve stem and look for bubbles. The valve stem can fail to shut off completly. a quick pop with the end of a car key can help the valve stem to seal. 2) Be sure the weight distributing hitch and sway control device are properly adjusted. Be sure you know how to adjust the trailer brakes, it is critical. This adjustment may need to be done often, like a cool morning may be different than a hot afternoon. Load the trailer and the tow vehicle, including people, and take a practice drive out on a low traffic highway. It is normal to feel a little side force from big passing trucks but if you have a lot of sway you may need to seek professional help with weight distribution in the trailer. If you do ever get trailer sway while going down a hill do not hit the brakes, it will make it worse. Use the electric trailer brakes hand control to gently apply some trailer braking. This should help to stop the sway. One day, my son in law was driving my Expidition pulling my 30 ft trailer. Going down a long slope on I 10 he felt that wind from a big truck passing us, he hit the brake peddle and the trailer went into a violent sway. It was a little scary. I forgot to explain to him not to hit the brakes while going downhill and having some sway. A little acceleration can help to stop the sway, or the manual brake on the trailer brake controller. A properly loaded and adjusted rig is safe and fun. A poorly loaded and adjusted rig is stressful and can be dangerous. That about covers my most important towing safety tips. I will have more tips later to answer your questions. I am sure others will as well.

 

[jbrostek]

1. How far south of DC do you think you will make it? I think from PA you could easily make it to NC which there are several KOA and private campgrounds right off I95. I stayed at the KOA in Enfield, NC when my truck broke down. Price was KOA reasonable and the park was clean and all sites where pull through that I could see. The further south you get there are more such as Sleep Bears campground. There is also a campground a South of the Border, they are cheap and level and perfect for an overnight stop.

If you get further south you have New Green Acres of exit 53 on I95 in SC, and then exist 33 in SC you have Point South KOA. All are ones I would recommend on your trip south. Depending on how for north your are in PA, I can tell you that Enfield to Disney is about 10 hours of travel with limited stops.

2. You are correct the tunnels in Baltimore restrict propane, you would have to take 495 around the west side by Towson or the east side over the francis scott key bridge. Again, depending on where you are coming from PA, there may be a better route through US301 and avoid some traffic.

3. I have not seen clothes lines up, but many people hung their towels on their awnings or a drying rack in their site. Due to the random rain at certain times of the year, you may want to use a folding drying rack that you can take indoors.

4. For newbies, tow to a parking lot and setup some markers and practice backing up. Adjust your mirrors till you are happy with checking your clearances. Check your fluids and tire pressures regularly (usually do it before I hit the road each morning.) And while Disney is your final destination, don't drive if your too tired to do it safely and have a fun time.

My only recommendation for 18 hours of travel with kids are lots of in car games, sing a longs, spotting games, at least with my nieces when they where young out of the whole tow they slept more then my brother or I did, it was the evening stop when they where wide awake and I was ready for bed that was the hardest.

 

[2goofycampers]

Yes they do allow clothes lines. That would be alot of beach towels. Have a wonderful time planning and there.

 

[sippican]

Here's hoping for your daughter's continued recovery!
If you have not done so already, I strongly suggest making your reservations (then cancel if you need to). Fall can get booked up quickly.
For camping facilities, KOA is a pretty reliable chain for simple overnighting. They offer discounts through their value card, are usually close to main routes' have spacious pull-through sites and are clean. They even have an App.
I agree with th suggestions for a fold up laundry rack to dry things.
As far as entertaining the kids - Disney movies !
Have fun planning your great adventure.

 

[Jeepin Dad]

My best advice would be get out and do some camping this summer, PA has some great State Parks and private campgrounds, with the ages of your kids I would highly recommend Twin Grove Campground (www.twingrove.com) in Pine Grove PA. This will accomplish a couple things, it will get you used to towing the camper and it will help you figure out what you need to bring with you and what you can leave at home, plus it is a great family activity.

We have never camped around the DC area so can't help you there but agree with others KOAs are great for overnight stops, Walmart parking lots also work well and are free. When we do head south we always take 695 west around Baltimore towards Towson since there are no tolls. A folding drying rack is one of our essential pieces of equipment when camping. On long drives we play lots of spotting games, the kids have their electronic games and we have a portable DVD we can setup for them.

My dad is a leukemia survivor, hopefully your daughter can kick its butt too!

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Your tires should be inflated to the pressure indicated in the drivers door area of your tow vehicle, NOT the maximum on the tire. Your trailer should also have a similar guide, typically found near the left front or in the main doorway. These inflation figures are calculated by the manufacturer based on the vehicles capacities and load inflation tables.

 

[photogal06]

We finally remembered to bring a folding drying rack on our last camping trip, after a decade of trying to dry clothes and towels on the awning arms, backs of chairs, picnic tables, rv bumper, etc. The drying rack is far easier, lol!

Our drive is 20 hours, and we packed dvds for dd, along with books, activity books, family audio books, and fun snacks to help pass the time. For us, the drive down was always easy....the drive back, less so. It's a looooong trip home, so be sure to save some special things for the return that you didn't break out on the way down.

 

[rbork]

To avoid the propane through the McHenry/i95 and Baltimore 895 tunnels, head around 695 beltway. From I 81 you can catch 695 toward Pikesville and rejoin I 95. The other way takes you over the Key Bridge, which is subject to cross winds. Also 301 takes you over the Potomac river bridge, another windy bridge and lots of red lights through Crofton, Waldorf and Laplata.

As far as camping south of DC, I agree with others to keep on truckin until Southern VA or NC.

Best wishes for your daughter and your family during this challenging time.

 

[sippican]

To avoid the propane through the McHenry/i95 and Baltimore 895 tunnels, head around 695 beltway. From I 81 you can catch 695 toward Pikesville and rejoin I 95. The other way takes you over the Key Bridge, which is subject to cross winds. Also 301 takes you over the Potomac river bridge, another windy bridge and lots of red lights through Crofton, Waldorf and Laplata.
A

Wish we had this advice yesterday,
Good Sam routed us to 301. It is a horrible road for an RV towing a car. We lost hours of time today - hit during rush hour traffic. Now we're sitting at the KOA in Millersville, trying to figure out how to get out of here tomorrow.
Heading for NH.

 

[disneytriplets]

Wow, thank you for all the information! We really appreciate it!

We do plan to do some local camping before heading to Disney. We’ve been practicing in the driveway so we learn what we need to pack/buy.

We are coming from Philly area. I was thinking of driving just past DC the first evening because I’m worried how my youngest two will do with the long drive and thought we could leave at dinner time and drive for a few hours with the off chance the youngest two fall asleep after a while. We’ve basically been in quarantine for the past year due to my daughter not having an immune system so the kids haven’t gone too many places in that time (thankfully we already homeschooled). Because of this, my one year old has not spent much time in her car seat and she HATES being strapped into it. My four year old gets nauseous/carsick now on curvy roads. I’m so excited for Disney but I’m worried…ok, terrified…about the drive to and from Disney with a car full of kids along with towing a camper. Should be a good time!!

We would love to make it farther. Do most campgrounds along I95 allow you to pull in later at night (11pm-ish)? Do you need to make reservations or can you just show up?

Thank you for the well wishes for my daughter! It has been a really tough year. She is slowly coming off a lot of the transplant restrictions and we are ready to venture into the world and have some fun!

Thanks again!!

 

[sippican]

I cannot speak to other campgrounds, but almost all KOAs along the I95 corridor will have an after hours check-in box at the office. We do like to call ahead once we know where we'd like to spend the night. In most cases you'll be able to get a long pull-through site that will not make it necessary to unhitch. You just drive in, hook up your water and electric (sewer if needed), then pull on out in the morning.
More hints for the kids - have them each pack a very small bag of their own activities. You could also pick up a few low cost "surprise" distractions to present along the route from the dollar stores.
You might also try these for ideas:
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/...ps/10-boardless-pieceless-road-trip-games.htm
http://spoonful.com/family-fun/car-games-backseat-distractions

 

[jbrostek]

If your comming down from philly, timing will be everything toi avoid most of the baltimore and DC traffic. But depending on departure time, you could make it south of Richmond before you consider stopping for the night.

I have stayed at KOA and non KOA campgrounds. They are all fine with overnight stops, but its best to stop at the office on the way in to see if they have a marked map/late night checkin location. This will tell you what sites are open without a reservation for that evening. If they have an envelope you cna fill it out for payment, otherwise you just check in with the front desk and pay in the morning.