Daily driving distace? - Montana Owners Club

Superdave · 12-19-2009, 01:48 PM

We're planning on driving from Burleson Tx to Lafayette for Mardi Gras, distance of 435 miles. We have no realistic idea , being newbies, of what we could expect to drive in a day.
Just wife and I , no kids, no pets. A lot of intersate.

Also , I - 49 between Shreveport and Lafayette used to be very sparse on rest stops etc. Has that improved?
Thanks for your comments !

Trailer Trash 2 · 12-19-2009, 02:16 PM

fo me a 350 mile trip is a good drive, because my wife will turn into a monster if I go farther.
So it' s less than 400

Mudchief · 12-19-2009, 02:28 PM

You will find that varies with different people and also how much time you have to make the trip. For me the trip you are planing would be a easy drive in one day.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-19-2009, 02:29 PM

Have done 400 mile, can we spell exhausted and UGHHHHH and not again except in case of emergency.

Prefer 250ish miles.

Rest stops, if necessary, we have pulled off at an exit, and hey, we have our rest area with us! Unlock door, rest!

Enjoy that trip!! Congrats on the new rig.

Art-n-Marge · 12-19-2009, 02:38 PM

If I get a very early start and that is the total distance from start to end, I have done that. I try not to do any further than 425 miles in one day for a one day trip.

I did 475 miles once and was "toast" at the end of it but I also fought rain that day and the trip took longer than planned. Then I had to set things up, in the dark, when I was very tired. Never again! Now, if there is more than 425 miles I schedule a stopover (I might consider a 435 miler in one day). I would rather be rested at the end and in daylight than rush on through. I should also mention I keep speed at 62-63. I might get up to 65, but usually on the downhills. I also do all the driving, but DW is a good travel companion and keeps me alert.

There are others who travel faster and farther than I, but I don't like getting up real early or setting up in the dark. In your case, I would certainly try to keep the trip to one day since you're already packed up, ready to go and can get an early start.

I expect others will comment on the route you are taking. Have fun at Mardi Gras!

bob n pam · 12-19-2009, 02:39 PM

250 miles for us, taking 2 hour turns at driving.

PapaBeav · 12-19-2009, 02:47 PM

250 to 300 miles is all we will do for the most part. We have done more especially if it is all Interstate or the first day of a long trip.

Rich

NCFischers · 12-19-2009, 02:57 PM

As we are still working and have a limited time for trips, we'll push 350 to 400 in a day if we have to. That usually makes the second days travel shorter. If we were retired, we could add a day for travel.

boylanag · 12-19-2009, 03:15 PM

Our limits are usually 200 miles or 4 hours, and those are topmost limits. We may only go 50 miles but the ONLY time we go over these limits is when we leave for the south the first of January and we travel until we get out of the snow. Then it is back to the shorter times and distances. For us, your trip would probably be two days, and we also try to stay off the interstates because there is more to see and do. Enjoy your new journeys - Jim and Carol

dsprik · 12-19-2009, 03:53 PM

If we are going somewhere in a timeline, we usually run 350-400 miles a day @ 62-63 (like Art) mostly on Interstates. You can make that distance in one day on the interstate, but you will be exhausted at the end of the day. Pulling a 38 ft, 8 ft wide Montana is a much more intensive exercise - physically AND mentally - than just jumping in a car and driving 12-16 hrs/800+ miles - which I have no problem doing.

garyka · 12-19-2009, 03:57 PM

Being new I would split this in half and enjoy the ride,get to a campground and relax and enjoy the day and get to your destination feeling well rested the next day.

dieselguy · 12-19-2009, 04:02 PM

8 hours on the road per day is about my limit ... turns out to be around 400 - 450 miles. I'm tired when I stop for the day, but not exhausted. If you get up and out of there by say 8 AM, you'll easily have time to setup in the daylite this time of year. Take a break when you feel the need, get out walk around the fiver, check tires and wheels, check inside for things that may have shifted around, you'll be good for another 100 miles or so.

HamRad · 12-19-2009, 04:05 PM

We're with the 250 mile per day group. And we stop every couple of hours. We've done 350 miles but we were really tired and grumpy!

But you have to decide what works for you. If 450 miles works for you then go for it. If 50 miles then that works too.

Travel safely,
Dennis and Mary Kay

exav8tr · 12-19-2009, 04:07 PM

Coming from Alaska three years ago, I did 475 miles, two days in a row. The third day I was wasted. We could have driven 300 or so and not had to stop for a full day to rest up. Now we like between 200-300 miles, having said that circumstances will dictate a trip of 435. i.e. If we were real rested the day before we left - maybe. I would leave very early to arrive before dark, I do not like to back up into a treed spot in the dark. If I had plenty of time, which I do now, I would probably make a 300-350 leg the first day, then coast in the next day, only problem with that sometimes is check in times, which we try to adhere to. In any event, I would not push it. We carry the Trailer Life in the truck when we travel in case we need to locate a CG close by. Have a safe and enjoyable trip....

Tom S. · 12-19-2009, 06:29 PM

Doing it in one day would be my preference. As others have said, when taking a long trip, break it up into chunks, and if you were looking at anything much longer than this, doing it in two days would make sense, but 430 miles (assuming good highways) is very doable, especially if you are time constrained.

trlrboy · 12-20-2009, 12:32 AM

Superdave...
The hardest part of your trip is getting from Burleson out past Dallas and out toward Canton, TX. Once you get past the I-635 split east of Dallas it's a pretty easy drive from there to Shreveport. Interstate all the way no construction that I've seen.

The trip down I-49 to Lafayette is great. All country driving on the interstate and there are a couple of rest stops that are big and roomy for your trailer. Just make sure that you park in with the trucks and you'll have no trouble.

This is the route we take from Rockwall, TX down to Gulf Shores, AL and you can make Lafayette in a day without much problem. Like others have said, take a break every once in a while and you'll be fine.

Bill-N-Donna · 12-20-2009, 12:41 AM

For us it can be an all day trip traveling just 250 miles. We have our grand-daughter with us usually when we travel and we make a lot of stops. For just two adults depending on your travel styles you may be able to travel more. When towing the Montana I believe it simply takes longer for a trip. We also enjoy getting to a campground and setting up before dark. This will leave plenty of time to relax a little.

ols1932 · 12-20-2009, 02:04 AM

We plan on 250-300 miles/day. There are exceptions, of course. Just a couple weeks ago we made a point to point trip of 375 miles. But that was the exception. Our daily travels usually run in the neighborhood of 6-7 hours on the road. Usually don't feel to "spent" using this way of travel. No matter what the "youngsters" who travel say, any longer on the road with one of these rigs in tow will cause you to expend a lot of energy.

Orv

wingerphil · 12-20-2009, 02:27 AM

We usually do around 400-500 per day. The big factor is how you and your spouse travel. Do you need to stop and take frequent bathroom breaks or can you go for 2-3 hours before stopping? Do you prefer to stop at restaurants for meals or grab something at a rest stop?

When we are in "travel mode" we grab a quick breakfast before hitting the road (toaster waffles are great!), stop once in the morning for a bathroom break and then combine lunch with another bathroom break around noon. We usually stop again during the afternoon depending on how much ice tea we had at lunch :-).

With my truck I rarely have to stop for fuel when traveling (holds 280 gal) so our stops are almost always at rest parks, easy in and out. DW will make up some chicken salad, tuna salad or something similier so lunch is a quick fix and not real messy. Lunch is usually less than 20 minutes and the other breaks are around 10 minutes but we will take longer if either of us needs it.

We are fulltimers but still working so vacation time is limited and we dont want to spend a lot of it on the road. We dont travel fast, 65 MPH is my top speed on the interstate, but we do make good time by keeping our breaks as short as possible. Remember to inspect your rig at every stop and give your spouse a kiss for luck everytime you start out.

Delaine and Lindy · 12-20-2009, 02:35 AM

Delaine and I run 250-300 a day, we try to be out of the RV Park by 8:00 am and into a RV Park by 3:00 pm. We run 60-62 mph and stop every 2 hours. At one time in my life I run a big Truck and ran 600 + miles per day. But that was to make money. Now there is no reason to run so hard. Also we always have a reservation because we prefer not to Wally dock, or park in a parking lot. And we also do no boondocking thats just our choice. Others have different choices. Of course due to a medical issue with Delaine's mom we ran 1,675 miles and stopped for 5 hours in 2007. But we were riding in a Truck that had air rides seats and air ride suspension. Riding on air makes a 100% difference, without air we couldn't have done it. GBY....

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