How many miles do you tow in any day?

[RMccord]

I guess a better question is when on the road how many miles or hours will you usually tow in what you consider a long travel day?

[fulltimedreamer]

Occasionally, we have been on a tight schedule and have pulled some 12 - 16 hour days. We prefer to keep to a maximum of 250-300 miles. Ideally, 4 hours of driving per day is plenty. Hopefully, when we get to go fulltime we won't have to rush anymore.

[Bill and Ann]

When we head to Tx. or home from Tx. we try to drive from Flying J to Flying J. We start driving about 7 - 8 am. and get off the road at 4 pm or before. Usually about 400 to 500 miles per day.

[CountryGuy]

Preferred is 200 to 250. Bad weather and family emergency realities may cause 350 to 410. Don't like those days, driving to Texas in winter is hard driving, 390, 400, 410, etc. day after day. UGH, no wonder I sleep for the first week after I hit the Rio Grande Valley! :D

Carol

[faeb and genb]

We prefer 300 per day. But when we go to & from Tx. we go 415 per day. That way we make it in 3 days.
Gene

[lawrenceb42106]

We are in the 230 club. Either 230 miles or off the road by 2:30 which ever comes first.

[HamRad]

lawrenceb42106,
I like your club! I think I'll join. :) Anything over 250 is a long day for us.

HamRad

[DHenry]

Like lawrenceb42106, we joined the 300 club, 300 miles or 3:00.

[sreigle]

I have to split my answer into two parts: 1) as vacationers/weekenders and 2) as fulltimers.

1. When we were vacationing I determined our driving day by dividing the miles to be covered by the number of vacation days I was willing to use for travel. Usually that meant 400 to 550 miles per day.

2. As fulltimers, we're not limited to x weeks vacation. Our preference now is 200 to 250, give or take 50 miles. Anything over 300 is now a long day to us. We most commonly hit the road around 9 to 10 am and stop between 1 and 2 pm. That varies some, of course.

Longest towing day I've done is a little over 800 miles. The shortest was 12, when we moved from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg last month.

[315RLS]

quote:Originally posted by RMccord

I guess a better question is when on the road how many miles or hours will you usually tow in what you consider a long travel day?


3 of the trips we did last summer were 750-800 miles a day. That's as far as I care to drive in a day with or without a trailer.

[kdeiss]

We try to get early start 6am off the road by 2-2:30 so we can enjoy the CG

[richfaa]

Helen and I share the driving and we swap at every fuel stop which will be every 3 hours or so need it or not. We still like to be off the road and set up in a campground well before dark.Going to the Fla keys we have done 10 /12 hours but with the 3 hour driving shifts we do not tire out.

[jrgwdenner]

I think we're members of a club that we didn't even know we had joined....the 230 club. I like those figures. We find that we're stiff and sore after just an hour or two in the truck so by the time we make frequent stops, even 230 miles is a long enough day.

[Bill Hill]

Like a lot of others, it depends on the time & the trip. For our long weekend trips, not more than about 200-250 miles each way. When we go to Prescott AZ from Los Angeles, its 425 miles and we leave at 0:Dark00 to get there as early as we can, but all in one day. That's plenty far enough to drive.

[padredw]

To give a specific answer: we drove 526.4 miles yesterday from our home in East Texas to here in Alabama near the Florida state line. On our way home from Colorado we often drive a bit further than that, but most of that is in Texas! Today, we will drive about 200 miles, and that way our plan: long drive yesterday to have an easy drive to our destination today.

[tollmann]

We try to set our schedule so that the first and last days are short ones.

[Wordsmith]

WOW! All of you guys are true warriors! And it really puts ALL of my towing in perspective, considering my parents had stopped their long travels by the time I was old enough to start towing at 16. Even then, when I took over for my father, it was only about 175 miles from Brevard, NC to our then home in Athens, Ga.

Since Marsha started camping with me in 1994, we have not made a trip of more than 100 miles, and that seems awfully short compared to the distances mentioned here! [:0]

[vickster]

A comfortable travel day for us is about 300 miles. We like to stop at about 4:00 pm to enjoy a walk (weather permitting), and a relaxing refreshment hour while we prepare our evening meal. (I take care of the refreshment part, while hubby prepares a tasty meal!) However, heading south to escape the cold of winter or forcasted storm, we have driven as much as 500 to 600 miles. But, I get real crabby, so we don't do that to often!

[Montana_2785]

If we are really traveling hard, then we might do 500 miles in a day. Otherwise, we prefer to do 200-300 at most in a day.

Since we both still work and we like to visit places "not real close by", we tend to designate some days as "travel" days where we don't stop to smell the flowers. We do little more than pound pavement. Then we slow down and explore whatever area we are in. It is our attempt to maximise our on-station time in our desired destinations during our rare tastes of freedom ;)

Eric

[Glenn and Lorraine]

In over a year and a half of fulltiming I don't believe we have traveled more than 300 miles in a single day. Most days are around 240 to 270 miles with 2 to 3 rest stops thrown in. I have also learned to get out of the throttle a bit. Instead of 70/75 mph I now keep it at 65 or less. We try to get on the road by 9AM and off no later than 3PM preferably 2PM (today we were on the road at 8:30 and off at 1) and I NEVER travel after dark. I flat refuse to try to hook up after dark.

[H. John Kohl]

My trips this year is long runs. I did 660 mile in 14 hours with nap (1 hr). Pulled out at 6 Am and arrived in Eustis at 8PM.
going back to Ny will be three 500 miles each day. Will pull out early if I can not sleep which is normally the case.
Once we are full timing I think we will be in the 230 club.

[jrgwdenner]

Wow, there are some real road warriors in this group. We're exhausted after 250 miles a day and Greta's antsy 'cause she wants to chase squirrels.

[bob n pam]

We're with Steve & Vickie. Start late, stop early and enjoy. Average day 250 to 300 depending on the road. We like to take the back roads, so we usually travel few miles.

[sreigle]

Bob n Pam, I can't remember if I asked you this already. Are you "real" South Dakotans or "paper" South Dakotans like us? If the latter, where was home before fulltiming?

[Garin1]

If I have a destination in mind I will do 600 miles in a 12 hour day. If I am just cruising maybe 300. the most I did was to run from Portland Maine to Harvey Louisiana in two days flat. Whew, hope I never have to do that again.[xx(]

[Sunshine]

Our longest day so far was Vernal, UT to La Pine, OR - we leave early and drive until hubby decides he wants to quit. A lot of the driving out here is through wide open spaces cities are few and far between in most places - interstates or good state/federal highways - I think that makes a difference too.

[skypilot]

Work has kept us off the road this summer but last year did some traveling. We try to get out early but never seem to make it so on the road by 11 and off by 1 or 2 (that is AM :( ). Only us and the Elk on the road going up to Mt. Rushmore last June. Never, ever again. (Normal travel without 5er is 700 to 800 per day, 4 to 5 times per year (to visit in-laws on 3 or 4 day weekends) Will be glad to join the ranks of those who's life has allowed them to slow down and enjoy life and vacationing :D . With 5er, avg 400 to 500 per day depending on roads and amt of time we have total.

[richfaa]

Since we both share the driving we CAN travel a greater distance without tiring. We usually stop for fuel/pitstop/ Leg stretch every 3 hours or so need fuel or not and swap drivers. Still we like to be in a campground by 7 or 8PM.

[Dave e Victoria]

I do all the driving and prefer the 250 miles then two or three days off and another 250 miles. Unfortunately, we often have someplace we want to be. Then I plan 300 miles per day or there abouts. This week, we were on our way back to AZ from Santa Rosa CA. We did that in 2 days. 407 followed by 416. We consider this just about too much anymore.

[Ontheroad]

Like Glen and Lorraine, After 15 months of fulltiming we have never gone more than 300 miles. Usually 200-250. I have never driven the truck with the monty after dark. We also have never stayed overnight in a parking lot.
That said, we've been lucky. No family or health emergencies where we have to be somewhere in a hurry.

[DarMar]

We would be part of the 230 club for sure. To push it much more takes the fun out of it. By 230 it must be refreshment time in my books. Have pulled in the dark before but may never again. Stopping distance is tooo long for what might suddenly appear in our headlights.

[adelmoll]

We make it a point of never re-fueling more than once a day. That usually means 300 miles or less. Bill likes the less.

[richfaa]

Dave e Victoria...Just noticed your unusual TV in the picture.. How long does it take to get to crusing altitude and what kind of flight plan do you file????

[Montana Sky]

Towing the coach I usually run 500-650 miles per day, not towing I will run 950-1,300 miles a day. Since I am still working I want to spend as much time at my destination rather than the road to it. Once I have more time, half the fun of the trip will be getting to the destination.