First Post

[Wheel]

Been reading this forum for a while but this is my post, so not sure this is the right place.

We are preparing for our first long trip with our 2018 Sabre 30RLT fifth wheel that we pull with a 2017 Ford F-250 SRW 6.7 diesel. We leave the end of January from Southwest Missouri (Springfield) and have reservations to stay for two months in North Ft Myers, FL.

We have been back into RVing for a couple of years and moved up to a larger rig after a year with a bumper pull. It’s just my wife and I and two rambunctious golden doodles.

I have been studying several mapping sites trying to figure the best route but still avoiding the the major traffic areas like Atlanta. We hope to make the trip in three days and would like to get far enough south the first day so that we can stay in the fifth wheel that is winterized. I know this could be a toss up considering it will be the end of January.

I’m looking for suggestions and recommendations from the wealth of knowledge from this forum.

A couple of specific things that I am worried about are taking/packing too stuff. I came from the Boy Scout school of always been prepared, that is just not always possible when you are pulling everything. Also we are excited to get there but don’t want to push so hard that we don’t enjoy the journey. How much ground is reasonable to cover every day and still get set up enough to sleep each night?

What else are we missing or forgetting about?

Thanks. Hope to meet lots of new friends on the road.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Wheel

A couple of specific things that I am worried about are taking/packing too stuff. I came from the Boy Scout school of always been prepared, that is just not always possible when you are pulling everything.

Just remember, Walmart and Amazon are everywhere. Depending on your campground in Fort Myers, heck- Amazon deliveries might be delivered straight to your camper door.

Pack less than you think you need and then even slash that. I'd strongly suggest you get packed and then weigh the rig. Staying within a camper's ratings is important (2 1/2 years of overloaded fulltiming = buckled frame for me).

Originally Posted by Wheel

Also we are excited to get there but don’t want to push so hard that we don’t enjoy the journey. How much ground is reasonable to cover every day and still get set up enough to sleep each night?

That all really depends on you. I have written a post on this (how far in a day?), but basically the crux of it is that once I figure in stops, we average about 50mph over all (truth be told, we're closer to 45mph). The math is simpler at 50mph: to go 300 miles, it's 6 hours. The questions to ask yourself- will you get up early and roll out? Do you mind driving at night (remember- days are short in January)?

Mapping from Branson to North Fort Myers is 1,200 miles. At 50mph average, that's 24 hours of driving. At 400 miles per day, that's 3 x 8 hour days of driving. Days 1 and 2, that's pretty easy- day 3, I start to get worn out.

Personally, if I wasn't on a schedule crunch- I'd try to drive that over 4 days- do 400 miles to get down into Alabama. And then would do 300 miles south through Alabama. Another 300 to get across the Florida panhandle. And then end it with another 300 to get down to Fort Myers.

You can see that on this trip plan:
https://www.rvparky.com/trip/5860858428653568

Even more so- I'd likely try and spend a couple of days either in Mobile or Lake City to recharge and re-energize.

[kenandterry]

X2 what ependydad said exactly.

Reality is....you’re only going to cover 50 miles of distance every hour. RV-ing shouldn’t be a race....it should be enjoyable.