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Old 12-10-2018, 12:32 PM   #1
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What do you do when weather catches you on the road.

This question probably only applies to those who travel during winter months.

If you travel between November and April in many parts of the country it's entirely possible that you will have nasty weather suddenly catch you on the road. A sudden temperature drop and you now run into snow between the nice comfortable campground you just left and your next destination. Even though you checked the weather reports and it seemed that the worst you'd encounter was rain, sure enough the first high spot on the highway now has snow and it's sticking.


What's your plan. Just pull over and wait, even if it's just in a wide spot in the road? Push on until you can get off the highway and find a parking lot? Call around for a nearby campground and hope you can get there? Or do you carry chains and just keep going (slowly of course)?

I've been watching the national weather reports and it seems like there is a lot of nasty driving in areas I normally wouldn't associate with snow/ice.

Curious what others have in their "play book" for these sudden weather events.

I know it's easy to say "Just don't start out when you know there's going to be snow and ice" but my years of winter driving have shown that even when you think the highway will be clear and dry because of weather and highway reports, "Mother Nature" can often have other plans. Interstate 5 is a good example of how things can change rapidly in just a few miles. No real mountain passes between Seattle and Ashland, OR but lots of "hills". Miles and miles of bare, dry highway and suddenly you're going up a relatively insignificant hill and everything changes. The relatively small change in altitude puts you in a whole different climate. 10 miles later it's back to normal.
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Old 12-10-2018, 12:54 PM   #2
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We definitely follow the forecast closely, as well as current conditions. As you mention, there can be wild variations within a few miles.

For us, we have quality tires on the tow vehicle and trailer. We do not carry chains. Adjust driving speed to conditions and carry on our way. If conditions warrant, we will change our route or stop sooner than planned.
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Old 12-10-2018, 01:08 PM   #3
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Watch the forecast. This Jan we were in Savannah and were leaving there for Alabama. Got up at ram to put the dog out and the sky was clear. Packed up and left. Hit Brunswick Vs and 34 degrees and rain. Passed 5 accidents on our side of the highway and got to Fl before the freezing rain hit. Class C towing a 20 ft car trailer. Glad I drove truck for 38 years in all kinds of weather. Missed 2 days of Ga under ice!
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Old 12-10-2018, 02:45 PM   #4
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Haven't been caught while actually under way. But couple of times we have woken up in campgrounds covered in too much snow to be towing in...yes, down here in the South.

Luckily, we were able to just remain hunkered down until roads cleared, which usually doesn't take long down here.
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Old 12-10-2018, 04:31 PM   #5
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Being in Colorado, it's easy for it to happen here.

One of my rules for my teenage kids (and myself) during the winter was to have enough clothing to stay warm for at least 2 hours after you put the car in the ditch (without running the engine). My daughter didn't end up in the ditch, but she did get stuck on the edge of the road about 3 miles from home. She follows the rule now without my having to say anything.

We haven't been caught in snow while towing the A-frame yet(!), but sooner or later our luck will run out.

Things I am adamant about as part of being prepared:
1) good snow tires on the tow vehicle;
2) as big a battery (capacity) as I can fit in the tow vehicle, in good condition. Terminals and brackets clean;
3) an emergency kit in the tow vehicle (markers, blankets, flashlights, water, mittens, hats, small snow shovel, ice scraper, boots?);
4) never let the gas get below 1/4 of a tank
5) an attitude of being willing to stop on the side of the road or at an exit if it gets too dangerous to continue. Also, willinginess to spend the night in a town short of our destination and taking an extra day of PTO. Or, willingness to disconnect the camper, and come back and get it another day.

The camper can be replaced. Human beings can't.

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Old 12-10-2018, 07:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pgandw View Post
Being in Colorado, it's easy for it to happen here.

One of my rules for my teenage kids (and myself) during the winter was to have enough clothing to stay warm for at least 2 hours after you put the car in the ditch (without running the engine). My daughter didn't end up in the ditch, but she did get stuck on the edge of the road about 3 miles from home. She follows the rule now without my having to say anything.

We haven't been caught in snow while towing the A-frame yet(!), but sooner or later our luck will run out.

Things I am adamant about as part of being prepared:
1) good snow tires on the tow vehicle;
2) as big a battery (capacity) as I can fit in the tow vehicle, in good condition. Terminals and brackets clean;
3) an emergency kit in the tow vehicle (markers, blankets, flashlights, water, mittens, hats, small snow shovel, ice scraper, boots?);
4) never let the gas get below 1/4 of a tank
5) an attitude of being willing to stop on the side of the road or at an exit if it gets too dangerous to continue. Also, willinginess to spend the night in a town short of our destination and taking an extra day of PTO. Or, willingness to disconnect the camper, and come back and get it another day.

The camper can be replaced. Human beings can't.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

All the above and a set of insulated coveralls. If you've ever had to put chains on in bad weather you be glad you had them.
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Old 12-10-2018, 07:56 PM   #7
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All the above and a set of insulated coveralls. If you've ever had to put chains on in bad weather you be glad you had them.
If not coveralls, a large mat or small tarp.
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Old 12-10-2018, 08:05 PM   #8
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Watch the forecast. This Jan we were in Savannah and were leaving there for Alabama. Got up at ram to put the dog out and the sky was clear. Packed up and left. Hit Brunswick Vs and 34 degrees and rain. Passed 5 accidents on our side of the highway and got to Fl before the freezing rain hit. Class C towing a 20 ft car trailer. Glad I drove truck for 38 years in all kinds of weather. Missed 2 days of Ga under ice!

I probably passed you. I left Savannah 12 hours before snow shut 'em down. I passed Lake City, FL on the way to Orange Beach a few hours before they shut down I-10 due to ice and snow!


Got to Orange Beach and it was 18 degrees a few nights in a row. So much for SNOWBIRDING.

I'm headed to Florida on 20th. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the Bahamas.
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Old 12-10-2018, 08:23 PM   #9
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I cheerfully admit to cowardice. I grew up in snow country (had to wait for the driver's test course to get plowed off to get my 1st license) and spent as much of my youth as I could at ski resorts in VT & NY. I've driven many a mile in snow and know just how quickly things get sideways. But that was 40 & 50 years ago and none of the driving involved a 9000 lb. trailer. Now that my wife (who has never driven in snow) has to do the driving, we will stay south of the snow lines. Should we get caught in snow, we are pulling off and staying put until it is over and gone.
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Old 12-10-2018, 08:30 PM   #10
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Been there and done that.
We were in Moab last February and getting ready to head home to Pittsburgh. Shortest route is I-70 though Colorado. The weather report called for snow in the mountains. We took the longer, safer route down through Albuquerque NM. We still hit a little snow going down to I-10 but I put the truck in 4WD and went slow up over the pass. Even though there was a line behind me on a 4 lane highway, no one passed me until we were on the flat beyond the pass. It took at least a day longer going home, but we made it home safe.
I also carried a small generator in the bed of the truck to charge the trailer batteries in case we had to boondock for a couple of days.
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Old 12-10-2018, 09:22 PM   #11
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I probably passed you. I left Savannah 12 hours before snow shut 'em down. I passed Lake City, FL on the way to Orange Beach a few hours before they shut down I-10 due to ice and snow!


Got to Orange Beach and it was 18 degrees a few nights in a row. So much for SNOWBIRDING.

I'm headed to Florida on 20th. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the Bahamas.
We hit the shut down on I 10. Took 90 across to Tallahassee and back on I 10 west.
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:34 PM   #12
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Proper planning beats poor performance. However, there are times we are just S.O.L. Fortunately having a genny on board is a benefit, at least temporarily. I would drive until I couldn't and hunker down. Never thought about bringing my insulated coverall outfit but will now!
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:50 PM   #13
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I agree with everything everyone said, but being a little on the conservative side, where pgandw keeps 1/4 tank of gas in his tow vehicle, I maintain a 1/2 tank of gas in my Georgetown when winter traveling.

Why 1/2 tank? I want enough fuel to run the generator for 24 hours and still have enough fuel left to drive to the next town (fuel stop). I travel lots of places where it is 80-100 miles to the next fuel station. Assuming it is open in bad weather I'll fill up. If not, I'll have to drive to the next one hoping it is open.

Remember, unless you have added larger or additional batteries, your heater fan will drain you batteries while you are sleeping. Then you wake up to 35 degrees INSIDE. Ask me how I know.
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:59 PM   #14
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Having worked in the oil patch, you have to get to your job location no matter the weather. You just plan and prepare for it. One winter, we towed our trailer to a job in NE New Mexico through a late December snowstorm along with a service company trailer. I had our TT and the District Manager had the other trailer. We got into the location driving through white out conditions in NE New Mexico near House and San Jon. You took your time and arrived safely but allowed extra time for the slow travel. We got in, set up, fired up the generator and I took the manager to the airport in Amarillo (yes, through the snow). Fun. Got back to the wellsite just in time to rig up the service trailer and go on tour. We only drilled during daylight hours, so I drove into San Jon (about 30 miles away) to call in my report to the operating company. The 1-ton dually company truck I was using hadn't been properly winterized (this was back in 1982) so the radiator coolant was nothing but thick slush (not enough antifreeze in the mix). I was 10 miles from the site when the truck stopped. It was -20 F. I had a nice pair of heavy Carhart thermal coveralls behind the seat and was in arctic paks, so I walked back to the rig site in the bitterly cold weather. It was a full-moon night so the walk through the high steppe of NE New Mexico was quite beautiful. I made it home chilled to the bone despite being well insulated but safe and sound.

The list previously posted is outstanding if you also include the thermal coveralls but I would add a box of pocket/hand warmers (ones that are in a packet where you break an inner pouch and mix the contents to produce heat). They last for hours, depending on the maker (and the age of the product) and will keep you warmer than just the coveralls alone. If you have some MREs, they have a heater pack that will get you a warm meal in a pinch. That will warm you and lift your spirits if you get stuck.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:00 PM   #15
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I agree with everything everyone said, but being a little on the conservative side, where pgandw keeps 1/4 tank of gas in his tow vehicle, I maintain a 1/2 tank of gas in my Georgetown when winter traveling.

Why 1/2 tank? I want enough fuel to run the generator for 24 hours and still have enough fuel left to drive to the next town (fuel stop). I travel lots of places where it is 80-100 miles to the next fuel station. Assuming it is open in bad weather I'll fill up. If not, I'll have to drive to the next one hoping it is open.

Remember, unless you have added larger or additional batteries, your heater fan will drain you batteries while you are sleeping. Then you wake up to 35 degrees INSIDE. Ask me how I know.
X2...although I have not had to wake up with 35 degree temps!
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:04 PM   #16
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I agree with everything everyone said, but being a little on the conservative side, where pgandw keeps 1/4 tank of gas in his tow vehicle, I maintain a 1/2 tank of gas in my Georgetown when winter traveling.

Why 1/2 tank? I want enough fuel to run the generator for 24 hours and still have enough fuel left to drive to the next town (fuel stop). I travel lots of places where it is 80-100 miles to the next fuel station. Assuming it is open in bad weather I'll fill up. If not, I'll have to drive to the next one hoping it is open.

Remember, unless you have added larger or additional batteries, your heater fan will drain you batteries while you are sleeping. Then you wake up to 35 degrees INSIDE. Ask me how I know.
Good point. In the winter, I never let my fuel fall below 1/2 tank if I am driving in snow country. A 1/4 fuel level may be all right in the summer, but not in the winter. You need that extra margin. Good safety measure.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:08 PM   #17
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I have delayed leaving a day, spent a night and morning in a rest stop.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:35 PM   #18
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Old 12-11-2018, 04:34 PM   #19
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Been there and done that.
We were in Moab last February and getting ready to head home to Pittsburgh. Shortest route is I-70 though Colorado. The weather report called for snow in the mountains. We took the longer, safer route down through Albuquerque NM. We still hit a little snow going down to I-10 but I put the truck in 4WD and went slow up over the pass. Even though there was a line behind me on a 4 lane highway, no one passed me until we were on the flat beyond the pass. It took at least a day longer going home, but we made it home safe.
I also carried a small generator in the bed of the truck to charge the trailer batteries in case we had to boondock for a couple of days.
Probably glad you were going slow so it they also could go slow without feeling pressured.
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Old 12-11-2018, 07:07 PM   #20
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I always carry two Honda’s and a two gallon container of extra gas, one generator is all you need to keep the battery charged up. I have four six volt Trojans but a propane furnace is a battery hog.
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