Average daily distance on the road with an RV

[kermitvb]

Originally Posted by flyboy43

As a brand new travel trailer owner (Palomino Solaire 258 RBSS) that I am towing with a 2011 Ford F150 SC Lariat Class IV tt package and an EcoBoost V6. I am well within the limits for various weights as per Ford, etc. My RV tires are speed rated at 65 mph, so I am planning on cruising as that speed. I know from personal experience that the simple math of i.e. 10 hours at 65 mph = 650 miles is different from the actual miles capable after rest and gas stops.

So I am looking for feedback on what experienced RV travelers generally plan to accomplish with regard distance per day. I know some folks like to be done for the day by a certain time or before dark, etc. And I expect that some days are shorter than others due to the availability of RV park facilities.

Thanks in advance.

We recently switched from a TT to a Fiver, but after about 15 months of RVing, here's what we found works for us. If we leave from home and the trailer is ready to go, we'll do 450-500 (max) at 55-60 mph. That allows us to arrive at our destination, set up camp, then enjoy an adult beverage, and unwind. If we are breaking camp, we will plan on 400-420 miles. Trust me, driving with a TT or 5th wheel can be stressful, especially going through metro areas or on narrow two lane roads. My wife doesn't drive, so we base it on what I'm comfortable with. I now can drive faster with my F250 diesel and 5th wheel, but 60-65 is the most I'm comfortable with. Do what you are comfortable with. Good luck. Don't press it until you are fatigued. Enjoy the world of RVing.

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

As many have said, 300 or so miles/day is a good distance. And I'll add one more thing I do. Every three days or 1000 miles, I find a nice town and campground and rest for the day. A nice breakfast and a nap, a nice antique shop and a nap, a small lunch, a walk with the dogs and a nap, read a book before a nap, the out to dinner. And then get ready for another full day driving.

Like your style. That sounds like a great "down day."

[grafic]

Too many variables! For us getting there is half the fun. Although we sometimes do more, we like to do 200 to 250 miles a day. We stop often, take in the sights or the town, do a side trip, enjoy the travel. But then we're retired and have no time constraints. A family on a two or three week vacation needing to get "there" is a different matter.

[JimMorrell]

I pull a 32' Wildwood, 7,400#, with my 2011 F 150. Gas tank is 36 gallons. I usually average between 50 and 55 mph, and travel around 300 miles per day. This is determined by gas tank and my body. That's around 6 hours of driving. I've done more many times, but this is my normal.

[BandJCarm]

I can go around 7 hours. 425 miles or so. If I have a 'spodabee' (Supposed to be somewhere at a certain time), I usually go that far. If I'm just toodling across America, I go about 4 hours.



We can set up pretty easily. It's the next morning that I don't understand. It takes us a long time to get "out of there".

[pmsherman]

We used to travel 450-500mi per day in our Georgetown. Starting couple years ago, this dropped to around a maximum of 300mi/day to accomodate medical requirements.


The best we've done is 1000mi in 27 hours. This was after a call from our daughter requesting us to be present for our grandkids school play. We made it to the play with a couple of hours to spare. Unfortunately, just before we were ready to leave I recieved a phone call that told me that I had 96 hours to retrieve all of my astronomy equipment located the same 1000mi away. We made that trip back in the same 27 hours. (I did get all of my equipment put in storage before the property was locked up.)



Driving 300mi/day is a lot easier.

[CincyGus]

Camping has always been about relaxing, being excited to travel to our destination and see what we want to see and do what we want to do both once we get there and during the travel part.

So we try to stay very relaxed about timelines and agenda's. Our general rule is we leave by 10 a.m. travel 300 miles or less and looking for a place by 3 p.m. (if we don't have reservations already) and stopped for the day by 4 p.m.

That gives us time to setup camp, grab a cold drink and an easy dinner the first night. We generally travel 1 day, stay at least that partial and the next day before we move another 300 miles. We hate setting up one afternoon and leaving the next morning.

Once we go full time in a few years, we plan on extending the stay to 5-14 days. Saves your fuel bill from being more than your rent and gives you time to get the flavor of the area a little bit and find the fun things to do there. Our goal will to be to find the place we want to settle after full time travel ends as our new base station for occasional trips.

[Splashes3]

We drive whatever the distance requires - in one shot. I do almost all the driving, but if I need a break, my wife can handle our rig.

Just starting week 3 of our 3 week trip, we have spent an additional day at some c/gs just to rest up, minimal sightseeing, before heading to the next stop. This is our 6th c/g and I am coming up on 3000 miles.

[Phalanx]

I'll go between 4-700 miles per day towing. It's more dependent on my passengers than anything. I'll drive 10hours and only stop for fuel and a quick bathroom break on my own. But with the wife, kid, and pups, we stop too much IMHO.

[ron2233]

We are retired and rarely have to worry about deadlines, so this won't work for everyone, but we use the 222 rule. 200 miles per day roughly, plan to arrive at each stop by 2:00pm,and always consider staying 2 nights. It works well for us.

[CaptnJohn]

We are retired and I’m 71. I’m pulling a41’ 5er. I generally cruise at 65. I like to in a cg before dark so 300-400 works well. If only 600 total I do it all in 1 trip. We only stop for comfort as I can do 700 without needing fuel.

[Tundra 2014]

We travel w/ a Vizsla "Crazy Dog", so we usually stop about every 3 hours. We stop to stretch our legs and let him walk and move around. Pulling V-front TT w/ SD F-350. We try to max out @ about 350 miles in a day, split in half for lunch. We drive at 62 and enjoy the view-Retired. V dog can run 40 MPH and easily jump a 4' fence. I pushed distances driving when he was a puppy, he ate his seat belt! Not funny.

[Jakieboy]

There is no one, single answer to your question. DW and I have been towing various RV's throughout the nation since 1976, and we now have a luxurious fifth-wheel Cardinal that we tow everywhere. We plan our trips so that we rarely travel less than 200 miles, and never more than 350 miles between RV stops. We are both retired, so that gives us the blessing of not having to worry about getting back to our workplace.

The joy of RV-ing is being able to go places where you might otherwise never visit because there are no motels or resorts nearby where you could stay. Wherever you may stop, you always know that you will be sleeping in the same bed as the night before. That is part of the magic!!

My advice is simply: (1) Plan ahead, make reservations at your destinations before you go so you don't end up at your destination with no place to stay. (2) Take as many side roads as you can between start and finish. (3) Visit all the attractions at your destinations that you can to build up memories that you can share with your curious grand-children - - - when they arrive.

[dward51]

You know "back in the day" (well before anyone ever even thought of a 55mph speed limit and when gas was.... well you know) I drove from Atlanta to New Hampshire straight through "once". Once being the key to that story (and it was in my Camero, not towing a trailer).

Now that I'm a lot greyer and breaks are more often, I like to keep it a much more reasonable 200 to 300 miles when trailering. That's the whole idea of a RV/Trailer. You have your "room" with you to take a break between destinations if you feel like it and plan the daily stops as close or far as you want. Keep it fun and safe!

[revbilly]

Like many have said, we’re retired and not in a hurry so we generally follow what we call the 250/2 rule. We plan on about 250 miles a day and generally spend 2 nights when we stop. Sometimes the first and last days are single nights but usually we stay 2.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

My wife doesn't like to drive our mh so I'm it . I generally do 6 hours . 3 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. I've long since retired so my days of pushing things are over. At 55 - 60 mph I can cover enough distance in day and still feel ok.

My sentiments exactly.
My slogan is....
Make the adventure of travel enjoyable, it’s not a marathon.

[Lifestylers]

300 preferred max...55 MPH seems good figure for me....I cruise at 67/68 interstate...love the short hops of 200-250 Have nowhere to be most times...

[Jakieboy]

We have been RV-ing for more than 45 years, and we are now in our 70's and towing a 35-foot long Cardinal fifth-wheel. We try to keep our daily excursions between RV parks to no more than 350 - 400 miles, often no ore than 200 miles. We rarely tow at speeds above 60 mph. The time and distance that it takes to stop a rig like ours in an emergency stop is far longer than you would think. Be safe. Do not tow your rig closely behind traffic ahead of you. Keep many car lengths between your rig and the vehicles ahead. You will be surprised at how many times thoughtless drivers will pull ahead of you in traffic congestion, then jam on their brakes without realizing that you may not be able to stop in time to avoid a collision.

On major, multi-lane Interstate Highways, we always stay one lane to the left from the "curb" lane, to avoid having to slow down abruptly when slow traffic enters the freeway from the on-ramps.

Most of all, be patient. Most drivers simply do not understand the basic physics of towing a large RV. They will pull right in front of you in an instant, slam on their brakes, and hope that you can stop in time to avoid destroying their cars (typically BMW's, Mercedes-Benz's, SAAB Turbo's, or other high-end sporty types). I call them the "cactus cars".

[Ziggy848]

Just finishing up a 5200 mile roadtrip pulling a 35ft 5er with wife, 2 grandkids and a dog. We usually drive about 6-10 hrs a day depending on what type of highway traffic we get into. I'm the only driver and I set the cruise at 70mph but we stop about every 2-2.5hrs for a potty, snack and stretch break and the 2nd stop usually includes fuel.

[Jakieboy]

I would never set my Cruise Control to more than 60 mph while towing my 35-foot fifth wheel Cardinal. The stopping distance from 70 mph compared to 60 mph is significantly more than from 60. Stay safe, especially when you have small children on-board.