Road Trip Thoughts

[Toytaco2]

I built our TD over 10 years ago (thanks to this forum) and always used it for weekend camping/hunting trips. I'm retired now and considering a long road trip this summer of 3-5K miles. I'm also considering building out a van. Never thought of myself as a "van lifer", but it does seem to make sense for the longer and more frequent road trips we're considering. It seems like the van would be really practical for quick boon docking stops and visiting national parks since I wouldn't have to worry about being able to leave the trailer somewhere while going off for the day to visit the area's sights.

For those who have made longer road trips, have you been willing to leave your trailer parked somewhere and trust that it will still be there when you return? Have you found that pulling a trailer those longer distances without a "pre-determined destination" is more trouble than its worth? Is using a TD for a road trip really a good plan? Also, I think we might get a nice hotel room every 4 days or so. Again, I'm wondering if worrying about a trailer in the parking lot is worth it. OTH, I do already own the TD, and, unlike a lot of us, I wouldn't necessarily be heartbroken if something happened to it on a road trip, but, I definitely wouldn't want the inconvenience being on the road and many miles from home.

What are your thoughts? Is a TD road trip a formula for more fun, or, not worth the trouble?

Thanks,

Mike

[tony.latham]

...since I wouldn't have to worry about being able to leave the trailer somewhere while going off for the day to visit the area's sights.

That's the reason I installed a removable hitch:



But there are other ways of securing a trailer too of course.

For us, it makes more sense to leave the trailer along with our chairs and table instead of pack stuff up.

Have you found that pulling a trailer those longer distances without a "pre-determined destination" is more trouble than its worth? Is using a TD for a road trip really a good plan? Also, I think we might get a nice hotel room every 4 days or so. Again, I'm wondering if worrying about a trailer in the parking lot is worth it. OTH,

We usually have our destinations planned out with two or three boondock campsites saved on a map app––we know about where we're going. But no, we don't find road-tripping with a trailer an issue. Keep in mind it's different here in the west with all the public land. Sometimes I will use the Camp & RV app to find a public campground but we try to stay clear of neighbors and attempt to avoid them.

When we head out on our spring southern Utah trip, we motel the first night in the Salt Lake Basin which is about six hours from home. We use a motel that doesn't have a confined parking lot. We do this because it's nearly impossible to find a camp spot in the northern part of the state in April. But that gets us to within three hours of our first boonie camp.





Tony

[Toytaco2]

Tony...Thanks for the input. Sounds like your type of travel is similar to ours. Leaving the TD in a camping spot along with chairs and table for the day while we visit the area sights would be our first choice. Perhaps some anti-theft measures such as your solution might help.

We live in Oklahoma, and, in 2019 we road tripped for a month through Colorado, to Wyoming (Grand Teton NP), Idaho, Montana (Glacier NP), British Columbia, and Alberta, Canada. Mostly used Air BnB's, but, missed being closer to the sights we visited in the early morning and late evenings. The TD (or a Van build out) would really make our trips more enjoyable to be in the epic locations all day and night. We want to return this summer to Glacier NP (assuming the East side of the park is open this year). Glacier NP's Going To The Sun Road has a 21 foot length limit, so pulling a trailer through there is a NO GO. In that case, we would probably park the trailer in a boon docking location on the west side of the park and make a day trip or two to the east side. A van, of course would be no problem. We also want to make several trips like this per year now that we have the time to do so.

Still thinking....

Thanks,

Mike

[TimC]

+1 on Tony's thoughts. Leaving chairs and a few items out while gone on a road trip or hike tell folks you'll be back soon. Put a battery operated radio inside and leave it on just loud enough for someone to hear it. They may think someone is napping while the other is out. "Playing with Sticks" on youtube has a couple videos to help make you feel more comfortable while out as well. He does boondock teardropping as well as having a Scamp trailer.

Don't let what might happen keep you from enjoying your trip. I believe it is rare to have a TD vandalized and even more rare to be stolen. But it does happen. Add a graphic to your trailer that makes it stand out in the crowd of aluminum sided trailers. It might deter someone hoping to resell it or actually use it for fear someone will notice. Post pics here and on other boondocking sites in the event it does disappear so it may be spotted.

Another option is to do what I did and hide a gps tracker where no one can find it. One that is hardwired and has a battery backup is best so if the house battery is disconnected it will still track for some time.

Tim

[Tom&Shelly]

I built our TD over 10 years ago (thanks to this forum) and always used it for weekend camping/hunting trips. I'm retired now and considering a long road trip this summer of 3-5K miles. I'm also considering building out a van. Never thought of myself as a "van lifer", but it does seem to make sense for the longer and more frequent road trips we're considering. It seems like the van would be really practical for quick boon docking stops and visiting national parks since I wouldn't have to worry about being able to leave the trailer somewhere while going off for the day to visit the area's sights.

For those who have made longer road trips, have you been willing to leave your trailer parked somewhere and trust that it will still be there when you return? Have you found that pulling a trailer those longer distances without a "pre-determined destination" is more trouble than its worth? Is using a TD for a road trip really a good plan? Also, I think we might get a nice hotel room every 4 days or so. Again, I'm wondering if worrying about a trailer in the parking lot is worth it. OTH, I do already own the TD, and, unlike a lot of us, I wouldn't necessarily be heartbroken if something happened to it on a road trip, but, I definitely wouldn't want the inconvenience being on the road and many miles from home.

What are your thoughts? Is a TD road trip a formula for more fun, or, not worth the trouble?

Thanks,

Mike

We're still completing our teardrop, and have the same fear. Living in New Mexico, I'd say rule 1 is: Don't stop in cities like Albuquerque! Elsewhere in NM isn't so bad, but there are a lot of trailer thefts in the city. The ba****ds seem to target trailers (U-Haul, balloon, etc.) of folks traveling through. As a matter of fact, lot's of criminal activities of all sorts going on at the motels along the interstates in town.

We didn't have the foresight when we had the trailer built, or we would have had a removable hitch like Tony's. Instead we bought something like this:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Coupler-Locks/Master-Lock/ML389DAT.html?feed=npn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkq_L5eW37gIVDyitBh3PsQdhEAQYAyABEgIykfD_BwE

That said, we planned our teardrop for long trips in retirement, and are planning on heading out to Labrador (most NE one can drive in North America), Quebec, the Canadian Maritimes, etc. one year, Alaska and the Yukon another, and so on. We plan to leave the camper in-site and take the truck for day trips most of the time. Generally, crime rates in the rural places we want to see seem to be low.

But, we won't stop in Albuquerque!

Tom

[Toytaco2]

Tim - Thanks for the info. I've seen a few of those videos from "Playing with Sticks". I'll check them out again. I agree with not worrying about what might happen. If someone is going to mess with the TD, I'd be just as happy if they took the whole thing as leave a vandalized camp site that I have to deal with far from home. In fact, my biggest concern is not the TD, so much as finding accommodations in popular vacation destinations. I wouldn't want to cancel a "once in a lifetime" trip simply because the camper disappeared, or became unusable for some reason.

Tom - I used to travel on business regularly to Albuquerque. I agree, I won't stop there! In fact, these days I avoid using interstate highways if at all possible. And I-40 which goes right through my home town and Albuquerque is about the worst I've been on. On our long trip to Alberta, Canada (almost 6,000 miles) we hardly used any interstate highways except for the return trip on I-15 in Montana and Idaho where there was no traffic what so ever. It would have been nice to have the TD along or a Van conversion, slow down and camp in some places along the way.

Thanks,

Mike

[aggie79]

When we were both working, it was hard to get to a weekend outing while there was still daylight. So, we often stayed at a hotel on Friday, near the campground, and pulled the teardrop in the morning. Besides the teardrop, we had bikes and other gear in the pickup bed. We used a cheap cable lock on the bikes and the gear was covered by a tarp, but neither were really that secure. We never had any issues.

[Philip]

Theft can be a problem with anything you own. Location doesn't really matter. If a thief has an eye of something have. If he wants it bad enough it will be gone.

So have good insurance. Go out and enjoy your travels. Worry about a theft if it happens. About the most I would do is throw a GPS tracker in it.

A van you have the same issues as a trailer but everything is with you whenever you travel. A van doesn't lock you into the same camp site unless you want to.

The way I look at it. If we ever walk out of a tourst trap and our van is gone. I call the police and file a stolen vehicle report after having them check with the local wrecker company's. Then I call Enterprice car rental , have them deliver a van. Then hit wally world to pickup a few things. Then back on the road.

[Juneaudave]

When we retired, we traveled in the tear for about 6 months. In general, we had a few TD gatherings we scheduled in, but otherwise didn't have timeframes to meet.

When traveling, we made sure that we stopped early enough to just pull into a campground....so we didn't make reservations for the most part. That worked for us with the exception of a couple times we didn't stop early enough and the campgrounds we're filled up. We budgeted $100/day for gas and food....if we ran over, we just laid up a few days or just said "Oh Well".

We did a lot of primitive camping, when we could, and carried along a privacy shelter and toilet. We had two dogs, and they appreciated being able to run off leash at the primitive sites.

About every 4 days, we got a hotel to shower, do clothes, check email and so forth.

Food was kept simple...usually oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, and during the day, we would stop at a store and pickup whatever we though we would want for dinner.
We didn't worry about the trailer disappearing in campgrounds, but worried a bit more if we were at motels if the trailer was disconnected.

We carried two credit cards in case one doesn't work (especially traveling out of country.)

Timing is helpful. Our favorite time to travel up north via Alaska Hwy was the fall as the campgrounds were less crowded and the changing of the leaves were spectacular. Of course, come winter, being down south is the place to be.... You can follow the weather to some extent and avoid crowds if you are careful.

Take lots of pictures and share with your family you go. No sense having loved ones worrying about you. Look for local attractions, fairs, parks and things that interest you.

Most importantly, have fun and relax.

[bdosborn]

I'm also considering building out a van. Never thought of myself as a "van lifer", but it does seem to make sense for the longer and more frequent road trips we're considering. It seems like the van would be really practical for quick boon docking stops and visiting national parks since I wouldn't have to worry about being able to leave the trailer somewhere while going off for the day to visit the area's sights.

Ha! We're going down that same path, I'll be pulling the trigger on a new van next week. It's a terrible time to go van looking, all the hippies are moving into them full time so the prices have gone up a lot. I'm about done with the design phase, and I have the electrical system designed. Just need to crack the old wallet open.

Bruce

[Toytaco2]

Ha! We're going down that same path, I'll be pulling the trigger on a new van next week. It's a terrible time to go van looking, all the hippies are moving into them full time so the prices have gone up a lot. I'm about done with the design phase, and I have the electrical system designed. Just need to crack the old wallet open.

Bruce

Van market here is not too bad. We even have a number of used ones in the 30k-60k mileage range, especially if you're willing to go with a low roof. High roofs, of course, set you back a few more $. Since my TD does not have brakes (1,340 lbs. towing with a 4x4 Tacoma), the van solution for the western mountain ranges is even more enticing. Still thinking........

Thanks,
Mike

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[swoody126]

i realize times are different now and folks have different concerns butt...

our vacations both as a family and w/ me and one or 2 friends usually had very few if any "plans" for 1-3 week adventures

many were the times we'd set up a base camp and even be gone from it a night or 2

we'd set the pop-up w/ it's awning out and chairs leaned up beside it or between the seat and top of the CG picnic table

sometimes we'd leave the trailer out in the National Forest/off the grid for a day or sew

never lost anything and never suffered any vandalism

as for the "no plans" part traveling that way frees you up to slow down and take "side trips" any time you choose

on several occasions while traveling w/ another couple doing the motel thing we would find ourselves back tracking because one of us picked up a brochure somewhere that stirred our interest

frequently we only found out about really interesting sites a/o festivals(local n regional) when we would get close to them

one such event is Indian Market in Santa Fe

we first heard of it visiting w/ some vendors who were headed for it while filling up w/ gas

that little side trip consumed almost a full week and finished off our available time making us rush back to the work a day world to earn $$ for the next adventure

KEEP AN OPEN MIND

sw

[Socal Tom]

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but these are the thoughts that came to my mind:
1) What are the sites you want to see? is it realistic that there will be a boon docking space near by ( I wouldn't expect any boondocking within an hour of a major city like LA, NY SF etc)
2) If the sites are in remote areas, is it really that big of a deal to drag the trailer if you are concerned? ( for example the grand canyon etc, there are probably places you can park that would be within walking distance of the sites)
3) Have you thought about lojacking the trailer? ( or maybe hiding a spare cell phone, hooked to a charger, somewhere so you could track the trailer if it moved).
What is the backup plan if the trailer disappeared?

4) Will you be worrying about the TD the whole time you are gone, and will the anxiety push you to rush your visist? If this is the real issue, then you need to find the solution that will make you feel most confident. Its been rare for me to leave my TD for more than a few hours when bookdocking. I'm usually camped within site of multiple other camps, never had a problem.

[Toytaco2]

As always, there's a lot of good advice here. I'm not really that worried about leaving the TD unattended for a day, or even 2 days if we decide to take it. My main concern is the inconvenience and difficulty finding accommodations in busy areas if something were to happen to it. I know from past visits to Glacier NP, Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP that finding places to stay can get difficult. In addition to that, the bigger national parks are pretty difficult to see when needing to return to the same "base camps" nightly. You can easily drive 200-300 miles on day trips and returning to base camp. If I go the van route, that won't be as much of a problem since you could probably eliminate the return trip to base camp. Need to get started pretty soon if I'm going to find a van and get it campable by early spring! The other big plus for going the van route will be that I get a nice new project to build out. Its getting close to decision time!

Thanks,

Mike

[Shadow Catcher]

12 years with the current teardrop and we do have a lock for the hitch. Many thousands of miles. Locks unique graphics...
It gets left at the camp site with greatly regularity.