uchu
Well-known member
Too short : No such thing.
Too long : More than three weeks.
Too long : More than three weeks.
Non-full-timers; How long is too short or too long for an RV trip?
- Thread starter DonTom
- Start date
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zulu
Well-known member
Too short: less than a week because of the loading & unloading. Schlepping clothes, food, etc in and out of our Class A is definitely a chore. Unlike when we full timed when everything was always there.
Too long: We're in the midst of planning a 3+ month trip from CA to WI in 2023.
We took a 1-month CA & OR coast trip this summer which was pretty much the right amount of time.
Too long: We're in the midst of planning a 3+ month trip from CA to WI in 2023.
We took a 1-month CA & OR coast trip this summer which was pretty much the right amount of time.
BrunoMTP
Well-known member
For 1 day or less travel time trips, 3 days stay minimum, but typically around a week. Longer trips with multiple stops are open ended - last one was 4k miles & 10 weeks.
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DonTom
Well-known member
I usually want to leave to wherever after a week. The longest I stayed at one place was the Oxbow RV Park in Payson, AZ. Almost a full month. I paid for the month but left a few days earlier to get down to Casa Grande and Tucson but NOT Via Phoenix! Took the route over by Lake Roosevelt.
I spent two weeks at a few other places, such as Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Organ Pipe Cactus Nat'l Monument, AZ and two weeks boondocked at the Everglades.
Oh yeah, two weeks also in St. Cloud, FL at the same park as Tom @SeilerBird. Largest RV park I have ever been in. My Avatar photo here is from there, photo taken by SeilerBird.
But by far, any of my stays in an RV Park is between 3 and seven nights. I often boondock for one night. Anyplace I can find, often a rest stop.
-Don- Reno, NV
Tom
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We lived in West Valley (San Jose/Cupertino/Saratoga) for 10 years, while working in Santa Clara. Lived another 10 years in Livermore before moving to Discovery Bay around the time we retired 20+ years ago.
Those early trips to the Delta, we'd drive Hwy 160 to get to get to Brannan Island State Park. Stayed at Eddo's one time on a holiday weekend when the SP was full (we never made reservations).
Old_Crow
Well-known member
Brannon Island and Bethal Island. Two more destinations from our (my dad and me) days in the Aristocrat Caravanners (during which time we lived in Los Gatos). I caught my first bass at Bethal Island.
Anyway, my wife and I were weekend warriors in our RV's for around 7 years before we went full time. Before that we tent camped with either a truck or the motorcycles (had a trailer with all our stuff I pulled behind the Shovelhead). Touring on the bikes I've set the tent up 4 or 5 nights in a row, each night in a different state.
As for the RV, I've pulled the motor home out of storage for as little as 60 miles and one night, spent in my kids front yard so we could be there on Christmas morning.
I think our longest trip before going full time was almost a month. That was the adventure were our toad was stolen and recovered. Lots of 2 or 3 day weekends and 4 or 5 night stays at the craft fair we used to sell at.
I really don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer to your question.
Martian
Well-known member
Correct! Having driven a big truck to that long skinny state on the left side of the US, I vowed to never return. Had to buy a three day "pass" to go a quarter mile across the state line to drop off one trailer and come back with another. Forty years later and I have not been back. I have many other thoughts on that place but will not air them here.
Joezeppy
Well-known member
We're still working stiffs - we typically take a 7-10 day vacation each summer staying in one place (or perhaps splitting the week between two places fairly close to each other). We have done two 2-week trips over the years (Maine in 2004 and Myrtle Beach/DC in 2011) and I once begged enough to get 3 weeks off for our trip out to Yellowstone in 2007. Weekends I prefer 3 nights but will do 2 if it's only maybe an hour's drive.
Moho81
Well-known member
I seem to be in a different boat than most of the posts here so far. Both my wife and I still work and we have two kids ages 12 and 9. So far the longest that we have done is 4 nights 5 days and the shortest we have done is 2 nights 3 days.
Biggest reason we haven't gone longer is we where in a hybrid trailer that really wasn't comfortable for anyone to sleep in and by day 5 we where all tired and my back and neck where killing me. Now that we are in a larger trailer with bunk beds and a short queen bed we hope everyone gets better sleep and we can stretch a trip out to 5-7 nights before having to return to reality.
The 2 night 3 day trips are a lot of work for just a little time away but when that's all that can be done I'd rather do that than not go.
Biggest reason we haven't gone longer is we where in a hybrid trailer that really wasn't comfortable for anyone to sleep in and by day 5 we where all tired and my back and neck where killing me. Now that we are in a larger trailer with bunk beds and a short queen bed we hope everyone gets better sleep and we can stretch a trip out to 5-7 nights before having to return to reality.
The 2 night 3 day trips are a lot of work for just a little time away but when that's all that can be done I'd rather do that than not go.
Joezeppy
Well-known member
I'm with you, Moho81 - sometimes we seem to get packed up rather quickly and other times I feel like it takes us 3 days to pack for a 3-day weekend. It's all worth it once we're are the campground, though!
I see you're in western NY - we're over by Utica/Herkimer. We'll be at Green Lakes state park this weekend - heading out at noon tomorrow!
Moho81
Well-known member
Nice! We where actually suppose to head out today for Hamlin Beach State Park but then the kids school decided to start before Labor Day. They go to school tomorrow and Friday so we will leave as soon as the last one is off the bus Friday. Should be parked and drinking a beer by 6pm.
We tried for Green Lakes a couple of years ago but where late deciding on where to go so it was all filled up.
Babe2201
Well-known member
Having a retail business that requires me to be there all the time at this point we have only been able to get out for weekends so usually just a couple nights. We can usually get there midafternoon on Friday so it gives us that afternoon and all-day Saturday. We have done some holiday weekends which gives us 3 nights. Sometimes especially at state parks we have rented it for the last night and left in the afternoon so we don't have to be out in the afternoon. We did recently find a place for 9 nights that was close enough to drive back and forth to work which we did but at least it gave us nights at the campground so we could ignore all the things we need to do at the house for a bit.
Deb&RickTX
Well-known member
Before I retire, we'll be restricted to long weekends. We have several state parks already on the radar. We can park on our property, and I'm used to loading/unloading a ton of gear for dog show weekends. So that chore won't be too bad. Once we're more free, we plan much longer trips. If we combine distant destinations, we'll be out a month plus. Can't wait!
LarsMac
Well-known member
I see a lot of comments about loading/unloading.
We have pretty much everything in the RV except fresh clothes and daily toiletry items. We have bags ready to toss fresh laundry and bathroom stuff in ready and waiting. Having traveled for work for 15 or so years, packing is down to a science.
Toss stuff in the rig, and disconnect, and down the road we go.
When done pull in the yard, hook up, grab the dirty laundry and we're home.
We have pretty much everything in the RV except fresh clothes and daily toiletry items. We have bags ready to toss fresh laundry and bathroom stuff in ready and waiting. Having traveled for work for 15 or so years, packing is down to a science.
Toss stuff in the rig, and disconnect, and down the road we go.
When done pull in the yard, hook up, grab the dirty laundry and we're home.
Lou Schneider
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For me, it isn't the length of the trip in days, but travel time and mileage divided by the total trip time. I'm perfectly happy taking my motorhome on a two or three day outing to a nearby campground or two, but not driving it 500 miles or more for a quick out and back trip. In the latter case it's usually for an event at the destination and it's usually less expensive to drive the 25 MPG car or fly (depending on the distance) and get a motel room for a couple of nights.
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DonTom
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Lou Schneider
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Define "full timer". I live in two RVs, a trailer set up in a park in Pahrump which I use as a home base and a smaller motorhome I travel in. Usually I'm only in Pahrump a couple of months a year and on the road the rest of the time, but during the pandemic shutdown it was nice having a home base to retreat to for the duration. I've been grounded in Pahrump for the past couple of months and will be for another week or two while the medics treat some problems in my left leg. Combination of a pinched nerve and torn meniscus muscle in the knee joint.
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DonTom
Well-known member
There are many cities I try to avoid, some in CA--including the area I am from--in the west bay area.
Always for the same reason, too much traffic, no place to park too much of a crowd.
I cannot think of any entire US state I would try to avoid, just some areas of perhaps most states. I don't like to get too close to large cities, especially Los Angeles. But this area of CA wasn't bad, where I was last month.
-Don- Reno, NV
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DonTom
Well-known member
During the peak of the COVID thing I did a lot of RV travelling. I recall most RV parks were packed. But some of it was because some areas were closed. Such as Salton Sea State Park, which the entire lake used to have countless RVs around it. It was all closed, so the RV parks were mostly full in that area, meaning they were packed a lot closer together than they would have if Salton Sea was open.
There were some places I would avoid, such as the problems they were having with a peak of COVID in Tucson, AZ during that time.
Not having a place to stay that has no wheels.
-Don- Reno, NV
Krazeehorse33
Well-known member
Just a weekender here. We like to hit HH wineries and drink some wine while listening to live music.
