Multi - week trip Interested in hearing ideas

[jzsimovan]

Hey gang

We are taking our 2021 377RLBH on a multi-week trip this spring. First one of this length for us

I am curious to hear some pointers from those who do these longer trips some of the things I need to be thinking about doing to or on the trailer to make sure she's in top shape for the journey

I have been planning on upgrading the tires/wheels to 19.5s with 14 ply tires so I am taking this opportunity to get that done.

What else though should I be looking at? Anything I need to remember to bring with me?

Thanks!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by jzsimovan

What else though should I be looking at? Anything I need to remember to bring with me?

We took many multi week trips and all I ever took was oil, diesel fuel treatment, my tool box and our usual camping supplies. Unless you're going to be in the "Wilderness" just about everything else is available on the road.

When were the brakes and bearings checked? That would be the major pre-trip service.

[jzsimovan]

Last year. Im planning on taking it by my trailer guy to have everything looked at pre trip

[TaftCoach]

We tend to pack more for longer trips. More clothes, more food, more beverages. At the risk of opening up a big ol can of worms, we adjust our tire pressure to match the weight. It seems to keep things more stable.

[jetlag]

What grumpy said. We glamp and almost everything is available on the road. I do take an extra drinking water bottle to minimize trips to the store

[Glamper64]

You're asking for trouble just by calling your RV a she
You're only going for a couple weeks so no big deal really...make sure her propane is full and the battery holds her charge
Study your route so you know what's nearby but basically and bring more of what you would normally bring like meds, clothes, food, booze, money, etc.
I'm guessing your tow vehicle is a he so don't forget about his maintenance/needs
A good weather app and goggle maps is a must along with a well stocked tool box including fuses and duct tape
No worries really, just don't forget his and her phone chargers

[Camp CA]

Ditto Grumpy........and will add consider installing TPMS unless you already have it.

[Jerry713]

This really doesn’t differ from any type of trip (a loner trip does it resent more opportunity for things to happen though) but having a good jack as well as various blocks and a small shovel can help. If you were to have a flat and have to pull over on uneven ground these could be a life saver.

[JFlightRisk]

Keep a sense of humor with you at all times, and leave all the stress at home.

Oh, and take a roll of duct tape with you.

[BobBales]

Get tired minder

[AZMarine]

You didn't say where you were going & for how many miles. But for an example: We did a 7300 mi trip in 2021 covering 4 weeks. And we have since have done a few 2000 mi trips. I have a 2021 3500 SRW Ram towing a T30-F bumper pull Toy hauler.
As stated by others before, ensure trailer brakes & wheel bearings are ready for the trip (you mentioned already changing the tires). Ensure tow vehicle maintenance is done as well. If you do not already have one, get a trailer TPMS (I had great results with "Tire Minder"). Noting that, I was able to find a nail in one of our trailer tires by monitoring a 1lb drop in air pressure per day, over several days, by mentality noting the starting "cold" & driving "hot" tire pressures across the 4 tires each day. This allowed us to detect an issue & get that tire repaired without having a blow-out on the road. This occurred about 2/3rds through our trip.
If you pull with a Diesel, & need DEF, carry at least one (1) container in case it is not available when you need it. This occurred to us on US2 in ND when the station was sold out of it. Luckily I had packed (2) containers "just in case".
If able to, follow the 400/500mi - 4PM/5PM rule. In short don't drive more than 400-500mi a day max &/or do your best to stop by 4 to 5 PM at the latest. This will allow you to set-up in daylight, relax & get "hopefully" a good nights sleep before heading out the next morning. If doing a "long day", think about staying 2 nights after that. We found doing 500mi days back to back got tiresome by the 3rd day & we started to feel more like we were working instead of being on vacation. This obviously will depend on your schedule & capabilities.
If traveling Interstates a lot, get a copy of the "Next Exit" book. This will help your navigator know what is at the exits ahead (fuel, access to large rigs, etc.) & you can plan fuel stops better on the fly while driving down the road. The book was only good for our interstate travel portions of the trip though.
If staying in RV parks each night, (just like going to 1 day away campgrounds) have enough water in your tank to be able to use the toilet if stuck in traffic due to an unforeseen issue, etc. But don't carry a full water tank. This will help with fuel mileage.
Pay attention to weather conditions & temperatures where you will be traveling to & through. Example, even in summer, at higher elevations it will get cold at night. Pack a jacket & maybe rain gear pending where you are going "just in case".
Finally, as stated before, plan daily travel distance/ visiting/ sightseeing accordingly so it is an enjoyable vacation & not a race to get to each location so you can enjoy the trip and be relaxed when you return.

[ksopenroads]

Well, we full-time our 2021 377RLBH, so we're probably a bit more laden with "stuff" than you want/need to be for shorter multi-week trips, but it shouldn't be too much different...just less of it maybe.

*You're already on top of your tire issue, but do yourself a favor and get a TPMS system. My tow rig is a 2016 F350 w/o factory TPMS, so my aftermarket system monitors all 10 tires for me.
*It helps to have at least a rear camera. I find it more useful to monitor tailgaters in traffic than on-site backing up (that's what my wife's for).
*Do not put heavy objects in the shelves over the rear couch and over the TV. These shelves are notorious for not withstanding the bouncing of the road (some have experienced them coming down), and heavy stuff up there only increased the chance.
*And speaking of heavy stuff, leave the good china at home. We made the mistake of bringing along some nice plates and pasta bowls...the "bounce" has claimed the lives of a few already. No shame in paper plates.
*If you think you've secured it well enough, you probably haven't. Do yourself a favor and secure your stuff for the ride like you're securing it for a hurricane. And always get eyes on the floor before putting the slides out...the smallest little thing could jam you up.
*Go to the craft store and get yourself some double-sided Velcro. Use it around the handles of the cabinets over the rear couch, over the TV, refrigerator doors, etc.
*Make sure everything in the refrigerator is lying down, wedged in place or otherwise secured from moving around. And this applies to the outside refrigerator as well, which should be turned off when traveling.
*If you have a glass plate in your microwave, take it out and store it before travel. It's heavy and easily becomes a projectile. On our first trip, ours shifted and ended up landing in the sink!
*If you have "wet bolts" on your suspension leaf springs, make sure you get them greased well.
*Periodically check torque on all the bolts for your hitch, and the bolts holding your leveling jacks to the frame.
*Don't rush...anything! My mantra is no more than 5-6 hours on the road per day, and I try not to hook up in the AM or set up in the PM in the dark. And get comfortable with 65mph as your max...let the rest of the world pass you by if they must.
*Don't forget your water pressure regulator, your shore power surge protector and various male<-->female converting pigtails so you're ready for anything, 30A or 50A.
*If you have the basement 5gal freshwater set-up, throw yourslef a couple jugs on the rig before setting out...no promise that a rural market will have the large jug exchange.
*We never travel with a full freshwater tank (my personal opinion is that's too much weight to be bouncing around aft of the tires), but do yourself a favor and throw 10-15gals in. It's nice to be able to pull over and use your own potty if a rest stop isn't in your near future, and with a little water on board you can flush and wash up.
*Blinds in the up position before pulling out.
*Make sure the LP tanks are full.
*If you're tow'n with a diesel, get signed up with a fuel discount program. Ther's a few of them, but we find that "Open Roads" gives us the most savings...as much as $.70/gal off. And if you are tow'n with a diesel, always have 1-2 jugs of DEF with you in case you can't find it at the pump. You'll burn wwwaaaaayyyyy more DEF tow'n than you will just tool'n around town in your truck, unhitched.
*Have a good tool kit. Granted, I haul a whole workshop with me because of full-timing, but you want the essentials...unless you like pay'n the RV repairman; (ASE and metric sockets set [3/8" and 1/2" drive, both shallow and deep well sockets], a 1/2" drive breaker bar [for potential tire change], ASE and metric wrenches and allen keys, a 10ton bottle jack, screw drivers, pliers, cordless drill and bits, wire zip ties of multiple lengths, bungee cords of multiple lengths, a cordless yard blower and/or rake, and any "sit'n round the fire pit niceties" you prefer (rug, chairs, collapsable table,etc.).
*A lot of people take this for granted, but always switch your lights "ON" when towing. The circuit for the trailer marker lights is in conjunction with your truck lights, and if you've got your truck lights set to auto and they turn off, so do the lights on your trailer. And in most rigs, the power for your rear trailer camera comes from that same circuit, and won't work if your truck lights aren't on.

I could go on and on, and I'm sure you are already aware of the stuff I just listed, but just in case you're not....safe travels.

[Frank j]

I have gone on the road for many 2 to 3 month trips. Don’t forget about the house you leave behind. Turn water off to toilets, dishwasher, washing machines. I turn gas off to our hot water heater. After 4 weeks I have a trusted neighbor come to my house to check on things. They run water in all the fixtures to refill the goose necks, this includes the toilets. They check the yard to make sure plants are getting water.

Enjoy your trip.

[RogerR]

If you have a trusted relative or friend have your mail forwarded to them. Really annoying to get back and find you missed a deadline on something. Jury duty, wedding invitation, missed bill with late penalties, tax notices from IRS or local. ETC ETC. I would highly recommend Simply Safe or similar alarm system. Saved our house when the sump pump failed and I was able to get someone to come fix it before water damaged house. Have someone check your mailbox and porch to avoid giving burglars a clue. My neighbor parks a spare car in my drive to make the house look lived it.

And the TPMS for the RV can be a life saver plus make sure you have a tire tool that fits the RV. Most car sizes don't! Carry a small roll of Etearnabond tape in 4 or 6 inch width. A low branch can cut the rubber roof and can fix a cracked window or other temp repairs.

[RDTC]

These longer trips are great. We did one last summer. Here is a link to a post I made summarising the trip.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ng-108401.html

Lots of good advice from others in this post.

We upgraded to 19.5 tires. One of the best upgrades we did, strongly encourage this. Seems like every day driving we would see a trailer with a blowout. These 19.5 tires are so tough. Do a good job greasing wheel bearings. Take your time, if you push things the trip will become very stressful. Watch the weather and watch the weather. In the mountains, drive 5-10 below the speed limit it will make the driving so much easier.

Something will not go to plan. Take your time and deal with it.

Have a great trip.

[Jagiven]

First have a great trip!

We don't do anything special for long trips. I always make sure my maintenance is up to date. Check the tire manufacturers date codes. I do not like old tires, as I would rather not change tires on the side of the road. I do check tire pressures most mornings.

We grocery shop for about 5 days at a time. We plan to do laundry on the same day. We bring laundry pods as they are easy to transport.

I start looking for fuel around a 1/2 tank, this gives me options on what stations I like verse must use. I always plan my escape from a gas station, it's way more important than taking the first open spot.

I tend to stop for a quick break every 150 miles for fuel or stretch the legs. If I can, one stop, I do everything I need to get done, fuel, restroom, lunch, etc.

Have a great trip

[jzsimovan]

I sure appreciate all the advice in this thread. Ive noted many things I need to do!