I'll be honest, I'm nervous about my upcoming road trip to MT!

[LDMcL]

Loadchris83:

In addition to the previous recommendation of camping one or two nights in your driveway to ensure everything works and you have not forgotten anything, I would suggest that you have some form of road side assistance (Coachnet or Good Sams) should you experience some difficultly on your trip.

Have a safe travel.

[tim myers]

Nothing much to add, the most important thing is that you are excited about the trip. RVing is an adventure, even when things don't go exactly as planned. I would say it is good to be just a little scared or apprehensive. This tells me your safety conscious. You will quickly settle into a groove driving and have a great time.

Don't forget to update us on your trip and how much fun you are having.

[JFXG]

Loadchris.....
I'll agree with LD above: roadside assistance. The two most important things to have on THIS particular trip are a positive attitude and an assistance membership. You already have the attitude, since you're asking the right questions. For RA, I recommend CoachNet-- get their best program, where you see the word "unlimited" used a lot. Peace of mind and no quibbling.

Distance: lots of folks saying 2-300 per day is easy beans, and so it is. Actually, 200 is usually our daily total-- but we're retired and in no hurry. But I'll toss in this caveat: 300 miles per day, 5 days straight may get wearing if you're not accustomed to distance driving. By day 3 or 4 you may be dragging a$$ just a bit! Get a moderately early start each day so you have time to take a break, get your blood pumping again. Does wonders.

Concern about the machine: let's assume that if the coach has been fairly well maintained it will likely behave itself. Now, it's new to you so you're not familiar with all its quirks and noises. I've spent over 50 years in cars and trucks, 40+ in airplanes, and a bunch in boats. All vehicles have their personalities, and each is a little different. You must learn what your coach is telling you, so do what we all do-- listen to it as it talks to you. Those of us who have been operating the same machine (or type of machine) for 2 or 5 or 10 or 15 years know what sounds normal and know what's new and different. You are just building your mental database on this coach, but it will accumulate quickly, so don't worry about it.

Enjoy your trip!



John & Diane, fulltiming since '12
'02 DS, FL, Cat, '04 Element
NHSO RVM103

[jjSpeedwagon]

You'll do great!! Don't sweat it. 460 is a good strong motor and will take you where ever you want. Stop sometimes do a little walk around and carry on. Kallispell is beautiful country wish I was goin with you !!

[Barmats]

Originally Posted by Lifemember

Don't forget the duct tape.

Some excellent recommendations above. X2 on the duct tape, and I'd recommend 2 rolls. I used a substantial amount on our first road trip in a brand new MH, and I'm so glad I threw a couple of rolls into the tool box.

[ga traveler]

Campers lose tire pressure from sitting. Make sure you check the tire pressure before leaving. Remember you read all kinds of problems on these posts. The majority of people have no major problems on their trips. In fifteen years we sold thousands and thousands of campers at our dealership. We only had one customer who had a major problem on their first trip. I remember it because it was so unusual. Sit back and enjoy the trip. You will be close to Glacier national park. If you have never been there, Now would be a great time to see the going to the sun road. We loved it.

[KarenS144]

LOL! Duct tape is a staple. Various colors are important too.

We average just under 50 mph from the time we leave in the morning to when we pull in the next stop in the afternoon. That includes rest stops, fuel stops, lunch stop and time to walk the dogs. So a 300 mile day would be just over 6 hours and depending on how your rig drives, might be a LONG day or you may feel like cruising a little farther down the road.

We like to land in time for cocktail hour, have time to unwind some, eat supper & plan for the next day. Our pups need a walk and time to get out of the coach too but that's what works for us. You'll learn the best routine for you & your family!

[Gordon Dewald]

As previously mentioned I would not do anything more than you do for your car. An extra quart of oil if you have specialty oil but most service stations sell oil.

Main thing is to make sure you are set up with cloths, bedding, food, water. Food would be the toughest unless you are prepared to purchase at the campground convenience store. The selection there can be limited and the prices higher. Till you get comfortable taking the coach to a food store stocking up so the number of visits is down may be a good idea.

Driving should not be a problem. If you recall when you first started learning to drive everything happened really quickly because it was new. As you gained experience it became easier. Same will be with the MH. Take your time, think about what you are doing and if you get the chance go to a large parking lot and practice turning, backing up, stopping, etc.

Enjoy the trip.

[TMan59]

Being a bit nervous is a good thing. Do not ever loose that.
Its what gets the oil changed and the service done.
Its when being nervous KEEPS you from doing things that it becomes a problem.

People who are not nervous just get in and drive.

I will be way more scared when I am no longer nervous!

Enjoy the trip!

[m.elliott63]

Originally Posted by Loadchris83

So, not only is this my first motorhome, it will be the longest road trip I have ever been on. I have had a TT for about 3 years and the furthest trip I've ever been on was 200 miles away. I haven't even taken my MH out camping yet to christen her. My rig has 53k miles on it, but this is a whole new world to me. I have driven it around town and in traffic and feel comfortable, but I am still weary about driving from Ventura CA to Kalispell MT. I have my route picked out and reservations for 5 nights on the way up.

I tried to keep my daily driving to 200-300 miles a day. Would this be too much? I'm going to take my time, I just don't know if I will be fully prepared!

Guess what I'm saying is, I hope my MH does good on the road. Can any of you guys who have done long trips like this add to anything I should bring? i.e.. extra motor oil, radiator fluid, tools etc.....

Besides all of that, we are super excited to get on the road!

Edit: Forgot to mention, I am bringing MH to get alignment and suspension service a few days before I leave, as well as changing oil etc...

We pretty much did the same thing in our new to us 1998 33' gasser with a 454 with 56k miles on it. First trip totaled 2500 round trip from Indiana to the south Florida gulf coast and back. I would recommend if this rig has been sitting for a while that you change or at least check ALL of the fluids. We did a clean out oil change followed by another oil change, had the brake fluid bled and replaced, transmission flushed and fluid filter replaced, wheel bearings packed. I checked the anti freeze with my hydrometer and it was good so I passed that one. New spark plugs were needed as well as chassis lube. I also had new shocks and air springs put on and the brakes inspected. I just had a front end alignment done as I did not before our maiden voyage. Only thing left is new steer tires (Saturday) and replacing the rear differential oil. Sounds like an easy trip and one you will enjoy. We took 3 days down and 3 days back on the Florida trip so about 400 per day. Safe travels my friend.

[Loadchris83]

Originally Posted by TomandGloria

Just a thought, have you checked tire age? You mention mileage but I didn't see anything about age of tires. I would suggest you ensure they are no more than about 7 years old before you start off on your trip.

Also try not to overload your coach. That will help with performance and mpg. Full tanks of water, gray and black, etc are heavy, especially in the mountains.

Check tires before I bought it New ones put on in 2014. So I feel good about that haha

[Loadchris83]

Originally Posted by Dtwallace

Sounds like this is going to be a fun trip, I know each to his own but do you not plan to do any stops at truck stops or do WalMart over nighters?


Just asking


DTW

I made reservations for each night on the way up. One on Nellis AFB, KOA in Ely, KOA Twin Falls ID, 2 nights at Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone and one night KOA in Missoula MT.

[ga traveler]

Have you replaced the brake fluid? Going into the mountainous area, I would change the brake fluid and bleed the lines before leaving. For calls for new fluid every two years.

[throbbin367]

LoadChris83,
Just wondering why you don't stay on
I-15 through Utah? Should be around a 3 day trip in a MH. I live in Utah and have been from vegas to ely and north and that not the fastest or most scenic in my opinion.