How far is drivable

[Muddypaws]

10 hours in a car is nowhere near as taxing as even 6 hours in a motorhome or towing a trailer.

When we plan a trip we almost always limit actual travel time to around 4 hours. There have been exceptions, and we always regretted them.

[sirpurrcival]

The best wisdom that seems be coming out of here is that it depends.

It depends on you, what you are driving, the weather, the quality of the roads, whether there is more than 1 driver, the amount of traffic, how well you feel that particular day. There is no one answer.

Listen to your body and how you feel. If you are getting tired, feeling like you are really having to strain, you should stop. It is your safety and the safety other others on the road at stake. There are no end to the stories where people who were "pushing it" ended up in bad ways just because they had an unrealistic idea of how long they wanted to go. Plan for the drive you want but don't buy into the "gotta get this far" idea to the point where you start to make bad decisions. That last hour or two isn't worth your life or the lives of others if your body is saying no.

[hawk232]

Originally Posted by sirpurrcival

That last hour or two isn't worth your life or the lives of others if your body is saying no.

this is the ABSOLUTE bottom line and most true statement in this thread!

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by hawk232

this is the ABSOLUTE bottom line and most true statement in this thread!

Originally Posted by sirpurrcival
That last hour or two isn't worth your life or the lives of others if your body is saying no.

Yep!
I used to be driven to drive to the goal ASAP. I changed! Intermediate goals, about 6 hours apart.
If I dont enjoy the journey, the destination is not half as much fun. Because I get grumpy.

[Ray,IN]

Fuel and potty stops give you time to walk around,stretch, and get a quick meal. Years ago I drove from IN to WY non-stop, except for the previous conditions, in our MH. Did the same for the return trip, except my buddy side-swiped a bridge wall when he fell asleep at the wheel in a construction zone. That was an expensive hunting trip, but at least no hospital or funeral costs were involved. Today that is called "impaired driving".

[ARTWERKE]

I'm not towing a trailer, just a toad with a DP. Just got back from driving more than I wanted. We planned on a 320 mi. push then a day in the park, but it was raining, so we just kept on trucking,stopping for meals,fuel, & just getting out and running around. Made it home with a 2 hr nap, I just can't sleep long with all the diesels running at rest stop & I read too many complaints about big rigs making all that racket pulling into a site at 10:00 pm. We're on our 3rd yr. of drought, the rain looked & sounded nice at first, but not so much fun when home isn't getting any of it.

[dagmandt]

Originally Posted by Muddypaws

10 hours in a car is nowhere near as taxing as even 6 hours in a motorhome or towing a trailer.

That depends on your perspective. 10 hours in a car may put people to sleep because you don't have to be nearly as alert and there isn't nearly as much you need to pay attention to. Staying sharp and paying attention while towing keeps me very awake. It keeps my mind active and alert. But you make a good point that being hyper alert can make some people tired or wore out. Being able to recognize that in yourself is very important.

[tuffr2]

I do 10 or more hrs. a lot. Towing and not towing. My rig goes down the road very very nice and easy. No fatigue really.

[DDHB2007]

We've found the limit with our travel trailer is 500 to 600 miles in a day.

[Poqprince]

One thing more...the walking around is critical. When I have a long day, I always make sure to take a couple of aspirin. You may remember the reporter who died at the beginning of the Iraqi war. He died of Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT. When you sit for prolonged periods of time you risk blood clots which are also the cause of strokes. Not giving medical advise just saying what I do.

[RoyM]

When I was young and bulletproof I did a lot of ten to twelve hour days. No more which drove DW nuts at first. Her ex would drive from Vancouver to Reno in a day and a half spending a night at Medford. We took two days and a bit to do the same trip. I'm 64 and refuse to push like that, too much room for error.
We generally pull out around 9, stop for lunch and are looking for a cg shortly after 4.

[Coaster1]

Palehorse sounds like an X trucker like me. When you gotta get there, you gotta get there! I found my limitation in 1989 when I fell asleep at the wheel, thank God I pulling a hill only drifted off the road and got stuck.

As others have said, it depends on you and the situation but mostly you. This is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not an endurance race.

[SmokeyWren]

We are long-distance RVers. On a 2,000 mile leg, if we are in no hurry we usually break it up into about 400 miles per day on interstate or good highways. But we have also made over 700 miles in one day from Midland to Memphis TN on the way to see daughter in Knoxville, or almost 700 miles from Midland to Fort Collins CO on the way to see granddaughter near Mountain Home ID.

On those 700-mile days, we start early stop for only a few minutes at every interstate rest stop and walk the dogs (and ourselves). I drive 90% of the miles, but Darling Wife will drive for an hour or so on 4-lane or interstate highways.

[DonnyB007]

Originally Posted by DaveTN

Never towed more than 2 hours in a day but thinking of a 10 hour drive this summer. Ford Expedition towing 26 foot TT. Is that too far in 1 day? DW would likely drive a 2-3 hour piece.

Geez...we just do 4-5 hours per day and that's it. All in day and early morning to avoid hot pavement on tires.