Does anyone take a second vehicle along when camping?

[XPlant]

Thanks for all the replies. It may be my driving she is worried about, I'll have to work on that! I like the toy hauler idea. Maybe an opportunity to sell an upgrade idea to DW for a bigger trailer and TV.

[Deny]

we did that once, it was a campground on the Beach, about an hour from home. We stayed in one spot for 5 days (unusual for us). It worked out just fine, but I sure would not want to drive 2 vehicles on a long trip.

[SpaceNorman]

Originally Posted by XPlant

it ... could be more difficult getting through traffic in larger cities.

It's definitely going to increase costs ... and you may run into parking limitations at parks you may wish to stay at (many have a limit on the # of vehicles that can be parked at a single site). As far as making it more difficult getting through traffic in larger cities - I'm of the opinion that done right, having a "follow car" might actually make it easier to negotiate traffic.

We're in the metro Detroit area (lots of freeways and lots of traffic). On several occasions when it's been necessary to take our coach out into heavy traffic (i.e., driving it to the dealership, back and forth to the storage lot, etc.) - having my wife following me in the jeep has been very helpful - especially when I've had to move across lanes of heavy traffic to get to an exit.

In the Liberty - she's far more nimble than I am in the coach. She simply move from directly behind the coach into the desired lane - and slow down to "open" the necessary space I need to move the coach into the lane. It eliminates the problem of being boxed out of a lane by folks who simply won't let you move over..

We use a pair of FRS radios when we do ... so we're in constant communication.

[twogypsies]

You could also trade in everything for a motorhome and tow the car. The critters would have lots of room in the motorhome.

[bsirby]

DH and I have had a couple occasions to drive separate and even for a short trip, we do not like to do it. He likes having me help him with directions, and pretty much just keeping him company. It seems a little ridiculous to spend that extra money driving a separate vehicle for such a long trip.

[bluepill]

We have done it both ways. The problem with both of us driving is that we cannot have the other swap the driving duties for awhile, and that limits the mileage per day.


We are both 70ish and can do as much as 450 miles a day when we both take turns driving. That drops to 250-300 maximum with two vehicles.


One advantage of the two vehicle system is that I will send her ahead a few miles to scout out the best routes to get into fuel and food stops. She then calls me back on the radio.

[stryker17]

I would never go without a towed car................It just makes it so much easier to see all the sights, and it does not cost any more.although I have a motorhome so towing is a no brainer

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by jenandjon

We have a crew cab long box pickup for a tow vehicle. It is a pain to get around with when we are sight seeing. Wife said she wished we could have something smaller. Here was my solution. We get a toy hauler and buy a smart car or a something like a Chevy spark. Load it up in the toy hauler. When we go sight seeing just take that. She said the truck is a pain but she don't want to drive around in a little POS either. LOL She never likes my ideas.

OOPS! You forgot the first rule in the husbands handbook. The wife is always right. Rule #2, if you think she is wrong, refer to rule #1.
Consent to her driving her car. After the first long trip there's a good chance she herself will decide to leave it home.