Uncertain Descriptor, Wife concerns

[ddm502001]

All considered decided to show the Wife the HDT Parks map, she was less than impressed as we satellite imaged some of them.  Was upset as looked as just large store parking lots, not very attractive.  Explained or at least attempted to that these do not reflect as to typical where the ones looked at were Desert S and SW where few to NO trees.  BAD Choice for initial displays on my part.

With the hauler will use are likely to end with a 32-36' Toy Hauler, NOT looking to have a massive 38-45' RV as is only the two of us, really do not have designs for others to accompany us.  Should fit most of the parks I have read up on with Pull Thru or even with Back in slots.  She is not being very receptive at this point.  Any suggestions?

 

Dave

[palmeris]

Stop showing her them😋

[ddm502001]

LOL, was first Thought!!  

 

Showed her a few others, explained need to VET the places wish to stay and get Reservations EARLY.  She is still thinking.

[aknavy]

We have a 29 foot long truck and a 45 foot long trailer.  We fit in 90 percent of the spots that we did when we were using an F350 DRW to tow with.  Sometimes it's work, but we make do.  We do regular campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, COE campgrounds, and public land.  Our only real issue we've run into was the Miami Dade county parks - we got into the site, but there was no parking for the truck, as they had no overflow and the truck didn't fit on our site.

[Av8r3400]

We’ve been running our rig since 2017.  We have yet to be turned away or needed to park the truck separately.  Just a bit of recon with Google satellite view before you book and alls well. 

Our first 5er we were about 65' OAL.  With the "new" trailer we are just shy of 70'.

Edited March 22, 2023 by Av8r3400

[Danfreda1]

We’re 73 ft and have fit in all the corp. parks and a few state parks that we tried. Only had trouble one time but found another site in the same park. 

[ddm502001]

Copied these to her Email, maybe might listen!!

[ddm502001]

9 minutes ago, aknavy said:

We have a 29 foot long truck and a 45 foot long trailer.  We fit in 90 percent of the spots that we did when we were using an F350 DRW to tow with.  Sometimes it's work, but we make do.  We do regular campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, COE campgrounds, and public land.  Our only real issue we've run into was the Miami Dade county parks - we got into the site, but there was no parking for the truck, as they had no overflow and the truck didn't fit on our site.

Ours is just shy of 29, and will not have a trailer that long, HOWEVER Thank You for that!!

[lockmup68]

think of it as a 45' class a pulling a 25' trailer. You will be shorter than most or the same as an F350s and 5vers. 

[RickS]

I think the thing you would have to discuss is your intended use. Are you going full time, part time or weekender/holidays? The reason we went from a MDT to a HDT years ago was to be able to handle the weight of the larger trailers and have the the extra power and braking safety that they provide. That also comes with the ability to haul jeeps/cars/SxS's/motorcycles etc and not worry about weight restrictions. Many in the group here optimize the advantage of owning a HDT. It seems to me almost anywhere you can fit a 36ft RV and HDT you usually will fit a 45ft RV and HDT.

The one other thing that isn't mentioned as much is the comfort in driving and riding in a vehicle that isn't bucking you around. My wife has neck and back problems and could only travel maybe 4hrs a day with the one ton dually but in the HDT with some very good seats a 8hr day is no problem. If, you are worried about length don't need the hauling capacity or braking ability then go with a LDT and shorter trailer. Back to the intended use and maybe future plans as a HDT is a great way to future proof maybe going to a larger RV. 

Rick & Carey 

[aknavy]

4 hours ago, ddm502001 said:

Ours is just shy of 29, and will not have a trailer that long, HOWEVER Thank You for that!!

NP.  Our only real issue is that we have to pull past the site an extra 5 feet, and that occasionally puts us into trees/signs/ditches/etc.  With that short trailer, you shouldn't run into that.  If I was singled short, I'd fit everywhere.

 

[rpsinc]

Perhaps it may be better to approach this from the point of the experience rather than the destination.  While a nice RV park is a positive, why are you doing it?  If it is about that RV park and its amenities then that is 1 perspective that I dont necessarily have high on my priority list, but rather I enjoy the people and the experience that always seem to over shadow a less than ideal RV park or boondocking area.

Enjoy the journey rather than the destination.  This lifestyle is SO MUCH MORE than RV parks and their features.

[ddm502001]

12 hours ago, rpsinc said:

Perhaps it may be better to approach this from the point of the experience rather than the destination.  While a nice RV park is a positive, why are you doing it?  If it is about that RV park and its amenities then that is 1 perspective that I dont necessarily have high on my priority list, but rather I enjoy the people and the experience that always seem to over shadow a less than ideal RV park or boondocking area.

Enjoy the journey rather than the destination.  This lifestyle is SO MUCH MORE than RV parks and their features.

Wish could get her to see that!!  She at home is a couch potato, when we were riding everywhere she was fine with whatever accommodations came up so could shower, see news and sleep.  Will for the foreseeable future still be doing riding or day tripping with truck/trailer sitting so will not be in her face all waking hours but is not so much listening to me. 

Longest ride was 3200 miles over two weeks on two wheels, average day was less than 300 miles.  Frequent Stops, get off bike stretch and catch a drink of water or something, extended time off ride to eat, find hotel relatively early then meander around where were at until dark.  Loaded in the Hauler I can leave her in bunk to rest or read, or she can sit up front.  Can make miles at reasonable speed in AC or heat and Dry where can be 3-500 miles in a short time, more time at opposite end of trek for sightseeing.   If gone a week will be closer to home, IL, AR, KS, OK, N TX, IA even in state parks.  Two week adventures CO, WY, MT, UT, Dakotas.  Points East TN/KY, Carolinas, GA, expanded TX and NM.  May end up seeing Sedona AZ again, want to spend some time at National Reef, Arches, S UT.   Once she retires and our aged pup passes want to take month long escapes.  Week or Two for exploring a region, find the well hidden Gems.

 

Typical Scooter Ride distance, a Day was Our home leave relatively early 8-10am, Stop for stretch by Warrensburg MO, stop again Olathe KS, end of day Dodge City.  Next Day, West, to Garden City stop, eastern edge of CO stop, Pueblo Stop, Salida end destination of day.  Salida to Sand Dunes Alamosa stopped at small gas station for break.  Into Alamosa another break after hour at Dunes.  West to Wolf Creek Pass, down into Pagosa Springs, Break.  Off to roadside stop and stretch then into Durango and stop for night.  Next day Silverton Ouray into grand Jct and stop.  Back to Eagle and stop off I70 for night, into Denver and stop, back to Pueblo and stop for night.  Bike can be taxing on old shoulders and back.  Drove to Dallas for visit with Nephew and family, stopped at Lebanon to pee, stop at Big Cabin pee and eat. made last stop at Colleyville Hotel besides gas stops, One Day.  Had been on Bike would have been Two Days down.  Do not see having to be in a hurry but also not having to stop every 100miles to get off sore butt.  And YES, Still prefer Riding to Driving but age is taking the fun away from it.  Can see being in a different coach by four years, maybe no longer riding 2 wheels but bringing a Trike or some other form of transport to sightsee. from.

Edited March 23, 2023 by ddm502001

[rickeieio]

We have a 41' toy hauler.  That means we have about 27' of living space and LOTS of storage.  That's fine if the weather's good and we don't sit around inside.  We have little trouble finding places to stay in some pretty nice places.  We rarely make reservations more than a couple hours in advance. That said, we've got our names in for the month of February at a park in Bandera, TX.

Our normal trip is to spend a day, or 3, getting to a destination area, then park the rig for a week or more and unload the bikes to explore.  We took 5 days to go from Cincinnati to San Antonio, but had a two night stop along the way cuz wife wasn't feeling well.

[Sculptor]

We have fit almost everywhere we have been. The Volvo turning radius is better than average but have no other experience with HDTs.

 I mostly have avoided state and county parks in the east. I put it down to the age of the parks can indicate smaller sites.  Many times I called ahead (Holland State Park, MI) and found a site. In that case we fit side by side but when backing, the Hdt was into the site across the road. 
 Look in mountainous areas for more trees I think. More trees and shade in the north, much less in the SW deserts.  More or less what you would expect. The nice thing about the SW is the sites tend to be large maybe just because they are big flat areas and the space was available. 
On Facebook there are sites dedicated to HDT friendly parks with reviews. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Sculptor

[rpsinc]

4 hours ago, ddm502001 said:

Wish could get her to see that!!  She at home is a couch potato, when we were riding everywhere she was fine with whatever accommodations came up so could shower, see news and sleep.  Will for the foreseeable future still be doing riding or day tripping with truck/trailer sitting so will not be in her face all waking hours but is not so much listening to me. 

Longest ride was 3200 miles over two weeks on two wheels, average day was less than 300 miles.  Frequent Stops, get off bike stretch and catch a drink of water or something, extended time off ride to eat, find hotel relatively early then meander around where were at until dark.  Loaded in the Hauler I can leave her in bunk to rest or read, or she can sit up front.  Can make miles at reasonable speed in AC or heat and Dry where can be 3-500 miles in a short time, more time at opposite end of trek for sightseeing.   If gone a week will be closer to home, IL, AR, KS, OK, N TX, IA even in state parks.  Two week adventures CO, WY, MT, UT, Dakotas.  Points East TN/KY, Carolinas, GA, expanded TX and NM.  May end up seeing Sedona AZ again, want to spend some time at National Reef, Arches, S UT.   Once she retires and our aged pup passes want to take month long escapes.  Week or Two for exploring a region, find the well hidden Gems.

 

Typical Scooter Ride distance, a Day was Our home leave relatively early 8-10am, Stop for stretch by Warrensburg MO, stop again Olathe KS, end of day Dodge City.  Next Day, West, to Garden City stop, eastern edge of CO stop, Pueblo Stop, Salida end destination of day.  Salida to Sand Dunes Alamosa stopped at small gas station for break.  Into Alamosa another break after hour at Dunes.  West to Wolf Creek Pass, down into Pagosa Springs, Break.  Off to roadside stop and stretch then into Durango and stop for night.  Next day Silverton Ouray into grand Jct and stop.  Back to Eagle and stop off I70 for night, into Denver and stop, back to Pueblo and stop for night.  Bike can be taxing on old shoulders and back.  Drove to Dallas for visit with Nephew and family, stopped at Lebanon to pee, stop at Big Cabin pee and eat. made last stop at Colleyville Hotel besides gas stops, One Day.  Had been on Bike would have been Two Days down.  Do not see having to be in a hurry but also not having to stop every 100miles to get off sore butt.  And YES, Still prefer Riding to Driving but age is taking the fun away from it.  Can see being in a different coach by four years, maybe no longer riding 2 wheels but bringing a Trike or some other form of transport to sightsee. from.

I am in much the same place.  DW prefers to stay in rig so I have decided to do my own thing and IF she chooses to join then good, but I wont be letting my dreams/plans be undermined by her attitude.  I have worked for over 50 years to get to this point and there is an expiration date on my ability to do this type of life, so here I go.

I heard Phil Harris of Deadliest Catch say this years ago(probably from someone else).  "You can watch things happen, You can make things happen or You can wonder what the hell happened."  I guess its my choice.

[rickeieio]

7 hours ago, Sculptor said:

On Facebook there are sites dedicated to HDT friendly parks with reviews.

There's one in the Resource Guide near the top of then index here too.  I've used it many times, and have made a few contributions.

[ddm502001]

Saw that reference, and have been copying the address for the HDT Resources Guide so can use on road off my phone.

 

Thanks all, she has read these and feels less concerned of where are going with this.

 

Dave

[rickeieio]

One thing that's not been brought up here.....

Where we stayed for 6 weeks in Bandra, TX, one night is $45, a week is about $245, a significant savings.  But a month is $440 plus metered electric, which ran us about $140/month (one really cold week).  We never stayed in one place very long until this year.  We'll be doing more of this in the future.

[Brad & Jacolyn]

If you are looking for parks that will accommodate our rigs I use RV Trip Wizard. This is a subscription service and you will need internet to access it but since it is online I have found it to be current most of the time and I think that $30 a year is pretty reasonable especially after using it for several years. It also has filters and one of them is 'big rig access'. Once this is turned on it will not even display parks that do not say big rig access. Now with this said, be aware that not every park has the same idea of what big rig access means so I always call and make reservations. Some places think 45 feet is a big site.

[nawaa]

We are 68' connected, with a 45' toy hauler. We've only had one time we had to find a different place to stay, and that was because the FS campground I had booked had low tree branches and very tight curves, something that couldn't be seen from Google earth. But that turned out to be a blessing, as there was a forest fire about 10 miles away and the smoke was thick! I always measure on Google Maps, and with the Google Earth Pro app you can look at older satellite shots - sometimes you can find winter ones where the trees are less of a problem when trying to determine the actual size of sites. I look at CampsitePhotos to see actual site pictures along with all the reviews on several sites (Campendium too), that's always helpful. I've logged all of our campground stays at CG Reviews under our moniker "Denise and Glenn". If we fit, you'll probably fit. Enjoy the journey - the inside of the trailer is the same no matter what the view out the window, if all you're doing is sitting inside! But we find a fantastic view really makes our day every time we look out the window, and we've found some amazing spots that aren't anything like a parking lot - although we've stayed in our fair share of those as well. I do all the planning, and Glenn drives where I tell him to. We've been enjoying this full-time life going on 7 years, and don't intend to stop until we have to. This year we're heading east, and planning on some epic motorcycle riding to include Devil's Triangle, Tail of the Dragon, and many other places from Maine to Georgia.