Extended trip philosophy? - Just curious

[ajg617]

We are heading to Glacier, Yellowstone, etc for the month of June 2023. We don't pack a lot of extras other than clothes. Gas grill, Blackstone, ice maker, coffee maker, 4 chairs, grill table, 20lb propane tank, bottled water are about it. I'll leave the bikes and carpets here. A lot of 1 or 2 night stays. 3 nights in Rapid City; 4 nights in West Glacier; 3 nights in West Yellowstone; 3 nights in Grand Tetons; and 3 nights in Colorado Springs. Most drives are < 400 miles/day. Stay at KOAs mostly for convenience.

Will be in Myrtle Beach for 5 weeks in Jan/Feb 2023. For that the carpets, bikes, and beach gear go.

Have you found a place in Grand Tetons and Glacier? Grand Tetons seemed pretty sparse on RVTripwizard.

[Captcolour]

Have you found a place in Grand Tetons and Glacier? Grand Tetons seemed pretty sparse on RVTripwizard.

Have reservations at West Glacier KOA and hopefully Coulter Bay RV Park when I can make them in a month or so.

[traveldawg]

Have you found a place in Grand Tetons and Glacier? Grand Tetons seemed pretty sparse on RVTripwizard.

Tetons - try looking south around Alpine, Swan Valley, and along US89 down that way. Otherwise look north at Colter Bay Village. If you haven't been beware - Jackson Hole is a madhouse in the summer with lots of traffic.

Glacier - on the east side basically there are just 2 places in St Marys (KOA and Johnsons). Maybe one other plus whatever is in the park on the East side. West side - we prefer Kalispell to stay away from crowds but it is a drive to the park.

[Pap and Mimi]

We did our first two week trip this summer to Mt Rushmore, YNP, and Denver. We struggled with what to take from a clothing / food / breakdown standpoint. Clothing and food was decided by the DW, and she nailed it. Packed all that would fit and hit a laundry mat mid trip, worked out just fine.
I read through this forum and decided on a tool box and a spare parts box.
Tool box - Impact gun, impact sockets to cover all lug nut sizes, 8T bottle jack, assorted hand tools.
Spare parts - 1 leaf spring, 1 bearing kit, 1 hanger, equalizer, bolts, PEX, PEX connectors (crimp and shark), gorilla tape, lots of assorted fasteners.

I dont think I used anything out of the spare parts box but it rode nicely in the front corner of the truck bed.

[Capt Jim]

I could probably copy/paste a couple of these responses and be pretty close. I have a Blackstone and my spares kits as well as cleaning supplies in the back. Of course...2 folding chairs, 2 "0" G lounges, 2 small side tables and of course the folding, white plastic table from Costco. Tools and truck stuff goes in the bed-level truck box as well as a 2k Honda generator which I have used exactly once in seven years. We don't boondock, but a night at a rest area or casino is easy to do. I plan no more than 300 miles per day. As another poster mentioned, we'll do 1 night, 2 nights, stay at a destination 3 or 4 nights, Lather, rinse, repeat. We've covered about 35,000 miles in our '15 379fl in the last 7 years. Safe Travels.

[ajg617]

The one thing I do not have is a spares kit, except for electrical connectors and some screws.

[traveldawg]

We did our first two week trip this summer to Mt Rushmore, YNP, and Denver. We struggled with what to take from a clothing / food / breakdown standpoint. Clothing and food was decided by the DW, and she nailed it. Packed all that would fit and hit a laundry mat mid trip, worked out just fine.
I read through this forum and decided on a tool box and a spare parts box.
Tool box - Impact gun, impact sockets to cover all lug nut sizes, 8T bottle jack, assorted hand tools.
Spare parts - 1 leaf spring, 1 bearing kit, 1 hanger, equalizer, bolts, PEX, PEX connectors (crimp and shark), gorilla tape, lots of assorted fasteners.

I dont think I used anything out of the spare parts box but it rode nicely in the front corner of the truck bed.

That's a lot of extra weight (impact tools, springs, etc.). I do admit to carrying a set of wrenches and a socket set. And a set of bearings I kept after my brake conversion. But springs, hangers, etc. are not on my list of failure items.

The one thing I do not have is a spares kit, except for electrical connectors and some screws.

My list of spare fasteners has come by the way of - when i need one I get two and keep a spare. Over the years these things creep in and I have to do house cleaning once a year.

>>>>>>>>>>>
I think carrying spares is an invitation for "Murphy" to visit - whatever I have for a spare won't be what brakes so I'll have to buy whatever it is locally anyway. So now a lot of my "spares" are kept in my wallet on a plastic card.

I also must admit that I carry along handle shovel. It's come in handy too many times over the years (for me and others). (ya gotta hide those bodies someplace - haha - is that humor allowed?) That might be the thing that most people are surprised at - carrying a shovel - not the bit about bodies.

I better go now......

[Capt Jim]

Well, spares can turn into a real mess without a little forethought. I spent some time looking around a things that might go T.U.. For electric I have fuses, terminals and crimper, shrink tubing, zip ties. A kit box with screws, nuts, bolts, washers, hose clamps, plumber's tape. Also a few hydraulic repair fittings and a spare solenoid for the Hydraulic levelers (yeah, I blew one of those). My tools are in the truck box along with another bag for electric meters, measuring equipment and propane detector. It's really not as much as it sounds like. I'm not going to be doing major repairs on the road (too old for that). I'll just add...in seven years I have not had to dig into all that stuff very often. Safe Travels.

[Gronk1]

We will go from 10 days to 3 weeks. First day out is 2-250 miles & stay 1-2days. Then head hard to where we are going in a day or two (depending on distance). We take the obligatory RV something broke tools & parts (impacts, drill, pex stuff, furnace parts, duct tape etc.) fluids(grease, WD40, oil, anti-freeze) folding ladder, Blackstone grill, small folding table, 2 folding chairs & a mat that comes out for over a 3 day stay...maybe. A portable fridge/freezer in the basement for beverages/food, 700W Bluetti to run it during travel. If we are doing any dry camping/boondocking the 4500 Onan comes along, hookups, it stays home & the 2000 Yamaha gets packed just in case. Three bicycles- 2 aluminum mtn on a rack, & my road bike on the bed (DW wont ride the road with me).
Dog food/squeak toys/snacks/tie outs/pet first aid kit.
Clothes for cold nights, warm days, will hit a laundry if needed (Jackets, rain gear stay in the RV year round).
During Covid we would pack all the food we could to avoid stores, still have that habit, but will hit a store when needed. Bottled water.
AND lots of chains/cables & locks.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

I think carrying spares is an invitation for "Murphy" to visit - whatever I have for a spare won't be what brakes so I'll have to buy whatever it is locally anyway. So now a lot of my "spares" are kept in my wallet on a plastic card.

I subscribe to this philosophy...I bring tools so I can work on broken stuff...no bearings or seals or springs. The only spare parts? four feet of pex and some fittings/clamps and a tire....but it's a Westlake so not sure how useful it will be.