# Cold Weather Travel Questions



## Diane Sherwood (Oct 26, 2017)

Hello,

We just bought our new-to-us 2003 28' Outback, complete with bunkhouse accommodations for our elderly kitties and worldly goods, being pulled by a 2014 F150. We're a retired book dealer and English teacher who are selling our small farm in eastern PA and decided a leisurely drive across country outweighed long airline trips and aggravation with said kitties. Our problem is that our beautiful drive to CA is being delayed by the sale of our house, and we may find ourselves setting out in January or even later in the winter .

I'm looking for any suggestions for safe travel without tackling iffy winter driving conditions to get to southern CA. We have no problem heading south and then to the west, but wondered if anyone can suggest any routes or areas to either avoid or use?

Thanks,

Diane & Edward

Max (the maximum size cat that will fit in that skin) 14 pounds and 18 years old

Sebastian, his 17 year old little buddy, 5 pounds!




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## Tiger02 (Apr 16, 2006)

Best advice I can give having been inexperienced and getting caught unaware is to be patient. The luxury of the RV is that you can wait out weather when needed in a nice spot. Check State DOT weather and camera web sites so you can monitor road conditions and expected fronts (I'm sure by now they have apps for that). This includes wind. I saw a 5th wheel turned completely 180° on I-80 when I drove from TN to WA in January 2016. The 5th wheel acted as a sail in the side winds and just pushed it sideway. Thankfully it didn't tip over.

I think you already know your best route going to SoCal is going to be I-40/I-20/I-10 and maybe I-8. Some states out west require you to carry chains when traveling over high mountain passes, so going south also helps get out of that requirement.

You should also be prepared to run your heater in the trailer if temps get into the teens, and you plan on spending over 8 hours of driving. I would also get a couple of space heaters to supplement your on bard propane heater as they are much cheaper to run when you're hooked up at the campground.

Best of luck to you selling your house. We retired last year, and have some great memories from our long RV trip from TN to WA. There are some great sights along the way.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Congrats on the RV purchase. 

I would recommend you have your RV "winterized" now, so you have no issues with the water lines freezing while you prepare for you trip to California.

I would also recommend you do not "dewinterize" it until you get far enough South and West....that you will not face any additional freezing temps. This will mean you have a perfectly good RV, but still might spend a few nights in a hotel along the way. Keeping the RV warm for you and the cats...as well as the water lines is a big task. So a few $$$ and a few nights in a hotel might be the best solution (and way easier!) .


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

As mentioned, winterizing and hotels might be the best solution until you get far enough south. That, and a lot of patience. If the weather looks like it's turning bad, find a spot to stop and stay their until it's good enough to go again. This will be a lot different than if you were just driving a car.

From your location, make sure you avoid Washington, DC/Baltimore area on your way south. It's not fun in that area with a car... Maybe I-81 to I-77? Then south from there. Or maybe pick up I-95 a ways south of DC, and take it all the way south. You will be more along the coastal areas and less in the mountains on that route.

If I had no schedule to keep, I would go south all the way to I-10 in Jacksonville, FL, then head west. According to a mapping program I have, going all the way to I-10 and then west will be about 3400 miles... Probably an 8 day trip.

One thing to consider is that once you get out of the areas that use road salt, find a spot where you can wash the bottom of your trailer really well. That road salt will start to eat up any exposed metal faster than you think. This is especially true if you drive through humid areas with a coating of salt on your trailer.

I have several friends in my area who won't take their trailers out in the spring until the salt has a chance to wash off the roads. I've had to get mine when their was still salt around, but I did wash the bottom down when I got home.

Have fun on your journey!


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