Towed 500 miles on 1.25 tanks of gas

[Shawn Hennessy]

I just towed an 1,100 pound pop-up trailer (soft top) and a few hundred pounds of gear 500+ miles on 1.25 tanks of gas. My trac handled like there was nothing there.



We just got back from Cape Disappointment (WA coast) and had a great time. This was my daughters' first camping trip (3-1/2 and 19 mos). My son (7 yr old) is old hat at this.



Weather was marginal at best...very misty and wet. But the scenery can't be beat!

 

[Fred]

Cool! Pictures?

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Pretty good, my '01 barely gets 600 on 2 tanks by the guage not towing. Be interested to know what it was by filling up and doing the math. I got about 16.5 IIRC (didn't log it) on the way from FL to VA with a bunch of stuff in the ST and the trailer--my PU weighs about 3250

 

[biznaga]

I bought my ST to haul my popup. Well, it was worth about 60% of the reason I bought it anyway.



My trailer weighs in fully loaded at around 2300lbs and has no brakes. But it tows like a dream. Like you, I hardly know it is behind me, which has goten me into trouble parking sometimes when I forget I have it attached.



I Pulled it from Vancouver, WA to Wenatchee, WA via the back side of Mt. Helens which was mostly 2 lane roads, and got about 16 mpg.



Looking to my next outing with the ST now.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I towed a 2000 LB pop-up to Florida last december. Averaged 18 MPG the whole time. Drove 975 miles that first day. Stoped long enough to fuel up, bathroom breaks, and food breaks.



The Trac did awesome. Did not even notice the hills going up the mountains in WV and VA.



Planning on another trip this december.





Tom

 

[Shawn Hennessy]

I didn't take any photos of the trac. I was looking to take it out on the beach for some pics, but the beach access was closed for the kite festival.



I will snap some pics tomorrow with the trailer attached. I need to return the trailer to my stepmom tomorrow.



We are going to be looking at getting a TrailManor next year.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Dive,



That is what I want, a Trailmanor. The only thing I don't like about them is that they use a chemical toilet.



Someone on eBay had a Trailmanor with a regular toilet in it. Since there is no room under the trailer for a Brown Water tank, you would either have to run it into a sewer or in one of those blue tanks you sit on the floor.





Tom

 

[Shawn Hennessy]

Thanks, Caymen.



That is of little concern to me. It is a nice to have feature. Our comparison is to the pop-up soft-top tent trailers. We want something that will be less prone to the elements and has some additional amenities.

 

[Tom Schindler]

I took a Pop-up to Florida last december. I hated it. I would never own a pop-up. I do like the Aliner. The main downfall with an Aliner is the cost. If I were to get one, I would pay something like 15,000 for it. I would have to have A/C, a Microwave, FAN-tastic fan, Skylights, etc. The base price is fair, but once you start adding up the options, the price will start going up, quickly!





Tom

 

[Shawn Hennessy]

I saw a few of these this week and was intrigued. I don't see how a family of 5 could do that comfortably. The seem to be quite the nice design.

 

[Bill V]

Dive--



I'm not at all familiar with that area. I take it that "Cape Disappointment" is an actual geographic name, and not just a nickname you gave it based on the quality of your trip?



(OK, I added a smiley face--but the question is somewhat legit. There's got to be a story behind a name like that!)



--Bill

 

[Shawn Hennessy]

<a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Cape+Disappointment&pageno=1" target="_blank">Cape Disappointment State Park</a> is a very popular park. It is packed this time of the year and you need to get yoru reservations in early. The ocean is just a few hundred feet away from the campground (the ones with hook-ups). There are many great hiking trails with some going to the two historic lighthouses.

Starting as a small stream at the base of the Canadian Rockies, the Columbia River travels more than 1200 miles, merging with rivers and streams, until it meets the Pacific Ocean. The force of the Columbia flowing into the sea creates one of the most treacherous bars in the world. There are 234 identified ships that stranded, sunk, or burned between 1725 and 1961 near the mouth of the river.

Captain Robert Gray, a seafarer more interested in finding furs for the China market than the honor of discovery, on May 11, 1792 was the first Euro-American to successfully cross the bar. The river was named after his ship, the Columbia Redivivia.



A cape on the mouth's north side marks the entrance to the river. Named "Kah'eese" by the local Indians, it received its current name from Captain John Meares. On July 6, 1788, Meares sought shelter from a turbulent sea but to no avail. He named the cape, "Cape Disappointment."