Over-
compensate
Max towing
numbers can
be misleading.
They’re often higher than your
vehicle’s maximum payload rat-
ing, which combines the weight
of everything in your truck
(including you, your gear, and
any Chihuahuas you might have)
and a percentage of the trailer’s
weight being transferred by the
hitch. The maximum payload is
typically displayed on a sticker
inside the driver’s door.
In general, it’s best to travel as
far below your maximum payload
and towing numbers as possible,
especially if you’re hauling a lot.
Regardless, ensuring that your
truck and trailer are well main-
tained and that everything is set
up properly (double-check those
chains!) is key to a successful
towing adventure.Plan ahead
and fuel up
(a lot)
Towing is not
fuel-efficient,
so planning our route around
our fuel range is critical. We
use a Google Maps feature
that shows us the most fuel-
efficient route to our nextcampsite, and we always check
the weather before crossing
adventurous Colorado moun-
tain passes. You can use an app
called GasBuddy to find the
cheapest gas on your journey.Stick to the
Rule of 2’s
Drive no more
than 200 miles
per day; stop for
at least two days; and plan to
get to your destination by 2 p.m.
An early arrival time helps when
unexpected things arise during
a travel day.When in
doubt,
upgrade
It’s difficult to
improve your
vehicle’s towing power, so if
you’re finding yourself short,
it might be time to purchase a
more capable vehicle. Our Sil-
verado works for the Bigfoot,
but in hindsight, we should have
considered a heavier-duty truck
designed for constant towing,
like a Chevrolet Silverado 2500
HD. Vehicles like the 2500 are
souped-up specifically with tow-
ing in mind, with beefier frames,
larger engines, and upgraded
brakes and cooling systems.
As a further example, a 2022
Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup
has as much as three times the
maximum towing and payload
capacity of a 2022 Ford F-150.4 Rules
for Towing
Your RVbut really, the work never stops. As with a typi-
cal house, there’s always a little project to do or
some improvement to make. The more we live
in it, the more we learn what we need to do to
be comfortable and happy.
The first place we went after we moved in
was just outside Moab, Utah. We parked on an
otherwise-deserted rock face and had the most
incredible sunsets all to ourselves. We’ve gone
all around the American West—mostly Arizona
and Colorado—but one excellent diversion took
us to a beach on Washington’s Olympic Penin-
sula last summer. It was so fantastic that we’re
going back again this year.
When folks find out the Bigfoot is our home
home, usually they either say, “Oh, that’s
awesome!” or they look at us like we’re freak-
ing crazy and ask, “How do you still have a
relationship?”
Many people living in RVs full-time have
an enormous fifth-wheel trailer with two fire-
places and a walk-in closet. That’s fine for
them, but it’s not us. We just need our tiny Big-
foot, and Maya and Ruby, and one another. The
gorgeous mountain sunsets are nice, too.
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