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late April and early May trip inquiry

RetiredguyRetiredguy Member Posts: 23
in Camping & Travel
We plan to travel from Toronto Canada to the Nucamp factory in Ohio for some warranty work in late April.  Our tow vehicle is a 2020 Ford Ranger and we are towing a 2021 T@B 320s Boondock. This will be the beginning, of a month long road trip in the USA.  From Ohio we will be heading to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and then south to San Antonio to meet up with family before heading back home for the beginning of June.  I have a couple of questions. 1) Do I need to leave my snow tires on my truck for the entire trip because we are traveling to Yellowstone so early in the season?
2) We will be staying at Several KOA's and State Parks for our trip.  What is their policy on dumping your cassette toilet (only#1) in the washroom facilities. Any other guidance or advice on for our adventure would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.
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    Yoshi_TABYoshi_TAB Member Posts: 381
    Hi, 

    In regards to the dumping the cassette toilet, I would suggest to use the campgrounds dump station rather than the washrooms.  My reason is, even though it's pretty easy and straightforward to dump the tank, accidents can happen which could result in a spill on the bathrooom floor .  Dump stations always have a water hose that small spills can be cleaned up with and also be used to rinse out the tank.  I know others say they use bathrooms, but I never would.   That's just us.  

    In regards to snow tires, I would suggest you call the Park or the local tourist center and seek their advice.  That is what we normally due for such questions.  

    We've taken our '21 TAB 320 on many multi month trips.  A few  suggestions are:

    -We find the refrigerator plenty big for 5 days worth of food.  So we never carry any extra cooler that takes up space for other things.  We only keep a few drinks in at a time to keep cool and keep reloading. We carry a small plastic bin in our tow vehcile for our "dry goods".  

    -We keep all our clothes in our tow vehicle exept what we use for the next day.  Keeps the TAB less cluttered and frees up space for other creature features.  We have his/her 3 drawer bins in our tow vehicle.  This works real nice for us.  Bins easily hold at least a weeks worth of clothing.  Have a roll of quarters before you start.  

    -Since we enjoy watching sports, we will add phone hotspot data for 1 -2 months so we can stream hockey/basketball playoffs this time of year.

    -We like to have our sites planned out for at least a few weeks.  For us, it does take a bit of the stress out of how far we will drive on travel days and site locations at the campgrounds.

    Best wishes and safe travels....


    2021 TAB 320 BD
    2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Southern Maryland
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    Maxcamp8Maxcamp8 Member Posts: 213
    @Retiredguy, It couldn't hurt to keep snow tires for your trip!

    We are also headed to Yellowstone in late April, with reservations for the first day the campgrounds (Madison) open on May 03.  Packing a metal shovel, snow brush; and snowshoes for elevated hikes.  Hoping to do some cycling in Teton valley and just west on Idaho rail trails, if not too cold. Brr.
    Right now they report 27" of snow on the ground at entrance elevations.... so there will still be snow in the mountains and passes even if the ground thaws and roads are cleared!

    Years ago on May 01 it snowed hard there (pre-T@B) and I was glad for my snow chains. 
    They had just begun to clear roads and passes, we watched specialized snowblowers cutting seven to nine foot high drifts.

    We've understood the point of cassette toilets is to be able to stop in any bathroom.
    However after being yelled at and warned off twice by camp managers in provincial and state parks due to their prior spill concerns or policies we have started checking first or looking for a dump station.
    I have always carried chlorox and a roll of paper towels and left the bathroom cleaner than we found it.
    5 am visits is one strategy to avoid conflict.


    2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

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    pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,676
    The thing to remember about the west is....it is pretty high elevation.  In the end of April at the 8000 feet elevation of Yellowstone, it is still winter.  There is still a chance for winter travel and snow all the way until June. (Chances do decrease a lot into May, of course...but, stuff happens). 


    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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    BridgerSunsetBridgerSunset Member Posts: 87
    One of the routes into the Park (the Beartooth Highway) doesn't even open till Memorial Day.  And some of the USFS campgrounds outside the park up high don't open till 1st week of July. 

    You'd likely not choose that route anyway, unfortunately, as it's awesome.  There are better routes in to get to Madison campground.  But it gives you a sense of how long winter is at 10000-11000', as @pthomas describes.  Park Service does pretty well keeping roads clean, but they do close road segments sometimes when needed.

    If you run studded tires there are some deadlines for removal.

    Enjoy the trip!
    2021 T@B 400 Boondock  - Chev Silverado 3500HD 6.6L - Toyota 4Runner 4.0L
    SW Montana USA


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