So, my wife and I just returned from a 2-week camping (trailer) trip across 8 western US states, and ~4000 miles total. (We returned 1 week ago today.)
And I think I've learned why the Forester has a lower rating in the US than in other countries.
This isn't meant to be a full technical tow report. For a technical report of a previous trip, see here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f137/maiden-voyage-tow-report-2900lb-trailer-1100-miles-mountain-pass-75565/
Here was our path (not listing all the stops):
Here's the 8 states we traveled in: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington
From Oregon, we traveled East on I-84, through Idaho, into Utah, and joined I-15 South, down to Zion National Park.
We took a day trip without the trailer to the Grand Canyon (north rim). (That's how I'm including Arizona).
Then we went on up to Bryce Canyon NP, and on Hwy 12 (The "All-American Highway"), up to get to Arches NP (including short stretch of I-70).
Then on in to Grand Junction, CO for my cousin's wedding.
Then North through Wyoming to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP.
Then up through Montana to the Idaho Panhandle, and finally back home through Eastern Washington.
Lots of great experiences on our trip, and learned lots of stuff:
1) If a National Forest camp ground I planned on (that takes RVs) is closed, don't just pick the one on the sign that happens to be open. It can be VERY difficult to turn around in a tent-only space, especially if there's another Subie (Outback) in the middle of it and the owner is not available. That was an interesting experience :shake:.
2) Southern Utah (and the Grand Canyon) are absolutely beautiful, more so than any picture can capture.
3) Arches NP can get VERY hot, at 103 degF and darn near 0% humidity. Especially when we witness a motorhome burn down to metal and ashes in our campground :icon_eek:.
4) Yellowstone is beautiful and fascinating.
5) And, I learned why (I think) the Forester is rated lower in the US than other countries such as the UK and Australia: Higher Elevations.
Neither Great Britain nor Australia have as high of elevations as we have in the Rockies.
We learned that, while in Oregon we can do 65 mph in 5th on a flat road, in Utah at 7,000 ft we struggled to keep 55 mph on the flat road.
Up minor inclines (going up the Grand Staircase on I-15), we found ourselves topping out at 45 mph. It's kind of disconcerting going 45 mph in an 80 mph zone :icon_rolleyes:.
Also, we were annoyed by the rolling hills in southern Idaho with the rolling hills. We'd go up a hill and slow down to 55 and then down the other side, barely making it back up to 65 before starting the next hill. Just annoying, that's all. That was also in the first days of our trip, so I might not be as annoyed now that I know the combination better.
Also, on Hwy 12, we went over a major mountain pass in the Boulder Mountains, at 9200 ft, with a 10% uphill grade. On that pass, we were down to 1st gear going 15 mph by the time we made it to the top (it did help the morale that the big motorhome in front of us was doing the same thing :biggrin. We did have some extra power in first in case it were to get steeper or higher, but not in 2nd. We had other passes in the Rockies, but none that put us down to 1st gear (2nd, yes). In each one though, the motorhomes and trucks were going just as slow. We did see one motorhome towing an SUV that couldn't make it up and was stopped with flashers on.
Note, though, that through the whole trip we had no problems with overheating, despite the 100 degF temperature outside. However, without a temperature gauge (what were you thinking, Subaru?!?), I have no way of knowing how much the temperature might have climbed up.
I did notice that at the end of a long day of traveling, the car felt/sounded "tired". The next morning it sounded "refreshed". I'm sure that was probably temperature related. It was like it needed a break as much as we did at the end of the day :icon_razz:.
Oh, one more thing.
6) I learned, DON'T stop on a steep hill with the trailer if I can help it. Getting started again with the clutch is a challenge at best and downright scary at worst. I had to heavily feather the clutch several times to get moving on a couple of stops. I did improve and it got less scary as the trip went on.
BTW, I'm trying to be as forthcoming with our experiences so others can benefit from them. But please don't read me wrong, the Forester is a capable tow vehicle for this trailer. There was a bit of a learning curve to understand the limitations of this combination. But no complaints with handling or safety, or anything else besides the power at elevation. Also, because towing requires more attention to what gear you're in (reminder: it's an MT), my wife had some difficulty with the shifting. Going uphill, by the time she finished a shift we were going a full 5 mph slower. Not because she took all THAT long, but just because the trailer pulls down a lot. For these two reasons (power and shifting), we might look for an automatic with more power (maybe a small pickup) before we take our next trip of this magnitude (we're already beginning to plan :icon_biggrin. The Forester will more than suffice for any shorter trips around the Pacific Northwest until then, though.
I should note, however, that I wouldn't feel nearly as comfortable with this trailer and its 300 lb tongue weight without the weight distribution bar, or without the Prodigy brake controller.
Also, I've seen no ill effects to the receiver hitch from using the WD bar. I haven't yet inspected the hitch thoroughly including checking the torque of the bolts since the trip, though. I'll do that sometime between now and the next time I tow.
As a side note, people have commented (on other threads) about how big our trailer is. I didn't realize until seeing some other popups during our travels that are maybe 4 ft high when folded :icon_redface:. Oh well, we really like our trailer, and have no regrets.
We had a really great trip too, and feel refreshed and ready for another year.
I have pictures (~2500 of them, lol), but haven't looked at them much yet, so nothing to post at this time.
And I think I've learned why the Forester has a lower rating in the US than in other countries.
This isn't meant to be a full technical tow report. For a technical report of a previous trip, see here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f137/maiden-voyage-tow-report-2900lb-trailer-1100-miles-mountain-pass-75565/
Here was our path (not listing all the stops):
Here's the 8 states we traveled in: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington
From Oregon, we traveled East on I-84, through Idaho, into Utah, and joined I-15 South, down to Zion National Park.
We took a day trip without the trailer to the Grand Canyon (north rim). (That's how I'm including Arizona).
Then we went on up to Bryce Canyon NP, and on Hwy 12 (The "All-American Highway"), up to get to Arches NP (including short stretch of I-70).
Then on in to Grand Junction, CO for my cousin's wedding.
Then North through Wyoming to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP.
Then up through Montana to the Idaho Panhandle, and finally back home through Eastern Washington.
Lots of great experiences on our trip, and learned lots of stuff:
1) If a National Forest camp ground I planned on (that takes RVs) is closed, don't just pick the one on the sign that happens to be open. It can be VERY difficult to turn around in a tent-only space, especially if there's another Subie (Outback) in the middle of it and the owner is not available. That was an interesting experience :shake:.
2) Southern Utah (and the Grand Canyon) are absolutely beautiful, more so than any picture can capture.
3) Arches NP can get VERY hot, at 103 degF and darn near 0% humidity. Especially when we witness a motorhome burn down to metal and ashes in our campground :icon_eek:.
4) Yellowstone is beautiful and fascinating.
5) And, I learned why (I think) the Forester is rated lower in the US than other countries such as the UK and Australia: Higher Elevations.
Neither Great Britain nor Australia have as high of elevations as we have in the Rockies.
We learned that, while in Oregon we can do 65 mph in 5th on a flat road, in Utah at 7,000 ft we struggled to keep 55 mph on the flat road.
Up minor inclines (going up the Grand Staircase on I-15), we found ourselves topping out at 45 mph. It's kind of disconcerting going 45 mph in an 80 mph zone :icon_rolleyes:.
Also, we were annoyed by the rolling hills in southern Idaho with the rolling hills. We'd go up a hill and slow down to 55 and then down the other side, barely making it back up to 65 before starting the next hill. Just annoying, that's all. That was also in the first days of our trip, so I might not be as annoyed now that I know the combination better.
Also, on Hwy 12, we went over a major mountain pass in the Boulder Mountains, at 9200 ft, with a 10% uphill grade. On that pass, we were down to 1st gear going 15 mph by the time we made it to the top (it did help the morale that the big motorhome in front of us was doing the same thing :biggrin. We did have some extra power in first in case it were to get steeper or higher, but not in 2nd. We had other passes in the Rockies, but none that put us down to 1st gear (2nd, yes). In each one though, the motorhomes and trucks were going just as slow. We did see one motorhome towing an SUV that couldn't make it up and was stopped with flashers on.
Note, though, that through the whole trip we had no problems with overheating, despite the 100 degF temperature outside. However, without a temperature gauge (what were you thinking, Subaru?!?), I have no way of knowing how much the temperature might have climbed up.
I did notice that at the end of a long day of traveling, the car felt/sounded "tired". The next morning it sounded "refreshed". I'm sure that was probably temperature related. It was like it needed a break as much as we did at the end of the day :icon_razz:.
Oh, one more thing.
6) I learned, DON'T stop on a steep hill with the trailer if I can help it. Getting started again with the clutch is a challenge at best and downright scary at worst. I had to heavily feather the clutch several times to get moving on a couple of stops. I did improve and it got less scary as the trip went on.
BTW, I'm trying to be as forthcoming with our experiences so others can benefit from them. But please don't read me wrong, the Forester is a capable tow vehicle for this trailer. There was a bit of a learning curve to understand the limitations of this combination. But no complaints with handling or safety, or anything else besides the power at elevation. Also, because towing requires more attention to what gear you're in (reminder: it's an MT), my wife had some difficulty with the shifting. Going uphill, by the time she finished a shift we were going a full 5 mph slower. Not because she took all THAT long, but just because the trailer pulls down a lot. For these two reasons (power and shifting), we might look for an automatic with more power (maybe a small pickup) before we take our next trip of this magnitude (we're already beginning to plan :icon_biggrin. The Forester will more than suffice for any shorter trips around the Pacific Northwest until then, though.
I should note, however, that I wouldn't feel nearly as comfortable with this trailer and its 300 lb tongue weight without the weight distribution bar, or without the Prodigy brake controller.
Also, I've seen no ill effects to the receiver hitch from using the WD bar. I haven't yet inspected the hitch thoroughly including checking the torque of the bolts since the trip, though. I'll do that sometime between now and the next time I tow.
As a side note, people have commented (on other threads) about how big our trailer is. I didn't realize until seeing some other popups during our travels that are maybe 4 ft high when folded :icon_redface:. Oh well, we really like our trailer, and have no regrets.
We had a really great trip too, and feel refreshed and ready for another year.
I have pictures (~2500 of them, lol), but haven't looked at them much yet, so nothing to post at this time.