Tricks for keeping restless passenger happy while towing?

[profdant139]

Trailering is great, except for one little problem -- we go slower than other vehicles, so it takes us longer to get to faraway places, which means that if your passenger is not content to sit still for long periods of time, you have a grumpy passenger. Not good.

For myself, I'm the driver, so I'm entertained by the act of driving a tow vehicle -- much more demanding than regular driving. No problem with boredom and restlessness for me!

But DW is accustomed to getting several hours of physical activity every day. Eight or ten hours of sitting are difficult for her. Listening to the radio or reading are not enough -- too sedentary.

Once in a while, she will undo her seatbelt and fetch something from the back seat -- but that hardly qualifies as exercise.

And of course she walks around vigorously every time we stop for gas. Not enough.

So I have come up with the solution that NASA uses to keep the astronauts in shape -- bungee cords! She will hold the handles, loop the cord around one foot and then the other, and stretch and push to her heart's content.

This is what the StretchMaster looks like:


Click For Full-Size Image.

We haven't tried it yet -- we will see if it makes any difference.

If you have come up with other solutions to this common problem, I am open to suggestions!!

[_1nobby]

Jebby14 wrote:
a fist full of Ambien?

Thankfully I read the whole thread prior to posting:

Valium. Lots of Valium.

[CavemanCharlie]

DutchmenSport wrote:

profdant139 wrote:

...I know for sure it is against the law to have her ride in the trailer while it is moving. (And is that true in every state? I know it is in Calif.)

...

In Indiana, a passenger can ride inside a moving travel trailer. There is no law that says you cannot. 5er, TT, or MH. Does anyone actually do it? Everyone says "no" they don't. But does everyone tell the truth?

Legal in Indiana.

I was stuck hauling some bad alcoholics back from the campground once. (I'll never do that again). They refused to dump out their drink before getting into my truck. So, I put them in the TT , turned the radio on, and hauled them home. They told me that they had a good time in there. Drinking and watching the sights out the window.

[DutchmenSport]

profdant139 wrote:

...I know for sure it is against the law to have her ride in the trailer while it is moving. (And is that true in every state? I know it is in Calif.)

...

In Indiana, a passenger can ride inside a moving travel trailer. There is no law that says you cannot. 5er, TT, or MH. Does anyone actually do it? Everyone says "no" they don't. But does everyone tell the truth?

Legal in Indiana.

[Naio]

I have a hard time with this, too. One thing that helps me a lot is stretching inside the vehicle. If your wife is fairly limber and puts the seat back, she can probably do quite a lot of sitting stretches for her legs and back.

I had a 12 hour day as a passenger a couple years ago, and decided I'm going to do my best to never do that again.

[BarneyS]

We both do leg lifts, butt squeezes, ankle twists, foot lifts, butt raises, and any other thing we can think of to both pass the miles and keep our blood circulating instead of pooling in the feet or ankles.
Doing them also feels really good! 🙂

We try to do them just about every hour or two. Those, along with rest stops(read potty breaks), helps keep the hours from getting too long and boring.
Barney

[profdant139]

Oh yeah! Massage seats. I gotta get some of those -- maybe there is an after-market upgrade for the Tacoma??

Wait a minute -- we already have massage seats. On my truck, it is called the "RuffRide" feature. You feel every crack in the pavement -- a continuous massage, whether you want it or not. 😉

[jbjuices]

WHAT??...Just got a new Ford F350 and it has massaging seats...now that's what she needs! I didn't even realize that was an option on this truck until I was messing with it when I got it home.

[camperforlife]

If you are only stopping for gas, there lies your problem. Stop more, frequently, get out and stretch and the ride will be easier to handle.

[CavemanCharlie]

Don't go slower then the other vehicles. Put your foot in it and get where you are going. That will keep her from being restless lol haha

That being said, and intended, as a joke you shouldn't be that much slower then everybody else. I can tow at 65 easily maybe 70 if there is no side wind.

You also state that when you are driving and towing it is "much more demanding then regular driving" It is certainly, and should be, SOME more demanding them regular driving ! but, it sounds like maybe you are not set up right.

Of course I have no idea of your set up, who you are, or where you are towing. I never go far from home and I live on the prairie so towing is easy for me and I often forget that things are different in other places.

A 10 hour trip would be a very long haul for me at 54 years old. 6, maybe 8, would be about my limit. And, that would require me to stop fairly often for a nature call,, if you get my meaning. I sometimes forget that I am not as young as I used to be.

[profdant139]

tralertrash, your solution somehow reminds me of the old saying: "Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. When he discovers that you stole his shoes, you are a mile away and he is barefoot."

[siamese]

Before any of our trailer trips, we visit the library and get several books on CD. Nothing makes the miles melt away like they do. We make a point of getting books that are easy to follow. Stephen King, even Clive Cussler.

On our last trip from Michigan to Gettysburg, PA, by pure coincidence the book we were listening to took place right where we were driving; northwest Pennsylvania, in the fictional town of Barronville, and we drove right by Barronvale. Weird.

[tralertrash]

About an hour from your final destination, pull over and ask her to check the tires on her side. When she does, drive off to the overnight spot. When she arrives later that night, she will be happily tired, and glad to see you.

[Graycat]

Jay Coe wrote:
Take some measurements, but with the passenger seat back, something like this should fit:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stamina-Mini-Exercise-Bike-with-Smooth-Pedal-System/55267488

I have one of those. I don't think it would work in a pickup. It really requires a flat seat.

[GrandpaKip]

Yes, the west is huge, but places to see and stay don’t have to be very far apart. Last time we were out that way, quite a few trips were only a couple hours travel time.
We limit travel days to a max of 6 hours with at least 3 stops.