Is it crazy to drive 18+ hours in one day by yourself?

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo

Ronstang: Sorry if I came off rude... didn't mean to, and I don't have the experience of others, I just have my one bad incident and so I've limited myself to shorter driving periods.

No big deal. Some people cannot handle that many hours behind the wheel. As long as the person attempting it knows their own limits and simply stops for a nap if they get tired then all is well.

I helped a buddy drive home from Albany to Houston. He drove a few hours and then wimped out and made me drive. I had been on a plane and in airports all day and had been up since 8AM. This was now 2AM and he wanted me to drive. I did. We stopped about 4 hours later and had breakfast and I slept after that. He drove a whopping 5 hours and we stopped for lunch. He never drove another stretch because he just could not handle it. I ended up driving the rest of the way...from the Nortthern tip of Georgia all the way to Houston while he slept a good portion of the way...and he was 13 years younger than me but he just could not handle it.

Everyone is different.

 

[George P Burdell]

I guess you know your limits. It's always better to drive with a companion if you can. But if you're driving alone, try to drive more during the day than during the night.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: George P Burdell
I guess you know your limits. It's always better to drive with a companion if you can. But if you're driving alone, try to drive more during the day than during the night.

Actually that is different for each person also. I prefer to drive at night. There is less traffic and less distractions and you can usually drive faster too. It all depends on the person.

 

[0roo0roo]

to be fair they bar truckers from such behavior because truckers doing it over and over would definetly take a cumulative toll.
its possible to do it yourself assuming you take reasonable rest breaks walk around eat and make sure u get a good nights sleep before trying it. you will be wiped out for the next day of course.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Best of luck. I drove 1900 miles from Houston to San Francisco and decided that a $40 hotel room was an easy choice rather than risk my life after doing 1000 miles.

I did the drive in 3-legs as I did not start driving until 4pm. And was up at 4am that day for my flight.

Houston to Sonora, TX - 400 miles, got in aroound 11pm.

Sonora to Blythe, CA - 1000 miles

Blythe to San Francisco - 670 miles

I did not sleep well in the hotels so when I got home on Sunday I washed my new car and went to bed and passed out.

If I were you I wouldn not worry about the cost, I would worry about the lost time while on the road. A plane is cheap and easy and not time consuming. The wear and tear on your vehicle plus added risk of being stranded due to a deer, accident, or breakdown aint worth it!

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Originally posted by: rbV5
LOL, I'm 47 but thanks I've driven Portland to San Diego, LA and Vegas many times non-stop, and I'm definately Pussified over my younger days when my funds weren't what they are now

I5 can easily be closed that time of year in NorCal and the long range forcast is calling for cold wet Winter in the Pac Northwest. That could be a real white-knuckler and throw your plans off a bit. I'd start saving extra money if it were me

I have done the Shasta pass twice in the winter before. The roads are generally clear if you go through during the day. ODOT and CALTrans keep the roads plowed well.
I have a set of snow chains, and I would be prepared to stop early if forced to slow down and use them.

True enough, sounds like you're familiar with the road, so you should be good to go if you leave enough extra time just in-case of icy weather. Sounds like the car rental is the flight killer, so do what you got to do

 

[swtethan]

my brother did it, fucking crazy

 

[PrinceofWands]

Nah, just did it...well, LA to Longview...almost the same thing. Tired of being in the car, but otherwise no biggie.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

I drove non-stop from California to New York. I think it was 42 hours straight.

Around Illinois I started getting semi-delirious. I remember that the only thing that was keeping me partially awake was this song on an 80's Hits CD by Souxie Souix and The Banshees. Driving through Cleveland I remember my windshield suddenly started seeming like a TV......like everything was more 2D than 3D at which point I pondered the difference between the two for a while. Arriving in New York, I actually pulled off on the side of the road but then decided to look for a place. I stopped in Erie, got a hotel for two nights and slept for 18 hours straight.

Did the same thing on the way back but only made it like 38 hours and stopped at a rest stop in Nevada and slept in the back seat of my car.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
I drove non-stop from California to New York. I think it was 42 hours straight.

Around Illinois I started getting semi-delirious. I remember that the only thing that was keeping me partially awake was this song on an 80's Hits CD by Souxie Souix and The Banshees. Driving through Cleveland I remember my windshield suddenly started seeming like a TV......like everything was more 2D than 3D at which point I pondered the difference between the two for a while. Arriving in New York, I actually pulled off on the side of the road but then decided to look for a place. I stopped in Erie, got a hotel for two nights and slept for 18 hours straight.

Did the same thing on the way back but only made it like 38 hours and stopped at a rest stop in Nevada and slept in the back seat of my car.

Now that is nuts.
I have been awake for 42 hours once before, I was hearing things near the end of it. And I knew I was hearing things which made it even scarier.
It is something I never want to experience again.

 

[pstylesss]

What is your time worth to you? 300 - 400 may seem like a lot in savings, but have you considered the amount of time driving + recovery?

EDIT:
Don't forget to factor in miles and sleep time. Also add an oil change into your driving expense, since you will expedite that expenditure.

 

[dug777]

My biggest haul would be three days of about 16 hours each, and while it wasn't a huge deal, it was boring as batshit

Plane is the obvious choice unless you're traveling with a whole bunch of mates, or family...

 

[needalife]

seriously dont do it... i did 9 hours by myself and it was pretty bad last couple hours... i can't imagine 18 hours...

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
I drove non-stop from California to New York. I think it was 42 hours straight.

Around Illinois I started getting semi-delirious. I remember that the only thing that was keeping me partially awake was this song on an 80's Hits CD by Souxie Souix and The Banshees. Driving through Cleveland I remember my windshield suddenly started seeming like a TV......like everything was more 2D than 3D at which point I pondered the difference between the two for a while. Arriving in New York, I actually pulled off on the side of the road but then decided to look for a place. I stopped in Erie, got a hotel for two nights and slept for 18 hours straight.

Did the same thing on the way back but only made it like 38 hours and stopped at a rest stop in Nevada and slept in the back seat of my car.

Now that is nuts.
I have been awake for 42 hours once before, I was hearing things near the end of it. And I knew I was hearing things which made it even scarier.
It is something I never want to experience again.

yea level of consciousness degrades pretty bad. recovery sleep is very long as well..15~ hours

 

[Colt45]

if you do sustained 70mph and have a pissjug, should only be 14h.. get some redbulls.. good to go.

 

[alphatarget1]

Just fly, it's only a few hours (provided no delays).

Tucson, AZ to College Station, TX was a 14 hour drive because I drove pretty slow. I wouldn't do it again unless I really have to.

 

[JohnOfSheffield]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
After seeing how much it was going to be to fly home for xmas and rent a car for the time I was going to be there I decided that I was going to drive it. Ends up being something like $3-400 cheaper. Anyways I was talking to one of my friends about it, he mentioned that if I would stop in San Diego and pick him up he would split the cost of gas with me. Score!!
I was thinking of trying to it one of two ways,
1, Drive it in two days of driving leg 1 from Portland to San Diego, Leg 2 San Diego to Austin.
2, Drive it in three days Leg 1 Portland to San Diego, Leg 2 San Diego to El Paso, Leg 3 El Paso to Austin.

I don't want to take the extra day of driving from Portland to San Diego if I can avoid it.

So am I completely nuts for wanting to pull the Apx 18 hour total drive from here to there, by myself?

I would be stopping in San Diego for rest, 8 hours of sleep at a minimum.

Son, don't be daft, what is a few hours of sleep going to do? Nothing, what will falling asleep or losing your concentration behind the wheel do? You'll probably make it but is it really worth risking not only yours but other peoples lives to do it?

I don't think your nuts, just immature and stupid.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Farthest I ever drove in one day was about 800 miles. I don't care to ever drive farther than that in one day.

Edit-My Mom and her husband drove from Florida to visit me in San Diego a few months ago and then drove back a couple weeks later. My Mom can't drive and my Step Dad is 80 years old so he did all the driving himself. They took their time though staying in hotels every night.

 

[DaWhim]

I did 11 hours drive a few weeks ago. On the way to there was pretty easy. I started around 1am and there by almost 12pm. I prepared enough for this. On the way back was hell. I had about 4 hours of sleep on an uncomfortable bed the night before.

 

[TallBill]

18 hours really isn't bad at all. I drove 14 or so from IL to NC pretty easily. On the way back I took a 1 hour nap in the middle. If you get super tired, take a nap.

 

[Parasitic]

You'd better be really careful with that rental. Most rental car contracts limit you to operate the vehicle within a certain # of states so if you're caught speeding in that rental car or got into an accident in it in a state that isn't covered in the contract you'll never hear the end of it.

 

[j00fek]

i would be hopped up on redbull to the maxx, but i wouldnt want to do it

most iv done is like 9hrs str8

 

[aircooled]

I did 16 hours once from Florida and will not do it again. 10 hours is my limit now. I made great time doing 8-10 hour drive days cross country by getting up early and beating rush hour through the big cities.

 

[Jeff7]

I can handle about 8hrs in one day. The boredom and tedium is just utterly mind-numbing.

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Now that is nuts.
I have been awake for 42 hours once before, I was hearing things near the end of it. And I knew I was hearing things which made it even scarier.
It is something I never want to experience again.

I start to get a little loopy after being awake much more than 20hrs straight. By 18hrs though, I'll be getting irritable.

 

[compman25]

You can do it! I've done 1100 miles in one day, Billings MT to Kansas City MO. Took me like 20 hrs. It would have been faster, but driving a truck slows ya down. It was the only time I ever broke the 11hr rule by more than an hour. I got to KC around 11pm, was up at 8am and ready to watch a full day of football while my log book caught up to me.