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Here’s one thing all camper and RV owners can agree on: when one road trip ends, we start planning the next. We can’t help it. It’s instinct.

The infinite possibilities for future trips can induce a kind of manic euphoria – the maps come out, the browser tabs open up, draft itineraries are made with travel days, play days, rest days. Perhaps it’s a trip you’ve been thinking about for years, or you’ve met some fellow travelers on your last road trip that told you about a must-see destination. Or maybe it’ll be your first trip with your new Black Series off-road trailer, the maiden voyage. For us, there’s an RV road trip destination that we feel is criminally underrated: Florida.

Photo: @donebyalex (left), @radz71 (right)

Florida, you say? Well, contrary to popular belief, The Sunshine State isn’t just white sandy beaches and crowded theme parks. It also offers abundant natural landscapes, hunting for big game and small, fishing (duh), rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and more. For anyone who’s up for an adventure, Florida promises an incredible multi-sport RV road trip. If it’s not on your bucket list, it should be.

And that’s the best thing about having a camper or RV: when the stars align for an epic road trip that combines your favorite activities, whether it be fishing, hunting, 4-wheeling, or mountain biking, there’s no reason you can’t do them all in one go.

Below we’ve outlined an epic, multi-sport, Florida RV road trip itinerary. It includes four iconic outdoor destinations, each with a thrilling activity. Looking for trip inspiration? Look no further.

Start in the South for…

Deep-Sea Fishing in The Florida Keys

Start your trip in one of the most desirable deep sea fishing destinations in the world: The Florida Keys. This bucket-list experience is packed with blue skies, bluer water, and a lot–a lot!–of fish. The Florida Keys offers an abundant choice of fish species for anglers to target as well as guided charters. Species include Dorado (mahi mahi), Wahoo, Swordfish, Sharks, and Marlin. If you’ve ever read The Old Man and the Sea, these waters are very similar. No wonder the Florida Keys have been called the “Fishing Capital of the World.”

With plenty of deep-sea fishing charters to select from when you get down there, we recommend looking at places in Islamorada, Key Largo, or Marathon. Any of the charters there will take you to the best spots to drop your line. Hiring a charter is your best bet for that deep sea fishing experience. It will increase your chances of catching fish. Local captains are immersed in the area’s fishing so they know where the fishing has been hot, where it’s been cold, and what’s been biting. If you plan to rent your own boat, there are plenty of resources to locate a suitable spot; just be prepared to spend a little more time finding it.

Where to stay: Park your camper at the nearby John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park which has various spots to camp. Enjoy the nearby coral reefs and beachfront lounging, manage the heat by finding shade under your retractable awning and enjoy the fruits of your labor with a fish cookout using your outdoor kitchen.

Then head north to…

Hunt Wild Boar in Central Florida

Take the Florida Turnpike up the coastline to central Florida for one of the most adventurous things you’ll do during your trip: wild boar hunting. Yep, you heard that right. Florida isn’t just dolphins and alligators; it’s got the second-highest wild boar population in the United States, just behind Texas. You can actually find wild boars in every single county in Florida. The wild boar population in Florida is so massive that to help maintain it, Florida has removed any size or bag limits for wild boar and you don’t even need a license. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, though. These creatures are fast, feral, and uncannily smart. So if you think you are ready to take on the challenge of the Wild Boar hunt – either with a rifle, or a bow – you’ll need to be in mid-season form. There are many local outfitters prepared to help you out.

If you’re looking for an all-inclusive experience, book a trip with a company known for working with everyone from first-time hunters to seasoned experts, such as Trophy Hammock Outfitters, located in Lake Wales. Their guides will skin and quarter any hog harvested any way you want it for a small fee. So make sure you clear that Dometic cooler so you can bring home the bacon!

Where to stay: Head over to Lake Kissimmee State Park to find a spot beneath the giant oak trees, providing you with a shady canopy and a natural noise buffer for a bit of peace after a long day hunting. You can choose from 59 different campsites near the lake, all with water and electric hookups. Set up your outdoor kitchen to prep and cook your wild boar. Bon Appétit!

Continue north for…

Mountain Biking at Santos Trailhead

Photographers: Tim Foster (left), William Hook (right)

Rated by the International Mountain Biking Association as one of the best trail destinations, the Santos Trailhead is a quick two-and-a-half-hour drive north of your last destination. When you find yourself surrounded by giant Florida pines, it’s apparent you’ve finally arrived in the Florida backwoods aka its mountain biking mecca – truly some of the best mountain biking terrain that the American southeast has to offer.

Although many mountain bikers tend to head to the western United States for steep, dusty single track, Santos has earned its spot as a must-ride destination. Its model trail system boasts a streamlined single track and bike skills park with challenges for beginners and experts alike. If you don’t have one already, ask your Black Series dealership to set you up with a bike rack for easy hauling to the trailhead and beyond.

Where to stay: Having so much fun, you don’t want to leave? Well, you’re in luck because the Santos Campground is located right there at the trailhead. You can ride and relax all in the same spot, never having to move your setup – it’s ride, eat, sleep, repeat. The campground at Santos has a strong community of Mountain Bikers, so you’ll have no problem finding like-minded adventures who all enjoy the family-friendly atmosphere of the area. This campground has 24 sites with water and electricity, a dump station for RVs, a pavilion, a bathhouse, potable water for refills. And, of course, easy access to some of the best mountain biking trails in Florida.

Finish your trip with…

4-Wheeling in the forests of Ocala

Photo: Victor Rossetto (left)

Hop in your RV and head just 30 minutes to the Hard Rock Off-Road Park located in Ocala, FL. This place is a mecca for dirt bikes, quads, and 4×4 vehicles because of it’s designated area for playing around and exploring, including a rock garden, steep climbs, and an assortment of trails. Their website says, “You can get as rough as you like” as you discover the entire 70 acres of trails.

If you’re a Black Series owner, be sure to talk to your local dealership, as they are often happy to help modify and customize your off-road trailer setup to accommodate toy hauling. If toy-hauling is your jam, the HQ19T and the HQ22T are your berries. They come with an enclosed garage set up with separate lockable doors between the living quarters and the garage. It features aluminum diamond plates and tie-down hooks throughout. The T-model trailers even come with a patio configuration with a back door that converts into a tent enclosure for more outdoor space when camping. They’re hands down the best toy hauler setup on the market.

Where to stay: Like the Santos Trailhead above, this park offers your choice of on-site camping with 22 different 30 AMP hookup sites for your RV – so you can stay and play as long as you’d like. They even offer special rates for long-term camping, so it looks like it’s time to stock your fridge with food and Dometic cooler with beer – because you might be here a while.

And there you have it, our itinerary for a thrilling multi-sport mega road trip adventure in Florida! Not heading to the southeast any time soon? Use this as inspiration for your own multi-sport mega-trip, and stay tuned for more epic itineraries. Where do you want us to go next? Where do want some trip ideas for? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, or hit us up on social!

Caravans Shown In This Post

HQ19

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How to Manage High Temps: 6 Tips for Staying Cool While Off-Road Camping

It’s the heart of summer, and off-road camping season – heck, all-around adventure season – is revved up to 8,000 RPMs. Not a weekend goes by that doesn’t beg for a trip up a dusty forest service road or down to your favorite fishing hole. If you’re anything like us you’ve already been out camping a handful of times and your trailer camping skills are in mid-season form. But can you beat the heat? Summer heat adds a variable to the camping equation that can leave even seasoned off-road campers slumped in their camp chair, sweating and exhausted. Our years of experience overlanding and off-road camping have taught us a few tricks for staying cool (seven to be exact), and we’ve compiled them for you here, so you can keep yourself and your travel companions comfortable when it’s scorching outside.

A Note on Traveling in the South

The American south – places like Texas, Arizona, Utah, Florida, where temperatures regularly crack 100 degrees Farenheight – is the big leagues for managing hot weather. Whether you live there full time or you’re just passing through on your summer road trip, knowing how to stay cool in the south is skill numero uno. Blazing temperatures start in early spring and last into autumn, so even shoulder season adventures require a few extra preparations to guarantee a relaxing and problem-free trip.

The American South is also home to some of the world’s most iconic outdoor destinations. It’s known for towering red rocks, wide-open desert terrain, world-famous national parks, and dispersed campsites peppered along dirt roads (making it a great place to see what your Black Series Trailer is made of). And if you know how to keep cool when the thermometer starts boiling, you can explore this wild country in comfort, even when others are cooped up back in the city. So while the below tips are for anyone trailer camping in brutal heat, they hold extra weight for those whose off-road camping adventures include stops in the American South.

Okay, let’s get to it!

1. Cool Down With A/C

We know that if you’re lucky enough to have it (and if you have a Black Series trailer, you have a built-in 13,500 BTU Thermostat Control unit) Air Conditioning seems like a no-brainer for keeping cool. And it is. But there are a few things you can do to get the most out of your A/C unit to battle hot temperatures.

When traveling with access to shore power, you can plug your trailer into the electrical grid and easily use your A/C unit to keep a pleasant temperature inside your trailer at all times. You can run the A/C unit low and slow while you’re out for the day to maintain a comfortable temperature. This will also help alleviate some of the stress on your A/C unit caused by blasting it intermittently when you’re desperate for a cool down.

If you’re heading off-grid, and won’t have access to shore power, you’ll need a generator and a soft start to run the A/C. A soft start reduces the amount of power needed for air conditioners and other energy-sucking appliances. So, by minimizing the volume of power necessary for these features, you’re able to run more with less energy. Thus, you can run your A/C using a generator. This will come in handy when you’re trying to conserve power in the backcountry. In addition, having a soft start will help avoid immense strain on your power supply when off-grid without power or water connections.

2. Create an Oasis Under Your Awning

Not a fan of A/C? Well, if you’re an owner of a Black Series trailer, you can utilize your Premium Retractable Awning. Most trailers, from any brand, come with some type of manual or automatic awning installed on the side of the rig. If you don’t have a custom awning, you can store a canopy in your trailer’s pass-through storage. We promise it’s worth it!

Awnings are designed to expand the living space and provide you with the perfect shady area to lounge in, and it provides some crucial relief from the sun. Not to mention it’s a great place to host a happy hour while you wait for the temps to cool.

Black Series Team Pro-Tip: Bring some artificial grass from the hardware store, a lounge chair, and a few lawn flamingos for the ultimate desert oasis. And for the night, you can add a string of lights to set the mood.

3. Sunlight is Your Enemy

When your trailer sits in the desert sun for hours on end, it creates an oven-effect inside your trailer that isn’t sustainable for spending time in and can even become dangerously hot without good temperature management. Furthermore, if the trailer has been cooking in high temps all day, it probably won’t be habitable for hours after the sun goes down . To keep sunlight from entering, utilize your window shades (Eurovision privacy shades on Black Series trailers). Made of material that blocks light, the privacy shades act similarly to blinds, significantly reducing the amount of sunlight entering your trailer and keeping interior temps much cooler.

Black Series Team Pro-Tip: When in extremely hot environments, your best bet is to stay inactive during the day and plan for morning and evening activities.

You Have It Made in the Shade

Have you ever fought over (or waited impatiently in your car) for a shady spot in a parking lot so you could avoid returning to an oven? That’s because we know that parking in the shade is a small but smart move that will make a huge difference. Take a similar approach when finding a spot to park your trailer. It will help you maintain a habitable internal temperature. If you’re staying at a campground, call ahead and try to reserve a spot with ample shade. If you’re off-road camping, look for a cool spot under the shade of trees or natural rock formations.

Moreover, taking the time to work out what direction the sun will be hitting you will help you decide which way to angle your parking so that the side of your trailer with the most windows will be most shaded.

Black Series Team Pro-Tip: Use the desert wind to your advantage and angle your trailer to get the wind blowing through it (just be ready to change the angle, or shut your windows a bit if the winds pickup).

4. Hydration Is Key

Whenever you’re off-road camping, it’s crucial to keep you and your co-pilots hydrated. In hot temps you’re probably sweating more than usual. Most experts say you need at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day to prevent losing moisture and electrolytes required for staying healthy on the road, so don’t skimp when preparing your water supply for your off-road camping adventure, especially if you’re going off-grid. Keeping your water tank full and buying extra jugs of drinking water will ensure that you have a safety net in case of an emergency. Another excellent investment is a large, high-quality hanging water filter that you can utilize on rivers, creeks, and lakes to source additional water and stay hydrated at camp.

Black Series Team Pro-Tip: Store a bottle of morning coffee in your Dometic Fridge Cooler for a refreshing iced coffee treat in the afternoon.

5. Utilize Your Outdoor Kitchen

If you do everything to keep your trailer cool in the heat, you’ll also want to avoid using your indoor kitchen or risk wasting all of that previous effort. Cooking hot foods on your stove or in your oven will increase the temperature within your trailer. Instead, use your outdoor kitchen. With a three-burner stove and plenty of prep space included in Black Series outdoor kitchens, you can cook all of your meals outside, under your awning. One great outdoor kitchen recipe option is a simple and delicious cast-iron pizza. Don’t want to cook at all? Prep some cold sandwiches, salads, or fruit and store them in your fridge or Dometic Cooler for a quick and refreshing meal.

6. Take Advantage of Being Able To Go Further Down the Road

Are you a fan of cooling off by the lake but don’t want to fight those summer crowds? Being able to take your camp farther down the road is one of the many benefits of traveling with off-road trailers like the ones we make at Black Series. With the most robust independent suspension system on the market, Black Series trailers allow you to go beyond the crowds to find a camp site that’s not only secluded and serene, but also better situated to avoid direct sunlight and access water. The American South (and North) has no shortage of lakes and rivers that are perfect for swimming and difficult to access without off-road capabilities. There’s nothing better than driving past the crowds to claim a swimming spot all to yourself.

Black Series Team Pro-Tip: Check out NPS, BLM, and USDA websites for updated information on backcountry campsites and watering holes. These resources make it easy to research conditions and availability before you head out.

Feeling refreshed? We hope these tips help you stay comfortable during your next off-road camping adventure, whether it’s through Texas, Florida, or anywhere where it gets mind-melting hot. If you have any additional questions, comments, or hacks for keeping cool, please let us know in the comments or contact us on social media! We always enjoy your feedback. Happy travels!

Caravans Shown In This Post

HQ19