We're thinking about pulling a 30' travel trailer down to PINS on my 4wd RAM 1500 v8 hemi. I'd really like to go down the beach a few miles but I'm a little nervous. I have a lot of experience driving in sand but not pulling a trailer like this. Total weight of the trailer is about 7500lbs.

Is this a crazy idea?

The few times I've been to PINS have been to camp, but I've seen trailers down past mile marker 5 and think I want to try it.

How far down can I make it? I've driven the first 15 miles and don't remember it being too bad?

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Is this a crazy idea?

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Yes

Unless you want to donate your TT to the Gulf of Mexico

I have seen a few do it, always seemed crazy to me. My kids asked to do that last year and I made them tent it.

Tides have been all the way to dunes lately. If you try it, be sure you plan well.

Heavy rain last weekend should help. You should have little trouble going several miles down. We were supposed to hit Big Shell/Little Shell Wednesday morning to soak some croaker, but the surf forecast went to heck.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I definitely understand the risks with tides and so forth, I'm more concerned with getting my rig back far enough from the water to be safe without getting stuck in the sand, as well as trying to venture past the 5 mile marker and getting stuck of course.

With the number of travel trailers and RVs I've seen out there, surprised more haven't done it, either at PINS or elsewhere. I figured there are more crazy idiots than me on this board (although in my defense I haven't done it yet, just thinking about it!).

If you haul a trailer to Big Shell......... PLEASE video it for us!!!!

I am not saying I recommend it but I can tell you I camped at PINS during labor day and I can guarantee you that there will be a rig bigger than yours out there over memorial day weekend.

Do PINS a lot, I DO NOT DO IT with a 7,500 lbs trailer! I will not bash other Ags, but this is one of those ideas that you may wish to really consider rethinking. Depending on tides and wind the beach can become VERY narrow, there could easily be no place that is not very deep, loose sand to put your trailer.

rootube said:

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I am not saying I recommend it but I can tell you I camped at PINS during labor day and I can guarantee you that there will be a rig bigger than yours out there over memorial day weekend.

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What size trailer and how far down did you go?

I camped in a tent but there was a wall of RV's on the first few miles of the island. I was probably three miles in or so and they kept going. If you google RV on Padre Island Seashore you will see there are some big ones out there. Again I have no personal experience doing this I am only sharing what I have seen out there.

That seems awful big. I've seen people with pretty large trailers down past Big Shell but it's really dependent on the conditions. There' have been times where the beach was so well packed all the way to the dunes that I've been in 2wd all the way to the Mansfield Cut. Other times you need a Baja racer to get through anything.

You're better off posting the camper up above the 7-mile marker or thereabouts and just day-tripping down to the southern end.

we have tent camped at PINS before, using the small breaks in the dunes as campsites. There are always a few rigs there as well, tucked up tight to the dunes, and they all have water under them, or weed lines from past tides under them. Consider timing the tides when trying to turn around to leave, as the beach gets mighty skinny.

It's definitely possible. I pulled a trailer that was around that weight a mile or so down the beach at spring break. We had a great time, and the tide never got anywhere near where we camped. I have a 4x4 diesel Colorado. Honestly, the highway driving was much scarier than the beach. While I was within weight specs for my truck, I don't think I'll pull something that heavy again on the highway.

Agree with this. Stop the camper further up, day trip further down.

PINS, until you get to the 5 mile sign there is probably not a problem, it is the most traveled and for the most part hardest packed and widest. As one poster said, park there and day trip further South. Dunno exactly what taking something this size further South is going to do for you. There are both good and bad spots to fish all along the beach, I have found both, with a higher percentage of bad being the norm. So, just going way South can not and does not guarantee you will find a great fishing spot. Tidal movement is the KEY, when the water moves the fish follow it!

slightly off topic but if you could do this trip with an 18 foot boat and tent, would you recommend Matagorda Island or PINS for a long weekend trip with my boys for fishing/ solitude - thinking October time
Frame

I always wanted to fish the Darlington in the fall.

Mark Fairchild said:

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PINS, until you get to the 5 mile sign there is probably not a problem, it is the most traveled and for the most part hardest packed and widest. As one poster said, park there and day trip further South. Dunno exactly what taking something this size further South is going to do for you. There are both good and bad spots to fish all along the beach, I have found both, with a higher percentage of bad being the norm. So, just going way South can not and does not guarantee you will find a great fishing spot. Tidal movement is the KEY, when the water moves the fish follow it!

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I would just add that if you are thinking about this weekend, PINS going to be packed wall to wall. It should be a fun trip but it's not going to be an empty beach I can pretty much guarantee that.

Keep an eye on the weather. The NOAA forecast will give you offshore conditions and tides. You can determine how big the surf will be and how high it may push.

Tire deflation is your friend. 50psi might get you stuck where 18psi might let you roll right on through.

Having camped Pins I will give my 2 cents. The draw as everyone knows is going just a bit further so you can have some privacy and feel like you have your own beach. I think everyone here that has camped it will agree with parking around 5mile and trekking from there...best idea. Having pulled trailers down there past 5 mile it can get hairy turning around and being with a group you have spotters and folks to help if you get in a bind. I have helped quite a few folks in trouble on PINS and I try and think about kharma. Many folks will let you sit and not risk their own vehicle, so it is good to have a backup vehicle.

Alright, it sounds like this is a great idea so looks like we're gonna do it, lol.

Actually my biggest fear is getting stuck. And it sounds like everyone else is more concerned about the tide.

We are thinking about going this weekend, and yes because of memorial day I don't want to be anywhere near that cesspool. I'd rather get out past the obnoxiousness and come back Tuesday or so after all that crap dies down.

It looks like the tide should be in my favor for arriving in the afternoon and driving down the beach. I'm worried thought about trying to get back in the dunes and getting stuck, as well as having to make trips to dump waste with jackasses all around and having to navigate that crap.

I'm assuming with some plywood and patience I can probably navigate out of anything, or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Well, this should be fun. Good luck OP.

I'll watch for the Craigslist ad next weekend.

FS. 30ft TT. Minor water damage, needs sand cleaned out of every crevice, but in great shape.

PFG: Will be watching Channel 6 News for the video of 'Huge trailer requires D9 Cat to remove from dunes, just a reminder folks, the Dunes are NOT where you want to park', and now for Dale and the weather.

Just make sure you have a ground anchor for when the redneck with a winch has to pull you and him back out when you try to leave

Is overnight camping allowed on PINS now?

Just watch the weather and the tides. A few years ago we took our truck and slide-in camper pretty far down and woke up in the water. Big storm came thru. Barely got out. Once we got back within a mile or so of the main road, we had to pull out 3 different TTs whose owners couldnt because 2wd.

JB said:

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Just watch the weather and the tides. A few years ago we took our truck and slide-in camper pretty far down and woke up in the water. Big storm came thru. Barely got out. Once we got back within a mile or so of the main road, we had to pull out 3 different TTs whose owners couldnt because 2wd.

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Just a question because this is one of my fears, what could you have done differently? Obviously be more aware of the weather, but what about where you parked? Could you have pushed back more towards the dunes (albeit in more loose sand) and avoided the rising tide? Or found a spot where the beach was wider so you had more room to push back?

Also how bad was the storm? There's between 20% and 50% chance of storms the whole time we're there, but I have no idea how to equate that into a situation that requires evacuating the beach. I'm assuming they have adviseries on the tides as a storm comes in if I'm listening to a weather radio? (Probably won't have internet or cell connectivity down there)

I can't imagine trying to get all of the sand out of it after the trip.

Yes according to the website.

Corona Virus Update 5-2-2020
The park has reopened for 24-hour access. Camping on North and South Beaches, Yarborough Pass, and overnight parking at the boat ramp. The visitor center and Malaquite and Bird Island Basin Campgrounds remain closed.

It's going to be a madhouse this weekend is my prediction based on pent up demand.

AgDad121619 said:

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slightly off topic but if you could do this trip with an 18 foot boat and tent, would you recommend Matagorda Island or PINS for a long weekend trip with my boys for fishing/ solitude - thinking October time
Frame

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as others have said, check the weather. We drive about 3 miles south and camped in a little cut of the dunes in October. It was windy as all getout and battered our 6 man dome tent pretty good. I moved the truck to create a windbreak for the tent, and lined coolers and totes along length to block even more wind and it was manageable. We even had a tough time with the single burner fry rig blowing out to cook our meals with, but Aggie Engineered another windbreak for it as well. Depending on the age of your boys, keep in mind that there are allegedly rattlesnakes in the dune grass. Mine were 10 and 6 at the time and never saw any, but did keep an eye out. Other than that, it was an outstanding, memorable trip!

There ARE rattlesnakes in the dune grass all along the Texas coast for sure. Be cautious in the dunes themselves.

A 5 gallon bucket can help you wet down and pack soft sand. Bring a shovel per adult just in case. Digging sand out from in front of tires can help should you get stuck. A buried spare tire makes a decent sand anchor. I recommend a pallet or something to use to make a sand removal porch.

Thanks again everyone! I'll post pics when I return if I make it. If I don't, I'll live on in Texags lore!

I love watching the storms while on PINS,

I pulled our Casita down to MM 15 with no problem. Cold front that came in the second night we were there was worse than predicted. Decided to leave as it got cold and windy. Water was hitting the dunes at times on the way out and I had to ride the crappy sand next to the dune the whole time. That is until I had to go past a decent sized bumper pull RV around MM 8. I waited until a wave went out and went through about 6" of water. He was sitting in a chair watching the wash underneath his rig. I saw his trailer buried to the sand on a facebook page a few days later...

So moral of the story is watch the weather like others have said. I probably won't go to PINS again if any kind of crappy weather is forecasted. I was just antsy to go and we had no other date available.