We got stuck in the sand on South Padre Island

We spent our first night on South Padre Island stuck on the beach. We managed to self-rescue our RV out of the sand with dollar store items, find a solid camping spot, and celebrate with brunch on the beach. What a welcome to the island!
#HomeARoam #beachcamping #texas
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0:00 Chapters
0:19 We got stuck
3:57 We slept on it
7:00 How we level our travel trailer in the sand
9:16 Jay's beach camping tips
11:22 Now the truck won't start
12:24 Bloopers
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[@derekheuring2984]

Former Vancouverite here, now living in Texas. I've 4X4'd just about everywhere in the southern half of B.C. just never made it farther north than MacKenzie. Funnily enough, although I've lived in Texas for over twenty years I've never been to SPI. You've encouraged me to take a trip down there and enjoy the ocean again. Travelling in B.C. we'd always say "Well, we're beyond Hope now!" when starting up the Coquihalla,

[@HomeARoam]

That's so nice to hear that our video inspired you to go explore. We love hearing that kind of thing. Hope you enjoy SPI! If you ever go down that way in December, be sure to get fresh grapefruits from the valley. They're so delicious 😋.

[@258hal]

Past experience taught me to keep the vehicle running while using a tire inflator; it’ll quickly deplete a battery

[@HomeARoam]

Yes, you're right! We don't actually use the vehicle battery at all anymore for tire inflation. I hook up to the inverter in our trailer that's got two lithium batteries and 400W of solar. That will pretty much power it indefinitely. 😁 No, the truck not starting was another issue... Stay tuned for that story.

[@Adrian-jh5cr]

I live here in the "valley" people get stuck all the time, if your not used to driving in the sand it can be tricky. If your pulling a trailer stay close to where the waves just reaches the sand it will be compacted there. There is always someone around willing to help out! Oh!... and air down you will be fine. Enjoy.

[@HomeARoam]

All very good tips. Thanks for sharing 🙏

[@sean2148]

Exactly why I’m looking at 12 volt compressors for future beach camping. And I need to get a jump pack. Safe travels

[@HomeARoam]

It's a pain to air up and down, but it does work for sure.

[@PentaxLife]

Great video guys, But remember, you're on sand and you can dig out one side to make it lower to make it level.

[@HomeARoam]

Yes, we've actually done that a few times on sand. In this case, it was the front to back leveling that was the issue when hooked up to the truck since the truck had dug down so deep. Thankfully our side to side level was ok, even when we were stuck!

[@chuckschulze6877]

Air down to 12-15 psi in all tires and dint air up until you are back on a hard surface. That should help greatly in the future.

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks for the tip! We didn't realize we could air down that much.

[@weecho27]

Enjoy your videos and found your channel when you were wandering around Baja. You mentioned in this video you aired down your tires to 30 psi? I would suggest airing down to at least 15. This gives your tires a lot more surface area on the sand and will be less likely to dig into the sand. Think tank tracks, or in your case being from Canada, snow machine tracks. Would also highly recommend purchasing some traction boards if you're going to be driving on sand. .

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks! Yeah, honestly we just came into the situation way too overconfident. We've camped on so many beaches and that truck has pulled the trailer through the sand like it was nothing -- no airing down necessary. The sand at South Padre is much different than any other beach we've been on. Extremely soft and sticky and it packs down well when damp, so you think it'll be fine, but then it just seems to suck you in like a sinkhole! I'm always scared to air down _too_ far for fear or damaging the rims or tires, but you're right that I probably could have aired them down more.

[@weecho27]

I learned to drive on the sand at Pismo Beach in California. What I learned was to let enough air out to see a bulge in the sidewall. I live in San Diego now and spend quite a bit of time in the desert and now go by pressure. Do your own research but i don't think you will get into trouble until you get below 12 psi (being conservative here). It's the internet and you're going to get tons of answers on where this threshold is. You definitely want to be below 20 psi on the beach in my opinion. @@HomeARoam

[@jbratt]

I grew up on the Texas coast. In high school I would drive my old 4x4. To go surfing. I would pull people out when they got stuck so I would have money for lunch and a little gas.

[@HomeARoam]

Bet you made good money doing that. We saw lots of people get stuck!

[@paulknowles8469]

These situations are what make a marriage stronger!

[@HomeARoam]

Two heads were better than one in these circumstances for sure!

[@jmachado6834]

I would think airing down the trailer tires would be anchoring it down more... Those tires are just for rolling keep them round to roll easier... Your truck tires that are doing the pulling need the traction😉👍.. iv always tent camped on that beach, its beautiful on full moons.. too scared to pull my camper trailer out there! Good job! Looked like u 2 had a good time!

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks! Interestingly, from what I understand, airing down the trailer tires helps too. When they're at regular pressure, all of the weight is resting on a smaller surface area, so it has to "push" the sand in front of it. Whereas when you air down, the weight is spread out over more of the tire so it doesn't dig and push as much. At least that's what other KZbin videos told me. Either way, the combination of airing everything down definitely helped, but it's also time-consuming and a bit of a pain. 😁 I definitely recommend caution driving _anything_ out on that sand. It's a special kind of sticky and soft.

[@jayt838]

The excitement in your voice Mel when Jay got the trailer rolling again was priceless !! Fun times. You could air down enough to get your tires looking low on ai( about 20 psi) for traction in sand, just becarefull not to under inflate to the point of taring the bead off the rim. but definitely more than you did. Good luck as usual . Cheers

[@HomeARoam]

Good tips, thanks for sharing. We've learned so much from this experience!

[@jamesbenton8347]

It may not be much consolation, but after digging us out of a snow bank, our cousins said, “No worries, it happens to everyone. Usually when they’re eighteen, but no worries.

[@HomeARoam]

😆 oh no! Hopefully not a snowbank created by a plow?! Those icing hard packed ones are the worst for shoveling!

[@licvictormtrevino1782]

The sweet spot is 15/20psi

[@HomeARoam]

Lesson learned. Thanks for sharing!

[@carolnavan4137]

An exciting start to South Padre Island camping. What a fabulous spot though.

[@HomeARoam]

The sand is so soft to walk on 🤩

[@larryvincent2098]

It’s a great feeling when things work out for yourself !!! Yeaaaaa !! What a adventure??? As always BS & BK & BC !!!!

[@HomeARoam]

It was a great feeling to see the truck and trailer drive out of the deep sand and onto the harder packed 'road' sand.

[@mauricegagnon4654]

Unfortunate circumstance when arriving to your destination, but waiting overnight certainly paid off for you guy's. Thanks again for sharing and safe travels!

[@HomeARoam]

The old saying of "sleeping on it" paid off in the end with new ideas for sure.

[@edenfromafrica4725]

I told you two that I’ll gladly drive down to help you if you get stuck!!! I could be there in 3 days! 😬😬😬

[@HomeARoam]

We would gladly get stuck in the sand again if it meant hanging out with you two on the beach for a few days 😆 What a story that would make! "We called our tow, they'll be here in 3 days"

[@tamthewanderer]

Another great video! Way to get through being stuck on the beach! It looks beautiful down there! 🚌🏖️☀️

[@HomeARoam]

It was definitely a pretty spot. The sounds of the waves are so soothing

[@martinrenteria5741]

I’m from RGV I’m like 1 one hour away from south padre island🏖️

[@HomeARoam]

Nice to be able to escape to the beach whenever you want!

[@jersinclair1846]

Awesome adventure. My wife and I hope to travel down there next year from Chilliwack. Thanks for sharing your videos they’re inspiring.

[@HomeARoam]

Great! There is lots to see in Texas, we're just scratching the surface. SPI is definitely the warmest spot in the state of TX, too.

[@Adrian-jh5cr]

@@HomeARoam it is and always cool to run out to the east cut

[@tracyreaume6451]

Great troubleshooting and video!

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks! We've learned so much about getting unstuck here.

[@steveross9459]

Sounds like the truck battery is on its last legs. 😂

[@HomeARoam]

Well, we're not going to give away what happens in the next video, but... you might be onto something there. 😁😁😁

[@louissantoscoy6461]

I noticed you have blinds with strings. Our last RV had the same ones. Our cat destroyed many of them by chewing through the strings. They became useless at that point.

[@HomeARoam]

Oh no! Thankfully Benny hasn't noticed (or cared to notice) the strings.

[@louissantoscoy6461]

@HomeARoam we travel with 3 cats and one rat terrier. Rocky, the male, is the only one that was obsessed with them cords. Pain in the arse! If you ever make it up to southern colorado let us know. I can help you out with some boondocking spots.

[@HomeARoam]

that would be great, thanks for the offer! Colorado is on our list to visit one day for sure.

[@captseamus]

Try 15psi

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks! Yes, I think we could have gone lower. If we find ourselves in a similar situation, I think I'll feel more confident to go lower without risking tire or rim damage.

[@coldfire2812]

need to go about 10-12 PSI total.... before

[@HomeARoam]

Thanks for the tip 😺 We'll keep that in mind for next time...cause you know there's going to be a next time 😜

[@DarkenFool]

What truck do you have and with what engine? Looks like a half ton with the 5.3?

[@HomeARoam]

Hi good question. We have a half-time with a 6.2 V8. It's the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 with tow package.

[@darkprince56]

I live an hour away & can you believe it haven't been there since 2010 lmao...i think it's ugly, especially after visiting Varadero beach😅

[@HomeARoam]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.