5'r or truck camper for an AlCan trip

Will add that whatever you drive/take, be sure your truck is appropriately rated for the load. Most problems are caused by an undersized truck towing or carrying too much of a load. The roads present their own challenges in the North and it's best to have a rig that can meet the challenges. Please don't be one of the half ton trucks towing a 35' fifth wheel or carrying a 10' camper, or squatting so much that your headlights seem to be on a constant high-beam.

Also, whatever you're driving, drive for the conditions. Last summer while whipping along in my little Honda Fit at about 80 mph on the Alaska Highway, I was passed by several trucks & fifth wheels. Well, jeez, I KNOW where the frost heaves and pot holes are so know when to hit the brakes. Oh, if you're ever following a little gray Fit and see the brake lights in the middle of nowhere, it is likely me trying to let you know there is a frost heave upcoming.

PA12DRVR wrote:
If you have a big fifth wheel and a long truck, there might be a few spots that you can't get in with the long combo. However finding a spot won't be impossible

Most importantly three aren't that many roads in AK where a TC will be able to get in that your fifth won't. When you wonder what's down the dirt path, chances are that neither the TC nor the fifth will go down it and it would be a truck only thing

I'd lean towards the fifth, but it will be a bit more burdensome just for general driving

You are correct. A 5th wheel is not that difficult to utilize comfortably in Alaska. However, I owned a 4x4 TC here in AK for 20 years and there are several places I boondocked at that you would not want to take a 5th wheel into. But we should probably keep these locations a secret. :B

We live in our 5th wheel, but we just bought a TC because we want to spend the summer in Alaska and don't want to tow our rig up there. We'll probably end up keeping it so we can get into smaller places in the national parks in the summer time.

If you have a big fifth wheel and a long truck, there might be a few spots that you can't get in with the long combo. However finding a spot won't be impossible

Most importantly three aren't that many roads in AK where a TC will be able to get in that your fifth won't. When you wonder what's down the dirt path, chances are that neither the TC nor the fifth will go down it and it would be a truck only thing

I'd lean towards the fifth, but it will be a bit more burdensome just for general driving

Depends on how long you are staying and how much comfort you want. We did it in 2005 in a 36' Class A and in 2009 and 2013 in a 40' Class A. Stayed over 3 months each time and had a tow each time.

We would not consider anything smaller because we are travelers, not campers and want the creature comforts we have earned the right to while travelling. Never had a problem with parking; stopped along side the road and dry camped several times.

Whatever you choose, go and have a great time.

It sounds like your group gets along very well, so how about mixing it up a little bit… One 5'er, one TC with boat and one TC. The 5'er could be the "gathering place" when you all want to be together and then all pile into a TC or two and do some of the touring that may limit the bigger rig. Enjoy the planning - the trip will be awesome no matter what you drive!

When you are in the Lower 48, the most popular rental RV on the highway seems to be Cruise America Class C motorhomes. In BC and Alberta, the most popular RV rentals are apparently Adventurer pickup campers from Fraserway in Vancouver. Last August, we saw literally hundreds of those TCs on the highways in Alaska and Canada.

In talking with a few Canadian RV renters at campgrounds, they like the smaller size and maneuverability when parking in provincial campgrounds and boondocking sites and when driving into remote rivers and lakes on back roads. As joe b. has said, there aren't many back roads in Alaska, but BC and Alberta have thousands of miles of gravel and dirt roads that have been built into the bush to reach logging areas, mines, and oil and gas wells. For example, take a look on Google Earth at the back roads between Fort St. John and Sikanni Chief in BC and between Grand Prairie and Hinton, Alberta. And, if you plan to travel even part of the Dalton and/or the Dempster "highways" (just to the Arctic Circle, for example), the McCarthy-Kennicott road, or the Canol Road, I would suggest the TC over the fiver. But Sue t. is probably a better person to make suggestions about those roads.

That said, we had no real problems last summer with our travel trailer on our Alaska trip. One flat trailer tire, a broken sewer pipe hanger, stripped screw holes on the monitoring panel cover, and a shorted-out light fixture, but I easily repaired all of them while on the road.

As joe b. has pictured, we had more problems with truck tires than trailer tires. We had two flat rear truck tires on the Top-of-the-World Highway shortly after crossing a rough-graded portion (jagged rock graded by a D-8) on the Alaska end of the road. I had a small 12v compressor, but didn't need it for those two tires due to a wonderful lowboy truck driver who stopped, helped put 5 plugs in one tire and one in the other, and pumped up both tires with the compressor on his rig. We also added a half can of tire sealant (that I brought from home) to each tire before pumping them up. He did in 15 minutes what would likely have taken me an hour to do with my smaller plug tool, plugs, and compressor.

We also had to have a screw removed from a front tire and the tire repaired in Haines. I don't take any chances with front tires, so had the tire taken off and patched from the inside.

So, whichever RV you decide to take, my advice would be to carry tire repair tools (reliable spare, a good jack, some blocking for the jack, a 12v compressor/inflator, tire plugs, plugging tool, and tire sealant). None require a lot of storage space (most can go under a truck seat) and are invaluable in a situation like ours. And, if you don't need them, they are cheap, lightweight "insurance."

I do like how our truck camper is nimble. If you pass something cool, you can turn around to get a better look. We'll take it to Alaska this summer before we probably get a small 5th wheel. We'll trade nimbleness for room.

The main reason for doing it now with the TC is we'll start the trip with a 2-week, 6-leg cruise through SE Alaska on the Alaska and other ferries. We don't want to pay for even a small 5th wheel plus truck on the ferries.

Thanks for all the input so far, keep it coming!

2008....3 couples.....3 - 30' 5th wheels....2 months of incredible sights....no problems anywhere.