hauling trailer to Alaska
This group was very helpful to me when I was planning a road trip to Oaxaca (which we have done the last two years with great success). This time we are thinking of buying an 18ft travel trailer fo...
Forum Discussion
Someone asked me off list what tools they should take, other items, and the roads. Might be useful to others.
Basic tool kit of the usual wrenches, pliers, adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers. Assorted lengths of rubber bunges. Several rachet straps. The most used things we packed were a piece of old carpeting about 6 ft by 3 ft to lay or kneel on, duct tape, and bailing wire.
I took 2 extra unmounted tires for the trailer and 1 unmounted tire for the truck. Also had 1 each mounted tire for the trailer and truck. We never had any tire trouble but I would take them again. I can change a tire on a rim, some people don't know how. You might have to drive a ways but you can find someone who knows how to put a tire on a rim but they may not have an extra tire. The people we ran into who live there outside the cities are a resourceful bunch. They know how to get things done. And friendly and willing to help.
I took an air compressor. Never needed it but if I had to change a tire out I would need the air compressor.
I took 2 hydraulic bottle jacks. I only needed the one when we lost the bearing/axle on the trailer but 2 bottle jacks can be handy.
In addition to the 5 gal of diesel fuel for the truck I also carried 5 gal of gas for the generator.
I also carried 10 gal of potable water. I kept the trailer fresh water tank full whenever possible but there were times it was nice to have the extra 10 gal when dry camping. In addition to keeping your fuel tank full, keep your fresh water full and your waste water tanks empty whenever possible.
Take an outdoor gas grill. The area is beautiful. You don't want to cook inside. You can't always depend on having a wood fire. 2019 was very dry and there were fire bans in effect. No campfires in a lot of places.
I was surprised by the road conditions. All I've ever heard was how bad the roads are. The main roads are either blacktopped or hard pack gravel. We found the hard pack gravel to be smoother. Downside to the gravel is it's either dusty or it's sort of a mud.
You will hit road construction/repair. No big deal. You're in Alaska. You're not in a hurry. Enjoy the scenery while waiting.
Watch for frost heaves. Canada and Alaska does a pretty good job of marking them with a flag or an orange cone but they miss a few. As long as you're not going too fast the frost heaves are not a problem. They'll just give you a roller coaster ride or pitch you a bit. We did see an empty flatbed semi with all his wheels go off the ground when he hit a frost heave at probably more than the speed limit.
The worst road we encountered was the Tok Cutoff between Glennallen and Tok. The surface condition was OK but it pitched, rolled and gave you a real ride. Nothing terrible or impassable. Been on worse in the lower 48.
Basic tool kit of the usual wrenches, pliers, adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers. Assorted lengths of rubber bunges. Several rachet straps. The most used things we packed were a piece of old carpeting about 6 ft by 3 ft to lay or kneel on, duct tape, and bailing wire.
I took 2 extra unmounted tires for the trailer and 1 unmounted tire for the truck. Also had 1 each mounted tire for the trailer and truck. We never had any tire trouble but I would take them again. I can change a tire on a rim, some people don't know how. You might have to drive a ways but you can find someone who knows how to put a tire on a rim but they may not have an extra tire. The people we ran into who live there outside the cities are a resourceful bunch. They know how to get things done. And friendly and willing to help.
I took an air compressor. Never needed it but if I had to change a tire out I would need the air compressor.
I took 2 hydraulic bottle jacks. I only needed the one when we lost the bearing/axle on the trailer but 2 bottle jacks can be handy.
In addition to the 5 gal of diesel fuel for the truck I also carried 5 gal of gas for the generator.
I also carried 10 gal of potable water. I kept the trailer fresh water tank full whenever possible but there were times it was nice to have the extra 10 gal when dry camping. In addition to keeping your fuel tank full, keep your fresh water full and your waste water tanks empty whenever possible.
Take an outdoor gas grill. The area is beautiful. You don't want to cook inside. You can't always depend on having a wood fire. 2019 was very dry and there were fire bans in effect. No campfires in a lot of places.
I was surprised by the road conditions. All I've ever heard was how bad the roads are. The main roads are either blacktopped or hard pack gravel. We found the hard pack gravel to be smoother. Downside to the gravel is it's either dusty or it's sort of a mud.
You will hit road construction/repair. No big deal. You're in Alaska. You're not in a hurry. Enjoy the scenery while waiting.
Watch for frost heaves. Canada and Alaska does a pretty good job of marking them with a flag or an orange cone but they miss a few. As long as you're not going too fast the frost heaves are not a problem. They'll just give you a roller coaster ride or pitch you a bit. We did see an empty flatbed semi with all his wheels go off the ground when he hit a frost heave at probably more than the speed limit.
The worst road we encountered was the Tok Cutoff between Glennallen and Tok. The surface condition was OK but it pitched, rolled and gave you a real ride. Nothing terrible or impassable. Been on worse in the lower 48.
