preparing for Alaska

trcgolf wrote:
We are new to fifth wheeling or for that matter trailering at all. ( 2 trips last year)
Our first major trip is going be Alaska from western NY. So for those who have do this kind of trip what kind of preparation do we need to make? what extra parts etc. do we need to bring? Any and all help will be appreciated...

You cannot bring any pistol firearms into Canada. Even if you are just passing through! Leave them at home. Rifles will even be a hassle.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
Don't forget flash cards with massive amounts of storage for your cameras; and keep them close at hand because you never know when a moose or bison or lynx will cross the road in front of you! The beauty is mind-boggling!!

Have that camera ready. A little west of Whitehorse we came across this guy trotting down the road, going in our direction. I slowed right down, matched his speed, had a little conversation, offered him a ride, he politely declined. We took some pictures, said bye bye & sped off.

Not sure if you are a fisherman or not, but the Pinks run on even years, which means you are in luck for some easy fun fishing.

Oh yeah - crossing into Canada:

The first time we crossed in 2006 (Portal, ND) - our Class C was searched by a Canadian Border guard. He opened everything and looked everywhere, but he did it neatly, quickly, and very professionally. Took maybe 1/2 hr. Since he found nothing of interest, I think we were entered in some sort of database, because after that, all we had to do was recite our license # and show our passports and we were waved on through. Coming back into the Lower 48, we had to show our bag of dog food, to prove it was made in the USA. Crossing either way was pretty easy, everything considered!

The reason I think there was a database is because a year later, we decided to see Nova Scotia; and again, all we had to do was recite the lic. # and show passports. We must be considered "compliant"?? Or "too scared to smuggle" - that works, too....LOL!!

Don't forget that Canada has very strict laws on bringing fire arms into the country should that be an issue. There are posts on that somewhere in this forum. Sounds like grand trip!

tegu69 wrote:
We brought along some sun shades for the bedroom windows.

We put cardboard in our bedroom windows. Really helps to sleep when it's light 23 hours of the day. Also put a piece of cardboard in the vent in our bedroom.

We brought along some sun shades for the bedroom windows.

Don't forget flash cards with massive amounts of storage for your cameras; and keep them close at hand because you never know when a moose or bison or lynx will cross the road in front of you! The beauty is mind-boggling!!

We also had a screen in front of our radiator. It's called a grill/brush guard. It covers the lights as well. Bought it on Ebay. Went to Home Depot and bought special screen that was dog proof and covered it and used tie straps to wrap it around the bars. Never had a broken headlight or any chips in the paint. Also, carried extra Diesel which came in handy. Our short bed truck has a small tank.

Turbo Diesel Dude wrote:
Make sure your TV is in good condition, ie: belts/hoses, tires etc. The rest is just what you would normally take along with lots of bug juice. JMHO

The drive and scenery is unbelievable, BUT absolutely, positively DO NOT forget insect repellent. Get some really good stuff and lots of it since you'll encounter mosquitoes like you've never seen before and from July on there's gnats by the millions. This from someone who spent 3 years there & drove the ALCAN when it was still 1,200 miles of dirt.