Fifth wheel or truck camper for Alaska trip
I am trying to decide what would be the best type of RV to take on an Alaska road trip. My two options would be my 30' fifth wheel or short box truck camper. I have never traveled to the far North (...
Forum Discussion
We too have both a TC and a 5th wheel. The last 4 round trips to Alaska, we have taken our truck camper, as it is just my wife and me. We use the 5er more for destination camping, where we are going to park and sit awhile. However, most of our 13 round trips by RV, have been with a Class C, mid sized with bunks and a cab over queen. I think about 6 or the trips were with the C. We have used a 5th wheel on one of the trips I remember, and it worked fine as well. I have never found the amount of pleasure I have received from the trip has had anything much to do with the vehicle I am using.
In addition to the RV trips I have made a few more with cars and trucks and several with small aircraft following the Alaska Hwy and sometimes the Cassiar Hwy. Those were mostly tent camping trips, but sometimes I would land on the Alaska Hwy and taxi into a roadhouse parking lot to eat or spend the night.
Toad River was a good stop as the runway is just across the road from the cafe/motel/gas station. Great home made pies at Toad as well.
While on our RV trips to Alaska, we seldom stay in one place more than a few nights and off we go again. Two or three nights in Whitehorse, occasionally the same in Dawson Town, but most of the time it is only a night or two so the TC is easier to set up and depart with in the morning for me. Especially if we are boon docking as we tend to do about half the time, if the weather and smoke from forest fires allow, otherwise plugged into electricity to run the AC at night.
As PA12 mentioned, there just aren't that many roads in Alaska, and as he says, they go from paved, to gravel, to muck and mire suitable for ATVs and tracked vehicles very quickly. So either a TC or parking the trailer and driving the truck, will allow a visitor to go just about the same places. Most of the tourist attractions are set up with passenger bus parking so parking is normally just not a big issue. I apparently enjoy driving my truck with the TC in the back more than with the same truck pulling the 5th wheel trailer we have. Just less to be concerned with hauling the TC. Less tires to watch, wheel bearings, brakes, etc.
But with all this verbiage, I still wouldn't hesitate to take my current 31 ft trailer to Alaska and may do so on the next trip, which was going to be this summer but has now been put off till, at the earliest, 2015 summer thereof. LOL
My wife and I have been talking about doing one of the campground hosting positions one of these summers and the 5er would sure be better for that long a stay in one place.
In addition to the RV trips I have made a few more with cars and trucks and several with small aircraft following the Alaska Hwy and sometimes the Cassiar Hwy. Those were mostly tent camping trips, but sometimes I would land on the Alaska Hwy and taxi into a roadhouse parking lot to eat or spend the night.
Toad River was a good stop as the runway is just across the road from the cafe/motel/gas station. Great home made pies at Toad as well.
While on our RV trips to Alaska, we seldom stay in one place more than a few nights and off we go again. Two or three nights in Whitehorse, occasionally the same in Dawson Town, but most of the time it is only a night or two so the TC is easier to set up and depart with in the morning for me. Especially if we are boon docking as we tend to do about half the time, if the weather and smoke from forest fires allow, otherwise plugged into electricity to run the AC at night.
As PA12 mentioned, there just aren't that many roads in Alaska, and as he says, they go from paved, to gravel, to muck and mire suitable for ATVs and tracked vehicles very quickly. So either a TC or parking the trailer and driving the truck, will allow a visitor to go just about the same places. Most of the tourist attractions are set up with passenger bus parking so parking is normally just not a big issue. I apparently enjoy driving my truck with the TC in the back more than with the same truck pulling the 5th wheel trailer we have. Just less to be concerned with hauling the TC. Less tires to watch, wheel bearings, brakes, etc.
But with all this verbiage, I still wouldn't hesitate to take my current 31 ft trailer to Alaska and may do so on the next trip, which was going to be this summer but has now been put off till, at the earliest, 2015 summer thereof. LOL
My wife and I have been talking about doing one of the campground hosting positions one of these summers and the 5er would sure be better for that long a stay in one place.
