Bucket List Trip in Early Planning Stages

[empty_nest]

My dream (and now that of DW's) is an RV trip to Alaska. It's something I want to do real bad!

I've been following a lot of these threads for a long time and it looks as though just about every RV type is utilized to make the journey. We have a real nice 5'r but really aren't sure that's the best set up to travel some of the roads I read about.

While camping this past weekend, the discussion came up again about the trip and we thought maybe picking up a TC (probably used). I'm pretty sure I have the truck for it and could possibly tow our bug behind for side trips. We really don't want to drop $30K+ for something we may only use for this trip, so we're thinking even a fixer-upper.

Really don't know yet. We retire in a little under 2 yrs, so we have some time to investigate the possibilities and options.

Any thoughts from those of you who have made the trip?

[lakeside013104]

2gypsies wrote:
We would highly recommend you take your 5th wheel. We took our 40' motorhome and had zero problems. You will be much more comfortable in your 5th wheel if you encounter days of rain and you'll be using something that you're comfortable using.

We would also recommend you stop believing the horror stories of the roads. Yes, you'll encounter areas of gravel from road construction - just like in the lower 48. Yes, you'll encounter frost heaves. However, the majority are marked with cones and the ones that aren't - well, going fast over one of them will remind you to drive SLOW. You'll soon learn to know they're coming up from a distance. It's very obvious.

Plan your trip and don't over worry it!

Great advise to which I agree.

Lakeside

[fanrgs]

You will undoubtedly enjoy the trip no matter which vehicle you take. But having your fifth wheel means you will be able to park it in a campground and explore anywhere you want to go in the 4x4. Few gravel/dirt roads in Alaska where you might not want to take the trailer, other than the Dalton and the Denali highways, are so long and/or slow that you can't go out and back in a long day (and the days are LONG, which helps). And, when you get back to the trailer, you will have a familiar, comfortable place to fix dinner, take a shower, and sleep.

Yes, the 5er may cost more if you take it on a AMHS ferry, but you can always use the ferries without the trailer if cost is a concern. We have even used the ferries without any vehicle because every ferry port has public transportation of some kind.

Finally, if over-the-road tour buses can navigate the Top-of-the World Highway, you shouldn't feel like that road is unreasonable for towing the trailer across either. And Dawson City is well worth the effort IMHO, especially if you at all interested in the history of the Klondike gold rush.

So, get your copy of the Milepost and have fun planning!

[empty_nest]

Thank you all for your replies, input and comments. It is truly appreciated!

I think we are pretty well convinced to take the 5er. It's comfortable and we are familiar with the unit. I would imagine that what I would spend on a TC would go a long way toward the extra fuel to tow the trailer. There will be no hurry on this journey so we will take our time and soak it all in.

I will anxiously continue to follow all the posts and blogs and whatever other information I can gather to be as prepared as possible. Thanks again!

[wanderingdawgs]

Another vote for taking the 5th wheel. We made the trip from Georgia in 2013 with zero problems. My only regret is we didn't go when we were younger!

You can read about our Canada and Alaska adventures in my blog. The link is in my signature.

[2gypsies1]

We would highly recommend you take your 5th wheel. We took our 40' motorhome and had zero problems. You will be much more comfortable in your 5th wheel if you encounter days of rain and you'll be using something that you're comfortable using.

We would also recommend you stop believing the horror stories of the roads. Yes, you'll encounter areas of gravel from road construction - just like in the lower 48. Yes, you'll encounter frost heaves. However, the majority are marked with cones and the ones that aren't - well, going fast over one of them will remind you to drive SLOW. You'll soon learn to know they're coming up from a distance. It's very obvious.

Plan your trip and don't over worry it!

[brooks379]

I sold a nice TC 2 years ago that I enjoyed camping/traveling with but I found it was just to darn small when we would stay put for a few days. Unless we were going down some tiny dirt back road everywhere we went there were 5er's and TT's right there with us . So IMHO a TC is ok but I really enjoy being able to stretch out with my 30' TT when we are camped for a few days. We spent 21 days in the Big Horns with the TC, needless to say it got a little tight in the TC.

[sue_t]

fanrgs wrote:
Most of them were "Adventurer", a brand I was not familiar with before driving through BC and the Yukon.

The Adventurers are the product provided by a major RV rental agency in B.C. and Yukon -- Fraserway RV. In the north, Fraserway is the preferred rental agency with European tourists and they usually choose the 4x4 trucks with campers. Most of the rigs you see are rentals!

However, after a few years of renting the RVs, Fraserway sells the rental units. In Yukon it is a good way to get a quality camper that has been maintained very well. Buying a second-hand unit from Fraserway is usually less expensive than buying privately.

The Adventurers used to be constructed in the Lower Mainland, then moved to Washington State in recent years. I've heard, but don't know for sure, that the quality of the product deteriorated with the move which is unfortunate.

[sljohnson1938]

I would agree with a TC. On our 2004 trip we were the only TC in the caravan.
But we went places where the others with their big motor homes would not go.
And remember you are in the TC most of the time to sleep. Get a inexpensive used one and sell it when you are done. Also I believe there is really no reason to tow anything with a TC. If money is an issue, as with us, everything is less expensive with a TC. Better fuel mileage, if you take the ferry boat a TC is shorter which = less cost.

Joe B. - my wife and I have been married 54 years. I can not boil water without burning it. But men usually die first so no problem.

[joe_b_]

Just a couple of comments, if that is possible for me. Adventurer RVs were originally a Canadian company that changed ownership and was moved to Washington, maybe 5 years ago.

Turbo Dude, if you are 76 years of age, your health, like mine, is not going to significantly improve with increasing age. Short of having something done like a heart ablation process, following an unsuccessful cardioversion, to correct the under lying problem, you might as well get on with your life, as best one can. For older people, I am 72, to wait for their health to improve before doing something on their bucket list, that they are capable of doing, isn't a very good bet, IMHO.

The very few of those that don't enjoy the drive to northern Canada and Alaska, appear to be those that really don't have any planned reason for wanting to do the drive. Just to get to Alaska, flying is much quicker and probably cheaper to do than driving. As mentioned, the trip up and back is just as spectacular as getting there. But I feel a person(s) need to have some need that the drive up and back will take care of for them. Some folks really don't seem to think the entire trip through very completely. If all a person is going for is a specific reason, such as to take a photo of Mount McKinley, and it is a rainy or smokey summer, then their trip is not going to be a very positive experience for them.

While I love the drive, my wife, whom I met and married in Alaska, both our daughters were born in Fairbanks, she, gets tired of the drive so will on occasion, fly one leg of the trip, either back from Anchorage or meet me in Anchorage. It works for us and we have been married just over 40 years. Of course I can cook and have done all the cooking since we have been married and know how to run a washing machine. So I am one of those rare men that can travel by themselves and not starve or be knee deep in dirty clothes. LOL

Our last 4 trips have been by truck camper but the most trips I have done are in a mid sized Class C bunk model. (roughly 25 ft) but have done the trip in a 5th wheel and a Class A. So it just depends on what I own at the time we are going. The vehicle I am driving has had little impact, positive or negatively, on the pleasure received from the trip. Now that we have both a TC and a 5th wheel, with just the two of us, it works well to use the TC. However we have discussed taking the 5th wheel next time, probably next summer.
It is the trip of a life time, but one a person can take over and over again, as many of the forum members have done over the years.

[soos]

we live in a 5th wheel but bought a used TC to take up to Alaska. We really just didn't want to tow anything. It wasn't just about road conditions, there are other factors.
we always have everything with us with the TC, we don't have to drop off the trailer someplace and then go exploring,
but the biggest perk has been that we have gone down numerous roads that we wouldn't have considered if we had brought the 5th wheel. We spent 3 days exploring McCarthy Rd in Wrangell- St. Elias NP. We just pulled off the road to sleep. we would have missed that, and several other great spots if we had brought the fiver.

Sue

[hr0082]

In 2010 we were planning our first trip to AK. I was researching motels, lodges, etc and was shocked at the high cost. That was when a friend who had lived in AK and driven various RVs for dealers, told me to buy a small travel trailer and if I didn't like it to sell it in AK. That is what we did. We bought a 16 foot Scamp and quickly found that although we liked it, we wanted something larger. So, at the end of our time in AK we sold that Scamp for just about what we had paid for it and took the ferry from Haines to Prince Rupert and then on to Backus, MS where we purchased a 19 foot 5th wheel Scamp. We are now back in AK for our 3rd trip and although I would prefer something larger, you can't beat the gas mileage and the fact that we can get in some rather small areas.

[fanrgs]

Last summer, we saw more pickup campers in Canada than in Alaska . . . and there are a lot in Alaska. Most of them were "Adventurer", a brand I was not familiar with before driving through BC and the Yukon. There were so many of them, I thought Adventurer must be a Canadian manufacturer. But it turns out to be located in Yakima, WA--close to Canada, but not Canadian. Whatever their origin, pickup campers seem to be the RV of choice for western Canadians. Second would be Class C motorhomes, then trailers of all sorts.

Instead of a pickup camper, we bought a 21-foot travel trailer specifically for the Alaska trip. Part of the reason for selecting that size was having a full-size, walk-around, queen-size bed, a full kitchen with a gas oven, and a dry bath. And part was having it short enough to fit into any campground that we wanted to stay in. If we stayed somewhere only one night (dry camping at a casino or truck stop or boondocking off a highway), we often didn't even bother to unhook.

We seldom stayed in one place longer than two to three days, but still needed nearly 3 months for the trip. If you are on the road for that long, make sure you are going to be comfortable in whatever you are camping in or being together 24-7 may begin to wear on both of you. Having a comfortable, separate bedroom may make taking the 5er worth any extra cost, effort, and wear-and-tear!

[PA12DRVR]

Lots of 5'vers appear every summer in Alaska.

Keep the speed down on most of the Alcan and many parts of AK and you'll be fine.

[anitajeff]

We retired in 2010 and Alaska was also on our bucket list. We drove our 35-foot 5'er to AK and back to Southern CA with no issues. The roads were all paved. We took it slow and easy on some of the roads. After all, time isn't really an issue when you are retired. We were gone 100 days. Great adventure. Can't wait to go back.