Back to the Anchorage rentals, there are several other rental agencies in town. The two mentioned are the largest, ABC and GAH, both of whom are new RV dealers. Both the large firms, bring up as many as 150 new class C units a year from the factories in the lower 48. They rent these out one way at a discounted price and several forum members have rented and driven a new unit to Alaska for the rental companies.
Now unadvertised, is the return trip that some of them run from Anchorage to the lower 48 in the fall time. With the Alaska population being somewhat small, the used RV market can get glutted quickly with 300+ two year old Class Cs being put on the market so some are sent back south, some by barge, some sold locally to buyers and others rented one way to folks that want to return them to a variety of cities in the lower 48. Some years they put an ad in the Anchorage papers, since there are so many summer workers in Alaska, they seem to find many of them wanting to drive a used unit back south at a reduced rental daily rate.
I can't remember any of the forum members ever commenting about the company they rented from being unsatisfactory, but the two big companies get great reviews. Most of the smaller companies are mom and pop owned and run. They may provide a great unit, at a bit cheaper price, since they do the maintenance themselves, etc.
Two weeks seems to give most time to run around the tourist circle in Alaska and get a taste of what is available to see. Some like to fly to Alaska, rent for a couple of weeks, then fly to some of rural Alaska, such as Nome, Kotzebue, Barrow, etc. Others prefer to fly back home after their time in Alaska.
Whether you drive your own rig, or fly and rent, or take the ferry system part way, there just is not a bad way to get to Alaska. In my 13 round trips to/from Alaska by RV, I have never found the trip any harder on my rigs, than driving cross country on some of the lower 48 roads.A driving trip to Alaska is just a series of 300 to 500 mile days for most of us, just more miles that what most have ever done sequentially on one trip before. Whatever makes a person more comfortable on their first trip, is probably the way they should go about it.
We all have to use the time we have available. While two weeks may not be optimal for all, it should be a great introduction to the state. I have often said on here, that I would fly to Alaska just to spend a weekend if I could afford it, which I can't.
I put a bit of verbiage about what I would do with two weeks, in Alaska, on my web site.
http://www.pajbcooper.com/two_weeks_in_alaska.htm
joe b.
Stuart Florida
Formerly of Colorado and Alaska
2016 Fleetwood Flair 31 B Class A w/bunks
www.picturetrail.com/jbpacooper
Alaska-Colorado and other Trips posted
"Without challenge, adventure is impossible".
