Upgrade for Alaska?

[petrel]

Ok we are trying again to assemble a whirlwind trip(we only have 30-40 days) to Alaska. We purchased a TT a few years ago and did a 7000mi cross country trip towing it with our Excursion. We figured it would be a warm up to Alaska. However, as the Excursion began to flag under the load our hopes of an AK adventure slipped away as well.

Things have now changed and our budget will permit an upgrade. Which, from our perspective, brings AK back into range. We are a family of six, who don't like to sit shoulder to shoulder in a pickup truck for long trips. Since nothing else (stock) will seat six comfortably while towing a 10k plus TT or a fifth wheel, we have abandoned that approach and are leaning towards a C+.

Planning to go from VA to AK, would a C+ (with the big ISL Cummins or comparable) towing our Ford Excursion be a satisfactory setup for a 30-40 day Alaska adventure?

[petrel]

zb39: thanks for the thoughts. We are hoping that the super C will be a bit less fatiguing to drive than our Excursion/travel trailer combo. In addition, it will allow the family to move about and see to their own comforts while underway. This should make the longer stretches much more enjoyable for all, and the scenery easier to take in.

[zb39]

If you fly you miss all the good stuff in Canada, don't blame you for driving. Homer is awesome, and not just for fishing. Eagles everywhere, great places for food and awesome views. One of our favorites.

[zb39]

i took a 40 foot DP towing a car and never had a problem finding a place to park and take the toad.
A super c will drive very nice, you will make time with that. I feel the same way you do when I get back from a vacation. I want to be beat. Vacation is an adventure, use every minute to have fun. You guys will be fine, just go for it.

[petrel]

Grit: I did not want to take for granted that RV parking would be available at a marina. Yours and other posts have made it abundantly clear that it is a non-issue.

Homer is one of the best rated halibut destinations in AK, that is why I selected it. If you've got a recommendation for another, I would welcome it.

Again, I am acutely aware of the costs and the time involved. It is far less expensive to fly and rent. However, the drive is part of the adventure, along with the planning, provisioning, packing, etc.

[Grit_dog]

petrel wrote:

smkettner wrote:

alaskan-rver wrote:
Consider doing it without the toad. The itinerary you have laid out involves driving the RV just about every day. For 99% of the things you apparently want to do, you can probably reach them without having to drag a toad along.

+1

I was thinking the same thing. Moving that fast you may as well plan to move every day in the main vehicle. Only sit still two nights in one spot if you are somehow way ahead of schedule.

Also with no trailer you will be able to deploy faster each day.

Ok, we are rethinking the toad. My biggest concern was parking at the marina. I doubt they would want a motor home sitting in the parking lot all day.

You're overthinking a bunch of this.
First, it's AK. 80% of the people on charter boats are tourists and a lot of them have RVs parked everywhere. Second, Homee isn't the only spot to go halibut fishing.
Third, I know you say you love driving, but pencil out the cost of flying to ANC, renting a C for a few weeks and flying home vs buying a superC and trip costs from the east coast. Plus you'll spend a lot less time driving and more vacationing.

[hr0082]

Don't worry about parking your RV at any marina or other location. Alaska is so RV friendly, you will be able to park just about anywhere.

If you are in a Class C and have three drivers, with all the extra daylight you will have, you will be able to make great time (relative to road conditions, construction, fires, and other unexpected) and just wake everyone up when there is something that you think they should see. Otherwise, just keep on trucking. After you have made this initial visit to Canada and Alaska, you will have the overview and will know where you want to go on your return trip when you have more time---and unless you are the exception, you will want to return.

[tonymull]

petrel wrote:

smkettner wrote:

alaskan-rver wrote:
Consider doing it without the toad. The itinerary you have laid out involves driving the RV just about every day. For 99% of the things you apparently want to do, you can probably reach them without having to drag a toad along.

+1

I was thinking the same thing. Moving that fast you may as well plan to move every day in the main vehicle. Only sit still two nights in one spot if you are somehow way ahead of schedule.

Also with no trailer you will be able to deploy faster each day.

Ok, we are rethinking the toad. My biggest concern was parking at the marina. I doubt they would want a motor home sitting in the parking lot all day.

Believe me, every parking lot in Alaska is full of motorhomes in the summer. They won't mind at all.

[petrel]

Thanks Journey! I think timing the reservations will be the tough part.

We just took the whole family for a test ride in a Dynamax C+ yesterday. The thing goes down the road like it is on rails and has plenty of power. It appears to be far less taxing on the driver than our Excursion with the travel trailer in tow. With three drivers (and three co-pilots) in that rig, I think we can expedite certain legs of the journey to make the most of our time.

[journey_indiana]

We have been to Alaska 5 times, two by air and 3 driving.
The first two driving trips were in less than 40 days, while still working. Like you, we couldn't get any more vacation days off of work.
You will have to drive between 500 and 700 miles per day to get to the Alcan Hwy @ Dawson Creek. After that the ability to drive that far is limited by the road conditions and your desire to see the different things you want to stop and see.
When you get to Alaska you will probably want to have reservations at the spots that are important to you.
Both times we either drove the motorhome to our place of interest or rented a car to get there. Most attractions are RV friendly.
If you know someone that has driven to Alaska, ask them lots of questions about their trip and what they saw and did while there.
We did the "circle" with the Kenai Peninsula and Valdez legs. Tok,Fairbanks,Anchorage, Homer,Seward, Anchorage,Glenallen, Valdez, Tok, and head for home. We did not see everything these trips, but we hit the "high" spots that we wanted to see.
Buy an up to date Milepost and spend some time looking to see what you want to see and do. Keep in mind that most of the reviews are written by the business owners.
The most important thing, HAVE A GREAT ADVENTURE!!!
Good Luck,
Journey Indiana

[Veebyes]

petrel wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
40 days from VA!!!! Have you added up the miles?

We have done Alaska 3 times now from MD. Each trip exceeded 120 days. Each time we came back feeling rushed after a 15,000 mile trip.

The North is much more than just Alaska. Canada is huge & there is so much to see & cover.

I have absolutely added up the miles. I simply do not have the luxury of that much time. Quite frankly, if I don't come home from a vacation feeling rushed and exhausted, I don't feel as though I milked the most out of the time. I'll rest at home!

For fun I looked up my route map from our trip to Alaska last year to see how far 40 days got us from MD. We were still in the Yukon. Had not reached Alaska yet.

40 days RT from VA is going to be memorable for sure.

[petrel]

smkettner wrote:

alaskan-rver wrote:
Consider doing it without the toad. The itinerary you have laid out involves driving the RV just about every day. For 99% of the things you apparently want to do, you can probably reach them without having to drag a toad along.

+1

I was thinking the same thing. Moving that fast you may as well plan to move every day in the main vehicle. Only sit still two nights in one spot if you are somehow way ahead of schedule.

Also with no trailer you will be able to deploy faster each day.

Ok, we are rethinking the toad. My biggest concern was parking at the marina. I doubt they would want a motor home sitting in the parking lot all day.

[petrel]

Veebyes wrote:
40 days from VA!!!! Have you added up the miles?

We have done Alaska 3 times now from MD. Each trip exceeded 120 days. Each time we came back feeling rushed after a 15,000 mile trip.

The North is much more than just Alaska. Canada is huge & there is so much to see & cover.

I have absolutely added up the miles. I simply do not have the luxury of that much time. Quite frankly, if I don't come home from a vacation feeling rushed and exhausted, I don't feel as though I milked the most out of the time. I'll rest at home!

[Veebyes]

40 days from VA!!!! Have you added up the miles?

We have done Alaska 3 times now from MD. Each trip exceeded 120 days. Each time we came back feeling rushed after a 15,000 mile trip.

The North is much more than just Alaska. Canada is huge & there is so much to see & cover.

[PghBob]

Petrel: As you may know, the Super C is generally built on a Commercial Truck chassis, so it should go a long way without too many problems. Consider buying a "roadside emergency" plan from Good Sam or Coach-Net for the "life boat" piece of mind. If you take a toad, you will need to protect it from flying stones from the RV and you will put over 10,000 miles on your tires, and other components for limited use given your time constraints and the need to keep moving. A 37 foot RV will not be a problem in most areas, unless you really go off the grid.

Keep in mind that the so-called largest RV show in the country will be held in Hershey PA in mid-September. Usually there are huge numbers of rigs there to look at, including Super Cs.

Consider reviewing the messages in Roll Call Alaska 2013, 2014, and 2015 topics listed here in this section if you haven't yet. Tons of good information that helped us greatly in planning our trip.

[petrel]

We are shopping for a "super C class" truck now. Unfortunately, it looks like 37 feet is what we will need to accommodate our family of six and accommodate my desire for surplus power (9L inline 6 cyl cummins w 20k towing capacity). I was thinking that 37' would be too big to get to some spots. I was also thinking of the toad as sort of a "life boat" in the event of a problem with the c class.