Just returned with
Ruby Tuesday after a 3 month, 12,700 km (7890 mi.) road trip to the end of the road in Inuvik which included 800 km (500 mi.) of gravel each way on the
Dempster Highway. Plus lots of other side trips via gravel roads. Towing my 2004
Trillium Outback (13 ft.) with my 2006 Toyota Tacoma 4 cyl. 4 WD with Access Cab.
In mid May we caught the ferry off-island, stopped at the BC
Fiberglass meet at Fort Langley for a couple of days and then headed North. Late August we made it back to the Island, more or less in one piece.
We, my long-time travelling partner and I, had been planning this trip for a couple of years, long distance, as he lives in England. This was our 4th road trip together in the last 5 years but the first with the
Trillium.
Preparation involved, long Skype sessions, and multiple lists before we finally got on the road.
Preparations included a check of all the running gear on both the truck and trailer;
propane check; load test batteries; R&R of one window in the trailer that had been installed upside down and leaked; restrung the cordage on the Venetian blinds; new spigot on water tank drain; installed shelves in the hanging locker.
The 3 shelves were covered with non-skid material. For containment, I found some black plastic-coated wire baskets in Staples that fit on the 3 shelves. There was enough room on one side of each shelf/basket for other food items. To keep everything in place I added a front strip to each shelf with a 1/2" lip to keep everything in place. This system worked very well regardless of the type of road we were on.
Two
new sets of tires - 6 ply for the trailer and 10 ply for the truck: Marathons & Nokian Rotiva Plus respectively. Two steel wheels for extra set of spare
tires for truck and trailer. Set of removable towing mirrors - these were hard to find for the Tacoma.
Preventive service for the truck: replace all hoses, belts, thermostat, plugs, filters, fluids plus new front
brakes and windshield wiper blades.
Other purchases included: replacement 25A converter (8700 WFCO);larger 2lb B &C fire extinguisher and bracket for trailer; hitch receiver lock; pair of
axle stands; interior LED bulbs; portable
solar lights; canvas tonneau cover; instant up screen tent; silicone tarp;12V shower pump/hose; pop-up privacy shelter for showers; small compressor;
battery tender 1.25 A; folding aluminum table; 120W portable
solar panel and new unbreakable dishes and glasses, both plastic and stainless steel; upgraded automobile association membership to cover RV towing.
In the cupboard above the locker is where I keep my pots and pans. There I soon discovered I should have put some sort of protection between the pots and the non-stick frypan. The non-stick was worn from the vibration of the pots on top. Another piece of non-skid would have been ideal, but a face cloth sufficed.
There were a few items that I wished we had:
- luggage scales - to weigh the 20 lb.
propane tank (38 lbs. full)
- hand grinder - for coffee beans; only had electric
- wide mouth Nalgene bottles - these do not leak!
- squeegee - good quality, thin bladed
- different lengths of cable ties - aka zip straps - fasten tow mirrors
- screen door for trailer
- more underwear - couldn't find anywhere to purchase in Jasper!
- more rags!
Things I wished I hadn't bothered taking:
- wheel for swivel jack stand
- 5 gallon buckets - only used 2 out of 3
- tarp clips - wouldn't hold in any wind
- 12V misting fan - it did get hot but it didn't put out enough air.
I'd like to write more about this trip, including photos, if anyone here is interested?
Trip of a lifetime! Thanks for reading, feedback, questions, welcome.