Travel Advice needed, Summer 2020

[William Urie]

Greetings;

My wife and I are planning at trip, from Ontario to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, starting mid July for about 6 weeks. We will be pulling a 1977 Surfside, tow vehicle is a 'newer' Cheve truck with 4X4. If anyone has done this trip, I would appreciate advice on;
- protection for truck and camper?
- camper tires are 10 years old should they be replaced? (I'm guessing I have 25,000 kms on them)
- boon docking advice?
- what to bring?
- what not to bring?
- black flies, etc.?
- anything that I have missed?
Thank you for your help.
Bill

[Jaxon]

Just right off the bat... TIRES!! I'd make sure and get new ones before heading out on the road.

Matter of fact... I'd get 'em now.

Standard recommendation for tires aging out is 5 to 7 years regardless of mileage, even if the tread looks good.

[cpaharley2008]

and a new battery.......

[Island Claire]

Here is a link to a thread I started. Lots of great info here.


http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...5-a-73130.html

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by William Urie

Greetings;

My wife and I are planning at trip, from Ontario to Inuvik, Northwest Territories, starting mid July for about 6 weeks. We will be pulling a 1977 Surfside, tow vehicle is a 'newer' Cheve truck with 4X4. If anyone has done this trip, I would appreciate advice on;
- protection for truck and camper?
- camper tires are 10 years old should they be replaced? (I'm guessing I have 25,000 kms on them)
- boon docking advice?
- what to bring?
- what not to bring?
- black flies, etc.?
- anything that I have missed?
Thank you for your help.
Bill

Go get new tires now on the trailer and truck if the tires are 5 years or more old. They should be replaced every 5-7 years no matter what the mileage or tread wear is. Canada is not real favorable to boondocking outside of campgrounds in the BC province. Take whatever you would need for cold and warm weather. We've been to Alaska twice and the drive is awesome. Take your time and don't try to drive fast. Make sure your trailer is in good shape. Make sure you have rock guards your trailer or good mud flaps on your truck. There are places that the roads are not good.

[thrifty bill]

Trailer tires are pretty cheap. I would never ever consider not replacing 10 year old tires immediately. In my case they would have been gone at the 5 to 6 year mark.

#1 advice is bring lots of tools, and an extra spare for the trailer and truck. If you were just traveling the main Alcan that would be overkill.

#2 bring your McGyver skills. Be prepared to fix stuff yourself.

How old is your axle? I’d be looking to replace it too. Have you had your frame checked? No way I’d take my old Trillium up to Inuvik without a frame update first.

Yukon has nice provincial parks, all are dry camp.

The bugs decline by mid to late July.

On a single axle trailer in particular, if a tire goes you can do a lot of damage!!

[lisantica]

I have to agree with replacing the tires. I learned this the hard way with my Sprinter van when I had a blow out on tires that looked great, no signs of aging and lots of tread left, never again.
I just bought two new tires and rims for my 2008 Scamp from eTrailer.com. They had free shipping.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Bring half your clothes, plan to dress in layers. Loose the cotton-. Skinny layers could be polyester, silk, nylon. Over that goes bulkier layers acrylic, wool, polyester fleece. Loose the flannel it's cotton. Take along emergency ponchos and a 3 pak of small handwarmers whenever you go out. I'm serious- don't even waste space on cotton sheets. I have done a lot of cold weather camping - I didn't always live in Florida, guys-and the coldest I have EVER been was one damp night in the Jupiter FL Boy Scout camp when the tent leaked and I was wearing a 60% cotton 40% polyester shirt and cotton skivvies. In Mid-July.

Netting jackets and leggings to add to protection from biting pests. Also Vaseline and grease well. Makes it difficult for nuisance biters to get at you.

Carry not only the rations you need but add either 5-7 days emergency rations for just in case. When my son and I backpacked we carried 48 hr emergency rations. Usually instant oatmeal and/or dog biscuits. Hey, they are not so tasty you'de eat em up before there was an emergency! And extra water

Someone not travelling with you should always know where you were the night before and where you are heading for today.

These may not be appropriate for RV camping BUT getting over 40 years of ultralight backpacking is hard. I've only been RVing 4 years yet.

I just remembered 2 things- Western Canada and Alaska have been having heat waves the last few years sorry about that. Yes you want cotton to deal with heat.

I would also take a pair of N95 respirators for in case of lots of smoke from wildfires. They're only a couple bucks at hardware stores.

Not exactly related to your query but have you ever been to the Haliburton wildlife preserve and wolf center there in Ontario? Thinking about possibly doing Ontario or Manitoba instead of Eastern Canada this summer.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

[William Urie]

Thank you Jaxon

Great advice much appreciated.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by Jaxon

Just right off the bat... TIRES!! I'd make sure and get new ones before heading out on the road.

Matter of fact... I'd get 'em now.

Standard recommendation for tires aging out is 5 to 7 years regardless of mileage, even if the tread looks good.

Thank you Jaxon

Great advice, much appreciated.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

and a new battery.......

Jim

Thank you, Great advice.
Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by Island Claire

Here is a link to a thread I started. Lots of great info here.


http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...5-a-73130.html

Thank you Claire.

your link was very informative.

thank you for sharing.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

Go get new tires now on the trailer and truck if the tires are 5 years or more old. They should be replaced every 5-7 years no matter what the mileage or tread wear is. Canada is not real favorable to boondocking outside of campgrounds in the BC province. Take whatever you would need for cold and warm weather. We've been to Alaska twice and the drive is awesome. Take your time and don't try to drive fast. Make sure your trailer is in good shape. Make sure you have rock guards your trailer or good mud flaps on your truck. There are places that the roads are not good.

Jann, thank you for this information, very helpful.

I hadn't thought of mud flaps.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Trailer tires are pretty cheap. I would never ever consider not replacing 10 year old tires immediately. In my case they would have been gone at the 5 to 6 year mark.

#1 advice is bring lots of tools, and an extra spare for the trailer and truck. If you were just traveling the main Alcan that would be overkill.

#2 bring your McGyver skills. Be prepared to fix stuff yourself.

How old is your axle? I’d be looking to replace it too. Have you had your frame checked? No way I’d take my old Trillium up to Inuvik without a frame update first.

Yukon has nice provincial parks, all are dry camp.

The bugs decline by mid to late July.

Bill, Thank you for your advice, much appreciated.

I will have the axle checked.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by lisantica

I have to agree with replacing the tires. I learned this the hard way with my Sprinter van when I had a blow out on tires that looked great, no signs of aging and lots of tread left, never again.
I just bought two new tires and rims for my 2008 Scamp from eTrailer.com. They had free shipping.

Lisa, Thank you for this information.

very much appreciated.

Bill

[William Urie]

Originally Posted by Mitzi Agnew-Giles

Bring half your clothes, plan to dress in layers. Loose the cotton-. Skinny layers could be polyester, silk, nylon. Over that goes bulkier layers acrylic, wool, polyester fleece. Loose the flannel it's cotton. Take along emergency ponchos and a 3 pak of small handwarmers whenever you go out. I'm serious- don't even waste space on cotton sheets. I have done a lot of cold weather camping - I didn't always live in Florida, guys-and the coldest I have EVER been was one damp night in the Jupiter FL Boy Scout camp when the tent leaked and I was wearing a 60% cotton 40% polyester shirt and cotton skivvies. In Mid-July.

Netting jackets and leggings to add to protection from biting pests. Also Vaseline and grease well. Makes it difficult for nuisance biters to get at you.

Carry not only the rations you need but add either 5-7 days emergency rations for just in case. When my son and I backpacked we carried 48 hr emergency rations. Usually instant oatmeal and/or dog biscuits. Hey, they are not so tasty you'de eat em up before there was an emergency! And extra water

Someone not travelling with you should always know where you were the night before and where you are heading for today.

These may not be appropriate for RV camping BUT getting over 40 years of ultralight backpacking is hard. I've only been RVing 4 years yet.

I just remembered 2 things- Western Canada and Alaska have been having heat waves the last few years sorry about that. Yes you want cotton to deal with heat.

I would also take a pair of N95 respirators for in case of lots of smoke from wildfires. They're only a couple bucks at hardware stores.

Not exactly related to your query but have you ever been to the Haliburton wildlife preserve and wolf center there in Ontario? Thinking about possibly doing Ontario or Manitoba instead of Eastern Canada this summer.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

Mitzi, Thank you for your detailed information. A lot of really good advise.

As for Wolves in Ontario, I suggest that you also look to Algonquin Park, east of Huntsville. I understand they have a wolf program.

Safe travels to you as well.

Bill

[Barb Hunt]

Fabric advice - both wool and silk will keep you warm when it's cold and keep you cool when it's warm. Wool is better because it will keep you warm even when it's wet, unlike other fabrics. I suggest bringing a real 100% wool blanket - the heavy old-fashioned kind you can get in a thrift store. Mine has kept me warm on lots of cold nights. Did anyone suggest bringing a small shovel? Have fun!

[Richard McGuire]

We have the same model trailer and I would be very hesitant to take it up the Dempster Highway. I have never driven the Dempster, but have driven similar gravel roads.

If it's dry, dust will get into everything. Although the Dempster is well maintained, any gravel road will develop bad potholes when it rains and dust when dry. After a much shorter trip on a well-maintained gravel road in B.C., many of the screws in my trailer came loose, and cupboard doors actually came off. And dust collected everywhere in the trailer.

There are very few places to get repairs done and for much of the way there is no cell signal.

I think if I were to try that route, I might either use a tent instead or stay in whatever motels I could find along the way. That's expensive, but repairs to your trailer could cost a lot more.

This link has some useful information about the trip:

https://www.dangerousroads.org/north...ay-canada.html

[samboholiday]

My wife and I traveled the Dempster to Inuvik and on to Tuktoyaktuk in late July-August 2018. It is a wonderful trip. All the advice listed is appropriate. We pulled a 13 ft Scamp with Toyota Highlander. We put new tires on both camper & tow prior to trip. No tire problems over a full 10,000 mile 4 month trip that summer from Wisconsin. My over-all advice is take it slow, enjoy, and be flexible. We stayed in Yukon's campgrounds - Engineer Creek, Blackstone. Be prepared for rain. Road can get washed out, & cause a day or so delay. River crossings via ferry can delay you if water levels rise or fall too fast. Extra food & water, layered clothing - it can be hot or cold. Also, check with the NWT tourism center in Dawson, across from Dawson's Visitor Info Center. And ask fellow travelers, who are friendly & helpful. When we went on to Tuk, we left our trailer in Inuvik as there were a few sections where rain and permafrost made some deep ruts, and our scamp rides VERY low to ground. So we just went up and back. But I'd recommend spending a day or two in Tuk, and taking a town tour or a ride to the Pingo - something we did not do. On the ferry crossing when pulling trailer on & off ferry, you can ground out and damage under camper, but the attendants watch that closely, guide you, and put some blocks of wood out if needed. We did damage our grey-water outlet & got a small leak - DIY repairs to get us home. We spent a week at Tombstone Territorial Park - also visited in 2014. It is our favorite place. Great visitor center, trails, salmon berries, wonderful view, sponsored tours, etc. We also brought along an extra 10 gallons of gasoline - though it wasn't needed. Fill up at Eagle Plains, which is about half way, though we heard from another traveler that they ran out of gas and they had to wait in the campground there an extra day for gas to be resupplied (again-flexibility). We spent a day in Fort McPherson as well - nice little visitor center, provided snacks and informal conversation. Cemetery for the Lost Patrol. Other places in Yukon we visited include Keno & Faro - worth spending a day or two in both. Carcross is an interesting place for a couple days - we camped at Conrad YGTPark - very beautiful site, close to Carcross with places to see both north & south. Whitehorse is wonderful - been there 3 times - Miles Canyon is a must when traveling through. Have Fun.