Towing Escape 15 trailer with 4 cylinder to Alaska - Performance Observations

[Imo.]

Yes, please, more information on your winter trips to and from Alaska.....

Bob and Grace, the fleece lined jeans are reserved for winter, like Dec., Jan., and Feb....not April, no matter the temp.

[dotllama]

Originally Posted by arlon

Cold? What's cold? One advantage to living in West Texas..
Nice report. If I ever get to retire, that's a trip I'd love to try. I'll pull a Casita with an old Cummins too (just because I have it). Hope you can fill in some details on the trip as time permits. Places you found to camp, where to get fuel, where not to park, etc.....

It is a wonderful trip....summer or winter. I don't have too many suggestions on where to camp because in the wintertime, most every campground is snowed in and closed. Also, I seldom stay in campgrounds, even in summer travels. But I have never stayed in accommodations on these trips either so there are plenty of places to camp (campgrounds or not) along the way, summer or winter......especially if you have a small trailer. I thought having the small trailer would be a handicap to finding places to camp but it turned out to be not too much of a problem. On these winter trips, I just find a plowed pull-out along the highway. In the past I have preheated the engine with a catalytic heater that burns white gas. Propane will not work if it is very cold. Now I have a Honda 2000 generator that will run all night in econo mode on a gallon of gas.......I plug the engine block freeze plug heater, battery blanket, and oil pan heater into that.....550 watts total. The catalytic heater still comes along for backup. An MSR XGK is for cooking. I keep the Honda in the cab of the truck while driving to keep it warm and fire up the Honda as soon as I stop for the night. I sleep with ear plugs. The bathroom is the woods. I need a pair of snowshoes for that. I've done a fair amount of winter camping in tents with stoves (or not) in my lifetime. Most of the equipment that I need to winter camp are items that I figure I should have with me anyway.....as survival gear....when traveling the Alcan.

There are plenty of places to get fuel along the main Alcan Highway during the summer. In the wintertime, there are fewer options but even then I can find fuel every 250 miles during the daytime.

You can park almost anywhere you want to as long as you don't block anyone or park on private land. Most of the way it is public land.

Oh, and here is a picture of a thermometer that I took from indoors.....in February 1979.

[Imo.]

My goodness, my outside thermometer only registered that low when a 60 MPH straight line wind gust caught it and hurled it against the chicken coop 100 yards away. And, I thought 02 degrees was cold this late January when sleeping in the Scamp out in the lambing paddock, hooked up to an outlet and a small heater going while wearing a down parka rated to -30 below. And, you only wear ear plugs? LOL

[dbailey]

I don't have experience with the Alaska Highway north of Haines Junction, but I do have a suggestion for the southern leg for those considering this run.

I grew up in B.C. I'm used to mountains and high altitude scenery. But the Haines highway, between Haines Alaska and Haines Junction YT just blew me away. I've never seen anything like it. It's mostly a high plateau. Excellent highway. Incredible scenery.

(Getting to Haines AK is a bit of an issue -- we took the ferry from Skagway, though I understand you can take it from further south as well.)

Definitely on the "I want to go back" list...