Hi! Newbie from Alaska. About to roadtrip to the lower 48.

Welcome!

 

Welcome to The Forum!

 

Welcome!

 

welcome! hope u have a awesome and safe trip i would love to make that trip maybe some day

 

Well not fun in Federal Way but if you head east on I90 there is some beautiful wilderness to disappear into.

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Thanks again everyone for the welcome!

Trucks doing great.

Things are getting real. My first long trip (Alaska-->Washington state) is almost here. Looks like ill be leaving mid november. So, a winter trip.

I thought id check in again with everyone. Im going to be playing with a few ideas on the way. I want to see (yes this is silly) if i can get a solar charge to trickle charge my batteries, work as a mild heater for my batteries, and run some acessaries. Ive got some motorcycle grip heaters that pull 15w that just may do the trick. And a spare 12v battery and a solar-comparible power bank.

I also am thinking of getting a CB radio to use during the trip. Im new to CB. Anyone got any thoughts on that?

 

Do some research on the difference between HAM and CB. You have to get a license for HAM but from my understanding you can reach much further distances.

 

True- thanks!

As im so new, I felt like HAM may be overkill. The licensing component makes the purchase feel less casual. The entire CB plan is more to icebreak into the hobby, vs trip safety. You are right. Other than here and there, it probably wont pick up much until im in south canada. Although for a newbie.... that gives me plenty of room to casually learn radio callbacks with equally bored people onesies twosies before being slammed with the pressure of the big city! I was hearing something about SSB being a thing i should look for, too?

 

Welcome Aboard

 

Welcome!

 

Update! Alright--things are getting real. Ill be leaving end of the month to drive my 2,500mi iceroad trip Alaska--> Washington state.

Its going to be cold as heck. Planning to sleep in the camper shell. Have a ways to go to make that more comfortable. LEER topper didnt have a headliner so. Debating inventing one or keeping it just plain. Ive got a few ideas of how to stealth camp. And add insulation. I built a sleeping palate and threw some carpet on it.

Im thinking ill line the bed with a thick "emergency foil backed blanket". Then im working hesting options. I wanted to do solar but the snow here and my own lack of freetime has limited that project.


Im going to use a heating pad powered by a Yeti400. Ill also be using little electronic foot heaters powered off USB power banks to heat the engine block and battery at night.

Im so excited about the trip and to share it with you all!

 

Ok everyone! Time for a very belated update! I apologize got stuck with a few other things like filing for divorce and selling the house. Rest assured-- I've been looking forward to getting back to you all about the trip. So sorry this is almost 2 years later.

LEER shell: Was great but mine came unlined. I regret that because it make it very cold and hard to heat at night when I napped in it. Also I regret not getting the larger camper shell. Hard to maneuver and sleep comfortably. I built and added a truck bed platform that I developed as a custom pop in bedframe. Just plywood stained with nice industrial carpet on top. Two pieces so they can slide in side by side. All of it resting on 2x4s across the bed in the built in slot. That worked great. Made the short camper more of a problem though. I got a short bed which I continue to have mixed feelings about. However makes city parking and traffic far easier to navigate.

HEAT- used a mix of sources for heating. Given I drove through half of Alaska and all of Canada during the winter at -30Fs....this was a tall ask. My solar panel set up was good but not nearly powerful enough to do much more than top off my yet and other devices. Mostly due to winter sun and lack of external mounts for the solar panels. Just slipped then in the Windows or on top of the roof during stops. A heated 12v throw blanket worked great as a "heated mattress topper" and inside my sleeping bag. This foil emergency blanket did a noticeable difference in camper shell heat retention. So that was a win. My dog is also good at keeping us both warm. I backed up the Yeti/Heated throw combo with some rechargeable hand warmers I would throw in the bottom of the bag as well as some disposable ones for my head area. Those all worked great. Overall-- still cold due to no insulation and -30Fs. I would rest until I'm wake up shivering then would make coffee (with the Yet and a travel kettle) and get back to driving. Overall that summer and over last did about 20k roundtrip miles. Continue to enjoy using both the Yeti and a GoalZero Sherpa for most of my power needs. A cigarette lighter charge is a must. I built one but now they sell them over the counter. Be careful to moderate your pull so you don't blow a fuse. The OTC charger has a switch that helps.

WATER- I used electric motorcycle hand heater elements to keep my water bottles and without battery warmer. It worked great. I also used it at night to keep my engine block and truck battery warm by using small electric insulated toe warmers meant for shoes that work on a USB. Pre-trip, I routed a long USB cable under the truck and to the battery box and oil pan. Glued the oil pan one one. wedged the battery one. Both worked great. extended USB cable was great. Routed everything to the camper she'll where I kept the Yeti full time.

...

 

TIRES- Truck started with some Goodyear Wrangler® All-Terrain Adventure With Kevlar® tires. These worked better than I expected in snow, sleet, and 3,000mi of ice roads. Very impressed. Now 32k mi in finally got 2 sidewall nails in them and will have to swamp them out. Never lost air--just happened to see the nails this past week. Clearly drove over 300mi with them present. Going to be trying Bridgestone Revo 3 next. Focusing on highway capability while maintaining some basic off road and especially wet weather use.

I continue to love this truck and am starting to do minor projects on it again. Just ordered a Molle overhead rack for the back cab. Changed out the Start button with a red one (thx Meso Customs!). Will be changing out all the interior lights soon to brighter LEDs and the Meso map lights. I can see how customizing starts to get habit forming...

Anyway. Thanks for following up and best wishes to all of you!