AkBillyBow

Temps in the Arctic are rarely predictable...it could be really hot or really cold. I would say plan for an average of 50's - 60's. When it is sunny out it could get up to 75-80...when the sun isn't out for a few days it can drop to near freezing real quick. Plan for 50's and be prepared for anything!! Bring bug dope and raingear!!!

It is very breathtaking scenery up here. When the sun is out, there is no prettier place....don't forget your camera!!! Having the sun up for 24 hours is a trip. You need to look at your watch to see if it is AM or PM!!!!


AkBillyBow

Babypig

Yeah there are permits and hunting. Would it be worth it? I don't know. Probably going to be very expensive. You can own handguns, almost took my thumb off the first time I fired a 9mm, But they are restricted to use at a firing range or gun range.

It's probably better to bring some good fishing gear. Lots of great rivers and lakes. Good grayling fishing up there and the Bulkley is one of the best steelhead rivers in the world.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Actually what you need is some of the tank treads that are in Babypig's avatar.

Those thinks are pretty rad.

Babypig

www.mattracks.com

Toy Story

I wouldn't spend too much on extra driving lights. In the Arctic during the summer you simply will not need them.

I'll second everything AKBilly said especially the bug dope! Lots of extra film or memory cards for the camera as well as loads of spare batteries for everything would be on my list as well.

Sounds like a fun trip!

Poul D'eau

You've got a point toystory but those lights will be more usefull on the way up. Plus they are only $55 buck a pair.

I'll probably bring three cameras along with my laptop to save the pic's.

For the first step I going to start fabin up the rear bumper this week. And I will submit photo's as I go.


I'm gonna try to bend some steel diamond plate (to match the corners on the rear bumper) with my oxy/acetlyne torch.


Thanks to everyone's ideas!!!!

Paul


PS: AkBillyBow don't get too cold!!!

Calulus

Guys

Any stock 2wd or 4wd Toyota will make the trip to the Arctic Circle with no problems, I have done it in a 65 VW bus and an Audi Quattro. In the summer months the road is passable all the way to the Arctic Ocean and paved from the Canadian border to Dawsen City. For the road from Dawsen north you should have 2 spares on rims and a patch kit, all the usual tools and basic camping/survival gear. There is no need for extra fuel tanks although a fuel filled jerry can would be prudent. There are regular fuel stops all the way to Inuvik you just have to top up at each one. As for guns, don't bother, if you declare it at the border it will be seized and if you try and sneak it across and you are caught your rig will be siezed as well. Take it from me I'm in the buisness they know who might be carrying. Also the RCMP (Police) do not mess around with civillians with guns whatever the reason they have them for.

Jason
e-mail me if you have any more questions
jasonkrott@hotmail.com

99Limited

Depending on your state's insurance regulations as some states, KY for instance, has $0 deductible for windshield replacement. Otherwise you might want to change to $0 deductible for Comprehensive coverage during your trip. I've got this coverage on all my vehicles(3) full-time because the cost difference wasn't that much more. It's pretty likely that you will end up with a cracked windshield if not worse and you might as well let your insurance cover the expense. Any Comprehensive claims you make don't count against you so you won't have to worry about insurance rate increases. Of course this might be for naught if your insurance company has restrictions for traveling on the Alcon Highway or such.

Take enough money in traveler's checks to cover unforeseen emergencies.

Get a set of tire irons and any other equipment, like an air compressor, what will help in fixing a flat. After you have your equipment, practice using it. Not just once but 2 or 3 times so you know what to expect when you need to fix a flat. Having 2 mounted, spare tires should keep you going, but knowing how to unmount and fix a flat tire can save you a lot of time. You might even want to carry an extra unmounted tire for just in cases.

You might want to look into renting or leasing a satellite phone. A CB/Ham/Shortwave radio might come in handy, but being able to call your friends at the Arctic Circle and saying, "We made it!" will be priceless.

Mad Chemist

DUDE!

I just returned from a similar trip about two weeks back. I drove from Seattle, up to Dawson Creek, along the Alcan up to Tok, Alaska. It was AWESOME! See just a small sampling of my pics on my thread in the trip planning section of Yotatech (see "My Forest Gump Trip..."). I have a custom cargo box in the back, and made an extesion for it that extended the platform to the back of the rear seats. I slept on this quite comfortably about half of my trip- whenever I was in a "sketchy" area that was likely to have bears. The other half of the time, I just set up my tent. I'd suggest a hi lift jack just in case as well.

BTW- you can bring a hunting rifle into Canada (if you're going to hunt). I went hunting in Canada last year, you have to register your gun on the American side, they give you a piece of paper to show to the Canadian side. Was a piece of cake, but that was during Deer season of course. Also, contact your car insurance company to send you a Canadian proof of insurance card, just in case you get in an accident. They won't necessarily take your reg. cards for proof. A good resource is The Milepost, a book and website which details all the facilities, campgrounds, gas stations, etc. for most of the main highways in the area. Was a very useful item for my recent trip.

Roadrunner

Have you seen the Extreme Machines 4x4 episode on The Learning Channel/Discovery? They modified a pair of Land Cruisers for a trek across Antarctica.

Here's a pic of one of the Land Cruisers:


I found another link to Artic Trucks, however about half is in English.

Here they are in Greenland:

914runner

check this page out!
http://www.arctictrucks.is/template3.asp?PageID=1033

Scofco

Did this trip ever happen?

Swede

Maybe a can of that flat repair spray stuff that when hooked up to the valve seals the leak, I forget the name of it....and how about a power inverter? Ditto the sat-phone idea.

BajaRunner

Damn this thread was brought back from the dead...hehe.

I hope he had some anti-freeze in the radiator.

Tyson94SR5

Hey there, so your coming up to Alaska huh? I have taken my little Toyota up to the Arctic Circle. One of the main things to worry about is of course fuel (costs so damn much out there) and tires. Quite a bit of the road is unpaved (if you go far enough North) and flat tires are very common. Cell phone is good to have also. hmmmmm What else. If you plan on wheelin up here, I would do it on a warm day (steel becomes very brittle up there). Also the snow up there can tend to be very hard (more like Ice), brake lines and other lines have a chance of getting cut. A couple other things you Might want to consider is a winter grille cover (alot of people just put cardboard in the grille to keep the engine warmer). Block heaters, battery blankets, and oil pan heaters are probably the most important. Without any protection against the cold, your motor will probably not start (everything tries to freeze). Test your coolant to -40 or so. Could get worse but I dont drive if it does. Of course all theother stuff mentioned if very good to have as well, but it gets DAMN cold up there.

Scofco

I hate when I open up a thread that's a year old and nobody notices

OneTrickToy

I noticed as soon as I saw the title. When I saw the thread I was expecting some awesome pictures...