Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska What to Carry on Alcan

Hadn't thought of cardboard, funny I use it all the time @ home. Another thing that works well for a pad is campaign signs, kind of a corrugate plastic. Nice for sliding around underneath a vehicle. I've cut 'em for a temporary window fix also.

Campaign year, lots of 'em popping up.

If you know someone at a gas station/c-srore, they plastic signs they zip tie outside (cigarette or coke type) are great pads.
They accordain fold, and are tough as heck.

Remember, Canadian customs is optional. They have an open border. 🤣. (Never needed anything more than a Driver License either, though they have insisted on seeing every last picking thing I’ve had on board a couple of times. )

Yes, was thinking once Mark said cardboard to use the plastic stuff for sure.

Customs. LOL. working on our renewal on passports anyway. They wanted me to dig up 60 rounds of 300 ammo in about 86 or so. Gal was adamant. I had the gun behind the seat in a soft case, bolt out. Ammo was in truck camper in a duffel. In an MTM. Inside a cooler. on the bottom. SO I walked her around and said mam, I"ll sure do what you want but you see that pack up there? Yes, Under it is another. Then a cooler on the bed. In that cooler is a clothes duffel. In there are 3 MTM boxes, 20 rounds each, duct taped shut. If you insist.

She decided it might be ok as is... LOL.

Canadian customs has so far been fine. US on the other hand, you'd think you were convicted of something while out of the country.....[bleep] to US citizens but let illegals down south just pour through.

Just wondering if passport required when driving across Canada?? Cheers NC

That's their requirement.

I've just always handed that to the gate officer. By the time you get to that little hut, they already know everything about you and your vehicle.

I've never been asked for vehicle registration or vaccination records or health certificate for the dog.

I find Canadians (with a single exception) to be fine folks.

supposed to be these days. Was not in 86 last time I drove it

You may not need a passport to get into Canada if you have other proof of US citizenship, but you may have trouble passing back into US without passport or passport card.

Duh, and you might be exact on that.. might not be able to get back to the US. We generally carried one even when not required just in case... never had to produce it though.

Ours are unmarked even after flying in and out of BC a few times years ago to visit relatives

We are headed out in a few weeks with our pick-up camper after a 1500 mile RT run to our remote cabin in Interior and back to Soldotna. I'm taking a rolled up 4X4 plastic sheet that came off a food pallet. A couple hydraulic jacks, one spare tire each for Ram and boat trailer (Interior trip), a compact standard/metric wrench set includes allen wrenches and screwdriver heads to fit handle, set of chocks, a couple jack stands, and wheel chocks. Every vehicle we have carries one of the big X lug wrench tools. those dog-leg jack handles are a joke, as are most of the come-with jacks. Tow strap, We'll take our multi-thing which can inflate tires, and jump start. Also will take my XP-10 compact battery pack, which can also jump start, charge a cell phone or computer, has a flash-light built in. A compact NAPA battery charger for the camper battery - no need for a generator - that can be charged while driving, or with the battery charger from an AC outlet. In the boat for the Interior trip I'll have a 2x2 piece of thick plywood for under the jack if on soft/muddy ground. I learned that one years ago, the hard way! Vise-grips, couple pliers, wire, duct tape - the usual. Several poly tarps of various sizes and camping equipment on Interior trip, only one 8X12 poly tarp to go Outside. Handy things, them.

2003 Ram 3500 with 80,127 miles has good tires, and just went through a checkup. Clutch was replaced summer before last, and maybe 7,000 miles ago. Belts and hoses are good- had to replace the power steering ones at the same time I had factory front hubs (getting marginal- and bad milage!) with manual ones a couple weeks ago. Today I had the differentials and transfer case fluids checked and changed as needed - I did the engine oil change and lube job day before yesterday myself. Had the Automotive shop look for that needle zerk some say is on there, but apparently is not. I couldn't find one, and neither could they. I'll check with Dodge dealer Monday, just to be sure.

I do have a very slightly leaky front axle seal I'll have to watch, but the fluid level was not down. Mechanic said on a scale of 1-10 concern it's about a 3- 4 - just watch it. Said it could be years before needs fixing- about a $700 job from them. I'll likely price it out with my regular guy once back from Interior, just for grins - he'll be cheaper, and knows his chit - he did the hub change-over.

Never had a flat on the Alcan - many on the Manley road, sometimes multiples! I see no reason to take any more than this on the Alcan - and even less than what I'm taking on the (cough) gravel Manley Hot Springs Road, which is about 1000 miles shorter!.

Good luck! Now that you have described how little regard you have for the road it will likely eat your lunch!!!!!



Back in the old days a couple flats a day was not unexpected... I barely remember my last flat...

And Fix-a-flat is the schnizzle!

Oh you need a passport to get into Canada.

Don’t be fooled by my nonsense! 🤥. my birth cert is so old and yellow, I don’t think it would even pass muster for passport purposes, and the latter hasn’t been current since the 80s. 🙄

I don't know about your birth state, but Pa. didn't give them out for years.
The hospital would give your mom this pretty document with a footprint and
a shiny "seal" stamped on it. It was a "certificate of birth", not a birth certificate.

No B.S.

We all thought we had birth certificate's, until the big "Prove your citizenship" crap
to renew the hazmat portion of our CDL's.

As told about by another poster, a tire-plug kit is a good idea.

Rain gear, a tarp or two plus cord and metallic tent stakes, about 6 of the rubber bungee cords, a few loops or feet of baling wire, and bug spray. If raining and you have to work on your vehicle, you can stretch the tarp over the work area and hold the ends to the tent stakes with the bungee cords. The baling wire can be use to hold things together. For example, a loose muffler pipe, and so on.

Don't forget a first-aid kit with bandages.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/documents-needed-between-canada-usa-car-21162.html



Pay close attention to at the US border rules relating to reentering the US. It's much easier to enter and drive through Canada than it is to enter the US. If you leave the US to travel through Canada and then reenter the US in Alaska, it's a this crossing where you better have the right documents. These rules apply to traveling on land. There are different rules fro traveling by air.

Jeff
You’re gonna need a trailer for all the ‘what ifs’.
LOL

I was afraid it would get to that, but a lot should fit in the "bed" of the airboat. LOL.

RE the first aid kit.. no doubt, EMR here hopefully soon EMT before leave, I carry a big one with me all the time now, including O2... so I hopefully can buy it before I leave or if not will have to piece a big one together.

Last time I drove the Alcan was about 20 years ago- and the roads were pdg then. Surely they can't be worse now? My wife has driven it several times since, no problems.

It's only one oil change from Anchorage to Billings, after all, on paved road....and it's not like it is howling wilderness.... My truck's service is all up to date, hoses checked (power steering hoses replaced) tires were new about 1,500 miles ago, so except for a couple items, which I'll take care of after the Interior trip, I'm in good shape - change fuel filter, drain water filter, flush coolant system, check water pump (replaced about 10,000 miles ago), and something about checking valve something or other - my handwriting sucks. I'll have to check the owners manual.

I beg to differ, Art. I have high regard for the Alcan - so much improved since I first drove it in 1983 until the last time in 96 or 97. In 83 was the only time we have ever had any problems- towing a big u-haul up behind a '76 T-bird with 200K on it, with a 9 month old baby and a 100 lb Lab aboard. And two spare tires.....not used.

Smoke in the cockpit at Pink Mt.!

Cruise control in steering column shorted out (not even being used) - next morning car would not start until jumped- from then on had to pull a battery cable at night to keep the battery live.

Construction segments were minor exceptions the last couple times.....and even those were decent if one held the speed down. The only bad road we encountered that first trip was in Alaska, near the border, and only about 100 miles of gravel total even back then.

Now the Manley road (Elliot Hwy) is a bear - under construction the last two years, probably again this year. Last year it took us almost 2 1/2 hours to travel through 13 miles of construction behind the pilot car. She had to stop and wait for us a few times, because I was not going to go as fast as she was on road like that with a pickup camper towing a boat. Had one flat on the boat trailer, but those tires were about shot anyway. Got three new ones (including spare) when we got back to Fairbanks. Doubt I'll have any problem this year, but one never knows. Murphy and a few buddies always tag along.

The year before last, the clutch blew out at Minto Jct about 10 pm.- that was $989 alone for 119 mile tow back to FBKs! Fortunately the construction camp was just a mile down the road and had a cell phone so I could get a tow on the way(arrived 1pm), and they kept the boat in their yard until I got back 5 days later. A half dozen big watermelons for the crew to show my appreciation seemed a bargain!

Could have been more of a problem had it not been for the location of the breakdown - but someone would have been along eventually. In the Bush, one doesn't worry about time much- or shouldn't. It can be dangerous.

In Manley, we leave our rigs at Frank's Place where they are secure while we are at the cabin 50 miles away. Frank and Dianne won't take cash, but Frank likes beer, and Dianne appreciates (again) several watermelons for the grand-kids. Frank gets a case of the better stuff.

Some things (watermelons!) are more important than carrying a lot of unnecessary or redundant gear- unless of course one needs it to hell and gone out there, and not have it.. . But really, now days the Alcan is a pushover. Assuming your rig is quality to start with. One lousy, 3,000 mile oil change, (maybe 2500 border to border), tho the Alcan proper is only a portion of that. Dawson Creek to Tok? Or Fairbanks.

Good luck on your trip!