Toad to Alaska?

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bjpmtravis87

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Apr 5, 2015
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Hi,
We are planning a run to Fairbanks next Summer, with maybe a side trip to Yellowknife either coming or going. 

I would prefer not to tow a vehicle behind my rig on that trip, but don't want to miss out on things to see. 

Does anyone have an informed opinion on this?

Thanks,
B Travis
 
I can't help with an opinion on "toad to Alaska" but I have only been "alongside the road" without a toad once. It won't happen again. The toad always goes.
 
I left my toad at home last year when I went up to Fishlake, UT...never again.
 
Way back when we started RVing again, we took a cross country trip without a towed.  NEVER, NEVER again will we take any kind of trip without it.  We almost did not take it to a local campground one time but did and wound up being the vehicle that transported an injured fellow camper.  Now that I have had a heart attack, SWMBO will not even consider not having the towed.

As has been said, you will miss a lot without it!
 
We went to Alaska without a toad. Didn't miss it. We were able to see and do everything we wanted to without it, even in Vancouver. Some driving might be a challenge with it and I didn't see a lot of MHs with one.
 
I live in Fairbanks, and I see many people come up here without towing vehicles.  The only thing, is if you plan on driving up the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle, I would recommend renting a car from someplace that outfits vehicles especially for the Dalton Highway.  Many parts of the road aren't paved and have soft shoulders.  I have seen RVs rolled over off that road.  Aside from that, I don't think you'll be missing much by not bringing a car along.
 
On our first trip to Alaska we had no tow car but on our second trip we did.  The difference was huge!  We were restricted on where we went the first time because there were many places we couldn't take an RV.  One I particularly recall was a small road high above Homer in a residential area.  The views were amazing and we missed them on the first trip but saw them on the second trip.  Wouldn't dream of going on long trips without our car after being stuck in one place for three months with a broken elbow (three surgeries + physical therapy).  If you don't have a car you'll have to unhook the RV to go shopping, to do laundry, to go sightseeing, to get a hair cut, etc.  That gets very old very quickly!  Been there, done that.  We had a lot more fun in Alaska WITH a car than we did without one!

ArdraF
 
The only reason I tend to leave my VW bug at home is because I have a motorcycle rack on the back of the RV, and never leave home without my Yamaha.

Even though it would be easy for my 24' C class to get around for sight seeing, I prefer having another vehicle for that. Less worry about driving, and more looking at the sights.
 
I can't imagine not having a car on a trip to Alaska. You are going to miss many sites with out your toad.

Frank
 
Two years ago we did Alaska with the Jeep. While it is true that on some stretches there were times that the Jeep was never unhooked from the MH, In many others we would have missed a bunch of stuff without having the Jeep with us. It's your call, but you can see from the posts so far, about 80% recommend having a tow vehicle.
 
If you are driving a long rig that doesn't fit in a Starbucks lot very well, take a toad. If you're driving something under 25' to 28', leave the toad home.

In 2013, we spent 50 days in Alaska and a total of about 110 days on the trip, including about a month on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries, which charge by the foot.

We were glad we didn't tow, and in Alaska and Canada, a 25-footer can parallel park on about any street. If you plan to go off road, of course, tow a Jeep.
 
We are in Anchorage at the moment on our second RV trip up here. We spent two weeks ferry hopping from Prince Rupert to Haines with 5 legs and the cost for our CRV was $610.


Can't imagine seeing what we have enjoyed so far with just a RV. Bring the toad.
 
In 2013, we spent a month on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries with our 25' Motorhome. Each night, we'd camp in a port town and explore the area in our RV. No toad required. If you travel small, you won't need a toad, imo.
 
bjpmtravis87 said:
Hi,
We are planning a run to Fairbanks next Summer, with maybe a side trip to Yellowknife either coming or going. 

I would prefer not to tow a vehicle behind my rig on that trip, but don't want to miss out on things to see. 

Does anyone have an informed opinion on this?

Thanks,
B Travis
Click to expand...

TAKE THE TOAD!!!!

 
Our trip was in 2000.  We bought an old Suzuki, the little square type with the soft top (I forget the year, maybe 1986?) for $3,000 plus tow apparatus expense.  We didn't care if it got scratched or dented as we planned to junk it when we returned.  Instead, we enjoyed using it in Alaska, painted it, bought new seat covers, and continued to enjoy pulling it for another year or so.  Then we sold it for $2,000.  There are many creative solutions to the Alaska toad situation.  We only did one trip without a toad using rental cars and didn't like it at all.
 
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