New guy, big questions

[DrDubzz]

Hey all, my name is Tim, I'm in the Air Force, and I"m moving from San Antonio to Anchorage this summer with my wife, two toddlers, and two dogs. While we might be certifiable for this, we're going to drive the whole way, stopping in the Seattle area for a couple days to see my brother and his family and square away maintenance and supplies, and then head into BC.

My VW golf will be shipped and we're driving our 2010 4Runner SR5. It's bone stock except for new tires (Cooper Discoverer ATRs) about 6 months ago. I have a 4x7 utility trailer and I'm going to get a Yakima Skybox Pro 21 before the trip.

My questions are, aside from needed supplies (water, food, diapers, etc.), is there anything you would want to change about a stock 4Runner to better prepare for the trip? Assuming also that we will drive from Anchorage to the next duty station in 3 years and, of course, cruise around Alaska in the meantime. I don't need a hardcore offroader, this is, afterall, my wife's daily driver.

I'll quit rambling, quite a bit for a first post I know. Glad I found this place, found it referenced on IH8MUD forums.

Cheers

 

[phillyd2]

Old guy. Small answers.

You may also want to check out Expedition Portal for more specific answers on the actual journey.

Obvious answer related to the truck, tires!

 

[DrDubzz]

tires other than the Coopers?

 

[Biggcrisp]

Hey all, my name is Tim, I"m moving from San Antonio to Anchorage this summer with my wife, two toddlers, and two dogs.

we're driving our 2010 4Runner SR5. It's bone stock. I have a 4x7 utility trailer and I'm going to get a Yakima Skybox Pro 21 before the trip.

My questions are, aside from needed supplies (water, food, diapers, etc.), is there anything you would want to change about a stock 4Runner to better prepare for the trip? Assuming also that we will drive from Anchorage to the next duty station in 3 years and, of course, cruise around Alaska in the meantime. I don't need a hardcore offroader, this is, afterall, my wife's daily driver.

Cheers

Maybe an aux trans cooler.

enjoy the journey.

 

[diverscale]

Maybe an aux trans cooler.

enjoy the journey.

for a 4X7 utility trailer? please no.

He will overcool his transmission 50% of the year for no reasson in anchorage with one of these.

 

[phillyd2]

tires other than the Coopers?

Crap! I missed that. Told you I was old!

 

[DrDubzz]

for a 4X7 utility trailer? please no.

He will overcool his transmission 50% of the year for no reasson in anchorage with one of these.

yeah, my dad pulls one with his 2004 golf tdi, I think it'll be ok.

I'm just curious about things like a skid plate for the gas tank (not entirely paved on the way there), brush guard, any spare items that might be useful beyond a can of gas and a quart or two of oil.

I'd like to put lockers in it, but that seems rather excessive and also expensive, maybe down the road or when it's no longer the wife's DD.

The trailer won't be too heavily loaded, it'll have pack and plays, some water, a gas can, maybe some other things, but the sensitive items and clothing luggage will likely be on top in the skybox.

 

[DrDubzz]

Crap! I missed that. Told you I was old!

haha, no problem, I wasn't sure if you read over it or meant better tires were in order.

I've been very happy with them so far, of course anything is better than the craptastic Dunlops that came stock

 

[WV runner]

I think you should be fine with a stock 4Runner. Just make sure you do ALL of the maintenance before you leave. You have a very durable and very reliable vehicle.

Thank you sir for your service to our country and bless your family while they follow in your travels.

 

[phillyd2]

Here is the thing with mods, as well as prepping for anything.....it's all overkill and a waste of money, until you need it.

Trouble is...you NEVER know when you will need it.

So, your question is almost impossible to answer. If I knew you were going to slide off a muddy road I would recommend a winch. If I knew you would not see that one rock until its too late I would recommend skid plates.

You are planning for What If which is about the same as a dog chasing his tail. There will always be just one more What If.

The best you can really do is minimize the risks. In my case I did full skids, sliders and a winch. But then again I'm a big fan of overkill. Your tolerance for risk and your wallet will be your only reasonable guide.

 

[DrDubzz]

I think you should be fine with a stock 4Runner. Just make sure you do ALL of the maintenance before you leave. You have a very durable and very reliable vehicle.

Thank you sir for your service to our country and bless your family while they follow in your travels.

Thanks man, I appreciate it. We plant to have a full 'check up' when we get to Washington (oil, tires, trailer stuff, all that) before heading into Canada.

People do the drive in plain ole FWD cars so I'm not too worried, but it is definitely an unpredictable journey.

Here is the thing with mods, as well as prepping for anything.....it's all overkill and a waste of money, until you need it.

Trouble is...you NEVER know when you will need it.

So, your question is almost impossible to answer. If I knew you were going to slide off a muddy road I would recommend a winch. If I knew you would not see that one rock until its too late I would recommend skid plates.

You are planning for What If which is about the same as a dog chasing his tail. There will always be just one more What If.

The best you can really do is minimize the risks. In my case I did full skids, sliders and a winch. But then again I'm a big fan of overkill. Your tolerance for risk and your wallet will be your only reasonable guide.

I hear you, I'd really like to to skid plates since I know we'll be on washboard/gravel roads for part of the time, but I also plan to take those slow since I'll have a trailer and the whole family with me. So it probably won't be a huge deal. My commander said two spares for the trailer are a must and that it would be beat to hell by the time we get there. The other thing he said was upgrading to the premium-est AAA membership... and bear spray. haha, if we wanted it easy we'd fly, I just hope the kids/dogs don't lose their minds or make us lose ours on the way.

 

[eddiebx]

May I suggest a scan gauge II? Might be handy to keep an eye on things while you are on the road, especially your transmission fluid temperature since you will be towing for quite a white and through various terrain.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/110823-scanguage-ii-trans-temp-x-guage.html

Good luck on your epic road trip!

 

[Reata]

Scan Guage, OK. Not really anything there that the dummy lights wont tell you. Remember guys he is going on paved roads almost all the way there, with a few hundered miles on gravel. I think the improtant thing is tires, tires, tires. I have never driven there but I would certainly think that tires are going to be of the utmost importance. If you think you need skids, great, but if most of your driving is on the road, I really dont think this is something you need to e concerned with. I would worry more about a specific means of back up communication in case of breakdown. Whether it is a radio (HAM) or a Spot Transmitter. Extra food and wter would be really good and a means of warmth. Just my $0.02. Thank you and God bless you and your family.

 

[dswilly]

You should be fine bone stock. Even on the Cassiar hwy. I drove it both ways three times twenty years ago in a stock Isuzu Trooper without issues. You can drive it mostly paved if you stay on the actual Alcan and go up thru banff, jasper then over. The Cassiar is way more fun, at least it was twenty years ago. Back then you could go nearly 500 miles on gravel/dirt/mud. Gas stops are a plenty in season, out of season plan accordingly as many shut down, or at least they used to. One year I drove out in November and it snowed non stop form Tok AK all the way to Vancouver. I was making fresh tracks in 6+" of powder most of the way. Never saw pavement for nearly 800 miles, just me and the buffalo. I imagine the drive is easier now. Road construction and camper convoys were the most annoying part. Beautiful drive, enjoy

 

[mh11]

My commander said two spares for the trailer are a must and that it would be beat to hell by the time we get there.

It seems they like to use very angular gravel in northern BC which likes to get lodged in tires -- I would suggest getting a matching tire on your spare and also bringing along a tire patch kit.

 

[kenski]

If your wallet can take the hit, I would do all the big / heavy mods on your wish list before you take off into the boonies. From what I can gather from our Canadian forum members, everything north of the border is much more expensive. I can't imagine shipping costs are going to be forgiving all the way to AK.

Have a safe trip!

 

[look171]

yeah, my dad pulls one with his 2004 golf tdi, I think it'll be ok.

I'm just curious about things like a skid plate for the gas tank (not entirely paved on the way there), brush guard, any spare items that might be useful beyond a can of gas and a quart or two of oil.

I'd like to put lockers in it, but that seems rather excessive and also expensive, maybe down the road or when it's no longer the wife's DD.

The trailer won't be too heavily loaded, it'll have pack and plays, some water, a gas can, maybe some other things, but the sensitive items and clothing luggage will likely be on top in the skybox.

I think its paved all the way now. If now, the dirt road are good. When I was up in Alaska a couple of years ago, (We drove from LA to WA) there were a few little Chevy little cars up there form the lower 48. I ask this young driver about the drive up from AZ, she said it was fine except for the rain in some areas. We drove our Sienna with a box on top. We lived out of that thing for 6 weeks. After the cruise ship we shipped dirty clothes home and off we went into Canada.

 

[MpJustice]

You need to photo blog this journey.

 

[DrDubzz]

You need to photo blog this journey.

I intend to, I actually need to purchase a camera that is not attached to a cell phone before we head out.

But the first pictures (I'll start a new thread when the time comes) are...

which way to go. The route through washington is longer, but more scenic on the US side and lets us visit family and have a nice populated area to re-load on provisions and have vehicle maintenance performed more easily.

The other route is probably more scenic on the canadian side, if you re-route through Banff and Jasper nat'l parks.

We'll probably go the Washington way, if only to visit my brother and his family in the Seattle area, but the shorter route is... well shorter.

 

[1engineer]

Probably the only thing I personally would get would be a substantial grille and bumper guard. I have hit critters at night and have had a turkey put a hole in my radiator. Beak sticking right into it haha. We have a lot of animals here but I think they have a LOT of animals up there. Any additional protection could make a difference.