Texas to Alaska Expedition Thread

DrDubzz

DrDubzz

New member
I admit, I'm starting this thread a little early, but I need some input along the way.

Longish story short, moving from San Antonio to Anchorage this summer (Air Force). Driving it, 2010 4Runner (SR5, Blizzard Pearl), me, wife, two toddlers in car seats, two dogs (lab mix and a wiener dog).

That is to say, there will be limited in car storage and it will be largely limited to food items and frequently needed items. Since we will likely be going up the coast through California, to visit my aging grandparents, I really want to avoid a trailer, plus, driving on the ALCAN/Alaska Highway I hear is pretty rough on trailers.

Either way, I'm planning on buying a Yakima Skybox Pro 21L Yakima SkyBox Pro 21 Roof Box at REI.com for all of the clothing, pack and plays, etc.

But I also need something for extra water, a gas can, and whatever else doesn't fit. I have the option of a 4x7 utility trailer (single axle) but as I would prefer to avoid it, I was looking at one of these... Pro Series 63153 60" x 24" Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier (Black) : Amazon.com : Automotive My question about those is... am I going to drive everyone inside the vehicle nuts because it will rattle and be noisy over every bump? And will it totally F with vehicle handling/performance?

I know my MPGs are going to be awful, and that's fine, but I want the car to drive ok for the 4400 miles or so I'll be behind the wheel.


TL;DR - do the hitch mounted cargo trays suck? Will I wish I had nutted up and brought the trailer?
 
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That's gonna be a full load! On my last pcs from San Diego to Washington DC we went the trailer route and have no regrets. Pulling through the mountains, desert, leaving it parked when visiting family, pretty easy to organize and get to stuff, and it felt secure to me when leaving the vehicle unattended.

I have used a hitch rack too...smaller but got the job done on a much shorter trip.

Good luck!
 
They make pretty good size hitch racks including some that are enclosed (if you'd rather have the stuff easier to reach than the roof though the trunk may not open). I have a hitch rack I picked up from Harbor Freight for $40 on black Friday. It's pretty solid, doesn't rattle, I use it to haul a cooler so I don't have to sling it on the roof.

Rola makes a nice one too that I think someone has reviewed in another thread (can't remember the thread title but it had a dead dear in the back of a hitch rack). The only thing that would suck is your departure angles get pretty low if you plan on doing any offroading along the way. Also if you do it, you may want to spend the $90 or so on an Airlift 1000 kit to keep the rear end from sagging if you put close to max weight on the hitch rack.

Another thing you may want to consider is going with aftermarket crossbars and attach the skybox on one side and a steel basket on the other.

Rhino Rack - Rhino Steel Mesh Basket Half Size - RLBH

This one would fit. You'd probably need to run about 60" crossbars (Yakima makes a 58" that would probably work since you can move the outside edge of the box over the end of the crossbar). You would eliminate the loss of departure angle you'd get with a hitch rack but you raise the center of gravity with more stuff on the roof. So it's all a balance of what you're looking to do.

Hope that helps.
 
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DrDubzz said:
I admit, I'm starting this thread a little early, but I need some input along the way.
Longish story short, moving from San Antonio to Anchorage this summer (Air Force). Driving it, 2010 4Runner (SR5, Blizzard Pearl), me, wife, two toddlers in car seats, two dogs (lab mix and a wiener dog).
But I also need something for extra water, a gas can, and whatever else doesn't fit. I have the option of a 4x7 utility trailer (single axle) but as I would prefer to avoid it, I was looking at one of these... Pro Series 63153 60" x 24" Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier (Black) : Amazon.com : Automotive My question about those is... am I going to drive everyone inside the vehicle nuts because it will rattle and be noisy over every bump? And will it totally F with vehicle handling/performance?
I know my MPGs are going to be awful, and that's fine, but I want the car to drive ok for the 4400 miles or so I'll be behind the wheel.

TL;DR - do the hitch mounted cargo trays suck? Will I wish I had nutted up and brought the trailer?
Click to expand...

I have one of those cargo carriers but it's a cheap one I got at Harbor Freight for $39. I drove to Texas with a Pride Jazzy scooter on it that I took to my Mom and it was fine, no rattles or anything. You can tighten up the trailer hitch so the unit won't bounce around. With several hundred pounds of weight on it I couldn't even tell it was back there except it makes the rear door a bit harder to get into.
I wouldn't drive to Alaska though, I'd put the 4R on a boat going North from Seattle like they did on that reality show Gold Rush on Discovery where they were going up to prospect for gold.
 
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[MENTION=91878]DrDubzz[/MENTION] I can only give you advice on the Yakima Skybox 21. Last summer I transferred from Virginia to Oregon. My wife and I and a boston terrier's trip consisted of leaving Hampton Roads to go to Outer Banks, NC for a family vacation, then driving up to Northern VA to stay with the wife's family for a while. From there, we traveled to Astoria, OR. I talked to the wife and she and I can't recall any really disturbing noise the whole trip. We had the box full the whole time, and even the trunk was full.

During the trip, we had pretty decent weather throughout except for when we got to about the end of Montana and all through Idaho. Through that part of the trip, it was extermely windy throughout but the box hung on and we were getting pulled a little hard, but were fine. I would recommend it for you. It was durable and we really didn't see too much of a decline in the gas mileage due to the shape of the box. I did want to note two things though, first you will notice a little wobbling of the box in the front while driving, I think it does that because you can't really put too much weight up there. Second, I would recommend putting some 3m tape with padding on the on back rim of the box, due to the fact that when you open the trunk, the spoiler will get little surface scratches from the box.

All and all I recommend it, hit me up if you have any other questions.
 
If I recall, there is a thread about boxes, which ones fit the 4R and which are too long. I have Skybox Pro 21 for my Sequoia, it holds a ton of stuff on family trips, keeps it dry in driving rain, but the hinges are terrible, they bend like soft pretzels when it gets hot. Granted, my box is used mostly on trips to Florida but it's a pain when one fails and the box won't stay open (it still closes and locks fine). At least Yakima's customer service is good about promptly mailing replacements which snap in.
 
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DrDubzz said:
I was looking at one of these... Pro Series 63153 60" x 24" Hitch Mounted Cargo Carrier (Black) : Amazon.com : Automotive
Click to expand...

I bought that exact one in January to transport a snowblower back and forth between my place and my parent's house. Personally, I love it. It sits high enough that the exhaust pipe will not melt a cooler, and is stable enough that it doesn't rattle too much. I towed a Uhaul 4x10 trailer last year and that thing drove me crazy rattling around.

As long as you have decent weight in the basket, you will be happy with this.
 
I bought my hitch mount from Amazon and it has held up very well over several 500+ mile trips.
Here are some pictures from a trip to Santa Barbara in Dec, the only thing in the back of the Runner was the two pooches (they get the WHOLE back of the car) everything else was either in the roof box or on the rear hitch.

Rola 59502 2" Steel Cargo Carrier - 2 Piece : Amazon.com : Automotive
 

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The thing about the trailer hitch cargo carriers is that depending on how much stuff you stack on them, they may impede the opening of the tailgate. If you're going to need frequent access to the cargo / trunk space, this may be an issue. I'm guessing the dogs are going to ride in the back? If so it may be okay to just let them out through the back window opening (if they're small enough to lift) or through the rear seats and side doors. For that reason, I've been looking into this:
Thule Transporter - Combi Hitch at REI.com

It tilts down to allow access to the cargo area. Plus it closes so it's not exposed to the elements. Oh, and it also locks. On the downside, you may need to move your license plate. And your rearview cam, if you have one, may be blocked.

Lastly, be wary of putting anything on your hitch rack that may be directly behind the exhaust. Have a safe trip!
 
You're going to love Alaska and the trip through Canada.
I've been up there twice, once in 06 on a bike to celebrate retirement and again in 08 in an explorer pulling an enclosed trailer with a bike inside.I'am
planning to go again this year.

With the runner full of people and pups I would take the trailer and the roof top carrier . When it's time to pack it seems you run out of room quickly.The road is paved except for the never ending repair of the damage from the harsh winters. Take your time and enjoy the sights and watch for the plentiful wildlife.

IMG_0737-M.jpg


dawson%20cmp-M.jpg
 
My only concern with a trailer is driving the length of California at 55mph. Plus the hitch rack seems like it'll be less to worry about on the way (no flats, no wheel bearings wearing out, etc)

But yeah, we'll need to open the hatch quite a bit to get the dogs out...

Hopefully there will be enough space with a decent sized cargo box on top.

Thanks for all the replies so far, they've been very helpful
 
i have done the kentucky to alaska trip taking my 1996 gmc up to elmendorf unloaded. ran it hard and burned up my 2 and 4th gear in my tranny. 5 years later i got orders to lackland. this time i loaded up my 4 wheeler in the bed and i had a 5x7 trailer overloaded and blew 2 tires before i made it to the yukon. i broke a leaf spring around whitehorse and had to drive 50 or so miles with the platform laying on the axel. buying a new enclosed 6X10 trailer in canada is expensive! both trips were in prime summer time jun/july. i didnt make it past 55mph. some mountains i was going up at 20mph. my truck is pretty tired, and the truck and load weighed in at 11,000 lbs for a 1500. it took me quite a while. the first trip i went up through seatle, the second trip back i went though montana. i really didnt site see too much with the full load trailer and 2 dogs.
 
Not sure what it would be like now,but when I did the drive three times twenty years ago you couldn't tell what color my truck was when finished. It was mud covered everywhere but the windshield wiper sweep. That said that stuff in the rear carrier will likely get pretty nasty exposed like that. Might try to find a big plastic/rubber bin to strap everything in.
 
You want to do this if all possible with very little or no snow on the ground. We did it last year in October and only encountered snow in Stone Mountain Pass. Drive daytime and avoid night driving especially in Yukon Territory. Our relocation was from Anchorage to Phoenix. We did the I-5 route with a stop in San Diego for our vacation. 2 Adults and 3 kids with the 13 year old in 3rd row.
This is the cargo trailer hitch I used with LED lights for added visibilty and safety. I also added reflector red/grey stickers. Ordered in amazon.com (can't beat free shipping) and got the led trailer
lights at etrailer.com.
http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-Carrier/Pro-Series/63153.html
Here was my setup for the roadtrip.
 

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hey everyone, things are getting closer, less than 2 months now. We've found a house in Eagle River to rent, the owners are stationed here at Randolph with me, so it was good to meet them and get the lowdown on the house.

Last weekend I picked up/put together the storage items and tested them out...



 
I will note, the Skybox interferes with the full opening of the hatch, but for a short term thing I will take the space it offers. My father in law is giving us a medium sized hard plastic lock box/trunk for the carrier, figure we'll do that and a gas can, but we'll be able to fit all of our luggage and stuff in the Yakima
 
I would definitely do the Airlift 1000 bags for the drive...cheap insurance...

good luck and have fun.

p.s. move the box forward a bit if you can.
 
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