Santa Barbara California to DeadHorse Alaska

[Zargon]

Alaska has always been on my bucket list for place that I wanted to visit, and specifically the Arctic Circle. In an effort to make that dream a reality, I am planning a trip for this summer that is going to take me all the way up to DeadHorse Alaska, on the cheap.

Ill post about my plans and relevant information here, and I hope to get some tips/ideas/suggestions/positive reinforcement regarding the plan.

I am using Google Maps to plan out the trip, and the link to the current map can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jiWR32btRC8MZXBl-D0rfWqEHjg&usp=sharing

This is going to be fun!

 

[WCO_Ryan]

sounds awesome!

 

[ManWithJeep]

Oh I'm following this one!

 

[Zargon]

The current plan is that the trip will take about 21 days, averaging 300 miles a day on the way up, and then 500 miles a day on the way back down. Most nights will be spent camping, with some nights in motels spread out as some relief. (If you play your cards right, a motel can be nearly as cheap as some camp sites). Also Despite the 10 waypoint limit and issues with google maps, ill attempt to use it to plan for the trip, and hopefully I can embed the map on this thread!

<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1jiWR32btRC8MZXBl-D0rfWqEHjg" width="640" height="480"></iframe>

 

[Zargon]

So I have just finished planning out the preliminary plan for heading out to Deadhorse, its up on the maps on the first link.

I didn't realize that on the Dalton highway, you are allowed to get off at any point to camp or hike, as long as you are not blocking access to the pipeline.

 

[VCeXpedition]

Do bears show up on Google maps?

Sent from my SM-T350 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Zargon]

Do bears show up on Google maps?

Sent from my SM-T350 using OB Talk mobile app

Of course! You just have to turn the base map over to "Oh f**k this s**t"

But In all seriousness about bears, I'll post some information regarding what I know and what my plan is for the trip in the front of bears.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Zargon]

On the note of bears:

I have lived in Goleta California all my life and grown up with pretty adventurous parents, so I have spent quite a few days hiking around the area (For people who may not know, this area of California is home to the Grizzly (Brown) bear as well as a fair number of snakes) and never had a bad encounter with any animal (I have never seen a bear in person in the wild, but a few tracks).

From what I have learned over the years, bears (and almost all animals) are rather cautious, they like to stay away from humans if they can, meaning that as long as you are reasonably smart and keep to yourself, the bears will keep to them selves.

The issues come from "camp" bears who have lived around camp sites long enough to know that humans carry food around with them, and that the food is usually easy to get. These camp bears tend to be very adventurous in comparison to their "wild" counter parts, but these bears usually keep to themselves, only going after the free food left by the humans.

So the plan for the trip regarding bears is to take some bear spray, and be respectful of them.

 

[SlashX]

@Zargon do you need special permissions to drive thru Canada?
Your trip looks like fun, are you going solo? Are you staying on road or going full off road?

Enjoy

 

[Lifes2short4BS]

You're coming through my neck of the coast. Be sure to stop at Cameron's Pub for a "Cameron's Killer Burger" and a beer. Let me know when you're gonna be here and I'll come join you. One other little gem is just a few miles north of HWY92 in El Granada called Hopdogma. They make all their own beers, and they are quite good.

 

[Zargon]

@Zargon do you need special permissions to drive thru Canada?
Your trip looks like fun, are you going solo? Are you staying on road or going full off road?

Enjoy

You do not need any special permits to be able to drive through Canada, but you do need a passport to get back into the states (Interestingly, you don't need one just to enter Canada, you just couldn't get back into the states).

I don't plan on going solo, while its not set in stone I might have up to 3 passengers with me. I am attempting to arrange another vehicle to come, but we will see how that goes.

I am going to be driving off-road as much as I can throughout the trip, but due to limited roads and access, freeway driving will be inevitable for sure. The trip will probably end up being about 60-70% on road and 30-40% off-road.

 

[Zargon]

You're coming through my neck of the coast. Be sure to stop at Cameron's Pub for a "Cameron's Killer Burger" and a beer. Let me know when you're gonna be here and I'll come join you. One other little gem is just a few miles north of HWY92 in El Granada called Hopdogma. They make all their own beers, and they are quite good.

That sounds like a brilliant stop! I will be sure to give you a heads up when I am heading through, thanks for extending the offer!

 

[SlashX]

You do not need any special permits to be able to drive through Canada, but you do need a passport to get back into the states (Interestingly, you don't need one just to enter Canada, you just couldn't get back into the states).

I don't plan on going solo, while its not set in stone I might have up to 3 passengers with me. I am attempting to arrange another vehicle to come, but we will see how that goes.

I am going to be driving off-road as much as I can throughout the trip, but due to limited roads and access, freeway driving will be inevitable for sure. The trip will probably end up being about 60-70% on road and 30-40% off-road.

I look forward to seeing your trip report.
Have fun.

 

[Zargon]

So I have decided to try and expand the trip a little to also include some more time in the Yukon, specifically driving the top of the world highway, as well as the Dempster.

An interesting problem I have had with using google maps to plan a summer trip, is if a road is "closed" then google maps won't let you plan your route using the road, which is great in theory, but some of the roads are only open in the summer, but google maps still won't let me plan the route on them.

 

[Zargon]

I started work on CAD-ing up a small drawer system for the back of my rover for the trip. I am contemplating having a slide for a table on top of all the drawers on the passenger side... Thoughts? Most people put the table at the same height of the drawers, however I am reasonably tall (6'6") and prefer to work without hunching over.

I have also decided to install a secondary battery system in the rear of the rover with some SLA batteries, and I am contemplating getting two slimmer batteries in parallel in the small side compartments of the drawer system.

So many possibilities!

 

[pl626]

I started work on CAD-ing up a small drawer system for the back of my rover for the trip. I am contemplating having a slide for a table on top of all the drawers on the passenger side... Thoughts? Most people put the table at the same height of the drawers, however I am reasonably tall (6'6") and prefer to work without hunching over.
View attachment 15216
I have also decided to install a secondary battery system in the rear of the rover with some SLA batteries, and I am contemplating getting two slimmer batteries in parallel in the small side compartments of the drawer system.

So many possibilities!

Looks good. I was originally going to put an extra Yellowtop in the back of my RRC, but I've decided to go LiFePo4 for the second. This allows for a smaller, lighter battery, about only a fourth the weight of an equivalent SLA. I'm planning on placing my aux battery directly behind the rear seats, but ahead of the cargo drawers.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Zargon]

I think I have finalized the drawers after tweaking some dimensions and parts, now just to build them and install!


I have looked more into a dual battery setup and have decided to go ahead and install a small one. I will put a 17ah SLA battery (I can always easily install a second to make 34ah) in the driver side compartment of the drawer system, I believe I can fit most of the electronics I need in there, and I will keep all of the power (both 120v from an inverter and 12v sockets) located on the drawer system to prevent pulling more wires then necessary. I am contemplating installing some interior lights (12v strips?) due to the lacking stock lighting from the Rover...

 

[pl626]

If you are using less than a 20 AH, you should really consider using LiFePO4 instead of SLA. The differences in depth of discharge between the two types is huge. You'll get more usable charge and battery life from the LiFePO4, plus, I will be a smaller and lighter form factor. Initial cost may be higher, it TCO will be lower, in addition to the other advantages of LiFePO4.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zargon]

If you are using less than a 20 AH, you should really consider using LiFePO4 instead of SLA. The differences in depth of discharge between the two types is huge. You'll get more usable charge and battery life from the LiFePO4, plus, I will be a smaller and lighter form factor. Initial cost may be higher, it TCO will be lower, in addition to the other advantages of LiFePO4.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll look into them, the two down sides to me are the price (not to Terrible, but it's still a budget build) and also I have yet to find a charger that will work on a 12V system that is designed for a LiFePO4 battery

Sent from my Nexus 6P using OB Talk mobile app

 

[pl626]

Correct, but they'll last longer, hold charge longer, charge quicker. Penny wise, pound foolish...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk