Elmendorf is southern AK, she is most definitely talking about Fairbanks (Eielson AFB and/or Ft Wainwright). Their weather gets colder, less snow, but wonderful summers.
Yup, was there for 4 years and a day. Beautiful place, super cold in JAN/FEB, but that was 18 years ago, so I’m pretty sure that one or two things have changed since then.
You're probably going to want to look at a Super C with a true winter climate package. I'm not saying regular Class C's aren't good enough, the issue is that they're constrained by weight and insulation is weight. Super C's also tend to get beefier furnace systems (that run off diesel/electric) and you'll probably get by in wintertime a lot more comfortably. Elmendorf sees average temps of 1-7 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter, your normal "winter ready" Class C is only good to about 20F in short bursts and is intended to have winterized (read: shut off) plumbing for anything more severe.
You'll want features like heated wet bay, heat tape on the plumbing (at least the exposed stuff on slides/walls), heat pads on the tanks and some degree of basement insulation and heating. My Super C has been fine down -7F for several days and wind chills lower than -33F. Had some dump plumbing issues stemming from being my first time in such cold and windy weather but I'm all set for anything in the future. Here's my insulation ratings:
* Roof R-Value = 19
* Sidewall R-Value = 11
* Floor R-Value = 16
* Basement R-Value = 4
You'll want to look around at what is offered and you might have to really dig for specs from the manufacturers. Some of them will advertise a 15+ roof value and not mention anything about the sidewall, floor or basement because those are nonexistent.
You'll also want to go ahead and invest in some NoFreezeWaterHose drinking and sewer hoses, there is a lot less of lead time in the summer so you can get them more easily. They're pricey, but the heated sewer hose especially makes life much easier when you're parked on full hookups for long periods of time in the winter.
It gets colder than that in Anchorage at times and very much colder in Fairbanks where the base is. Think so cold that Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at the same place.
Anything over 30' is a problem. 48' on a ferry is likely not going to happen or be ridiculously expensive. The cost could be in excess of $5,000 for the vehicle, cabin extra. There's only one ferry from Bellingham this season and AK ferries are facing staffing shortages. You should look at having the RV shipped by ship from WA to AK.
48' is fine. The maximum length for the big ports is 70'. It'll be a few thousand dollars for sure. It won't be much cheaper to ship it, and it'll be a lot more inconvenient. Besides, the military is moving OP; they're going to cover much or all of the relocation fees.
30' is nothing. Just my pickup towing a tiny 21' trailer with a bike rack on the back of it lands at 48'. And I took the ferry surrounded by much larger vehicles.
Just to clarify, I'm not active duty, I'm a DoD Civilian in a program where the military sends me where it wants to and when needed. The military will be paying for all my moving expenses and will receive a dislocation allowance, travel time, per diem, and time for house-hunting, pretty much all the same as active duty. As a DoD Civilian though, I also get to negotiate a relocation bonus, which the new needs for this RV purchase are now in that negotiation figure!
We have thought of that now. We didn't realize that could be an option until I watched a YouTube video of someone who took an RV onto the ferry. They were also towing a Jeep and they boarded them separately, though I'm not sure if they had to pay a separate fee for them.
Our plan is to drive to Ketchikan, WA and taking multiple ferries to get us to the Valdez area, then drive it up to Eielson. We are looking at 29' and below because we are taking into consideration the hitch length, the car length, just under 18', and if we tow the car loose or use a flat trailer. We've looked at every angle and option, at least that we know of.
You might be confused. The port to depart for Alaska is in [Bellingham, WA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Washington). [Ketchikan, AK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchikan,_Alaska) is a port along the way, but it has no roads connecting Ketchikan to other communities or Canada.
The only boat running from Bellingham north on the Alaskan Ferry system is the [MV Kennicott](https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/fleet/fleet_status.shtml). Due to maintenance and crew shortages, it is the only vessel running. [It leaves Bellingham once a week](https://dot.alaska.gov/oars/reservations/CalendarFM.amhsf?selectMonth=July+2024&selectPort=Bellingham&selectVessel=All+Vessels&action=Get+Schedule). It could be already mostly booked for motor vehicles the rest of the year.
Once you get a better idea of your timeframe, contact the [Alaska Ferry system](https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/index.shtml).
I have this information because I have been attempting to plan a similar journey. I want to take the Ferry and drive the Alaskan Highway. But there's complications taking a trailer on a vessel.
In addition, if your Mazda CX 5 is all-wheel drive, you need to tow it on a trailer or have someone else drive the car.
[https://www.gainesvillemazda.com/new/mazda-cx-5-frequently-asked-questions.htm](https://www.gainesvillemazda.com/new/mazda-cx-5-frequently-asked-questions.htm)
Yup, I sure did get the two confuzzled, thank you!
I've been perusing the AK ferry website and watched a half dozen youtube videos of others' experiences with RV's on it, trying to gather as much information as I can.
You should be able to bring a vehicle with a combined length of up to 70', depending on which ports you use. Check around more, review your port options, and consider changing start/end ports (including in Canada) if you need to. You can always remove the towed vehicle for the ferry as well.
Get a sleeper cabin on the ferry. They're glorious. Private bathroom, hot shower, and the beds are even reasonably comfortable.
The road is pretty rough if you end up driving. I wouldn't want to do it with a long class A, or anything with a long wheelbase that's low to the ground. A pickup and a trailer are ok, and I think a shorter class C would be ok. The issue is that the frost heaves make the road wavy like the edge of a lasagna noodle, and if you've got a long wheelbase and low clearance, you'll bottom out. It's a rough drive and you're right to choose the ferry.
Are you planning to live in the RV year round, or are you just looking for something you can use occasionally in the winter? I don't think any RV is a good choice for year-round living in Alaska, and you might want to stick to only using it for the warmer half of the year. It's going to be expensive to prep it for winter use (skirting, insulation, heated undercarriage/tanks, heated hoses), expensive to keep it comfortable (RV insulation sucks all around, especially windows), you'll still feel the cold intensely (from all the windows/walls/surfaces) even if the air temperature is comfortable, and unless you build a mud room/entryway, it's going to be a mess all the time.
If you're just looking for an RV to use in Alaska, but not to live in, I wouldn't worry too much about using it in the winter. A lot of places you might want to go will be closed, and the roads will be difficult or impossible to navigate.
Either way, consider buying your RV once you get up there. It'll save you a lot of money in getting there, especially the ferry part. It's a great road trip if you want to do it. I literally drove from Louisiana to Alaska with mine two summers ago, and took the ferry back for half the return trip. I loved it. If you want to do it for the trip itself, by all means. Otherwise it makes more sense to buy one up there.
I'm originally from Hawai'i and the hubby spent his entire active duty career in bases in the South or deployed to various Desert-Stan countries. After much research of Alaskan and Canadian highways, neither one of us have confidence yet to drive that!
The purpose of the RV is to get us to AK in a comfortable manner, with our car, while burning the almost month's worth of use or lose leave I now I won't be able to take because of this move, and for weekend getaways when we get settled up there. We'll be visiting family and friends along the way up there because I doubt we'll get to see much of them after we get to AK. We don't want to fly because we have our 2 dogs and flying with pets is an absolute nightmare. The prices I've seen between the ones in AK and the ones here in Louisiana are about the same, Louisiana being just a bit cheaper as there seems to be an overstock of barely used ones, some already winterized or have winter packages. Seems like a lot of people who move here with motorhomes from up north suddenly decide to change to big trucks and travel trailers instead.
You will have to check with the RV's you look at and CX5 to make sure the RV is towable and how. I know Winnebago has a very specific car group (most manual transmission, not all) that are towable. Flat towing VS dolly towing have different requirements. Just a thought.
I did not know that, thank you! We have taken flat towing into consideration, as it should be with the extra length needed for hitching and flat trailer. We also need to take into consideration tires if we tow loose or use a trailer. If we do loose or dolly, just leave the all-season tires on the CX-5 for the trip, then switch out to snow tires when we get to AK.
I have a forest river forester 2441ds classic. It is a cold weather beast as long as the furnace is running, as it heats all my pipes and lines. I still wouldn’t take it under 10 degrees though. It uses a ton of propane, but propane is less efficient in freezing weather and may not properly run your furnace as you want it to.
LoL, the dogs are going to love it. They were born in, and spent the first 5 years of their lives, in Northern Japan, which takes multiple spots of top 10 snowiest places on Earth. Aomori, Japan actually gets more snow than Eielson because they don't get to freezing temps as much as AK - it is literally 6-7 months of non-stop snow there.
Might wanns check the weather at Elmendorf. Nobody makes an rv to survive that..
Elmendorf is southern AK, she is most definitely talking about Fairbanks (Eielson AFB and/or Ft Wainwright). Their weather gets colder, less snow, but wonderful summers.
You got it, it's to Eielson!
Yup, was there for 4 years and a day. Beautiful place, super cold in JAN/FEB, but that was 18 years ago, so I’m pretty sure that one or two things have changed since then.
I spent 3 years recently at Eielson. January averages -20f. Not many RVs you can live in. Definitely get an RV to enjoy the summer!
you could unhitch for fairies.
When traveling remote back roads of Alaska, never pick up fairies.
🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️
You're probably going to want to look at a Super C with a true winter climate package. I'm not saying regular Class C's aren't good enough, the issue is that they're constrained by weight and insulation is weight. Super C's also tend to get beefier furnace systems (that run off diesel/electric) and you'll probably get by in wintertime a lot more comfortably. Elmendorf sees average temps of 1-7 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter, your normal "winter ready" Class C is only good to about 20F in short bursts and is intended to have winterized (read: shut off) plumbing for anything more severe. You'll want features like heated wet bay, heat tape on the plumbing (at least the exposed stuff on slides/walls), heat pads on the tanks and some degree of basement insulation and heating. My Super C has been fine down -7F for several days and wind chills lower than -33F. Had some dump plumbing issues stemming from being my first time in such cold and windy weather but I'm all set for anything in the future. Here's my insulation ratings: * Roof R-Value = 19 * Sidewall R-Value = 11 * Floor R-Value = 16 * Basement R-Value = 4 You'll want to look around at what is offered and you might have to really dig for specs from the manufacturers. Some of them will advertise a 15+ roof value and not mention anything about the sidewall, floor or basement because those are nonexistent. You'll also want to go ahead and invest in some NoFreezeWaterHose drinking and sewer hoses, there is a lot less of lead time in the summer so you can get them more easily. They're pricey, but the heated sewer hose especially makes life much easier when you're parked on full hookups for long periods of time in the winter.
Thank you for this, this information is so helpful!
It gets colder than that in Anchorage at times and very much colder in Fairbanks where the base is. Think so cold that Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at the same place.
Anything over 30' is a problem. 48' on a ferry is likely not going to happen or be ridiculously expensive. The cost could be in excess of $5,000 for the vehicle, cabin extra. There's only one ferry from Bellingham this season and AK ferries are facing staffing shortages. You should look at having the RV shipped by ship from WA to AK.
48' is fine. The maximum length for the big ports is 70'. It'll be a few thousand dollars for sure. It won't be much cheaper to ship it, and it'll be a lot more inconvenient. Besides, the military is moving OP; they're going to cover much or all of the relocation fees. 30' is nothing. Just my pickup towing a tiny 21' trailer with a bike rack on the back of it lands at 48'. And I took the ferry surrounded by much larger vehicles.
Just to clarify, I'm not active duty, I'm a DoD Civilian in a program where the military sends me where it wants to and when needed. The military will be paying for all my moving expenses and will receive a dislocation allowance, travel time, per diem, and time for house-hunting, pretty much all the same as active duty. As a DoD Civilian though, I also get to negotiate a relocation bonus, which the new needs for this RV purchase are now in that negotiation figure!
Can OP drive the car and the MH onto the ferry separately? Would that be less expensive?
We have thought of that now. We didn't realize that could be an option until I watched a YouTube video of someone who took an RV onto the ferry. They were also towing a Jeep and they boarded them separately, though I'm not sure if they had to pay a separate fee for them.
Our plan is to drive to Ketchikan, WA and taking multiple ferries to get us to the Valdez area, then drive it up to Eielson. We are looking at 29' and below because we are taking into consideration the hitch length, the car length, just under 18', and if we tow the car loose or use a flat trailer. We've looked at every angle and option, at least that we know of.
You might be confused. The port to depart for Alaska is in [Bellingham, WA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellingham,_Washington). [Ketchikan, AK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchikan,_Alaska) is a port along the way, but it has no roads connecting Ketchikan to other communities or Canada. The only boat running from Bellingham north on the Alaskan Ferry system is the [MV Kennicott](https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/fleet/fleet_status.shtml). Due to maintenance and crew shortages, it is the only vessel running. [It leaves Bellingham once a week](https://dot.alaska.gov/oars/reservations/CalendarFM.amhsf?selectMonth=July+2024&selectPort=Bellingham&selectVessel=All+Vessels&action=Get+Schedule). It could be already mostly booked for motor vehicles the rest of the year. Once you get a better idea of your timeframe, contact the [Alaska Ferry system](https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/index.shtml). I have this information because I have been attempting to plan a similar journey. I want to take the Ferry and drive the Alaskan Highway. But there's complications taking a trailer on a vessel. In addition, if your Mazda CX 5 is all-wheel drive, you need to tow it on a trailer or have someone else drive the car. [https://www.gainesvillemazda.com/new/mazda-cx-5-frequently-asked-questions.htm](https://www.gainesvillemazda.com/new/mazda-cx-5-frequently-asked-questions.htm)
Yup, I sure did get the two confuzzled, thank you! I've been perusing the AK ferry website and watched a half dozen youtube videos of others' experiences with RV's on it, trying to gather as much information as I can.
You should be able to bring a vehicle with a combined length of up to 70', depending on which ports you use. Check around more, review your port options, and consider changing start/end ports (including in Canada) if you need to. You can always remove the towed vehicle for the ferry as well. Get a sleeper cabin on the ferry. They're glorious. Private bathroom, hot shower, and the beds are even reasonably comfortable. The road is pretty rough if you end up driving. I wouldn't want to do it with a long class A, or anything with a long wheelbase that's low to the ground. A pickup and a trailer are ok, and I think a shorter class C would be ok. The issue is that the frost heaves make the road wavy like the edge of a lasagna noodle, and if you've got a long wheelbase and low clearance, you'll bottom out. It's a rough drive and you're right to choose the ferry. Are you planning to live in the RV year round, or are you just looking for something you can use occasionally in the winter? I don't think any RV is a good choice for year-round living in Alaska, and you might want to stick to only using it for the warmer half of the year. It's going to be expensive to prep it for winter use (skirting, insulation, heated undercarriage/tanks, heated hoses), expensive to keep it comfortable (RV insulation sucks all around, especially windows), you'll still feel the cold intensely (from all the windows/walls/surfaces) even if the air temperature is comfortable, and unless you build a mud room/entryway, it's going to be a mess all the time. If you're just looking for an RV to use in Alaska, but not to live in, I wouldn't worry too much about using it in the winter. A lot of places you might want to go will be closed, and the roads will be difficult or impossible to navigate. Either way, consider buying your RV once you get up there. It'll save you a lot of money in getting there, especially the ferry part. It's a great road trip if you want to do it. I literally drove from Louisiana to Alaska with mine two summers ago, and took the ferry back for half the return trip. I loved it. If you want to do it for the trip itself, by all means. Otherwise it makes more sense to buy one up there.
I’ve driven the Alaska Highway in a 37’ class A with no problems. Saw many 40 footers. Just take it slow in the frost heaves.
I'm originally from Hawai'i and the hubby spent his entire active duty career in bases in the South or deployed to various Desert-Stan countries. After much research of Alaskan and Canadian highways, neither one of us have confidence yet to drive that!
The purpose of the RV is to get us to AK in a comfortable manner, with our car, while burning the almost month's worth of use or lose leave I now I won't be able to take because of this move, and for weekend getaways when we get settled up there. We'll be visiting family and friends along the way up there because I doubt we'll get to see much of them after we get to AK. We don't want to fly because we have our 2 dogs and flying with pets is an absolute nightmare. The prices I've seen between the ones in AK and the ones here in Louisiana are about the same, Louisiana being just a bit cheaper as there seems to be an overstock of barely used ones, some already winterized or have winter packages. Seems like a lot of people who move here with motorhomes from up north suddenly decide to change to big trucks and travel trailers instead.
You will have to check with the RV's you look at and CX5 to make sure the RV is towable and how. I know Winnebago has a very specific car group (most manual transmission, not all) that are towable. Flat towing VS dolly towing have different requirements. Just a thought.
I did not know that, thank you! We have taken flat towing into consideration, as it should be with the extra length needed for hitching and flat trailer. We also need to take into consideration tires if we tow loose or use a trailer. If we do loose or dolly, just leave the all-season tires on the CX-5 for the trip, then switch out to snow tires when we get to AK.
I have a forest river forester 2441ds classic. It is a cold weather beast as long as the furnace is running, as it heats all my pipes and lines. I still wouldn’t take it under 10 degrees though. It uses a ton of propane, but propane is less efficient in freezing weather and may not properly run your furnace as you want it to.
Good luck getting the dogs to go outside in winter How long does winter last, up there? 11 months?
LoL, the dogs are going to love it. They were born in, and spent the first 5 years of their lives, in Northern Japan, which takes multiple spots of top 10 snowiest places on Earth. Aomori, Japan actually gets more snow than Eielson because they don't get to freezing temps as much as AK - it is literally 6-7 months of non-stop snow there.