Driving the ALCAN in Extreme conditions-ALASKA VANLIFE
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2024
- I finally depart the beautiful state of Alaska in the extreme winter conditions. In this episode I complete the full Alaska Highway in the dead of winter, camping out in temperatures that reach 20 degrees below zero.
Thank you Steve!
@AlaskaVolkswagenAdventures
After spending 10 years with all types of vanagons, I'd say you are the bravest man i know.
I love starting up vanagons. I feel like it’s comparable to starting a space craft you just randomly found after 40 years. All the lights going and shaking. Love it.
Dreamiest coffee sequence I've ever seen. Great music.
I do like coffee🙌
If you don't have it already (and from how you describe the heater core unable to stay warm and cold air getting in while driving, I suspect you don't) the next upgrade you should do should be the Vanistan cabin air recirc kit. Made a HUGE difference in my van's heater performance. Granted, I haven't driven in subzero conditions, but just bopping around Anchorage in ~20f, the heater will roast you out with the outside air blocked off.
I’ve heard good things about the recirc kit I’ll have to add that to the list!
Second vote for the Vanistan fresh air flap kit! It'll help keep cold air from coming into the cabin, as well as heat from the radiator during the Summer. For those with rear mounted air conditioning it'll help with that too. Without the flap kit, an air pressure dam will build in the cabin, preventing the colder air from reaching the front passenger area the faster you drive.
Loving the ride with you my nephew also loving the music that you have playing from Uncle D
A blanket wrapped up the legs, a. the VW van is COLD. Happy trails! Onward!
Greetings from Germany,
if you drive in very cold temperatures a diesel my advice:
Make sure that your glowplugs are good. They age and start to produce less heat.
If you start in these cold temperatures, give a little throttle while starting, it increases the fuelinjection and the T3 will start better.
Yes! Glowplugs were new running a hot tune I could’ve messed with the injection quantity a bit to have easier starts but it wasn’t struggling too much. I’m tuning it now for 0-32f and don’t see myself having to deal with much colder than that this winter
It's beautiful up there. Thank you for sharing. Love Your Auntie!
“you came here in *that*? - you’re braver than I thought”
Princess Leia
Throw an insulated blanket behind the seats when driving. Hold the cab heat up front.
The Alcan is a snooze fest now. I spent 53 days traveling Alaska from the Kenai to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay in 2022. The Alcan was the most boring. Now, between 1977 and 1980 I drove the mud, gravel, clay Alcan 5 different times its entire length. THAT was exciting!!!!!
I would have loved to drive it in its purest form! Google maps and small luxuries like pavement make it just a long drive haha
Great drone footage. Can’t believe it would fly in -20f. Have a safe trip and a Vantastic adventure 👍
Thank you! The batteries don’t like the cold lol
I used to put a total front to cover the frill of my Rabbit. Also, in extreme cold it is fine to mix up to 10% gas with the fuel . In my area it would be -25 to -30 and 10- 15 deg cooler at night.
Wow such a relaxing video😊
when I was young we used to have one of these over in german and it had the same problem with the heater just not pushing all that hard. I remember my parents had what I can only describe as being like giant floppy fridge magnets, which had been cut to fit around the rear vents. Capping those off allowed the rear engine area to retain more heat and in turn heated up the cabin better. that made all the difference in the world. maybe that works for you. Nice van!
I was on the Alcan in 1974 when it was gravel, now that was a trip.
Back then you could make better time in the winter than in the summer. The road was smoother and the gravel gave you grip. Road was ruined once they paved it.
The Westfalia interior is my favorite travel home ever
It's a fantastic journey ! wow ! My respects !
We did the cardboard in front of the radiator when I was there, but later questioned, that if you had a working thermostat,,,was that needed.
Gotta leave Anchorage for Utah in SEPTEMBER or OCTOBER at the latest! Snow ❄️ is a 🐻 BEAR!
Considering diesels rely on heat for proper combustion, running too cold is one of the most destructive things for their longevity. A relay to bump up idle isn't a bad idea either if you want to let it run. Idling is hard on them because of the same heat issues.
5:49 this whole dawn “pre flight” coffee and engine start/warm up was fantastic. Feels like you’re on another planet
Thanks for sharing your trip! learned a lot about Alaska and the Vanagon Camping. and yes get the Vanistan recirc kit!
Dude I love your videos. I have an 87 westy and I always assumed it would just fall apart in the cold. Your an inspiration man! Love your videos!
Haha yeah these do surprisingly well in the cold
Within the First 3mins it’s already a Banger!
🙏🤘
Damn, that's a haul. I had an 82 diesel westy full camper that I swapped an 1.9l td AAZ engine into. it was brutal to drive long distance with the drone of the diesel but got like 25-26mpg which was great.
Awesome drone footage bro. First time on the channel.
Subscribed!
Yes that looks a awesome fun to drive in.Good job topper van 😀 🥶
I drove a Diesel Vanagon on the highway once maybe 20 years ago - it was possibly slower than my old 1600. Stay the course man, good on you.
Hey Sebastian love your videos man! I’ve got an 86 westy and would love to do some of the road trips you have done! What size tires are you running? And what modifications are required to fit that big of a tire on a 2wd vanagon?
Somebody might have already mentioned this, but you should think about an engine preheater for them cold starts. Where it circulates and warms up your coolant.
Great adventure it was great meeting you in Anchorage and I’m glad you got to experience the Alcan in the winter it’s my favorite time to drive it. Looking forward to the rest of this trip.
Great meeting you and thank you again for the help!
in winter always keep some mixed nuts (wallnuts, almonds, salted brownd cashu, pistachios) mix ready to eat and hot water in rubber hot water bottle with its woolen cover, also carry a motel room size whiskey/brandy bottle at hand.
9:15 so you described how cold it is about 10 times then you set about blocking off the grille to improve heat output but YOU LEFT THE VAN DOOR OPEN
Hey man! That gravel pit right after crossing into the Yukon was one of my favorite spots. I look forward to pulling into that road whenever I take this trip. Cool to see someone else enjoying it. 😁
I couldn’t see much but it definitely looked cool! It was one of the only spots plowed too.
Oh yeah. Just enough to pull into a spot and stay. I might have shown my set up in one of the spots along there. Can't remember. Got me jonesing to hit the road again.
I appreciate you capturing this beautiful footage of a place lots of people dream about seeing in person but may not realistically have a chance. I hope that in between all of the setting up shots and recording you had a chance to appreciate the raw beauty of what you were witnessing.
Thank you so much! And yes, I get easily distracted so if I see something cool I’ll film it for a little then forget to pick up the camera again haha. Like with the hot springs I’m glad I remembered to get a small shot of it as I was leaving but I was there for a few hours
Next time on winter season fill up your tank 3/4 of the tank with diesel and 1/4 on premium regular
wow very interesting experience friend
crazy ride bro, you really pushed the limits with your van, and winter, i bought cheap toyota vans for my summer-long trips to alaska, i did it roundtrip from texas 23 summers, 5 months livin in cheap toyota vans, probly 400,00 miles-500,000 miles total, hardly an issue, i usually split alaska before it gets bad in sept, a few times i did leave in mid october and it was super sketchy in some spots and i myself got in some real potentially deadly spots, so i quit leavin alaska late.... definitely early sept or earlier, then i can have more time and fun weather in bc and alberta,
i love new roads and places , i took every new route i could take, i love the cassiar one way, unless its socked in with rain which happens ALOT..... then its useless, i dont wanna fish in the rain, then the alcan is the other, gotta decide in watson lake. every summer i played in several great bars at almost every stop. i played the discovery bar in whitehorse, the gateway hotel bar in watson lake, stewart/hyder, and a zillion other bars, into vancouver or the other route jasper to banff and whitefish what more of a wild ride could anyone ask for, never regretted shuttin my business down in texas to play music and camp in fantastic places....
a big tip for travelin the alcan:
i stopped the truckers from throwing rocks at me by moving into their lane, head on, they would slow down below 60 or 50 mph, then i would move back in my lane , they didnt have a choice.
and they couldnt sling rocks at me anymore ever again, they cant do shit about it either, i never lost a windshield cuz i wouldnt alow it to happen.
i am too far from home to play games with sadistic truckers
we, (travelin with my friends)/ or i travelin solo, loved stoppin at liard hotsprings and most of the time we/I had it all to ourselves, no buildings or people, we would stay 2-4 days to recharge, cook and sleep in the parkin lot, the only ones there, now its so different... i will cherish livin in my van for 5 months each summer, fishin, playin music in bars, western usa and canada, alaska how do ya top it? i am gearin up but i dont know where...
Excellent Video. Thank you.
Love the channel! Been following you for a while! You’re living my dream while I sit on the couch! Hats off to you man, and keep the videos coming
Cardboard GUUD🥶😎
Just found your channel. AWESOME. You should install a diesel hydronic heater. Heat and easy starts for the rig. Nice setup BTW. We’ve been full time in a Sprinter with 34’s for 18 months. Wouldn’t change it for the world. Sub’d ❤
What a road trip. Good luck
Wonder if your engine thermostat is stuck open or your heater control valve is closed. You should be getting hot air out of your vents. Fantastic trip. Such a bucket list item.
Youv got to love the vw t25s so capable for an old van chad on living the van life use to do videos in his and it was such a good van great vid fella
That looked like great coffee. edit. Very good narration. - N Idaho -
My brother did a job in Western Yukon, couple weeks there it was -35 last year, fortunately the work they were doing was inside warming huts on a pipeline....
you got balls ilove it safe travels my friend
Hey dude! Diesel mechanic here. Someone’s probly already said this. But one, that Power Service additive is our favorite, good choice. Adding a bit too much won’t hurt anything.
I have a 75 bay window. But I also have a ford with the 7.3 diesel. I run my glow plugs 4 or even 5 times when it’s really cold. So if you’re battery is good run those things 3 or 4 times at least when it’s real cold. Safe travels! Good video man.
If you pass through Reno, Nevada going to Tahoe or whatever and need a driveway to camp in, I’ve got one with full hook ups and a hot shower, laundry, whatever you need just let me know!
Thank you! Yeah I didn’t really know what I was getting so I googled reviews for everything on the shelf and people seem to trust this one the most.
I did end up replacing the battery, alternator, and starter in anchorage throughout the summer so I wouldn’t have to stress about it too much.
I drove from Girdwood to Bellingham in mid November with a front wheel drive Suzuki hatchback. It took me 4 days, I loved it...😊
I enjoyed it more than the summer! Felt more real
The drone footage. You’re alone, how did you launched the drone while you drove? Must be super high tech drone? That follows the car? Beautiful shots, love it. Thank you.
Thank you! Definitely not high tech. It’s an old mavic mini with no tracking or sensors. I pull over and fly it to a good spot and drive past it. I’ll move it left or right to “follow”
Drive the Alcan twice in the winter of ‘98 in a geo storm with my brother. Anchorage to Phoenix and back. Better road conditions than the summer trips we took the year before.
I watched this video recently. I live in Salt Lake City and believe I saw your van parked on west temple near 300s today?
Hi nice to meet you!
awesome video buddy, love the van!
Just commenting for the algorithms
Just responding for the algorithms 🙏
Your videos rock Sebastian ! looking forward to seeing some content from the lower 48. I recently bought an '87 westy and drove it from Washington --> Boston, 3100 miles goes a lot faster than you'd think when dissociating to podcasts. Good luck !
Thank you! Yeah that’s a long trek, I’m in Boston now lol
Lots of videos to come!
@@Sebastianstonum oh dude sick !? Are you around for long ?
@@bearpits not long I’m leaving tomorrow. Just flew in for work.
Glad you made it. You make noodles a funny way haha🎉. Really scary with -30. we would freeze in our rooftop
I watch your video and all I can think is BRRRRRR! Love the MacGyver radiator block, used to do the same here in the NE with my truck. Blocking that fresh air intake would really make a difference, a gutter screen from the box stores fits flush with the intake unlike the plastic screen on it. You can easily do the same cardboard with it. Can not wait to see part 2, stay warm!
Yeah there’s no way to sugar coat how freaking cold it is!
Hi Tim!!!
❤❤❤❤ its just awesome...hope you make an other part of 1500 km
Hello Sebastian,
This videos been sitting in my “watch later” folder for a few days. It looked interesting so I saved it…
I’ve never been to Alaska, although I’d love to go. I’m a bit further south than you in New Mexico about an hour from Old Mexico…
Looks like you dos good many interesting things so I subscribed…
Stay warm and safe out there
Hi! In Ukraine, we have a device where you cut the engine coolant pipe and insert it between the two pipes. This device acts as a pump with a heater, allowing you to heat up the coolant to warm up your engine. Additionally, you can wrap the fuel tank pipeline with some heating wire."
I’ve been up and down the AlCan over 60 times, but only twice in the winter. I enjoyed your footage. Btw, the bison were reintroduced into the area by the hot springs over 20 years ago. Long time truckers hate it because they hang out on the roadside year round. When they widened the highway there grass was planted which has become the main food source for the bison.
60 times! That’s incredible. Yeah I wouldn’t want to hit a bison or elk or moose.
I enjoyed driving it in the winter more than the summer because of the lack of mosquitoes and people
Right on buddy!!
❤❤ nice vlogs car camp
Wow
Great Travel!!!
I have driven to Alaska twice in the winter, both times in December. It wasn't fun, IF you do decide, you better have good winter clothing and a cold weather sleeping bag, there are not many stops along the way for shelter. and fuel up at every gas station. Avoid driving at night , most gas station are close at night.and there very few cars on the road, if you ever break down and need help.
They sell different grades of diesel, #1 and #2, kerosene is the old standby to cut diesel with or straight kerosene will keep fuel from gelling ....
My gosh you guys in these vans are amazing. That is incredible the darn engine even started at 1 degree. LOL You have any sort of heater or anything like that on this unit? I really enjoy watching Living the Van Life as well. He has one hell of a setup on both rigs.
Thank you! I don’t have any sort of block heater though I’m sure it would help out a lot. I do have a heater in the van to keep me warm. Chads a great guy, his content deserves its own Netflix series! Haha
I wonder if by running your diesel heater at night you get enough heat into your engine bay to help a bit with morning starts?
Well done man brave heart 🚐🚐👌🏿
I owned an 86 Diesel Jetta and that thing absolutely despised the cold weather. Anything below 5 Celsius and I had to plug in the block heater. Pretty well ZERO interior heat either. Great fuel mileage though....
Yeah a block heater would’ve helped a lot! The toes were definitely cold
Is that an aftermarket diesel engine you put in there That's not a factory is it
Your diesel heater pump sounds pretty loud, is it a planar / Autoterm heater? sometime there is air inside of the pumpe that makes the pump very loud and heater heats not very well.
Did the cardboard allow your heater core to work better for you?
Alaska is absolutely beautiful but way to chilly for me. Sébastien is your van a Volkswagen? Since I have had Volkswagens I know they don't hold the road to good. To lightweight. And in snowy weather not good. How r u and the van doing?
It the guy in the white synchro from Pennsylvania?...Van looks familiar.
Around 8:57 time stamp. Whta brand are your gloves?
Just generic black diamond ski gloves
I own an 87. With the extra feul did you have a problem getting gas along this route?
Does the diesel there contain additives to be usable at -25°C please?
Nice haha!
Wow!
Just found your channel. It’s awesome!!! What do you use for filming? Looking at getting into it.
Thank you!! I’m using a Sony a7iii for most of the filming
Fox shocks suck....run away....blew one out on my new raptor....22k miles...hiway driving only....i put in a 110 dollar f150 shock from a well known name brand...rides even better now...saved 370 dollars,each side✌
Really cool man, such an inspiration. What are those headlights!? Or have you replaced the loom?
They are just the stock headlights. I couldnt see much without the lightbar
Hi, I am new to the channel, What is that constant ticking noise ? (no, I don't mean the diesel engine)
That is the fuel pump for my diesel heater. It’s a metering pump that’s incredibly annoying
So you did this in a two- wheel drive Vanagon? How many times did you have to be rescued? Was gas available when you needed it? My sister , a USAF retiree, lives in Palmer and I’d love to visit her.
Yes just a 2wd vanagon with no storms and didn’t need to be rescued at all! It’s completely doable as long as you are able prepared for the worst and you’ll definitely make it to Palmer. I filled up with diesel most stations I encountered and never got below half tank and I get 320 a tank. I skipped the one in Haines junction just because I knew Whitehorse was a better option.
@@Sebastianstonum I have. 2WD with a Subaru engine. I’d love to do this trip.
Be careful of your water pump in the tank if they freeze they can split .
Yeah once it froze it was game over. I need to check everything now that it’s thawed out
Next time you travel in that weather do not shut the van off, ever
Beaver Creek was the most expensive fuel I found on the AlCan
Supply and demand. I’m glad I didn’t need to fill up haha
That ticking sound, diesel heater ?
Yeah it’s loud
A real adventure? What VW diesel engine are you running?
I’m running an ALH out of an 02 Jetta
It’s a diesel engine. Keep it running!
Diesel is not cheap...
Ballsy drive!
What speed do you average on icy roads like that?
The packed snow and sand was pretty good I managed 55-60
Do you own a wireless mic or any mic
I just picked up the new rode wireless mic but haven’t used it yet. The audio in the next video will be much better!
@@Sebastianstonum great as it was hard to watch but have just subscribed.. i have both mic dji and go 2 rode
Sweet thank you! Yeah all these videos are a learning curve for me. Still trying to see what works and what doesn’t.
block one half of your radiator
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🚙🚗
Why the loud distracting music? Would have been much better without any.
Thank you!
Get a buddy heater with like 4 or 5 small tanks for backup those sons of bitches will save your life even if u don't have heat in your car