Driving the Dalton Highway in a Toyota Tacoma with a Slide In Pop Up Truck Camper to Deadhorse, AK
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- Опубліковано 30 бер 2020
- In July of 2019 I drove the Dalton Highway, from Fairbanks to Deadhorse Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in my 2002 Toyota Tacoma with a slide in pop up truck camper. The 4 Day adventures was the trip of a lifetime, including jumping in the Arctic Ocean!
Full Report: christarzanclemens.com/2019/0...
With all the @#$%#@@$ going on in our country I find myself looking and appreciating these real people and real adventures. Thanks guys for taking the time to document your adventures with us people that can't yet break away to start our own adventure. Thanks guys!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
I did it in 88 Honda Accord in 2005, no problems. Just had to clean out build up of mud on inside of wheels a couple times. Drove past forest fire with trees burning that were right next to road, almost turned back but kept going breathing thru wet t shirt. Smoke eventually got less and less. Didn't see any grizzlies, but did see moose, musk ox, caribou, foxes and 2 wolves. An unforgettable trip!
That sounds like an amazing trip too! Yup, I definitely didn't need all that stuff on the Tacoma, haha, but it made for a great project leading up to an epic adventure! Cheers!
Great adventure, thanks for taking the rest of us along.
Thank you! Yup, it was a good one! Cheers!
Most important lesson I learned in Alaska concerning mosquitoes is wear a head net. Second was that a cigar a day keeps skeeters away.
I lived in Barrow and loved walking the beach. So many things to find on the beach.
Only ever flew into Prudhoe once, was beautiful from the air, but your video has rekindled my desire to drive up the Dalton.
Definitely would need to prep my truck for it.
Definitely a good lesson, the mosquitoes are for real up there! I hope to get to Barrow someday as well, so much to do up in Alaska, so little time! Cheers!
You guys rock, I being watching plenty of different people with campers videos, but yours are my favorite. Very inspirational videos, now I want to purchase one camper like yours and have my own adventures!
Thank you! Having a truck camper definitely opens the world for adventure!!! Cheers!
Thanks for the inspiration! Definitely on the ‘todo’ list now with my truck camper.
Yeah! It's totally worth it, enjoy!!!
I really must thank you for the excellent music which is not only so different from the canned stock electonic/indie sort of pop you get to hear in most YT videos, but also sets the whole local atmosphere. And I thoroughly enjoyed the lack of drone shots or overly creative editing. I got the sensation that it is the trip and the experience that counts here, not the oh-how-cool-I-am-making-videos factor.
Thank you! I love living life to the fullest and having adventures, and I also enjoy sharing my adventures with friends and family! Cheers!
Dude, that's an awesome video. Looks like a lot of fun and definitely memorable. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! It was a heck of an adventure, cheers!!!
One of the best upgrades you will ever do is changing out your seats. I got lucky and found “Limited” 1st gen seats on Tacomaworld but you can take 3rd gen 4Runner seats and slightly modify the base for it to work in a 1st gen Tacoma. The comfort on long rides is an absolute game changer!
Great idea! So far I've enjoyed the stock seats, but, that's a nice add! Cheers!
Awsome. So much memories of my Dalton Highway Road Trip in 2016. Congratulation
Thanks! It was pretty incredible, would definitely be a place I'd go back to someday!
I'm a trucker and I saw you guys! I thought you had a nice rig for the Dalton. Great video!
That's awesome! Thanks for the message! Yeah, the Dalton was the highlight of the summer, it's such a beautiful part of the world and I can't wait to get back!!! Cheers!
@@ChrisTarzanClemens It is incredibly beautiful and the landscapes change as the season changes beginning in May. I'd suggest going up during a different month on your next trip to see what looks different from your last trip. Cheers from Fairbanks!
Great content guys! I am thinking of adding a camper to my 99 TRD and your videos shows me it’s not a bad idea!
Nice! It was quite the project but I'm super happy with the result. Good luck and cheers!!!!
I was at the entrance by Livingood last week. Just inherited 7 acres 5 miles west of there. Cant wait to go back and do the Dalton. Thanks for the video.
That's awesome, such a beautiful part of the world, enjoy!!
I’ve only seen a few of your videos but I just love you guys. I hope to do something like this one day with my wife
Thank you! It was an incredible adventure!
Great video. Your video increased my desire to do the Dalton even more. We were also in Fairbanks in July 2019 in our 36' 5th wheel and plan to be back this summer with a popup camper to do the Dalton and the next year the Dempster depending on this virus. One tip about your solar, if you can get the panels out from under the bars you will get a lot more out of the panels. They are casting a shadow and cutting maybe 50% off their output.
Thank you! Alaska was incredible for sure, hopefully you can make it up the Dalton and Dempster as well! Maybe this summer I can get the aluminum bars moved over to the side of the panels and reduce the shadow, thanks for the feedback!
The best scene is at 10:00. I looks like it should be in an over-landing brochure. You are living one of my bucket list items; ALCAN to Fairbanks to the Dalton. Great stuff!
Thank you! It was one heck of an adventure!!! Cheers!
This is also on my bucket list. Enjoyed your video, you guys are a cute couple. Enjoyed.
Thank you!
OMG the misquitos .... We did the trip in 2018 and had an amazing time...
Ha, yes, they were for real! But still, such an awesome adventure!!!
Drove it in August 1999 in an F250 with cabover camper. Not as many mosquitoes in August. Surprised you didn’t take pictures of Antigun Pass. Lots of Dall sheep there. In 1999 they didn’t allow you to drive to Prudhoe bay. You had to take a tour bus. Our truck was a mud hole as well! Enjoyed the video!
That's awesome! Thank you, it was absolutely one of the best adventures!
I enjoy he videos You Two are Awesome , Great Truck 😊😇💙
Thank you! Cheers!
Looks like it was a great trip.
One of the best, thank you!
Great video. Thanks for posting it. Subscribed.
Awesome! Thank you!!
super sick adventure.
Thank you! Cheers!!!!
OH YEAH!!!TOYOTA'S ARE BUILT FOR LIFE BROTHER!!!!
Heck ya!
@@ChrisTarzanClemens yes sir no doubt about that I’m a Toyota man 👌👌👌
In August 2019 I made my third backpacking trip into the Arctic. Leaving Fairbanks we flew following the Dalton Hwy and could see the burned areas you referred to. I was excited to see the bridge over the Yukon River having paddled 250 miles on the river in the past. Also the Koyukuk River on which I took off in a bush plane once and followed the upper portion of the river on one of my journey.. The Arctic was the most difficult backpacking I have done in my 40 years of backpacking in many, many places. Enjoyed the wildlife you saw. Only thing I saw on my trips was a caribou. You are so fortunate to see the Musk Oxen in the wild. I saw them at a farm outside Fairbanks. The fur is so very warm, soft and very expensive. My trips have been in August so not much of a problem with mosquitos. I always enjoy your posts and your videos. Miss all my AT hikers. Keep up the adventuring and stop by to visit if you are ever back in my part of the world.
Thanks Mamaw B! I'm always inspired by all of your adventures too!!! I love getting out and exploring these places, and there's so much more I want to do! :)
Very cool journey. Thanks for sharing. You guys are cute couple.
Thank you! Cheers!
Great video Chris! Would love to do that drive and hike or take a helicopter in to see the Magic Bus!
Yes! We looked into the hike, seemed dangerous with the river raging while we were there, so we opted for a visit to the movie prop magic bus at a brewery instead! Cheers!
The bus was removed by helicopter last week. A tourist death trap.
Yes, without some backcountry experience it wasn't a good situation.
Hi there,
I was watching one of your videos and noticed your truck... I was camped next to you in Homer, AK. I took a picture of your truck.. if you send an email I will send it to you! AMAZING!!
Hey, that's awesome! It was a really fun summer, my email address is chrisjclemens@gmail.com, thanks and hopefully we can all get back to adventuring on the open road again soon!
Incredible trip! Congratulations! Did you see any small cars (Corolla, Civic, Golf) on Dalton Highway? Would it be possible to arrive at the Dead Horse with this type of car, albeit slowly and in the summer?
Ummm, yeah, I think it'd be possible. I didn't really need 4x4 or offroad at all. I think a higher clearance car might be a good idea, just to make sure to not drag or scrape anything from the underside if you hit a large pothole or something. I took 2 full size spare tires, it seems like that's fairly important, because if you blow one, and then blow the spare, you're kinda stuck. I'm not sure I'd want to take a sedan up there, but if I did I'd make sure to have new, fairly robust tires on it. I don't think I needed my built out rig either, I feel like a small SUV, with rugged tires, and maybe a 2nd spare, would be plenty to feel comfortable about the adventure. Cheers!
What an awesome trip! Love the taco rig. Is that a 4 wheel camper? Super hard to find a used one down here in the south east. Looking forward to more vids of the trip!!
Thank you! It's actually an old SunLite brand, I was looking for a Four Wheel, but they are very hard to find, and really hold their value! I'll be publishing a tour of the camper in the next day or two, this lockdown is helping me be super productive and catch up on making videos! Cheers!
Richard Moran I also am interested in the camper. Would love a 4Wheel but super pricy. Thinking about looking for an older one and refurbing it.
Good times!
Thanks! Cheers!
I've never seen a Bantha run that fast.
Haha, cheers!
Probably a lot in your life has changed by now; Do you still have your truck? Mine looks the same as yours; but, mine is a Tundra, with the Sun Lite camper. Maybe someday it can make the same expedition. Congratulations, looked like a great trip.
Yup, still have the camper! But I do spend a lot more time traveling internationally now, so it sits a little more than I'd like but hopefully soon I'll continue on south and make my way into Central America! Cheers!
Damn she looks like Tanya Tucker:)
Haha, thank you! Cheers!
In reference to the video of the sign near 1:40, I guess I got into the top 1% when I was in AK back in '84. I drove up to Chatanika--about 30 miles north of Fairbanks. HOO HOO for me!!
Have you heard the joke that the mosquito is Alaska's state bird?
Ha, that's great! Yup, the mosquitos were really bad north of Fairbanks, especially north of the Books Range, but, the rest of Alaska wasn't too bad!
@@ChrisTarzanClemens , when I read your reply, I remembered that when I was up there, I saw a T-shirt with a cartoon of a mosquito and Alaska State Bird on it, as well as one with a bald eagle head, and the caption, "I am smiling!"
Wow..2002 Tacoma? 👍
Yup, it's a beast!
Where are the wild fruits and salmons to Artic Circles? I'm planning on going to Prudhoe Bay soon. Are there lots of gas stations in small towns? Thanks.
There's not a lot up there, but the nature is incredible. I used the Milepost guide book and found it well worth buying and taking it along! Cheers!
Is there a window in the season when the mosquitoes aren't so bad, or are they pretty much swarming anytime the temps aren't freezing?
I'm not sure, I have read about other people going north and not experiencing the mosquito swarms, but we definitely had them in July! It was worse north of the Brooks Range and on the Arctic Tundra. Through the rest of Alaska over the summer they actually weren't that bad!
Nice set up you have there. Did you have to customize the camper to fit between the wheel wells?
Thank you! I searched for quite a long time to find an older slide in that was built for a mid-sized pickup like the Tacoma vs. a full size truck. Whenever I saw one for sale I asked the seller to measure the bottom section of the camper to make sure it fit between a pickup's wheel wells. This one fits perfect. Cheers!
I’m planning to drive from San Diego cali to Miami any tips or things I should check before I leave
It's been years since I've done that trip. Out west there is lots of free camping on public land (if it's open right now) but further east I was relegated to truck stops, rest areas, and Walmart parking lots. It's a diverse look at US cultures, beautiful landscapes, a very interesting drive! Have fun!
Cold Artic Ocean dip..🤣crazy mosquitoes.
Ha, yes, the Arctic was pretty cold, but actually not as frozen as we expected!!!
I really want a Tacoma for a camper truck option. Is it a good? I really wanted to have air conditioning option, how does the pop up fair in heat?
If I could do it over I would have gone with a bigger truck than a Tacoma. I had to build a custom rear suspension to carry the extra weight. My camper doesn't have a AC, that would add even more weight and I'm never camping with shore power, so I just try to camp in temperate areas and stay away from really hot and really cold. Cheers!
My parents rented a Yukon,it wasn’t that bad until you hit the snow💀and at night
Yeah, that's awesome!
Would a regular AWD SUV with 7in of ground clearance had made it on this trip with regards to the roads and clearance?
I would think so. My biggest question was having 2 spares. The road wasn't that bad, but I understand how if I blew through my 1st spare, then needed a 2nd, it would be a problem not to have one. There are patches of rough road, but if you take it easy and stay alert it shouldn't be a problem. Totally worth the drive!!!
Chris Tarzan Clemens that’s a good point. Thx for the reply.
Wow the Dalton Highway! Awesome! I see your mirrors... What kind of mirrors do you have on your truck? They look great! Do they vibrate much?
I think they are 1998 Dodge Ram truck mirrors. It took a bit of drilling and cutting but they are great!
@@ChrisTarzanClemens Oh awesome! Thank you so much for responding! I think they will also fit the first generation tundra. I've been researching tow mirrors from my tundra as the factory mirrors are small with no option for tow mirrors. I've been hesitant about the thought of drilling into my truck and how it would fit and also if it would vibrate but sounds like a pretty good from what you mentioned. Thanks again!
@@kat4animals004 For me the drilling wasn't too bad, and I even wired up the power mirrors pretty easily. I don't think they vibrate much at all, from my side everything is way better than temporary towing mirrors!
@@ChrisTarzanClemens Oh thanks again for your response! I was thinking about the $70 pair of manual Dodge ram OEM tow mirrors. I wasn't thinking about the electrical. Do you happen to have a link for those that you installed or maybe the specific name if possible? I really appreciate your help Thanks so much! And I love your setup! My boyfriend and I were on the road for like a year and a half a couple years ago it was awesome. We used a second generation tundra with a cab over camper. We planned on going to Alaska but we mainly stayed on the western side of the United States. Turns out the timing wasn't right for us to travel through Canada to get to Alaska when we were ready to do so. Another time we will. Maybe in a different setup!
Thanks again!!
@@kat4animals004 I think this was the best thread I found about the mirrors: www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-towing-mirrors.22244/
What is the line that holds the canvas in made of? I’d like to not have to tuck my canvas in before I clamp the top down
It's a bungee cord that I bought from Amazon. I forget the size and length, but I just bought a long cord, tied knots in it, and use the carabiners to clip and add tension before lowering the roof. Works pretty well!
Chris Tarzan Clemens awesome! Thanks for the reply! Do you just leave it on full time? Or take it off when you pop it up and put it on before lowering? Wondering about seeping water in
Hi there, what are those mirrors?
They are 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 towing mirrors. They fit the first gen Tacoma with only a little bit of drilling and cutting.
Is your Taco supercharged? How does the 3.4 handle the weight?
It's just the standard 3.4, and it's definitely slow on the uphills, but it feels pretty good on flat highways. Of course, before this I had an old VW Westy that was slow, even on the downhills, so my judgement might be a bit clouded!
I also have the 3.4, It’s one of Toyota’s most dependable engines. I look forward to boosting her some day! 👍🏻😊
May I ask what model slide-in you have and does the Tacoma do just fine? Thanks.
It's a 1980's SunLite Skyhawk. It's good on the Tacoma, but I did get a custom rear suspension put on. Cheers!
Thanks! Is it about 1,000 lbs?
@@bruceberg3574 sounds about right for the factory weight, but I added a bunch of stuff like solar panels, accessories inside, cabinets and such. It's pretty heavy once on the truck with everything I own, plus 22 gal of water and propane. Heavier than I wanted, but made it to the top of Alaska and back, so the truck can do it!
Thank you for your reply, I do appreciate it. I rode a Suzuki V-Strom from Seattle to Watson Lake in 2017 but now I’m almost 70 so those trips are for a 4 wheel vehicle now. Cheers from Montana.
Driving The Dalton/
Way up to the Big A/
Mountains, gravel and trucks/
Doing it their own way/
Side of the river camping/
And cold Big A water dips/
Dead horse on his mind/
Still a hell of a trip/
Mosquito coast/
And the pipe lines over head/
A kiss good bye/
Now The Dalton has been put to bed/
Love it! Cheers!
How do you fund this?
I do freelance marketing for a few clients in the commercial equipment industry. I've been doing it for 5 years now, managing their websites, social media, creating brochures, videos, marketing campaigns, preparing for trade shows, email newsletters, basically anything they need that I can do from a wifi hotspot anywhere in the world. I don't make a lot of money, but it makes a pretty good life! Cheers!
In 2.5min, counting intro, you've dissed the lady 3 times. Sunflower seeds, cheesy, and just going to crinkle the bag during your precious presentation...can you see it now?
Ummm, thank you? I hope you enjoyed the rest of it! Cheers!
Lisa looks like Tanya Tucker..........
Ha, cheers!
Hi...🇨🇷
Thanks!
The yuppie lyfe.
Haha, okay!
You should let her talk more...
Ha, I tried! Cheers!
0:03 No he is not video "taping" you , he is video recording you. Video taping is extinct, it existed millions of years ago, are you from stone age?
Ha, I guess a technicality, thanks for watching!
Dude why do you keep picking on her, it makes you seem insecure. Maybe you're just trying to be funny & charming, but it's not those things.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but thanks for watching!
Asking another adult about spilling sunflower seeds in the seat is treating them like a child and making them feel unwelcome. I'm turning off the video, your bossy tacky and not at all interesting.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but thanks for watching, even just for a few minutes!