New slow buildup in Alberta

[Dr_Unk]

Hi everyone,

I'm a long-time reader but first-time poster currently in Jasper, Alberta. I first got into expeditions with a Landcruiser in central Australia. Unfortunately, that rig is still in Oz so I've settled down here with a 2005 Tacoma. My finances haven't really matched my ambitions yet, so the only mod so far was a good set of shoes - BFG ATA 265/75R16's.

The missus and I are finally getting some vacation time so we're looking at doing the Dempster highway, starting in mid-Sept from Jasper and heading ASAP to Inuvik, then seeing the sights on the trip back down.

Long story short, I'm looking at a few mods before headin up and was wondering what sort of things would be a priority beyond a 2nd spare and some jerry cans (assumed necessities).

I'm on a limited budget but was looking at:
- a canopy (likely a Leer, ARE or Snugtop, given the availability of dealers somewhat nearby)
- or on-board air compressor (like the idea of a air locker down the road)
- a dual battery system

Any suggestions from those who've traveled up North or elsewhere?

Cheers,

 

[laxtoy]

welcome! beautiful country up there, one of my favorite places on earth. welcome to the constantly broke club, looking forward to your build

 

[freeze]

oooh very nice!

Tire plug kit!

Are you staying to roads or off-road?

 

[Dr_Unk]

Mostly to roads. Might do a few trails or forestry roads on the way back if we've got the time.

Tire plug kit definitely would be an asset.

Does Calgary have some good 4WD stores? I'm limited up here in Jasper to shopping online or the occasional trip to the big smoke, either east or south.

 

[heeltoe989]

HRT Offroad

Talk to Kevin, Let him know Richard sent you and he'll take care of you. He's based in High-River, but ships anywhere and everywhere.

http://highrollerztrux.com/home/

 

[Overland Hadley]

Welcome to ExPo!

I would go with a air compressor and the ARB tire repair kit. You could possibly then go with just one spare, as you could do repair work.

 

[freeze]

Does Calgary have some good 4WD stores? I'm limited up here in Jasper to shopping online or the occasional trip to the big smoke, either east or south.

Our members are able to get really good deals with All-Pro up here in Canada if you needed All-Pro parts for your Tacoma. We've been working with National 4WD locally and in B.C.

Send me a PM if you'd like to talk more about your intentions and possible set up if you'd like.

 

[bruzer1123]

Welcome!

My wife, dog and I traveled from Maine to Prince Rupert, BC (ferry to Southeast Alaska) and the only "mods" I did to my 93 pickup where to replace the shocks, get the steering recall done, new air filter, new exhaust from cat back, built a custom bumper (and bike carrier), new belts, new hoses and a new hd radiator. We had no issues.

I would recommend a gas can like you said, the tire plugs as said, and an air compressor (MV-50 was what I had). I guess you could add that I switched tops (to one that didn't leak as bad) and purchased two thule boxes and a yakima basketcase. I would also recommend purchasing the milepost http://milepost.com/ and perhaps bear spray (can't remember if this is ok in canada).

Other than that I think you should be set! Have a great trip and we will be looking forward to the photos.

 

[Dr_Unk]

New addition on order

A little trip to Calgary on the weekend and it looks like another will be needed in a few weeks....when the ARE CX canopy arrives. Calgary Fleet Outfitters
(Bay 101, 4528 6A ST, NE Calgary) gave me a really good quote and Barney, the owner/manager, was a real help and a great guy in general.

Also went to National 4WD to see if they had any jerry cans but they didn't stock anything on site. They said they'd order in some Sceptors but they had to get an order of $1200 before Sceptor or whatever the supplier would ship so there was no guarantee on when they'd get them in. Any ideas on a good store/site for a jerry can?

 

[freeze]

If you work with National just talk to Shane as he's the one that helps us out and is making an effort to learn more about Toyota's.

Let us know when you're in town if you need help with Toyota stuff

 

[Dr_Unk]

Thanks for that. I ended up finding a source for Sceptor jerry cans in an old thread on the forum. I'll see how it works out, but it seems that DS Tactical sells with no shipping costs (at least to Alberta) - they're based in BC and can't ship to our cousins in the south. The Sceptor cans can be found here.

We've got some friends in Calgary so we do a few road trips now and then so hopefully we can schedule one near one of your courses.

 

[Dr_Unk]

New toy arrived in the mail today

A nice big, rectangular package arrived at the post office today. 20L Sceptor MFC complete with high volume nozzle. Should make an excellent addition to the truck for the Dempster Highway trip!

 

[Dr_Unk]

A better look at the truck as of last week:





And then after a trip to Calgary for the weekend:







Looks like I'll have to update the sig line. It's an ARE CX canopy with a curbside windoor, regular sliding window on roadside and a fold-down front slider to allow for ease of cleaning.

 

[Dr_Unk]

Some more toys have arrived in the mail courtesy of Sierra Expeditions. It's cutting things close in terms of installation cause the truck is in BC til Sunday afternoon and I'm in Jasper. Hoping Sunday evening and Monday morning are productive. Otherwise, I'll be doing an install on the road...



A big thanks to SOAZ for some stickers as well. Always nice to have an ExPo calling card.

 

[CYi5]

yummm that shell is nice!:drool: