Northern BC and the Yukon Fall 2009.

[paulj]

The middle section is a shale or slate gravel, with lots of sharp slivers. It's these that can catch in the tread and cut through giving you a flat. I've read that the tire shop in the first town in NWT does a booming business fixing flats. When wet this gravel is black.

I encountered a similar stretch of gravel closer to Vancouver, on the High Line road above Anderson Lake (off the Sea to Sky Hwy). Again no problems (in my Element) but I stopped to help a RAV4 with new tires, and a slit in the inner sidewall of one of them.

5 days was about right for the Dempster. 2 up, 1 in Inuvik, 2 back.

Don't skip the Dempster just because you don't have space for 2 spares. While it is possible that you could need 2, there are plenty of RVs and cars that drive it with just the one.

 

[WxMan]

I will echo Paul's response not to let the two spare thing worry you too much. With a decent set of truck tires you should be fine with one. You could consider bringing a tire repair kit with you. I carry one and also have a compressor in my truck. The repair kit came in very handy for our friends motorcycle. Even if you don't have a compressor the repair kit would be useful because you could repair the tire yourself and use your spare to get you to the next gas station to inflate the repaired tire, then us that as your spare.

Surprisingly enough Eagle plains didn't have the most expensive fuel on our trip. The gas station at the south end of the Dempster was actually more expensive. They know that everyone wants to fill up at the junction so they take advantage of that. Dawson is only 18km or so away and the gas was several cents cheaper there. At Eagle plains I think we paid $1.69/L but when you consider that during this time in 2008 gas in Edmonton was almost $1.40/L so it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I can't remember if they had premium or not. I don't think so. I know that they had diesel and JetA or JetB or whatever helicopters take though.

In the Tacoma with the 4L V6 pulling my Chaser the mileage averaged around 16L/100km give or take a little. The Tacoma mileage seems to vary quite a bit depending on my cruising speed. I get very good mileage doing 80km/h and horrific mileage at 120km/h.

 

[paulj]

...
In the Tacoma with the 4L V6 pulling my Chaser the mileage averaged around 16L/100km give or take a little. The Tacoma mileage seems to vary quite a bit depending on my cruising speed. I get very good mileage doing 80km/h and horrific mileage at 120km/h.

Good quality gravel like the Dempster seemed to be optimal for gas mileage - steady driving at the low end of overdrive.

 

[Jferg]

It is reassuring to hear that I shouldn't be too concerned if I do not carry two spare tires. I prefer not to. Perhaps a slow speed is the answer on the bad parts of the Dempster.

I'm running a 4L, V6 in my FJ Cruiser which is the same engine you have in your Tacoma. All loaded down (but with no trailer) I should be getting about the same mileage.

Thank you WxMan and paulj for your input.

 

[Jferg]

WxMan, did you carry extra fuel with you on your trip?

I believe you mentioned that you purchased your trailer (Chaser) in Edmonton? Which dealer carries them? I've only seen them advertised in the U.S.

 

[WxMan]

Jferg

I always carry two 20L cans of fuel on the Chaser. The last two trips up to the Yukon I have also carried a couple on the truck as well. We weren't totally certain where we were going to go both times so I wanted to be sure I had enough fuel for whatever we needed. The trip up the Dempster I was also carrying fuel for the motorcycle which had a pretty limited range. If you can you should try to take at least one, even if you don't end up needing it it is nice to know it is there.

I wish I could have purchased the Chaser in Edmonton but alas that wasn't the case. It was built to order from Adventure Trailers in California (now in Arizona). They shipped the trailer by FedEx freight to Edmonton. It wasn't cheap to ship but I didn't have much choice.

 

[Jferg]

Jferg

I always carry two 20L cans of fuel on the Chaser. The last two trips up to the Yukon I have also carried a couple on the truck as well. We weren't totally certain where we were going to go both times so I wanted to be sure I had enough fuel for whatever we needed. The trip up the Dempster I was also carrying fuel for the motorcycle which had a pretty limited range. If you can you should try to take at least one, even if you don't end up needing it it is nice to know it is there.

I wish I could have purchased the Chaser in Edmonton but alas that wasn't the case. It was built to order from Adventure Trailers in California (now in Arizona). They shipped the trailer by FedEx freight to Edmonton. It wasn't cheap to ship but I didn't have much choice.

I have one 20L container I planned on taking along with me. I'm not planning on getting off the beaten path too much but it never hurts to carry extra fuel.

I know the Chaser is now manufactured in Arizona but somehow I thought you had purchased it through a dealer in Edmonton. They are expensive enough let alone having it shipped via FedEx. What is your impression of the Chaser? Do you like it? Does it meet your needs? And is it worth the cost?

Thanks WxMan.

 

[daverami]

Your pictures are breathtaking. What beautiful country. I need to put the Dempster on my list for sure.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[paulj]

The longest leg without fuel on the Dempster is north to Eagle Plain, about 230 miles. Since aren't any side trips to speak of, most people would not need extra fuel on that road. As I noted, the speeds on that road optimal for gas mileage.

 

[Jferg]

The longest leg without fuel on the Dempster is north to Eagle Plain, about 230 miles. Since aren't any side trips to speak of, most people would not need extra fuel on that road. As I noted, the speeds on that road optimal for gas mileage.

I was thinking more about carrying the extra fuel when I venture down the Campbell Highway. There is the North Canol Road and the Nahanni Range Road which branch off the Campbell.

 

[WxMan]

Jferg,

I love my Chaser. For myself and my wife it is everything that we want with little that we don’t. When we bought it we planned to have children soon and knew that the Tacoma alone wouldn’t have enough space to comfortably carry what we needed on the types of trips we enjoy. Also, as we get older the comforts of things like roof top tents and convenience of proper refrigerators, a large fresh water supply, etc are welcomed. So far it has never let me down and has done everything I’ve asked of it. The only way the Chaser could be better would be if it were possible to put fridge slide in so it could be accessed through the tailgate. Unfortunately the design doesn’t allow for this and I wasn’t willing to pay the extra for the Horizon for this convenience. Having lived with the Chaser for a couple of years now it would still be the one I would choose.

During my travels with the Chaser people come up to me and ask questions wherever I stop. They are usually quite intrigued by the trailer. Invariably the third or fourth question I get is “How much did it cost?” Most people appear shocked when I tell them. What I wonder is if the same people are shocked when they see trucks with two $15,000 snowmobiles on the back? And how many people that own snowmobiles also own quads too? Is the Chaser worth the cost? Well, I can only answer that question for my personal situation. Yes, it is. I agonize over large purchases, hell I agonize over small ones too but I learned two things long ago. First don’t buy impulsively, make sure you really do need, or want what you are considering. Second, and perhaps equally important, quality lasts long after the price is forgotten. When I researched Adventure Trailers everyone touted their quality and service. Now I do too. They are one of the best companies I have ever dealt with.

 

[upcruiser]

Wow, spectacular shots! You really captured the feel of the landscape. I need to get up that way some day. I have been as far north as Banff and loved it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[WxMan]

As paulj mentions fuel should be much of an issue on the Dempster. On the north Canol and especially the Nahanni Range road is may be a concern. In the eastern Yukon fuel is only available at Watson Lake and Ross River.

Rough driving distances are as follows:
Watson Lake to Nahanni Range Road junction ~110km.
Nahanni Range Road junction to Tungsten ~180km.
Nahanni Range Road junction to Ross River ~250km.
Ross River to just past NWT border on north Canol ~230km.

Last fall we planned to fuel up in Watson Lake then drive in to Tungsten then back out and up to Ross River about 720km. I took four 20L cans with me and rolled into Ross River on fumes with one full 20L can in reserve. My uncle had no spare diesel for his dodge truck and we calculated that it was too risky to try and do the whole thing on one tank so we left it at the campground at km 84 of the Nahanni Range Road and all piled into the Tacoma for the run to Tungsten. (As a side note FYI, the camp ground is no longer maintained by the YK government after a forest fire went through there a few years ago. It was a little overgrown but still a decent place to stay.) When we rolled into Ross River in search of fuel the first gas station said they were out and only had diesel. The only other gas station in town had gas but no diesel. Gas was about $1.28/L last fall there if I recall correctly.

 

[Jferg]

Thanks Wxman for your evaluation on the Chaser. I've heard nothing but good things about these trailers. I'm also on the FJ Cruiser website and a number of the members have these trailers and just love them.

Can't gasoline be purchased in Tungsten? I thought they opened up the mine again.

I don't know how far I'll venture down these roads (North Canol and Nahanni Range Road) since I'll only be one vehicle.

 

[WxMan]

Last fall the mine was operating but I'm pretty sure they don't provide any services for the public. If you were desperate perhaps, they might sell you some fuel but I wouldn't count on it. I also heard several months ago that the mine was closing again. I have no idea if that was true or not.

I wouldn't worry too much about going it alone down these roads. They are in pretty decent shape. As long as you plan your fuel carefully and drive sensibly you should have no problems.