Travel to ALASKA information wanted

[polarlyse]

We are planning on joining up with a few fellow Airstreamers in a few weeks for an adventure to Alaska. We plan to be in Ak for awhile and with some luck take some time to do some salmon / halibut fishing while there. I've been toying with the idea of purchasing a small 120v freezer to take along. It has been my thoughts to keep the freezer in my truck and run it off my generator during overnight stops to keep it cold. Another thought would be to keep it in the Airstream. There are some small chest freezers out there ie. 5.1 cu' or
3.8cu' . The 3.8 takes approx. 2'square floor space while the 5.1 takes a little more at 29"x30".

Just hoping to get some thoughts from others that have made the trip and faced this issue. Shipping home, while possible, is not an option. There's no freezer space here once it arrives.

Thanks all in advance. See ya on the road sometime.

[OTRA15]

Have you considered the combined 12 volt and 120 volt units designed to carry on the road? Many are highly rated. You can plug them in at home and fill, then transfer to the tow vehicle where they can run on the standard 12v cigarette lighter plug while on the road. Dometic makes one, and I recall a brand name ARB from another forum.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ns-131552.html

Old link but good info?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...zer-10328.html

ARB etc. --
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...sl_lnvw0mz4e_b

Good luck!

Peter

[Wayne&Sam]

I don't know how much fish you're planning on bringing home, but here's what we did.

We brought our fish to a processor who cleaned, cut into one pound portions, flash froze them, vacuum packed each piece and overnight shipped it to a friend at home. We also packed the Airstream freezer.

Worked great for us.

[tsunami]

I have the CF-80 Portable Refrigerator/Freezer - 79 Liter that is powered with either 12 or 24 volt DC or 120 volts AC. We have used primarily in the freezer mode for trips when we are going to spend a couple weeks in one location. We plug it into 120v in the house a couple days before we leave, with all of the frozen items. Then move it out to the AS and plug into a 12vdc outlet. Works great. I would like to get the smaller Dometic CF-40 Portable Refrigerator/Freezer - 37 Liter.

[OTRA15]

Of the units linked in Post #2, the ARB 50-quart looks interesting, especially as the controls are on one end, and the hinge is on the other end. This permits a location in the back of the tow vehicle, and easy access through the open back door (or tail gate). You do have to make sure the ventilation louvers under the hinge end are free and clear, however. I think ARB also has optional slide-out mounts for their cooler/freezers BTW.

http://www.amazon.com/ARB-10800472-F...b+refrigerator

Edit -- the slide:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KEURN4?psc=1

[polarlyse]

ThanX for the suggestions. Boy are they pricey. Really not a bad value for something that will get continued use though. The 120v ones I'm looking at are a lot less costly. I plan to give it to my daughter when I'm done. I really don't forsee an upcoming trip that would give it more use. Our Dometic in the AS seems to be sufficient for our usual travel needs. Still pondering this but will need to make a decision one way or the other SOON.

ThanX all

[OTRA15]

You get what you pay for, I guess. The combined 12/120 volt units ensure that you always have power. A 120 volt only unit, although appearing cheaper, obviously runs the "weakest link in the chain" risk of losing power just long enough to ruin the fish. It only takes a brief moment like this to de-value the entire combined investment to zero +/-. Penny-wise etc. . . . ?

I see the ARB etc. units as being like a good tool that does the job right the first time.



PS -- I recall seeing that Amazon and maybe other retailers sometimes have returned units that are brand new, but sold at good discounts. Worth looking into.

[bluecornstal]

Did you have any problem bringing them through Canada back to the US?

[pappy19]

This is all you need to answer every question you can imagine. The Milepost.

http://www.themilepost.com/

[67shellback]

We went to Alaska in 2013 and also went salmon and halibut fishing. We ended up buying a small chest freezer (120VAC only) in Soldotna and carried it in our 2009 International FB. We removed the dining table and removed the leg and mounting hardware. We stored the flat table top underneath the bed mattress. We set the thermostat as cold as it would go and didn't open up on the road. Put the freezer on some kind of non skid mat to help control it from sliding. With the frozen fish filling the freezer, no problems with it thawing any. We also bought a 4' x 4' folding table at walmart in Anchorage to use as a table. It folds in half to 2' x4'. Trying to use the freezer as a table was a real pain. On the Alcan highway be mindful of frost heaves in the road. They can really bounce things around in the trailer. No problems going thru customs. They were only interested in fresh fruits and vegetables coming from Canada into the US. We entered at the crossing going to Glacier NP. After we got back home to Corpus Christi TX we sold the $200 freezer for $150. $50 for the return trip is a lot cheaper than overnight shipping.


Another note to consider

Canada considers bear spray a weapon if bought in the US. It's stronger than what they allow. My wife had to have it.

[kcbwil]

We also purchased a used freezer/fridge 12 volt/120 option for our trips back and forth to AK. It works great plugged into the tow vehicle cigarette lighter. We make about 5 meals ahead of time and kept them frozen in Tuperware containers. We'd thaw one a day and heat them up in a Dutch oven over a fire each night to save ourselves from having to prepare meals. The other post about having a commercial outfit prepare your fish and ship it is a good idea. Shop around as prices vary. We once had about 100 lbs of halibut to ship back from Homer, AK and the cost was around $600. You should be able to get a better price than that. Have a fun trip.

[Bill M.]

The year we went to Alaska the couple next to us purchased a chest type freezer and carried it in the back of the truck like you are thinking. It worked fine. Most nights we had hookups but not all.
They drove to Soldotna from Homer after the Halibut fishing trip. Soldotna is a good place to buy a freezer and to go fishing.

[gwilsonobx]

We have had an ARB frig/freezer for about 10 years. It is quite and maintains your set temperature. When running on 12 volts it will disconnect before killing your battery. We have had no problems letting it run overnight on 12v overnight during the hot summers.
ARB does offer tie downs as well as the slide track. There are three different sizes.

[polarlyse]

ThanX all for the input. Still pondering. I see a small ( 3.8 cu') freezer on Amazon for $170. I'm thinking along that line. Along with a remote thermometer to monitor inside temps. Should work out OK with running it on my generator for a few hours at night.

[sjoldersma]

in Valdez....you will find many many rvs that fish for salmon and smoke the fish to take back home. Private message me and I will send you the blog of our trip to Alaska...taking the inside passageway stopping at all the ports of call and then driving back via Casier Highway and Canada in 2003.