Thanks, the vehicle, ferries, and statistics - Canada 2022

We were in Canada for 5 months, with a week at home during the trip for work. We spent a fortnight each in British Columbia, Québec, and Nova Scotia, visiting family, with short trips into the Laurentian lakes in Québec (3 days) and to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia (5 days). We left Vancouver in the Wrangler in May and spent two months in BC, Yukon, NWT,  and Alberta, returning to Vancouver for several days to meet Marce’s Mum, following which we spent another month on the road with her, and then a week in Vancouver before returning home.

 

Our plan for this trip was to combine travel with remote work every second week while on the road, giving a base split of 9 days travel and 5 days working. We ended up working 30 days of the 85 days on the road in the Wrangler, so achieving the planned percentage, although we ended up juggling days somewhat.

 

We spent most time in British Columbia, starting and finishing the trip there and also acquiring and preparing the vehicle. Time in Québec/Ontario and in Nova Scotia was about a fortnight in each. Time on the road in the Wrangler included 19 days in Yukon, 16 in NWT, and 12 in Alberta.

 

 

Our route in the Wrangler took us from Vancouver through BC to Prince George, then Prince Rupert, and then north via the Stewart-Cassiar Highway to Watson Lake, then to Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway, to Dawson City, then to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk on the Dempster Highway. From the Arctic Ocean we returned on the Dempster, travelled to Watson Lake via Ross River, then to Fort Nelson and north on the Liard Highway to Fort Simpson. After this we travelled to Fort Smith and the Wood Buffalo National Park, then to Yellowknife, and then south through Northern Alberta to Peace River, back into BC to Dawson Creek, then southwest back to Vancouver. In the last month on the road we took the Crowsnest Highway to Alberta, then followed the Rockies to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper, before returning once again through BC to Vancouver. We covered 23,624 km overall in five months, of which 21,632 km were in the Wrangler. Our average km/day were a lot more than in our previous “big trips”, giving an average of 246 km/day for travel in all vehicles. Overall we used 2858 L (= 755 US gal) of fuel at a cost of CAD 6230.00 (= USD 4800.00). Average fuel consumption in the Wrangler was 12.32 L/100 km (= 19.1 mi/US gal).

 

Thanks and saludos

 

We appreciate the help and advice of many throughout the trip, including:

 

·      Catriona, Nick, Charlie, and Blair in Vancouver

·      Rose and Justin in Montréal

·      Jan, Rolf, and Chris in Wolfville

·      Rose and Ray in Aylesford

·      Heather and Dave in Victoria Vale

·      Lucy and Gilles in Kingston

·      Jo-Anne and Irwin in New York

·      Dee, Elaine, Steve in Smithers

·      Carlos and Teresa in Eagle Plains

·      Willie and Scotty in Inuvik,

·      Mike on the Dempster

·      Taylor and Hayley on the Dempster

·      Ros, Gordon, Louise, and Rob in Victoria and Vancouver

 

We met lots of great people on the road and so saludos to:

 

·      Derek on the Dempster Highway

·      Dennis, Clifford, and Norm in Tuktoyaktuk   

·      Craig & Lucinda and Mark & Katie on the Dempster

·      Russ and Brenna on the Dempster and in Yellowknife

·      Willie and Scotty in Inuvik

·      Mike & Lynne in Watson Lake

·      Leonie and Henry in Fort Providence

·      Cnut and Yuma from Rotterdam

·      Adolfo at Saltery Bay

·      Eric y Nancy in Westcoast Campground.

 

…among others.

 

The vehicle

 

Comparing the costs for renting a 4x4 camper, shipping our own vehicle from Colombia and back (twice - owing to the limit in time permitted for it to be out of the country), and buying a vehicle, the third option was by far the most economical. We chose to buy a vehicle in Vancouver, use it for our trip this year, keep it for next year’s trip, and sell it at the end of next year.  

So, the vehicle:

 

 

 

·      Jeep Wrangler Sahara Limited LWB 3.6L V6

·      85,375 km at purchase

·      255/70-R18 tyres

·      Range 648 km (advertised - we actually saw over 800 km a couple of times)

·      Height 184 cm

·      Width 189 cm

·      Length 434 cm

·      GVM 1762 kg

·      Clearance 26 cm

·      Wheelbase 246 cm

 

In terms of modifications and additions, we put in a bed (taking out the rear seats to do so), added a

few slings and carabiners to organise things, and did no more than this. Having learned from our

previous "big trips" we approached the topic in minimalist fashion - nothing which was not essential.

So, no winch (hardly ever used and we didn't plan any crossings of deep mud or sand - to help others

we can use the tow hooks, front and back), no snorkel (no deep water crossings planned), no lift or

 suspension modifications (the Wrangler is very good in terms of clearance in standard condition),  no

roof rack (no need for a second spare or fuel cans), no awnings (not expecting to be in tropical

sunshine), no fridge (experience in Iceland told us that a cooler would be OK for the trip planned), no

electrical additions (the trip would not include long periods without moving, the vehicle comes with an

inverter and adequate USB outlets), no lights (we never plan to drive at night and there wasn't going to

be much night time anyway). For the kitchen, food, and tools, we used simple plastic cases and the bag

we've used previously. So, the vehicle is lighter on the road than when new, in all likelihood. 

 

Service conducted:

 

·      96K service and 15 point “peace of mind” check in Yellowknife - replaced front axle seals, rear brake rotors and pads

 

Issues:

 

·      The security warning light came on for a day at Wells and briefly once more later on

·      The screenwash jet hose came off at Prince Rupert and a couple of times later on  - fixed temporarily with an elastic band then permanently (?) with a tiewrap.

·      Found that the electrical connection to the rear heated screen was broken – to be fixed next year.

·      The gas cap warning light came on at 89,325 km. This was a result of forgetting to put the gas cap on after refuelling (!). We found the cap (remarkably) however the light remained on, and in the morning the engine warning light came on. We found that the seal in the cap had come out resulting in the warnings - Jeep Whitehorse replaced the gas cap for CAD 36.69 – no further concern (a self-inflicted problem).

·      Replaced the 20A fuse for the cigarette lighter socket at 92,355 km

 

Damage: 

 

·      Tyre puncture from sharp stones on the Dempster Highway, northbound – this section of the highway had recently been “maintained” with razor-sharp stones(!). We repaired this on the road.

·      Windshield chip at 37 km north of Peel River southbound from an inconsiderate driver of a blue pick-up blasting past us in the other direction.

·      Tyre puncture (in the same tyre) from sharp stones on the same section of the Dempster Highway, southbound. We repaired this on the road, had a patch put in at Eagle Plains, then in Fort Nelson replaced the repaired tyre with a new Dueler A/T and put spare (also a Dueler) on the rear axle. We now have 2 x Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts at the back and the Michelin LTXs on the vehicle when bought at the front and on the spare wheel.

·      A stone thrown up by a passing truck chipped the windscreen. H97 west of Chetwynd.

 

 Overall the Wrangler did an excellent job – it was easily capable of covering all of the roads and tracks we explored, the ride on the highway was good, the ride on uneven tracks required low speeds to avoid being pitched around. The space was adequate: when two of us were travelling there was enough to be comfortable both travelling and sleeping; when three of us were travelling there was enough for comfort travelling and space enough for our kit. Fuel consumption was better than we had thought – the consumption in traffic is OK, but the range was less than 500 km, which would have required extra fuel cans for some of the routes we travelled, however once on the road we found that steady speeds on long open roads gave us over 700 km range, and we saw more than 800 km indicated a few times. This gave us the range needed for the longest “fuel-free” stretches we were to travel, in the NWT. 

 

 

In Kluane National Park

 

On the road to Stewart, BC

 

 

At Two Moose Lake on the Dempster

Heading north on the Dempster (side road)

 

Muddier at Peel River

 

Muddiest arriving in Inuvik

On the way to Tuktoyaktuk

At the Arctic Ocean

At the Arctic Circle (southbound - better weather than the photo northbound)

Ferries:

 

1.     Peel River (Northbound)

2.     Red River / Tsiigehtchic (Northbound)

3.     Red River / Tsiigehtchic (Southbound)

4.     Peel River (Southbound)

5.     Liard River at Fort Simpson (Northbound)

6.     Liard River at Fort Simpson (Southbound)

7.     Horseshoe Bay to Langdale

8.     Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay (note 1)

9.     Powell River to Little River (note 2)

10.  Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen

 

We had a mixture of good and bad luck with ferries. The opening of the ferries in NWT was uncertain at best, in the end we caught the Peel River ferry northbound on the first day of the season and had no delays (unlike many others) in returning south later. The Liard River crossings were uneventful, although it was clear that the ferry was struggling somewhat with the high river current. On the crossing from Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay, we were hit by the vehicle above us on the ramp, which lost control and rolled back into us as we were waiting to move off the ferry. On the Powell River to Little Ferry we were delayed by the ferry’s being called to respond to a marine emergency, although obviously this is entirely appropriate in such a situation.

 

Peel River ferry - loading

 

Peel River ferry - unloading

 

Tsiigehtchic ferry loading

 

 

Tsiigehtchic ferry unloading 

Hugs

Alan and Marce

(photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com)

 

Detailed statistics:

 

 

 

 

Days:

 

Overall                                            155 days

On the road in all vehicles                96 days

On the road in the Wrangler            85 days

Workdays                                30 days

 

On the road – non-working days:

Camping in the Wrangler                   33 nights

Camping in ground tents                    13 nights

BnB days                                   14 nights

Hotel days                                            2 nights

Total non-work nights on the road           62 nights

 

On the road – remote working days:

Work nights in hotels                        15 nights

Work nights in cabin                            3 nights

Work nights in BnBs                          10 nights

Total work nights on the road          28 nights

 

Family home days:                             19 nights

 

Distance driven:

In the Wrangler  21,632 km  British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta

In the CHR                 557 km Ontario, Québec

In the Rogue                     1435 km Nova Scotia

All vehicles                   23,624 km

 

 

Average km/day

km/day overall                                          152 km/day

km/day on the road in all vehicles                    246 km/day

km/day in the Wrangler                                    254 km/day

km/day in the Wrangler (non-work days only) 333 km/day

km/day all “big trips”   (including this one)                170 km/day

 

Fuel

Total fuel consumed                                2858 L (= 755 US gal = 629 gal)

Total fuel consumed in Wrangler            2665 L (= 704 US gal = 586 gal)

Total fuel cost                                      CAD 6230.00 (= USD 4800.00)

Total fuel cost in Wrangler                  CAD 5797.00 (= USD 4466.00)

Average fuel consumption in Wrangler   ` 12.32 L/100 km (= 19.1 mi/US gal = 22.9 mi/gal)

Maximum consumption per fill in Wrangler      20.52 L/100 km

Best fuel consumption per fill in Wrangler          8.11 L/100 km (downhill)

 

Expenditure on the vehicle and camping kit (over what we already had):

 

1.     Lumber (Coe’s): pine plyboard, sandpaper, piano hinges. CAD 127.77

2.     Home Hardware: tools (socket, UJ, extension, drive bar, XO). CAD 125.22

3.     Canadian Tyre: foam mattress base, tyre repair kit, crossbrace, webbing straps, safety glasses. CAD 133.80

4.     Metro, Montréal - 2 x Metro collapsible grocery baskets. CAD 2.50 each.

5.     Amazon - Self-inflating mattress - On&On K. CAD 162.95

6.     Canadian Tyre: extinguisher, bear spray, water container, stove, etc - CAD 464.30

7.     Muji - duvet, duvet cover, pillows, CAD 342.84.

8.     Canadian Tyre: bottle jack, jump leads, warning triangle, LED warning lights, tiewraps, CAD 180.13.  Returned phone mount, mattress base – credits of CAD 59.34 & CAD 19.03.

9.     Canadian Tyre: storage boxes CAD 71.64.

10. Amazon – 2 x ANPPEX camp chairs – CAD 146.96

11.  MEC: camp table CAD 183.98 + tax

12.  Walmart, Prince George - Foam mattress “topper” -  CAD 85.00

13. Whitehorse Canadian Tyre - exercise mats, 2 x CAD 29.99 + 5%
14. Inuvik Northmart - Tyre “goop” 54.89
15. Inuvik Napa - Tyre repair kit, valve core remover, vice-grip - CAD 44.80
16. Inuvik Hawks Supply - valve cores - CAD 3.50
17. Amazon – 2 x Gysrevi tents – CAD 283.48
18. Amazon - ANPPEX camp chair – CAD 73.48
19. Valemount Home Hardware - Torx T15 CAD 11.19

 

(Notes: the “2 x 4” lumber for the bed frame was recycled)