Cost of items other than basic goods (apartment, work)

[rotorhead]

Its pretty easy to tell which produce is local and whats shipped up. All the local stuff is summer/fall only, and everything else passed its prime still on the boat.

I had better luck with frozen veggies for the most part, at least they were still fresh when they hit the freezer.

[ulsterscot]

If I do drive up, will they allow you to drive through Canada with firearms? I don't trust the movers to move my guns obviously. How about the ferries from Seattle? Do they stop in Canada at any time or go straight to AK? Perhaps I could drive to Seattle and then boat on up.

Sending them UPS will be expensive and I'll have to leave them with someone till I get settled ( not my favorite option). As far as veggies go...that is what my food eats

[scoobagirl]

From what I've heard, (and I'm open for correction) your best bet is shipping your firearms to an Alaska gun-dealer through your local gun-dealer. I know you can't transport them through Canada.

[DannyL]

You can bring all the firearms (long guns and handguns) your vehicle can hold if you take the ferry. They just have to be uinloaded and in cases (soft cases are ok).
Long guns can be transported thru Canada, with the proper paperwork. I believe handguns are a no-no.

[Sunset_Va]

You need to register your long guns with BATF prior to traveling, as usual a "minor charge" applies. I have a friend that duck hunts up in Canada, and every trip he makes, he has to register his shotgun before he drives up to where ever he goes. Either call BATF (your area) or read their website.

The registration is for the Canadians to check with Americans to make sure you are not bringing other long guns in. They will also be checked when you leave Canada.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING TO ENTER CANADA WITH A HANDGUN.

[ulsterscot]

Thanks, I'll avoid Canada all together. And as they say, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency.

[EugeneBKLYN]

Originally Posted by Rance

Glad you like it! Maybe our paths will cross one of these days...

With your state's population about the same as that of my neighborhood...

Its more likely than not.

[Rance]

It's a large state but a small world. You'd be surprised who you run into around here.

[rotorhead]

I took a shotgun with me all the way across Canada driving down the Alcan a couple years ago, and quite a bit of ammunition (not just shotgun). I had to fill out a form and they wanted to look at it (looked just like every other el-cheapo Mossberg 500 out there) but where I got snagged was actually with US Customs. Neither of them cared about the ammo.

Seems that in driving right by the US Customs station leaving AK I missed out on the advice to fill out some form thats supposed to prove that the weapon originally left the US in the first place, and that I didn't buy it in Canada. When I got to the US border in the lower 48 they gave me a hard time about not having either that or an original purchase reciept from the US (from 20 years ago....right....). Of course, thats the reason I chose to take a $100 shotgun instead of something fancier; if I had to give it up over a paperwork hassle it wasn't going to break either my heart or my bank account.

If you look at the regulations (they're online) there are a ton of prohibited firearms that you can't take through the Soviet Socialist Republic of Canada. And ironically a couple of obscure shotguns that you can own there and not in the US as it turns out...go figure. Forget handguns, as far as the Canooks are concerned they're just as bad as a big bag of heroin and just as hard to import, same goes for military style semi-autos like AR-15s and AK clones.

I have no personal experience with the AMHS ferry system, so I can't say as per that. My experience with the moving companies has been that they will move weapons but not ammo,and they have a high rate of damage and pilferage compared to other items. All our moves have been on military PCS contracts, and I'm not sure they're operating under the same rules as for the public at large so don't take that for gospel until you check with them yourself. My advice is either ship them dealer-to-dealer ($$$$) or take them as checked baggage on the airlines (yet another hassle, and with weight restrictions on ammo as well).

[Out of Alaska]

I got rid of almost everything when I came up and regretted it. Moving up was expensive, buying new stuff was expensive, and I did without furniture for six months... YES there is a huge markup and if you can afford to bring it, do it. I paid way too much for my furniture. You would be surprised on how much you blow on the basics - from a couch and a bookcase to 409 and a vaccuum... Previous post re: if it's special, bring it, is right on. I am also dissatisfied with what was available up here! Now... I know... it's Alaska... it's part of the charm... so don't go getting on me all of you old-timers...