From the South to the North... (Anchorage, Haines: how much, transfer, buy)

[Mashesta]

Been scrounging all over the net and these forums and it seems everyones advice is different, so figured I'd start a thread and see what kind of feedback I can get. My family will be moving to Anchorage from Alabama, in what appears to be the worst time of the year. Part of the reason we decided to drive is we are not sure if we will get a chance to be in the lower 48 again for the duration of my wifes tour. (Wife is Airforce and just got orders to Elmendorf) That being the case we decided to drive and visit family while making our way north. We have reservations on the Alaskan Marine Highway on February 22nd, thus we'll be driving the last leg, Haines to Anchroage at the end of February. I've seen a lot of suggestions for people moving to Alaska to not buy a lot of winter gear until arriving, just bring your warmest clothes, but I think in our case its just not an option. It's 4 of us, Wife, two kids (2 and 4) and myself, and as we live in Alabama, our warmest clothes are just not that warm. I have SOME winter clothes left over from when I lived in WA State, but the kids and wife have pretty much a couple long sleep shirts and a sweater. So, my question is just what should we look for in clothes that we'd wear this coming winter. With Christmas coming up, family is already talking about just giving us gift cards for places like REI and LL Bean, but we still are not sure what exactly we should look for, or how much we should buy now vs after we get there. Any advice would be great, Brands for clothes/shoes, links would be great too, especially in the Jacket/Parka area. Anyhow, thanks in advance for any advice and look forward to our stint in Alaska, be it for the duration of her tour or longer.

[Glitch]

March is a big snow month in Anchorage. You will find temperatures around +15°F to +25°F most of the time during March. It may get as cold as 0°F, but not any colder that time of the year.

If you are going to be outside a lot, then a pair of polypropylene long johns, a wool shirt, flannel-lined jeans, wool socks, 400-gram Thinsulate waterproof boots, a good pair of gloves, a wool knit cap, and a good parka (preferably with a removable insert). Some quality brands to look at include Carhartt, Columbia, and North Face.

If you are not planning on being outside more than an hour or two all day, then you can get by with just the parka, gloves, and cap. By dressing in layers you can add or remove what you feel is necessary for the conditions.

You may also want to consider tossing a shovel, a couple blankets, and a few extra flares into the trunk of your vehicle before making the drive from Haines to Anchorage. If you get stuck in the snow it may come in handy. Also, if you get stuck in the snow and can't dig yourself out, don't try to hike out. Stay with your vehicle. Even if it isn't running, it will still be warmer inside your vehicle than outside. Help will eventually arrive.

[aquariusmom]

We transferred to AK after Charleston and Honolulu tours so needless to say, we had no winter clothes. We opted to stock up before coming here- I got a LOT of stuff off ebay in lot sales, especially for the kids- also ordered stuff from Lands End and hit Dicks sporting goods for a mega shopping spree. I was able to get a decent amount of carhardts and even a few pairs of xtra tuffs on ebay for a decent cost. I am glad I did this before coming here because I have learned a lot of companies and even a lot of people on ebay either refuse to ship to AK or charge ridiculous shipping. Some like to pretend we are in a foreign country.

I invested in some good quality rain gear and am glad I did. I also went for some good parkas and am glad I did. I wear a Lands End 3 in 1 arctic parka, which is nice because it has a down insert which can be worn as a stand alone jacket, a long waterproof outer shell which can be worn alone, or they can be worn together for extra warmth. I have learned to love my sweaters too! Kids are funny, their bodies seem to adjust to the temp changes so much better. I work at the school and it cracks me up to see all the adults all bundled up on the playground and all the kids running around in short sleeves.

Being military, your household goods are shipped "free" so use up all the weight you can w/out going over your max- get your snow toys and winter stuff down south where it's cheaper and then you can skip shipping costs.

[Rance]

I'd stop in a more northern state and maybe pick up some winter gear for the road trip. Some boots, a coat, gloves hats etc. If you have car trouble or need to change a tire in the cold and dark...you'll want warm clothes. Even for the kids. It's a matter of survival.

[bongo]

Great suggestion from Rance.

We always have emergency gear in our vehicles: blankets, food, flashlights, water,wool hats, gloves, extra coats. For the trip up a couple of snowsuits for the kids from a thrift shop up north would be a great idea. And stocking caps & warm insulated gloves or mittens.

You adults can easily get by with a warm down car coat from Cabellas, REI, LL Beans etc. Cabellas has great Alaska coats that last forever. You should have wool stocking caps & warm gloves too.

Wool sweaters will not be wasted in Anchorage! And wool socks! Cotton is not the best idea here.

Those 2 kids will be in a larger size by the onset of next winter. Anchorage has great thrift shops with tons of kids gear. ThriftTown is near the base.

[Mashesta]

Thanks for the responses! Been busy busy here, had another quick question. Winterizing a car... We have 2 vehicles, the one we are driving, a dodge durango we will have winterized in WA State. My question is on the car we are having shipped, its a Saturn L200, was told before we should have an engine block heater and maybe some other things done, but was told yesterday that if we are shipping it to anchorage we don't really need to have anything done, the weather really isn't as bad in the bowl there and we shouldn't even need a block heater, is this so? Should we get one anyways? Anything else specific we should have done to it before its shipped?

[Glitch]

If your vehicle is going to be outside overnight, you should definately have a block heater and battery heater at the very least. It does get cold enough in Anchorage were it will drain your battery and make a cold vehicle difficult to start. Even though it only happens a couple times a year, and only lasts for a few days (a week at most) temperatures in Anchorage do drop below -20°F. You should be able to find both for under $100.

I also use different motor oil depending on the season. In the summer I use 10-30W oil, and in the winter I use 5-10W oil. The lighter weight oil in the winter helps lubricate the engine better than the heavier weight oil.

Since you will be arriving in late February or early March, it will already be warm enough where it really won't make that much difference, so you could wait until next winter before winterizing your vehicles.

[Rance]

About the worst thing you can do to a cold engine is crank it and start it in zero or worse temps. Please, at least get a block heater. You can do it here. Your husband could maybe install it in an hour. Be kind to your vehicle. It will return the favor when you need it most.

[thepenartist]

Originally Posted by Rance

About the worst thing you can do to a cold engine is crank it and start it in zero or worse temps. Please, at least get a block heater. You can do it here. Your husband could maybe install it in an hour. Be kind to your vehicle. It will return the favor when you need it most.

We will be doing this when we get to Anchorage, since we are moving in the summer time. When I mention getting a block heater down here, the mechanic gives me this weird look, but when I mention a plug hanging from the front of my car.... I get some reeaaalllyyy weird looks... so, I think I will get it done where a mechanic knows what a block heater is.