GregBC
Well-known member
- First Name
- Greg
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2022
- Threads
- 28
- Messages
- 323
- Reaction score
- 490
- Location
- Victoria, BC, Canada
- Vehicles
- 2022 F150 XLT 5.0L 302A Carbonized Gray
- Occupation
- Retired US Navy; currently DND
- Thread starter
- #1
Not many fancy vacations planned this year but when you live on Vancouver Island, the "non-fancy" getaways are still pretty darn sweet!
Had the rooftop tent but we wanted to kayak and not take the kayak off every night so I was able to slide the RTT fully to the right side and fit a j-rack on the left side. Also moved the whole rack setup forward so the kayak wouldn't stick out so far to the rear.
First part was to get up to Port Hardy. Found a simple campsite close to the highway. Not the fanciest but easy in/out.
Next was the 60+km logging road thru Holberg (pop: 15-ish) to San Josef Bay in Cape Scott park. Not bad and didn't need 4wd at all.
The walk into San Josef Bay is super easy. Ppl bring carts and wagons! Found a good spot off the tide line and enjoyed one night.
Walk back was also super easy. Threw the bags into the truck, started the engine...and got a low-pressure indicator on the front left! Thank goodness for TPMS since it LOOKED fine. But 14psi wasn't gonna cut it.
We drove up to a flat sections d broke out the book to change the tire: first time for everything! Fortunately I had read the overview when I bought the truck so knew the basics. Everything went fine (another camper came by to share some wood blocks to stop the rear wheels and lend moral support, thanks!). Super happy we have a full-size spare, the logging road wasn't gonna be fun on a little spare... and there's no cell for about 60km to get a tow truck.
Got it changed and on we went to Port McNeil to catch a ferry. Our timing was planned to get some food at the pub in Holberg but after changing the tire in non-F1 times, we had to charge on; the ferry only comes about every 3 hours.
The place we found on Malcolm Island was pretty awesome. Beachfront (it's a rocky beach but whatever), private, with a small building nearby with showers, toilets, and sink to clean dishes. All for $40/night (vs $35 or so for provincial parks that usually have none of that). Some of the spots were tight but we managed to get one with space and enjoyed the tiny town/exploring.
After too-short a time, we caught the ferry back and hoofed it all the way home. Tried to find the leak at home but couldn't; got it plugged at a local Canadian Tire for $30 and swapped the tires back and it's been good since. I'm guessing I must have gotten a tiny nail or slash but it wasn't bit enough to hear or see anything when I tried bubbles.
Overall the setup worked well. We somehow managed to FILL the bed/under Softopper but it all worked. Even mileage wasn't that bad coming home (almost 20mpg) because I chilled out a bit on the spare; I knew it was just a regular tire but still played it cautious.
Had the rooftop tent but we wanted to kayak and not take the kayak off every night so I was able to slide the RTT fully to the right side and fit a j-rack on the left side. Also moved the whole rack setup forward so the kayak wouldn't stick out so far to the rear.
First part was to get up to Port Hardy. Found a simple campsite close to the highway. Not the fanciest but easy in/out.
Next was the 60+km logging road thru Holberg (pop: 15-ish) to San Josef Bay in Cape Scott park. Not bad and didn't need 4wd at all.
The walk into San Josef Bay is super easy. Ppl bring carts and wagons! Found a good spot off the tide line and enjoyed one night.
Walk back was also super easy. Threw the bags into the truck, started the engine...and got a low-pressure indicator on the front left! Thank goodness for TPMS since it LOOKED fine. But 14psi wasn't gonna cut it.
We drove up to a flat sections d broke out the book to change the tire: first time for everything! Fortunately I had read the overview when I bought the truck so knew the basics. Everything went fine (another camper came by to share some wood blocks to stop the rear wheels and lend moral support, thanks!). Super happy we have a full-size spare, the logging road wasn't gonna be fun on a little spare... and there's no cell for about 60km to get a tow truck.
Got it changed and on we went to Port McNeil to catch a ferry. Our timing was planned to get some food at the pub in Holberg but after changing the tire in non-F1 times, we had to charge on; the ferry only comes about every 3 hours.
The place we found on Malcolm Island was pretty awesome. Beachfront (it's a rocky beach but whatever), private, with a small building nearby with showers, toilets, and sink to clean dishes. All for $40/night (vs $35 or so for provincial parks that usually have none of that). Some of the spots were tight but we managed to get one with space and enjoyed the tiny town/exploring.
After too-short a time, we caught the ferry back and hoofed it all the way home. Tried to find the leak at home but couldn't; got it plugged at a local Canadian Tire for $30 and swapped the tires back and it's been good since. I'm guessing I must have gotten a tiny nail or slash but it wasn't bit enough to hear or see anything when I tried bubbles.
Overall the setup worked well. We somehow managed to FILL the bed/under Softopper but it all worked. Even mileage wasn't that bad coming home (almost 20mpg) because I chilled out a bit on the spare; I knew it was just a regular tire but still played it cautious.
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