Hi gang. Haven't checked in with the chapter for awhile. Lots has happened recently and thought I'd touch base.

We had an accident on the 16th on our way to our annual camping trip in Tofino. Near the summit of Sutton Pass on highway 4 between Port Alberni and Tofino, My 94 F150 sheared off the passengers side rear wheel. Took out the back of the box, bent up the bumper, then smashed into the front corner of my 5th wheel. Everyone was ok and fortunately we were on an incline, so I was able to maintain control. Truck and trailer were written off by ICBC though, so I've found myself a new (to me) Ford.





2001 F250 Crew 4wd with the mighty v10. Look for me at a gas station near you! And bring your wallet...I might need a loan.

 

Tough break Todd. Happy to hear everyone was fine. Not hard to replace a truck and trailer. It's a little harder to replace loved ones.

Other than fuel how's the new ride? How do you like the CC compared to the SC? I know I sure like the extra room.

 

theres no going back after you step up to a crewcab..

 

Yes, we feel very fortunate that no one was hurt. In a different spot, things could have been a ot uglier.

Loving the crewcab. Have been wanting one for a long time but it was hard to justify the expense when I had the equivalent of the national debt of Equador in my 94.

Truck is an ex RCMP truck and has 161,000km.

 

Congrats on the new truck Todd..just a crappy way to end up getting it. Glad all is well with the family, that's the most important thing.

 

Thought I'd post a few pics of the truck and trailer after the accident.
















As you can see the damage to the truck wasn't excessive, but enough that ICBC didn't deem it worth repairing. The damage to the trailer was more severe. The initial hit caused most of the seams to "pop", even on the back of the trailer around the back window. The pic of the pullout step for the door shows how the wheel punched the step frame up through the floor. It twisted the door frame and broke the lock mechanism in such a way that I had to lift my son up through the window to open the door from the inside. That piece of cloth hanging down in the last pic is the sheet from the upper bed. You could actually lay in bed and pass things down to someone through the gap. Craziness.

 

Looks like the 5th wheel got the worst of it. You going to replace it?

 

Yes, truck came first though. We figure late fall will be a good time to get a good price. No 5th wheel this time, I think. Leaning toward an 18-20 foot travel trailer. Has to sleep 5-6.

 

If you're not in any big hurry just keep an eye on something like Craigslist.

 

That's the plan. Want something small enough that we can fit into regular size campsites and not have to stick to the rv sites. Craigslist will likely be the place. I don't mind older either, as long as there are enough beds.

Have to stay focused though. There's an Alaskan camper for sale on the Sunshine coast that looks awfully tempting...

 

You could probably go 24-26 and still be able to fit into most places. We have some problems fitting into some of the provincial sites. Too bad because many of them are really nice places.

There are some really nice older ones. We bought a 1978 Prowler 17 1/2 in 2003 and it was in fantastic shape.

 

17.5 - 20 would be ideal. We don't tend to spend alot of time inside, it's mostly sleeping and occasional bad weather shelter. With our last trailer, we didn't ever use the bathroom, except as wet gear storage. 70's or 80's is fine with us too so I think we'll find a good deal.

 

If you're not in a hurry something will come along that is perfect.

Our tub seems to be our clothes hamper. In our last 5th wheel one of the dogs slept in it at night.