Hello from another Vancouver Islander!

BellesMom

Hi everyone,

My name's Kathy and I live in beautiful Victoria, BC. I've had my little turquoise T&B for 4 years. Her name is Allegria (Spanish for "joy"). I tow her with my Toyota Tacoma named Maxine. We've been all over BC, Alberta and I've even taken her up to Dawson City, Yukon. This weekend we're heading to Port Renfrew to boondoggle and at the end of June we're off to Qualicum Bay for the Lighthouse Bluegrass Festival. Stop by and say hello if you see me! I've yet to see another turquoise T&B on my travels. Oh, and that's my little dog Belle in my profile picture. She's the centre of my universe. I think she likes the trailer even more than I do - it must feel like a den for her and I to snuggle in.

Happy trails!

Wanderoo

Welcome, Kathy!!  I am so blown away by how many T@B owners there are in Canada.  I will get there in the future!  Is your Tacoma a 4 cylinder or a 6 cylinder? 

jbug10

Hi Kathy.  Love your turquoise T@b and love British Columbia!  Back in the 70's, my boyfriend and I spent one whole summer camping and making our way across Canada from Manitoba to BC.  Loved Alberta too, oh my those Canadian Rockies!   

BellesMom

Hello Wanderoo!

My Tacoma is a 4-cylinder. I have a canopy on it as well so tons of storage which is at a premium as we all know. I used to tow my trailer with a 2-door Jeep Wrangler - do you remember the old brochures - they had a yellow T@B being towed by a yellow Jeep? Anyway, it was at capacity for the tow weight and I decided I didn't want my transmission to fall out on the Alaska highway so I traded the Jeep in for the Tacoma. I get terrific gas mileage, even while towing, and it's much more comfortable for the long distances.

T@B's are really popular here in BC, especially on Vancouver Island - we're a bunch of crunchy granola tree-hugging Birkenstock-wearing environmentalists (well, almost all of us)! It's quite a difference from the attitude in Alberta - where everything is BIGGER! I once had a cowboy with a Freightliner diesel towing a gigantic 5th-wheel ask me why I was towing my toilet around and where was the rest of my rig? haha!

Wanderoo

Now, that's funny -- towing your TOILET???  Wow, I am amazed at how many people who do not "get" the concept of a T@B. I feel so 'at large' in my ClemenT@B.  I am a former tent camper, so anything I can stand up in is awesome.

So your "canopy" on your Tacoma, is that a hard shell, a soft tent?  I am interested in a Tacoma as a tow vehicle and definitely the extra space is premium. 

My cousin used to live in Seattle and visited Vancouver frequently. Canada is on my bucket list.  So many places, so little time. Canadians are a wild bunch of people.  I was in Sayulita, Mexico in January, and partied with a bunch of Canadians.  What fun people!!!  I hope to see you on the road in the future.  Welcome to the T@B community. 

T@Balong

I'm glad to hear that Vancouver Island is T@B friendly.  We spent a delightful week there ten years ago doing some kayaking and camping.   Fell in love with Seaward Kayaks, made in Chemainus, and have been paddling them ever since.    Last summer, on our Alaska trip, we had planned to visit the island again but it didn't work out for our itinerary.   Truth be told, BC Ferries wanted too much money for a one day trip from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy!   So we took the inland route instead and sadly never made it to Vancouver Island.   I'm interested in the comment about the Tacoma's excellent mileage.    I'm in love with my Subaru Forester, but a bit disappointed with the gas mileage while pulling T@balong.  What is considered excellent mileage with the Tacoma?

BellesMom

My Tacoma has a hard canopy. It's integral to my camping experience since I can store clothes, firewood, dry goods, etc. in it. I also keep the spare tire for Allegria in there because I don't relish the though of scooting underneath the trailer on the side of a muddy road to get at it.

I just returned from a 250 km trip to Port Renfrew and used not quite 1/2 tank of gas - I figure it's about 17 mpg. My Jeep used to get about 8-10 mpg I think.

I agree about the exorbitant ferry prices to get from Prince Rupert. I took that ferry once - without the trailer  - and it cost something around $700! And I was not allowed to spend time on the car deck with my dog except for a strictly regulated 15 minutes every 2 hours - and then there's nowhere for the dogs to urinate - like a bit of carpet that could be hosed off. Although the scenery was spectacular, I was so stressed about my dog that I didn't enjoy it at all and I wrote them a letter about it. Never heard anything back. Anyway, the inland route drive is lovely, and getting a ferry from Vancouver with the trailer is about $160 which is much more reasonable. The cost of living on this beautiful island!