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Very nice 👌 😊. Two thumbs up 👍.

Very nice trailer 👌 👍 😍

Very nice. I LOVE IT ❤

Bed in the ceiling! I have been suggesting that for years and now a few manufacture's are doing it! SMART!

I see you there Raymond!

Ram 2500 4x4 diesel 4 door with FWC HAWK. I like to hike and fly fish and explore BLM and NFS Lands. Having this setup allows me to go to backcountry trails with rough, off-camber roads (keeping in mind it’s not a lifted Jeep!). I’ve backpacked and truck camped most of my life and it was time to camp with some creature comforts. I’ve pulled trailers and fifth wheels and did not want to tow. I looked at Vans and see the positive in those vehicles, and may make that switch if I stop backcountry travel.

Danke für Deine Info

VW all day long for me.

I had a blow-out last Summer as I was passing Custer Battlefield with our 30' Class A. Fortunately, it was in the back on a tandem axle and only a couple of miles to the RV park. I've had a spare with all of my RVs, but there is no changing a tire yourself on a 15,000 pound Class A. Fortunately, roadside assistance fixed us up the next morning.

The car I drive does not have a spare. All was fine until Christmas eve about 2am downtown Jacksonville Fl. About 80 miles from home I had a flat. $1000 later I was home at 6am. The car now carries a spare.

I’m leaning towards a truck with pop-up camper. A big factor is being able to travel and sleep with my family of 3 (we have a 4 yr old daughter). And the toppers seem wider and have wider beds for sleeping. Then again, a van with a pop-up roof / bed for two and a bed on the floor could work as well. Off-road capabilities may prove to be the deciding factor even though fabric ‘walls’ aren’t too enticing for winter camping I imagine. Maybe not too big a deal when running a diesel heater. Thanks for your balanced overview; each setup has compromised. At the end of the day though, we’re lucky to be to go camping at all, even if it were in a Toyota Corolla and ground tent. Happy camping!

Just get the Michlen run flat yjen u have no worry

If you ask what it costs, you can’t afford it.😢

I lost a brand new spare tire and aluminumn wheel while on the road. I have the new tires for say 6 months. My tires also were bigger and the place put the tire in the same place as the original one. I don't think they fully put the new tire back on the van. I was driving one day and I thought maybe I hit something in the road like a board, but I didn't actually see one. I look in the mirrors and didn't see anything that I might of hit or even the spare tire. I was lucky no one was behind me, yet I never saw the spare tire or even realized it fell off. I ordered a new tire and wheel, but I refused to put it back in the same place. I'm curreltly without a tire on my van, while I wait for a rear tire tire ladder rack for my van to come it.

YES to carrying a spare. It gives us great piece of mind to have it ready to go, along with the H1 Hummer jack to raise our lifted Sprinter van. You offer excellent advice to our fellow travelers. Thanks so much!!

Thank you for touring this van. I love the storage under the bed. I personally think the shower is a poor use of space. In my class b, in over 2 years, I have not showed in it nor would I. Ours has a round vent fan in the bathroom. The first thing I did was take the bathroom door off and put up a curtain for privacy. That door was in the way when there were 2 of us in the van. Our van is setup to be a couple's van with the bedroom in the rear and it can be small twin beds or one Queen. I am still trying to love the full sided van, but since my husband passed away, I find I really don't need or enjoy all that space and I really enjoy the minivan because it just blends in and I can park overnight even in quite neighborhoods and no one notices it. Our class b is the classic1995 Dodge Ram Van 3500, and everyone notices it, and total strangers will ask if they can look inside. Traveling solo now, I really don't like the attention. Everyone just figures the minivan is likely full of screaming kids or a couple out on date night... Just my 2 cents worth. Thank you again for the tour.

One time…at band camp…

I'm in your camp. I drove City vehicles in the heavy construction industry for a career, and I carried plug's as well. I was informed after plugging a tire in the field, mechanics are the only people that are supposed to fix the City's vehicles or tires...😅. I called it in, but when I was told it would be after 7pm before they could get there, it was just before noon, I repaired it and drove it to the shop. They took all the spares out from under our City vehicles in the 1990s, because of theft. Being a verticality challenged female, I always felt it was a personal safety issue for me, to be left stranded either in the urban core, or at the intersection of cornfield and pasture. My plan is to drive to AK, next year too. I have started working through my older class b, and getting the knowledge I will need, to pull it off. Who knows maybe our paths will cross somewhere out on the road, but it is doubtful, because AK and western Canada are big. Thank you for another informative and useful video. Safe travels. ❤😊

They need to start these videos with the price upfront. 52k 🤣

With that departure angle, break over or ramp angle and with all that weight, that is NOT a go anywhere or expedition vehicle. Good luck to turn around on single track mountain roads. The vehicle itself is not build thought enough for serious off road. That is a nice build for gravel roads and occasionally light off road to that nice camping spot.

Every vehicle I've driven and actually owned, I definitely had a spare.

We carry a spare and a simple plug kit with a compressor. I’ve been able to pull a nail and a screw out of two tires and fix them myself in the last year. It’s much quicker than changing to a spare.

I didn't know there were classes on tire repair we may look into this. I think having a spare for your AK trip is a good idea. We had less than 6,000 miles on our Sprinter last summer when we got a flat (small sharp rock) in AK. The roads and getting into and out of boondocking spots really does a number on the tread.

I had AWD Honda and got a flat tire I want the flat one replaced with a new tire but tire store will not do it 😅 I ended up getting all four new tires 😢 Honda came with a doughnut spare but that thing is limited to 55 miles per hour 😂😱 It was fun driving on the freeway under the limit and see all the car passes by 😢 but I made it home took longer than usual 😅 I once got this tire repair can I was supposed to use it when people get a flate the can have some type of glue inside and enough air to inflate the tire It didn't work I drove the car to a tire store when technician took down the tire and take the tire off the rim the whole thing just exploded on him he got those gooey stuff on him he was not happy he asked me did I use one of the tire can I said yes he said I should let him know first 😢

We went for years without a spare in our class B pleasure way but always carried tire plugs, liquid can flat repairs and air compressors. That would only work for a nail or screw. Any sidewall damage would be impossible. Now we have a new Travato there is absolutely no space underneath and both back doors have a ladder and bike rack. The only option was to use the hitch with a spare tire mount. It doesn't look the greatest and sticks out but it's very functional and gives up the peace of mind. Back doors swing out without interference too.

What an idiotic question.

With my Class C motorhome purchase, I received a year of complimentary roadside assistance, which required having a spare tire ready for replacement. Otherwise, there would be extra costs for obtaining a spare or fixing a flat tire. I'm uncertain about the specifics of other roadside assistance services. To prepare, I purchased a rim, tire, and mounting hardware for the spare tire, even though the designated space lacked the necessary hardware. My next step is to buy the required tool, a very large bottle jack, to change the tire if roadside assistance is unavailable.

Ive been riding with a spare "inside" my van bc the hook that held it under the van rusted n broke off n another mechanic wont touch it..new to me van coming next month..hated having that tire in here but knew as soon as i took it out I'd need it..

🙂

Good video, Joe! AND good advice 👍

I always carry a spare on my silverado. I wonder since you carry an air compressor if you could carry the over sized spare tire deflated so that it would fit under the van? You could inflate it if needed.

My STO / Flarespace spare sat in my garage for a year waiting for Owl to come out with their Transit spare tire carrier. Just picked it up last month and really like knowing it's back there. Got the Owl bike carrier and cargo box as well. Still carry a repair kit and compressor.

I am in the camp of getting a full size spare tire, carry an air compressor, and learn how to change or temporarily fix your own flat tires. Plus get star link so you call for a tow truck if necessary. 👍🌻

The trip to Alaska will probably take you through British Columbia (BC) which has a land mass larger than Washington Oregon, Idaho, and California combined. However, BC has a population slightly over 5 million people mostly living in the south near the US border. North of Prince George, all the way to Alaska, services will be very spread out. Be self sufficient. I have made the trip many times and can recommend sites and side trips. Planning to go the Arctic Ocean? The Canadian side has better services, is more scenic and is much safer than the US side. Two specific points: Crossing the massive Mackenzie River on a ferry is really impressive and you can actually drive right to the Ocean itself which you cannot do in Alaska because of the oil facilities (which TBO are really ugly!!!)

MMM Pea-cons

I don't know about a Ford Transit, but on the Ford E-350 chassis, I can mount a front receiver, and then a spare tire carrier, where I carry my spare tire, and cover it with a tire cover. I tow a boat, and I'm am concerned that they typical spare tire mount in the back (drivers side rear) allows the tire to protrude out, and possibly in the way of the trailer if making a very sharp left turn (example, backing the boat trailer into a tight area).

Class c for me. Mostly because the dedicated bathroom. With quigley 4x4 is preferred

My Travato doesn't have a spare ✊🏻🪵 57k miles across the country

Mount that spare tire to the front bumper

My van didn't come with a spare. Every time this comes up in our FB van model group, lots of people say something like, "In X number of years of driving (usually 30-50), I've never had a flat tire, so there's no point in having one now." It just mystifies me as to how so many people think the past predicts their future! I for one will never be without a spare. In fact, I had to use ours less than 30 days after installing one when a bolt separated the right rear tire's steel belts, and the inside sidewall blew off. There was no fixing that! Having that spare was the difference between a day consuming tow (which has its own risks and costs), and getting back on the road in less than an hour. I had RA come out, and he told me straight up, "Good thing you have this spare. We're not in the business of sourcing tires for people"

tbh it seems crazy expensive for something with a wet bath and not a full pass-through

Well roadside assistance is generally a joke or you have to wait till next Tuesday for them to show up. Self reliance is your best option. We have a spare and I took a class at the Overland Expo on the sidewall repair kit, valve stem repair and plugging a tire. Definitely recommend something like that. Also it’s a good idea to do a dry run in your driveway to make sure you have everything and it works. An air compressor is a big plus too but make sure it’s big enough to fully inflate your tires, a cheap one won’t fill it up. 👍🏼

We carry a spare- same wheel and tire you have from Flarespace. Also, air compressor which we do use on all vehicles we own and looks like the same one you have. I haven't checked the jack to see if it goes high enough though. did you get a jack other than the Transit OEM one? Will check out the book and class you linked for us. Thanks for another informative video!

Joe, what would happen if you installed a smaller tire on a non 4WD van? Isn’t that basically the same as a using a “donut” spare for a regular vehicle? I don’t carry as much equipment as you do, but I do carry a repair kit and air compressor

Owl van now has a door hinge mounted spare tire carrier. I have the same van and no problems with gaps. No need to remove the door to install. Video on how to. Enjoy your Alaska trip. Be safe out there

Thanks for the tour. I saw an older model and fell in love. Someday……

Very well presented and comprehensive info. Thank you

Ridiculous price. About like how all the rents are going. Sky high. No wonder people are homeless and living in their cars and vans.

I'm putting my money on an externally mounted spare. Plug a nail hole in the field, no problem, but do you really want to try to remove a tire from a wheel in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like a great way to ruin an outing.

We’ve had flats in Louisiana and Guatemala and never regret carrying a spare under our full time home, a Promaster. We have a compressor and a plug kit which means a flat is an annoyance not a disaster. Glad you are on the same page. Cheers from Ecuador with no flats. So far.