When most people dream about driving to Alaska, they envision a reliable late-model truck and a four-season camper loaded with options. Mavrik Joos took another approach for this 4,500-mile road trip: a 1970’s Bethany camper and a 1993 F-150 with an engine knock. What could go wrong?
What makes this adventure even better? Both Mavrik (“Mav”) and his half-century old Bethany camper share serious Minnesota roots. Bethany Fellowship Inc. started building pop-up camping trailers in Minneapolis back in 1958, and then expanded into truck campers during the 1970s. These weren’t the polished, feature-loaded rigs we see today. But watch closely, and you’ll spot some innovative design elements that could absolutely teach modern manufacturers a thing or two.
Watch the video above to tag along for the entire road trip.
Note: While we admire Mav’s gumption, we do not condone his sketchy ratchet straps. Be inspired by Mav, but for goodness’ sake, get yourself some proper tie-downs!
Mav scored the 1994 Ford F-150 (aka, Sandy) and Bethany Pick Upper IV pop-up (and out) camper for free from a friend. He set out on a 4,500-mile journey from the very same city where both he and his camper were brought into this world. Not to mention, Bethany came and went before he was even born. It doesn’t get more poetic than that.
Back to those innovative features I mentioned. Hey truck camper manufacturers, are you seeing this?
[16:20] Two-part, full-size entry door on a soft-sided pop-up camper.
[30:31 and [57:06] Soft-sided, fold-down wall with integrated cot.
[30:46] Front wall kitchen galley open floorplan design.
As cool as this vintage camper is, what makes this trip Camper Beast worthy is Mav’s attitude. He’s not worried about whether his suspension is good enough for the Alcan Highway. He’s not losing sleep about not having air conditioning in his truck, the truck door window not working, or condensation issues inside his camper. Instead, he’s out there catching fish and reeling in Dungeness crab. Mav’s eating like a king and letting the road guide his next move.
Early in the video, Mav casually mentions the lack of power steering and a persistent engine knock in his 33-year-old truck. Seconds later, he says, “I think we’re sittin’ pretty in sun tan city.” That phrase alone tells you everything you need to know about this trip. No stress. No elaborate backup plan. Just a guy, an old truck, a vintage camper, and a sixty-three-hour mission. Valdez, Alaska—or bust!
If you’ve been putting off your dream trip because your truck isn’t new enough, your camper isn’t fancy enough, or you don’t have every possible upgrade installed, consider this your permission slip. Mav proved that a 1970’s pop-up camper and a 1993 truck with an engine knock are still fully capable of tackling 4,500 miles of adventure. Heck, the imperfections are what make it an adventure in the first place.
The question isn’t whether your rig can do it. The question is: what are you waiting for?
Thanks for the inspiration, Mav! See you down the road.
