In three videos, Jim Cathey reveals what he learned from driving from Idaho to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in a Ford F-350 and Northern Lite 8-11 rig—in February! This is essential viewing for anyone interested in serious winter camping and truly self-reliant travel. Prepare yourself, and watch.
Two months ago, we published an interview with Jim Cathey about his plan drive from Idaho to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska with his brother, Dave. That plan wouldn’t normally rise to the level of a front page Truck Camper Magazine feature except for one thing—the Cathey brothers were going in February.
This was no mid-summer pleasure cruise. This was a mid-winter, sub-freezing, sub-optimal, and some might say sub-sanity cannonball run and test. We’re talking isolation, distance, and severe weather conditions with a few frost heaves thrown in to toss things around. If you want to know why anyone would purposefully do such a thing, we strongly encourage you to read Jim’s pre-trip interview. His reasons are as inspirational as they are audacious.
Two weeks later, we interviewed Jim again, this time with his son at his side in Prudhoe Bay. In what was our very first livestream YouTube broadcast, we talked to Jim and his son from our warm Florida HQ. Between us and the TCM readers, Jim and his son handled all kinds of questions about their trip. We also asked Jim to step outside his camper and prove that he wasn’t still in his driveway in Idaho. Hey, we’re journalists. We gotta check these things.
Following his return, Jim reached out to Northern Lite for a series of exceptional videos that burnish his experience, and offer some hard-earned tips for anyone somehow interested in following tire tracks. Truth be told, much of what Jim speaks to could be applied to winter truck camping in general, and traveling to places where services might be limited or non-existent. We’re fair weather campers who generally stay within a cell phone throw of civilization, and we still found the videos interesting.
Below are Jim’s videos. Thanks to Northern Lite for putting these together, and Jim Cathey and the Cathey crew for allowing us to vicariously ride along.
Ready for your next trip, Jim? How about northern Maine through Québec to the remote James Bay Road, loop back east and cross Labrador via the Trans-Labrador Highway, then ferry to Newfoundland for a winter run to the Atlantic edge—in February!
Broventure Rig:
Truck: 2011 F-350 6.7l diesel crew cab short bed 74k miles
Camper: 2024 Northern Lite 8-11 LE Wet Bath
Suspension: Torklift Stableload Upper Overload Springs, Hellwig Big Wig sway bar, Air Lift airbags with compressor/tank, Bilstein 5160 shocks front and rear, Icon dual rate coil springs front suspension, and a tie rod with stabilizer and track ball joint.
