John King is an up-and-coming country music band leader, guitar player and singer-songwriter who spent a ton of time camping as a kid – pretty much every summer that he can remember. His dad would load their family up in a pop-up camper and take them to Lake Hartwell in Georgia where they would spend their entire summer, and they would also travel down to the beach in Florida to soak up the sun in the sand. Camping was a major part of their lives, and it offered a great way for their whole family to bond, which has always meant a lot to John.

In 2020, when the world felt the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic, things were at a standstill music-wise for a while as there were no shows and no tours happening which resulted in him having a lot of free time. He and his wife’s three-year-old daughter, Scarlett, developed cabin fever over time as many things were closed and off limits during that time period, resulting in the family being restricted to staying inside the house for the most part.

As a rising country music star who tours frequently, John has found that longer trips can be stressful sometimes due to having to tackle traffic while pulling a large, 34’ travel trailer. Sometimes they end up having to take detours which can create additional challenges having to maneuver down narrow backroads which can add extra, unforeseen travel time.

“Having to take detours can become extra stressful when we are on a time crunch and need to be at certain places by certain times,” John stated. “Ultimately, though, it’s always worth it when we finally arrive. Plus, sometimes having to take a detour puts us on a more scenic route, and we definitely are never upset about that!”

Speaking of scenic routes, one of the main reasons John loves RVing is being able to travel and see new places. He mentioned that traveling the country in their RV while they’re on tour gives him an excuse to explore and see what’s out there each time he arrives in a new city. He also really enjoys boondocking as he gets a chance to reconnect with nature without the extra distractions.

“Boondocking gives us a chance to be off the grid for a while with hardly anybody around, and we really love the solitude and peacefulness we get from it,” John stated. “We almost forget that there are parts of the country and the world where there are no people, and this gives us a cool reminder of that. We once spent some time at Absaroka Range in Wyoming where we were strictly using solar power and used our 4-wheel drive to pull our camper out into a beautiful, secluded area with a mountain view. Calling it amazing would seriously be an understatement.”

Being in the mountains is an experience that is certainly near and dear to John’s heart. When asked what his favorite travel destination was, his initial response was that “it depends on the time of year,” but he then followed up to say that no matter what time of year it is, being in the mountains is his favorite place to be.

Every camper has a favorite memory, and John’s took place when they first got their RV. Being RV newbies at the time, there was a lot they learned from their first camping trip, and it helped mold their family into who they are today.

“There are a ton of incredible memories we’ve made thus far, but my favorite has to be the first time we took Scarlett camping,” John explained. “We had just gotten our RV and wanted to take it out for the weekend and test it out, and it actually turned out to be kind of a disaster. We weren’t in a great spot, it was pouring raining when we showed up, we didn’t pack properly, and, honestly, I had forgotten a lot of the things I learned growing up. We did a lot of tent camping and backpacking when I was younger, so our first time in a nice, new, fancy RV was pretty crazy. Things just seemed to be a mess.”

As a result of their continuous learning process, the King’s have figured out what to bring and what not to bring on their trips.

“I’ve learned that having a checklist before trips makes a world of difference, so I’ve created one tailored to our needs and double check it before we head out,” John said. “Our items are pretty basic for the most part. First and foremost, you want to make sure you have water, whether that’s through hookups or determining if you need bottled water. Next is clothing, self-explanatory. Groceries is next on the list in case there’s not a grocery store for 20, 30, or even 40 miles from your destination,” he explained.

“Aside from those fundamental items, we really keep things to a minimum so we can focus more on being outdoors and enjoying nature,” John continued. “We’ve learned to pack as light as possible. Our first few times camping, we packed a bunch of extra stuff that we ended up not needing that took up extra space. Over time, we’ve found that less really can be more. We also don’t want to be distracted by electronics, so we tend to leave those at home as well; but one thing we do have is a really good camera. Of course we can take pictures on our phones, but having those old school camera pictures for photo albums definitely creates more sentimental memories.”  

Another must-have item on their checklist is their favorite Lippert accessory, the Tire Linc® RV tire pressure & temperature monitoring system. The Tire Linc is an easy-to-install, always-on tire pressure and temperature monitoring system that is integrated with Lippert’s OneControl® app. It allows users to monitor their 5th wheel RV, travel trailer, motorhome or towed vehicle’s tire pressure and temperature right from a smartphone. John loves it for the added assurance it gives, knowing that he is always aware of the status of their tires on their long, cross-country trips.

“The Tire Linc is really the best safety accessory, especially for how frequently and how far we travel,” John said. “We’re carrying heavy loads in the back of our truck and in our camper with all of our music equipment, so it’s really nice to be able to keep an eye on things – especially when we’re traveling 2,000+ miles. It’s also a great safety feature when you have young kids because you have the peace of mind knowing that you can constantly keep them safe and protected while on the road.”

John said that his family’s relationship with Lippert started by chance, and he’s so happy that it did.

John stated that he never imagined having the opportunity to go on tour as a country artist while simultaneously being able to pursue his passion of camping with the support of an amazing partnership.

“We trust and confide in Lippert knowing that they’re sharing the latest and greatest in the industry with us and, in turn, it becomes our job to share it with our fans who love camping and the outdoors as much as we do,” he stated. “They deserve to know about great products, and we are always excited to keep them in the loop on the cool things Lippert has going on. It’s a win/win situation for everyone, and we just love having the chance to be a part of it.”

Being a huge outdoor enthusiast, one of the biggest RV misconceptions that John wanted to address is that modern day camping is not always “glamping,” and that it’s still possible to enjoy nature and being outside, even with advanced campground equipment and state-of-the-art RVs.

To keep up with John, his family, his on-and-offroad adventures and his music, subscribe to his YouTube channel, follow him on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or check out his website: https://www.johnkingcountry.com/!