Lance McClain: From Georgia to Key West

With a truck camper that bears his name, Lance McClain shares his camping insights from the coast of Georgia to the Florida Keys.  And to dog shows.  Sit! ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

One facet of the truck camper lifestyle that’s hard to communicate is how many opportunities the truck camper ownership experience offers.  It’s as if the doors of adventure are thrown open as soon as you get behind the wheel.

When we interviewed Lance McClain for this story, we really enjoyed learning about all the facets of his truck camping lifestyle.  Just when we thought his truck camping universe started in Georgia and ended in the Florida Keys, Lance told us about his affections for camping in Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the occasional dog show.  Clearly the doors of adventure are wide open to the McClains.

ABOVE: Tracy, Lance, Lacy, Lola, Shelby, and Possum

TCM: Tell us about your camping experience.  How did you get into truck camping?

Lance: I’ve enjoyed the outdoors and camping since my childhood days in the Boy Scouts.  In the 1960s and 1970s I did a lot of RVing with my immediate family in an Airstream Trailer.

There was a long time interval between our Airstream camping days in the 1970’s and our next RV.  In that time, I went tent camping throughout North Carolina and traveled the Southeast through South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and into the mountains.  We also had a second home in Destin, Florida during this time period and enjoyed boating and camping on the water.

TCM: In your email you mention that you also had a horse trailer.

Lance: Before we had the truck camper, we had a large horse trailer with living quarters.  The trailer was huge and we had to figure out how we would get in and out of a place before we pulled in.  That made us not want to stop.  We didn’t want to get stuck or get ourselves into a situation that would be difficult to get out of.

We don’t tow that often now.  We try to take what we need in the camper and we’re not camping with the horses as much as we used to.  We do a lot of excursions to the Florida Keys.  My wife’s sister lives there.

ABOVE: Smokey Mountain National Park, North Carolina

TCM: So what finally led you to get a truck camper?

Lance: In 2007, we sold our home in Florida and began to research how we could continue our traveling.  We already had a truck and found that a truck camper would suit our lifestyle. 

The versatility and convenience of a truck camper sold me.  You have your four wheel drive vehicle with you and can drive out from under the camper when you want to.  With the small size of a truck camper, we can fit into almost any campsite.  That can be very beneficial when looking for a campsite in the Florida Keys.  If you go to a park or campground with a larger RV, they may not have something available for you.

Our dealer, New Horizons Outdoors, has been incredible with their service and attention to detail.  They are great business people.  They do everything they say they are going to do and stuff is even expedited.  I call and they get back to me the same day whether it’s for a part or if I have a question. 

New Horizons represents the Lance Camper company very well.  I even carry around Lance brochures since so many people talk to us about our camper.  Everyone is curious.  There are so many people that you work with that are not that great, whether it be for your automobile or something else.  New Horizons is first class and right on top of things.

TCM: That’s good to hear.  We need to visit New Horizons Outdoors in Georgia and meet the team.  You mention that you like the ability to go anywhere.  Where do you take advantage of this capability?

Lance: There are several places in Georgia where the sites are at 5,000 feet in elevation.  Without a truck camper, we wouldn’t be able to get to these sites.  There’s one site at Black Rock State Park that we have to back up a hill and wind up on a spot on top.  It’s on the tip top of a mountain, and the view is incredible. 

ABOVE LEFT: A relaxing weekend at Van Hook Glade Campground just outside Highlands North Carolina at 4,800 feet. They traveled down the winding roads of the Culasaja Valley nestled amongst towering hemlock trees, huge Rhododendrons, and Mountain Laurel.  The campsites have no hook ups so the onboard generator comes in handy.  CENTER AND RIGHT: WestPoint Lake in Lagrange at a Dixie Dock Dog Diving event at the Bassmasters Elite Fishing Tournament

TCM: We’ve been to our fair share of spots only a truck camper could reach.  How do you get four dogs and yourselves in a truck camper comfortably?

Lance: We started off with three Australian Shepherds.  They are medium sized dogs.  Now we have four; Lola, Lacy, Shelby, and Possum.  They travel in the back seat of the crew cab of the truck.  We have the bars in between the back and front seat so they can’t crawl up front. 

By being in the truck, they have the air conditioning and heat.  Ninety percent of the time we are camping for pleasure and going out when the weather is good.  We can’t go to all of the campgrounds we want because they don’t all allow four dogs.  We do carry along wire dog pens that we put outside during the day.  If it’s raining, we set up pens under the awning.

We bring our dogs in at night and they all sleep on the floor.  It’s tight with four dogs, but there is enough floor space for them in the camper.  The great thing is that they can’t get into our overcab bed because it’s too high.  We all have enough room to get around.

TCM: What kind of shows do you attend with your dogs?

Lance: My wife shows our dogs in obedience. like the dog shows on television.  Other shows are Agility trials where they run over obstacles like dog walks, hoops, and tunnels.  One of our dogs even does dock diving where a huge portable dock and pool is set up.  Each dog runs down a platform and jumps in a pool of water.  They measure how far the dogs jumps.  Usually the shows are one to three days long. 

TCM: How do you use the camper at the shows?

Lance: The camper is great for traveling to shows and many of the shows are set up for camping.  A lot of dog show people are on the road in their RV, so they will go from one show to another.  If there are not RV facilities at the show, we find a campground nearby. 

Our camper is so small that we can pull up close to the venue and make use of it right there.  The shows can go on all day long, so that’s kind of boring for me sometimes.  I go back to camper and hang out.  I can work on my computer, watch television, or just relax. 

TCM: Do you go to horse shows as well?

Lance: We don’t do horse shows.  We just go out trail riding for pleasure.  With the camper, you have a lot more amenities than you do in most horse living quarters.

TCM: You sound like you are experts in towing.  What are some tips you can give our readers who might be nervous about towing with their truck camper rig?

Lance: I’m in landscaping so I’m used to towing.  I find it to be easy.  I have a back up camera so I can see the trailer.  I almost forget it’s back there. 

The smaller trailers can be tedious because they turn sharp when you back up.  A short wheel base trailer takes practice, but you need to make sure to stop at a pull through campsite.  When you’re towing, the less backing up the better.  Even with my experience, a short trailer can jack knife if I turn the wheel the wrong way.  Even if you don’t have truck camper, that can happen.  I highly recommend a back-up camera. 

You also have to be careful of the tongue weight of the trailer so that the trailer and rig are balanced properly.  You want to make sure that the tongue weight of the trailer isn’t too high with the tow bar extension coming out the back.  With the larger camper, you often have a four to five foot bar that comes out of the trailer hitch.  That bar is not going to be as rigid as the hitch coming out of the truck.  At New Horizons they told me to be careful not put too much weight on the towing system.  My advice is to get more than enough truck for what you’re doing.

TCM: I see from your pictures that you also go beach camping.  Where do you go?

Lance: The place in the pictures is a mix of concrete and sand.  It’s actually a privately owned lot for a home that’s located right on the beach.  We also like going to Long Key State Park on Long Key, about thirty-five miles south of Key Largo.  We back right up to the beach and the campsites are sand.  Unfortunately, Long Key State Park is supposed to be closing, indefinitely.

TCM: That is unfortunate.  Camping in the Florida Keys seems to be getting tougher to find and more expensive.  It sounds like you stick on the East Coast for your truck camping trips.  Where are some of your favorite spots to go truck camping on the East Coast?

Lance: The scenery and locations through the Smokies are incredible.  In Florida, we like Long Key State Park.  We have stayed at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park but the sites are very small.  Bahia Honda a good place.  There are about four sites that are really excellent, and that’s classified information (laughs).

In the Florida Keys, you need to book a year in advance to stay in one place for awhile.  A good place outside of Key West is Boyd’s Key West Campground.  It’s on the water and about one hundred dollars a night.  The good thing is that you can take a cab from there to Key West or detach your truck and drive in.

Several campgrounds in Key West won’t let truck campers in.  We wind up hopping around a lot.  We get out our iPhone and have a list with directories and find a place.  In Florida on our way South to the Keys from Georgia, we stay at resort called Sun and Fun.  They always have several sites for people in transition.  We also stay at my wife’s sister’s place in the Keys in a small space in front of her house.  We would not be able to stay there in anything other than the truck camper since most all other RVs would be too big.

If you book ahead and need to cancel, most of the state parks will refund most of your money back.  So we’ll reserve a site well in advance.  In Florida, when you get away from the water and the coast, it gets easier to find an available campground and you don’t need to make your reservations so far in advance.  Winter is the busiest time of year in Florida for RVers.  Due to all the snowbirds that leave the northern cold and snowy states for Florida’s warm sunshine. 

TCM: We had some challenges camping in the Florida Keys last year, but we were able to find a spot after calling around a bit.  If we had been any bigger than a truck camper, it would not have worked out.  Tell us about some of your favorite camping spots in Georgia.

Lance: Georgia has Black Rock State Park and Vogel State Park.  The state park camp sites are big and wooded and the hiking trails are right off the campsites.

A great trip that everyone should do is Cumberland Island.  It’s off the Georgia coast, in St. Mary’s, Georgia.  I’ve been going there for years.  It’s a protected barrier island, and there are no cars allowed.  You have to go everywhere by foot.  There are a couple of residences and a hotel where John Kennedy’s son got married.

There is also a really nice state park in St. Mary’s that you can stay in called Crooked River State Park.  When you’re there, you drive a few miles to St. Mary’s and catch ferry and go to the island for the day.  It’s just incredibly beautiful with live oaks and meadows.  This is a beach with nothing on it; no houses or people.  There are around 240 horses on this island.  That’s something you would want to book in advance.  September, October, and November are a good time to go for less crowds and less bugs.  It’s a quaint southern Georgia town.  They also have a nuclear submarine tour and you can go to the base and tour the submarines.

TCM: You said that you both still work full-time and it looks like you have quite an active truck camping lifestyle.  How do you fit it in?

Lance: I own my own landscaping company.  I can kind of set my own hours.  I have people who can do everything so I don’t have to be here all the time.  Stuff can be done on the phone or over the computer. 

My wife’s work is mainly done by computer as well.  She works for a corporation in staffing.  After working with them for twenty years, she has six weeks of vacation saved up.  We are still at the mercy of our jobs, so we’re handling phone calls and issues while we travel.  That’s the price you pay to be self employed.  You don’t get to turn it off when you’re on vacation.

TCM: We hear that.  Of course, it’s also wonderful to have the freedom to dictate your own schedule.  So did you get a Lance because your name is Lance?

Lance: No.  I got or Lance because I felt like it was one of the best quality truck campers.  I recognized the name and knew they had been around.  It was the first brand I turned to.  Everybody that sees it says, “You’ve got the Cadillac”.  I have been impressed with the quality of my camper.  And from what I hear, the resale value is good.  I did research on the internet before I bought it.

TCM: Naturally we think anyone who does their research on the internet is a genius, especially when they read Truck Camper Magazine!  And yes, truck camper resale values are often superior to all other forms of RVs.  We talk about this in detail in our Do More and Spend Less article in the Newbie Corner.  Thank you for sharing your story Lance.

Lance: You're welcome.