Kevin and Julie Walhof had a horrible tent camping experience. In that moment, they decided to get a truck camper. There was only one catch…
Every once in a while receive a message that’s so compelling that we have to share it. The Walhofs recently purchased a brand new truck camper in cash. How that cash was accumulated will warm the hearts of anyone who appreciates hard work, the value of a dollar, and what it takes to patiently save for something you want.
Well done, Kevin and Julie! And thank you for sharing your inspiring story.
Above: Keven and Julie Walhof and their new 2021 Arctic Fox 992 at Southland RV
Kevin and Julie’s Email:
“Six, maybe even seven years ago my wife, Julie, and I went tent camping on a nine day expedition. She had never seen the locks of the Great Lakes before. So we set out from our hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin for Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Our objective was to spend a little time in Sault Ste Marie and then head west, along the shoreline of Lake Superior, all the way to Copper Harbor, Michigan.
To make a long story short, it turned into a train wreck. First off, we were tent camping, so that of course accounts for about 75-percent of the problem. The additional 25-percent had to do with rain, rain and more rain. And then, right after that, even more rain. It was horrible.
We cut our trip five days short and never did make it to Copper Harbor. On the way home, we agreed on two things. Number one is that tent camping is for young people. We’re not so young anymore and we have options. Number two is that we were going to buy a camper, and that’s that.
Personally, I was raised in the 70s and 80s camping in a Real Lite truck camper with my parents and my brother. I knew about truck campers and I knew unequivocally that this was the style of camper I wanted. After introducing the benefits and versatility to Julie, she was 100-percent on board.
Shortly after, we went into our local credit union to inquire about a loan. We were both so discouraged over the proposed interest rates that we decided to start a savings account instead. With a crisp $100 bill, we did just that.
I still remember sliding it across the personal banker’s desktop as if it were yesterday. Our objective was to save 300-times that amount and over the next six years, we worked towards that objective.
In the meantime, we did an extensive amount of research on truck campers. We knew we wanted a truck camper, but we didn’t know what brand.
Part of this research entailed reading Truck Camper Magazine (a lot!), as well as corresponding with you, Angela. Truck Camper Magazine served as a wealth of information as well as a “king-pin resource” for us!
It’s actually incredible how vastly rare truck campers are in this part of the country and subsequently, there are no dealerships, knowledgeable resources or anywhere to go look at them locally. Truck Camper Magazine bridged many of those gaps for us.
I’m happy to report that recently, after waking up one day and realizing that we had not only saved 300-times that amount and met our objective, but we had actually saved 350-times that amount and vastly exceeded our goal!
As a result, we drove from Wausau, Wisconsin to Southland RV in Norcross, Georgia to pick up our brand new (paid for in cash) Arctic Fox 992.
I’m just so proud of us for sticking with it. I feel the need to tell everyone. We’re very excited!
Thank you!
Kevin and Julie Walhof”
