Roar warrior and angler, Miles Burghoff, has been on the road since 2019 while dominating his professional angler career. Battle Born Pro Angler Miles “Sonar” Burghoff tells us about how a truck camper was the ultimate option for his lifestyle, as he pulls his boat across the country during tournament season and lives over 150 days of life on the road. Check out his previous guest blog here.

As I prepare for the 2022 season on the Major League Fishing Pro Circuit, I look back on the last two years on tour, and am reminded how much my life on the road has changed.

I’ve been in this game for a long time. I’ve slept in the back of my truck countless times, tent camped, got bed-bugs multiple times in ratty hotels, and have rented many houses–some good, and some cringe-worthy.

The biggest change to my road warrior lifestyle came at the end of 2019 when I bought my Lance 975 truck camper, and ever since I have experienced what I believe life on the road should be like.

Pipe Dreams

Since the beginning of my fishing career, I always dreamt of living out of an RV while I travelled from tournament to tournament.

The RV lifestyle appealed to me for many reasons, but the most important factor for me was consistency. Having a consistent living space on the road, with the creature comforts of home, always felt like the ultimate way to travel.

The only problem was, I never thought I could afford to buy an RV.

Fortunately, my professional fishing career has been good to me, and in 2019 I was able to take some of my profits from my rookie season on tour, and pay for a used Lance truck camper.

This style of RV is designed to be hauled in the bed of your truck bed, allowing you to still be able to tow a boat. You also have the versatility to remove the truck camper when you get to the campground and just use your truck to tow your boat for a week of tournament fishing.

To me, this truck camper represented the pinnacle of what life on the road could be, but I didn’t realize how much my lifestyle would actually benefit from it.

Benefits of RVing

I spend at least 150 days a year on the road, so you could imagine how important consistency can be when living the life of the road warrior.

I always imagined being able to come back to the campsite, work on tackle without interruption, and be able to make a home-cooked meal every night. That was pretty much the limit to my imagination, but after spending time in my truck camper, I realized the benefits go well beyond the campsite.

One thing I didn’t think about is the time I spend in transit, between events. We very often have events that require multi-day trips to get there. Before the RV, I would either have to push it, and attempt to get there in one day, or pay for a hotel. Neither of these situations are very appealing to me.

Now, with the truck camper with me anywhere I go, if I need to travel for multiple days, it doesn’t matter where I am, I can stay anywhere! With two 100Ah Battle Born Lithium batteries as my boon-docking power, I can park in any rest-stop or parking lot and have all the power I need to remain self contained.

This versatility also allows me to easily overcome unforeseen issues that often arise on the road. For example, I had a situation where one of the hubs on my boat trailer burned up. Instead of waiting for the tow truck in the cab of my truck, I just put the slide out in the camper, turned the AC on, and watched some TV.

Having the peace of mind that whatever happens I have a place to stay is a huge stress reliever, which I believe translates to my performance on the water.

Additionally, although the initial cost of the truck camper was substantial, the cost to operate it every year is very low, since most campsites are a fraction of hotel prices, and I’m very often spending the night in parking lots at no cost.

Not Looking Back

With the 2022 season about to kick off, I am starting to prep the camper for another grueling year on the road. The preparation process includes cleaning the truck camper, inside and out, making sure the structural integrity and all appliances are performing as necessary. Finally, I need to pack up hundreds of pounds of gear that I may need during the first couple events.

Some may argue that the extra time it takes to maintain another piece of equipment is a negative, but to be quite honest, I find it quite relaxing, and when compared to the frustrations related to moving in and out of hotels and rental houses, I feel like the camping lifestyle is a no-brainer.

In the end, my truck camper has transformed my time on the road from a necessary evil, to time that I thoroughly enjoy, and I’m never looking back!

If you’d like to learn more about Miles Burghoff, follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and his website.