Paying Respects Remotely to a Friend Who’d Just Get It


Robbie lost a life-long friend last week. We would have flown to New York for the funeral. But as with so many life-cycle events during COVID, only immediate family could attend. So there we were, towing our RV along Interstate 75, marveling at the Florida Everglades, and Zooming into Suri’s funeral.

As the landscape went from sawgrass to cypress swamp to pine uplands along “Alligator Alley,” we both shed tears and smiles as the rabbi recited traditional prayers and family members recalled Suri’s irrepressible spunk.

We were sad, but this was no despondent drive.

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The Sound of Music: 6 Tune Tips for Your Festival Campsite

When you’re camping at a music festival, the best tunes at any given moment aren’t always coming from the festival stage. Sometimes, the campsite is alive with the sound of music. But only if you take the time to queue up your own music or setlist – and the means to play it. We’ve previously blogged about upgrading the (often lousy) audio gear that RV manufacturers install in their rigs. Our friends Kris and Nick did a pretty bad-ass job in that regard. We also blogged about companies like JL Audio in our South Florida backyard, who have broadly targeted the RV sector – and AirStream in particular – for next-gen RV audio.

Audiophiles who RV have complained for years about the lack of quality in RV stereo systems. Manufacturers have tossed together lackluster systems. But you can’t expect some $2 speaker to deliver hi-fi sound. But beyond hard-wired audio systems, how can you power up some sick or simply pleasant sounds in the campsite – regardless of whether you have a tent or an RV? Between Bluetooth systems, power sources, the tunes you play, or just a little ambiance, a little planning can have you singing sweet sounds to rock your soul.

Check out these five tips to make music an essential part of your campsite.

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When Music Festival Tunes Come From the Campsite

Looking to upgrade your camper’s stereo system? Aren’t we all? We met a couple at Lockn’ Music Festival – Kris Hall and Nick Mullins – who mostly gutted the stereo in their travel trailer and installed a serious system. Their story is below. Warning: Audiophiles will dig the depth of detail Nick queued up. Others’ eyes may glaze over. Pro Tip: Even if you don’t have a camper or care about AV, find people like Kris and Nick who do. They’ll have the best sound around.

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Pro Tips to Upgrading Your RV, Camper Stereo

We recently explored the idea of upgrading your camper’s stereo system from the lousy, two-bit stock system to something that really rocks. We let Nick Mullins tell the story of how he and Kris Hall mostly gutted the stereo in their travel trailer to replace it with some serious tunage. Building on their story, Ora Freeman, the national sales manager for JL Audio, which recently struck a deal to outfit Airstream trailers with its products, offered this pecking order for audio upgrades. If you’re a non-audiophile, this may be like Ambien. But in all honesty, these tips work for your RV, trailer, car, even your boat, where JL Audio shines.

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JL Audio, Airstream Turning Up RV Sound Systems

Today’s RVs have almost every conceivable creature comfort and custom creation. From man cave to she shed to the perfect vehicle for roadtripping to the campground or music festival scene, they’ve been outfitted with finishes designed to bring the home or retreat on the road. One component that always has been woefully missing: Better sound. Hey, RV Industry, what’s the deal? We drop $20,000, $50,000, even $100,000 or more on a travel trailer or RV, and the stereo system seems something out of a 1960s family sedan. Boats for years have had stellar sound systems. Why not RVs?

Sure, some people insist RVs are for camping – and the ambient sounds should be tuned into birds and crickets and wind blowing through the trees and all that. Fair enough.

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