Press & media
Selected coverage of Kimbo Campers.
National press, truck-camper authorities, and creator content covering Kimbo since 2014. For working journalists, the press kit and contact are below.
- National press
- NYT · PM · Seattle Times
- Industry award
- #1 Slide-In · Popular Mechanics
- Verified pieces
- 41 · 24 publications
- Creator views
- 7M+ on YouTube
Press kit
For working journalists.
Founder
Mark King
Mark King grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Son of a U.S. Navy submarine captain, he learned to weld at fifteen and filed his first patent in his late teens. After Bellingham Technical College, he sold an organoleptic analyzer to General Mills — a story profiled in The New York Times — and used the proceeds to found Trayvax Enterprises, the metal-wallet company that has now sold 2M+ units. He gave a TEDx talk in 2013 on taking on big projects. Inspired by the space-efficient design of nuclear submarines and his own years living in a 19-foot Airstream, he built the first Kimbo prototype in 2016 and drove it 30,000 miles around the country before bringing the platform to market. He later moved to Boston to attend MIT Sloan and graduated from Harvard Business School in 2022 — the day after graduation, he hand-built a log cabin in Vermont before returning to Bellingham to lead development of the Kimbo 8.
Key facts
- — Founded 2016 in Bellingham, Washington
- — 600+ campers delivered as of March 2026
- — Two model lines: Kimbo 6 (from $27,990) and Kimbo 8 (from $42,990)
- — Hand-riveted aluminum monocoque shell — no internal frame
- — R5 (Kimbo 6) and R10 (Kimbo 8) foam insulation, four-season capable
- — Factory: 3823 Hammer Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226
- — Sales: +1 (360) 527-5296 / sales@kimboliving.com
Brand assets
Logo files (SVG, PNG), wordmark, brand guidelines, and color palette available on request.
Product photography
High-resolution Kimbo 6 and Kimbo 8 photography for editorial use available on request.
Founder availability
Mark King is available for interviews, podcasts, and factory visits. Lead time typically 1-2 weeks.
Recognition
Industry awards & editorial picks.
In their words
What editors and owners are saying.
“We're smitten with the Kimbo camper… for its utility and wealth of features at a super low price.”
Popular Mechanics
The Coolest Campers in Every Size — Slide-In Pick
“Despite years of no, King persevered — a textbook case of what innovation lecturers like to call stick-to-it-ive-ness.”
The Seattle Times
Jack Hitt's profile of Mark King, 2014
“Mark King had us thinking about truck camper design in completely new ways.”
Truck Camper Magazine
Announcing the Kimbo Series 6
“Looks like we may have an 'innovation of the year' nominee on our hands.”
Truck Camper Magazine
2026 Kimbo 8 Teaser Photos Revealed
“This is the lightest hard-sided truck camper that I have ever seen, and feels huge inside compared to its outside footprint.”
Down2Mob Overland (YouTube)
Walkthrough of the very first Kimbo ever built — 1.1M views
“It feels like you're actually in a house. Really nice livable design.”
Jesse, Kimbo owner via New Jersey Outdoor Adventures
Solo Female Adventurer Travels Full Time in a Kimbo — 845K views
Featured editorial
Long-form coverage and owner stories.
22 pieces.
The New York Times
Feb 2014
A Young Inventor Finding the Crunch Factor
NYT Business profile of Mark King during the Trayvax era. Covers the organoleptic analyzer he designed for General Mills and the inventor mindset that would later produce Kimbo Campers.
Read on The New York Times →
Truck Camper Adventure
Mar 2026·Mello Mike
BREAKING: Kimbo 8 Full-Size Camper to Debut at Overland Expo SoCal
It took a decade of waiting, but it's finally here. Engineered for full-size, long-bed pickup trucks, the Kimbo 8 leverages a decade of experience building aluminum truck campers.
Read on Truck Camper Adventure →
Truck Camper Adventure
Sep 2024·Mello Mike
Flight Instructor Lives Full-Time in a Kimbo Camper
Brook Sheffield's Tundra-Kimbo setup. He sold his home and land a few years ago and now lives in his Kimbo full-time. "I love my Kimbo camper. It provides a very cozy and enjoyable interior that I absolutely love living in."
Read on Truck Camper Adventure →
Truck Camper Adventure
Apr 2020·Mello Mike
Kimbo Camper Features Patented Aluminum Design
Kimbo's classic, aluminum, retro-futuristic, monocoque design. The aluminum shell is constructed from marine-grade aluminum — eliminating the need for heavy interior framing while maintaining strength, durability, and repairability.
Read on Truck Camper Adventure →
Truck Camper Adventure
Nov 2019·Mello Mike
Tiny Toyota-Kimbo-SherpTek Truck Camper Rig Packs a Powerful Punch
A mid-size rig consisting of a stock Toyota Tacoma, a Kimbo 6 aluminum truck camper, and a SherpTek-built underbody storage system created a big stir on social media.
Read on Truck Camper Adventure →
Truck Camper Magazine
Mar 2026·Gordon White
Kimbo Launches New Website
Kimbo has launched an all-new website featuring a Kimbo builder, a community map highlighting owner meetups and events, and early information about the forthcoming Kimbo 8.
Read on Truck Camper Magazine →
Truck Camper Magazine
Jan 2026·Gordon White
2026 Kimbo 8 Teaser Photos Revealed
The Kimbo 8 isn't just two feet longer. It's a ground-up new design. The seamless rotomolded shower enclosure was inspired by kayaks. Looks like we may have an 'innovation of the year' nominee on our hands.
Read on Truck Camper Magazine →
Truck Camper Magazine
Sep 2025·Gordon White
Announcing the Kimbo Series 6
With a frameless aluminum shell, psychosomatically tuned interior, and a no-compromise modular build, the Kimbo Series 6 is truly one of a kind. Within minutes, Mark King had us thinking about truck camper design in completely new ways.
Read on Truck Camper Magazine →
Truck Camper Magazine
Sep 2025·Gordon White
Mark King: The Story Behind Kimbo Campers
Mark King's journey to Kimbo Campers runs through nuclear submarines, a multimillion-dollar metal wallet company, and a Harvard MBA. The result? A camper unlike anything we've ever seen before.
Read on Truck Camper Magazine →
Expedition Portal
Aug 2020
Featured Truck Camper :: Kimbo Camper
Drawing inspiration from the USS Alabama nuclear submarine, Mark King designed his first truck camper in 2016. The result is the Kimbo Camper, a relatively lightweight truck camper with a unique exterior that is sure to turn some heads.
Read on Expedition Portal →
New Atlas
Mar 2026
Kimbo 8 Aluminum Four-Season Pickup Camper
An expanded 8-foot model designed after a decade of refinement and customer feedback, with R10 insulation, a permanent rotomolded wet bathroom, queen mattress, and improved storage. Maintains ultralight weight while offering residential-quality comfort.
Read on New Atlas →
New Atlas
Mar 2019·C.C. Weiss
Kimbo Adventure Camper Turns Your Pickup into a Fire-Warmed, Aluminum-Skinned Ski Cabin on Wheels
Truck campers seem forever stuck in the 1970s. Startup venture Kimbo brings things up to date with a Tacoma-sized, riveted-aluminum mini-lodge. Your go-anywhere adventure rig, mobile work cubicle, flame-crackling ski lodge and tiny home away from home.
Read on New Atlas →
The Seattle Times
Jun 2014·Jack Hitt
In Person: Bellingham Inventor Sticks With It and Succeeds
Profile of Mark King in his pre-Kimbo, post-Trayvax era. "In creating and observing these three-dimensional objects, King said he realized he had a different kind of memory. Any mechanical thing that I have ever seen, I remember."
Read on The Seattle Times →
The Bellingham Herald
Jan 2014
Bellingham Inventor: Mark King
Hometown-paper video profile of Mark King filmed at Woods Coffee in downtown Bellingham — his favorite coffee shop and the place where he submitted invention designs to any company he could find while "surviving off of Top Ramen and tuna fish." 11.5K views.
Read on The Bellingham Herald →
Seattle Met
Mar 2021
Truck Campers Have a Whole New Look
A new generation of Pacific Northwest truck camper builders — Kimbo and Scout among them — is reimagining what life on the back of a pickup can look like.
Read on Seattle Met →
Motor Biscuit
Nov 2020·Wendy Johnson
The Kimbo 6 Is the Best Slide-In Truck Camper
Mainstream automotive coverage amplifying the Popular Mechanics selection. "They felt the Kimbo 6 was the best slide-in camper in that segment. It offers plenty of features for an affordable price."
Read on Motor Biscuit →
Light Metal Age Magazine
Sep 2018
Kimbo Frameless Aluminum Camper for Lovers of the Outdoors
Trade-publication feature on the 5052 aluminum alloy shell, frameless monocoque construction, and Mark King's design philosophy. "I think aluminum is beautiful, and it's easier to work with than other materials. It's also very aerodynamic, and so light."
Read on Light Metal Age Magazine →
AlCircle
Aug 2018
Kimbo Launches a Riveted-Aluminium Adventure Truck Camper
Aluminum industry trade coverage of the Kimbo launch. The Bellingham, Washington company brings frameless aluminum truck-bed living to the outdoor adventure market.
Read on AlCircle →
Roaming Times
Apr 2019·C.C. Weiss
2019 Kimbo Adventure Camper
RV publication early review. "Save for a few modernized designs, truck campers seem forever stuck in the 1970s. Startup venture Kimbo brings things up to date and into the future with a Tacoma-sized, riveted-aluminum mini-lodge."
Read on Roaming Times →
TechCrunch
May 2017·John Biggs
The Trayvax Element is a Minimalist Wallet for the Paranoid Beer-Lover
TechCrunch reviews Mark King's Trayvax wallet — the company that funded the original Kimbo prototype. The same build-quality philosophy carries into Kimbo: "made of steel and thick leather it will last as long as a good wallet should."
Read on TechCrunch →
TEDx
Jan 2013·Mark King
Mark King — Taking on Big Projects
Mark King's TEDx talk on inventor mindset and taking on ambitious projects. The path from teenage tinkerer (electric car, first patent at 17) to founder. Predates Kimbo but establishes the design ethos that drives every Kimbo build.
Read on TEDx →
RVBusiness
Sep 2025
Truck Camper Mag Features Mark King of Kimbo Campers
Industry trade coverage of the Truck Camper Magazine founder profile. RV industry publication picks up the Kimbo founder story.
Read on RVBusiness →
Buyer's guides
Spec listings & directory entries.
2 entries.
Truck Camper Magazine
Dec 2025·Angela White
Kimbo Buyers Guide
Welcome to the Kimbo Camper Buyers Guide featuring the Kimbo Series 6. Full specifications, capacities, and dimensions for the hard-side aluminum truck camper.
Read on Truck Camper Magazine →
TruckCamperFinder
Jan 2024
Kimbo 6 — Specs & Reviews
Spec aggregator listing for the Kimbo 6 with side-by-side comparison data against other hard-side truck campers.
Read on TruckCamperFinder →
Reviews & roundups
Independent reviews & creator content.
16 pieces.
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Aug 2020
Futuristic SPACE POD! | Kimbo Camper Tour w/ Mark King
Talon Sei's flagship Kimbo tour with founder Mark King — 779.8K views, the most-viewed Kimbo content on YouTube. Full exterior + interior walkaround camping near Mt. Rainier. Mark explains the no-frame design, double-pane windows, the Dickinson marine propane heater, and the modular interior philosophy. "It looks like a futuristic looking space pod."
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
May 2021
KIMBO Series 6 | Truck Camper Tour
Full 30-minute tour of Talon Sei's Kimbo 6 build on his Toyota Tacoma. 232.4K views. "I have been a huge fan of this company and these products for quite a long time now." Covers loading, exterior walkaround, and full interior tour including kitchen, bath module, sleeping loft, and the Dickinson propane heater.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Nov 2020
How Kimbos are Made | Q&A with Owner Mark King
18-minute factory tour of the Kimbo facility in Bellingham with founder Mark King walking through the build process — palletized parts inventory, riveting at 1.5" spacing, pressure testing, and the philosophy behind every detail. 83K+ views.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Dec 2022
The History of Kimbo Campers | with Founder Mark King
30-minute interview with Mark King inside a Kimbo at single-digit temperatures in Colorado. Walks through the wooden prototype, the move to aluminum, submarine inspiration, interior design philosophy, and where Kimbo is heading. 23K+ views.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Sep 2024
New Kimbo Camper Setup | 3rd Gen Toyota Tundra
Talon's Kimbo migrates from his Tacoma to his 3rd Gen Toyota Tundra. Initial setup, jack-bracket configuration, ride impressions, and the new install process for the larger truck.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Nov 2024
Camper Upgrades on the Tundra | Kimbo Camper
Detailed walkthrough of upgrades on the Kimbo 6 / Tundra setup — Chainline Design quick-leg-release brackets, expanded EcoFlow power system, 200W solar, fully-optioned interior modules.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
Talon Sei (YouTube)
Dec 2024
Snowy Kimbo Camping | Cooking, Showering, Living
Real-world cold-weather use video. Cooking, showering, and full-time living from the Kimbo with snow on the ground — testing the Dickinson heater, the shower module, and the cold-weather camping experience the Kimbo was designed for.
Read on Talon Sei (YouTube) →
New Jersey Outdoor Adventures (YouTube)
Oct 2022
SMALLEST Truck Camper — Solo Female Adventurer Travels Full Time in a KIMBO
Patrick of New Jersey Outdoor Adventures interviews Jesse, a solo female full-time Kimbo owner who traveled from Florida to Bellingham to pick up her camper and lived in it for over a year. 845.8K views — the highest-viewed Kimbo video on YouTube. "It's actually made just like an airplane. So it's super safe, super practical, super tough." Full inside-and-out tour.
Read on New Jersey Outdoor Adventures (YouTube) →
Wild Rover (YouTube — Bozeman Kimbo rental)
Feb 2024
Solo Winter Camping in Montana in a Kimbo Camper — ASMR
Wild Rover is a Bozeman, Montana camper-rental operator that runs a 2023 Toyota Tacoma + Kimbo as one of their flagship rentals. This 27-minute ASMR-style winter camping video showcases real-world Montana cold-weather Kimbo use. 29.3K views.
Read on Wild Rover (YouTube — Bozeman Kimbo rental) →
Down2Mob Overland (YouTube)
Feb 2019
KIMBO LIVING — The Lightest & Most Spacious Truck Camper Ever (Walk Through on Tacoma)
Walkthrough of the very first Kimbo ever built (only four on the road at the time of filming). 1.1M views. "This is the lightest hard-sided truck camper that I have ever seen, and feels huge inside compared to its outside footprint."
Read on Down2Mob Overland (YouTube) →
Living The Van Life (YouTube, 734K subscribers)
Feb 2019
Surviving a Blizzard In a Van
3.79M views, 66K likes — the highest-viewed YouTube content featuring Kimbo, by a wide margin. Filmed alongside Kimbo founder Mark King and his Tacoma + Kimbo: Chad of Living The Van Life and Mark get stuck in the same blizzard and dig themselves out together the next morning. Same week as Down2Mob Overland's Kimbo walkthrough — both filmed when only a handful of Kimbos were on the road. Kimbo isn't the subject but features throughout, reaching an audience far beyond the truck-camper niche.
Read on Living The Van Life (YouTube, 734K subscribers) →
Salty Gears Off Road
Apr 2025
Overland Ready! 2024 Toyota Tacoma with Kimbo Camper Walkaround
YouTube walkaround review of a 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD with Kimbo 6 Series camper. "Ideal for overlanders seeking adventure-ready gear without compromising on comfort." Detailed feature review with footage of the install, interior, and on-road handling.
Read on Salty Gears Off Road →
RVBlogger
May 2022
The Kimbo Camper: The Coolest Truck Camper You've Never Heard Of
Long-form RV-community review with photo gallery. "Voted by Popular Mechanics as the number one slide-in truck camper... the Kimbo Camper is changing the 'stuck in the seventies' truck campers design."
Read on RVBlogger →
4WDTalk
Jan 2024
Kimbo Camper Review
Independent review of the Kimbo Series 6: aluminum frameless construction inspired by submarine design, weighing 980-1,230 pounds fully optioned, designed for four-season use.
Read on 4WDTalk →
Getaway Couple
Jan 2024
Is a Kimbo Camper the Right Choice for You?
RV-influencer review covering the Kimbo Series 6 design philosophy, build options, ownership experience, and how it compares to the broader truck camper market.
Read on Getaway Couple →
RV Troop
Jan 2024
Kimbo Camper (Truck Camper Pros and Cons)
A pros-and-cons assessment of the Kimbo Series 6 from an independent RV review site. Covers construction, fit considerations, modular philosophy, and ownership trade-offs.
Read on RV Troop →
Media inquiries.
Press, partnerships, founder interviews, factory visits, brand assets, and review units. We respond within two business days.