About
Frank and Kyndall Stallings, known to a rapidly growing digital audience as “That Camping Couple,” are the architects of a modern American dream built on dirt, determination, and digital savvy. They are not merely content creators; they are professional gem miners who have carefully documented their transformation from a nomadic life in a tent to the ownership of a commercial mining operation. Beginning their journey in April 2020, the couple leveraged a pandemic-era career disruption into a multi-platform brand that now stands at the intersection of adventure travel, e-commerce, and destination tourism. Their story is a example of converting a niche passion into a scalable, asset-based enterprise.
That Camping Couple: History and Growth
The foundation for “That Camping Couple” was laid far from the digital sphere, in Charleston, Missouri. Before their pivot to full-time rockhounding, Frank Stallings was a financial adviser and Kyndall Stallings was a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in horticulture. Their trajectory shifted permanently in February 2020, following a Valentine’s Day trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas that ignited a passion for gem mining.
Just two months later, in April 2020, with their conventional careers disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple made a life-altering decision. At the ages of 27 (Frank) and 22 (Kyndall), they sold their belongings and embarked on a full-time nomadic life dedicated to mining gems and minerals across the United States. Their first nine months on the road were spent living in a tent, a period of significant hardship during which they reportedly “went broke multiple times.” This challenging chapter ended in January 2021 when they upgraded their living and mobile business quarters to a converted bus.
Their digital presence was launched in tandem with their physical journey. The “That Camping Couple” YouTube channel was created on May 27, 2020, serving as a public log of their travels and discoveries. Their narrative of abandoning conventional life for rugged entrepreneurship quickly gained traction. The couple’s personal and professional lives continued to evolve in public; in circa October 2023, they announced they were expecting their first child, and in circa June 2024, they announced the birth of their son, Liam Oliv.
That Camping Couple: Content and Style
The channel’s content is a tightly focused blend of aspirational lifestyle vlogging and practical, educational guides for the rockhounding community. Videos primarily document their mining expeditions across the U.S., showcasing the discovery of specimens like Big Sur Jade in California, Blue Forest agate in Wyoming, and petrified wood at the Dobell Ranch in Arizona. The style is both instructional and aspirational, demystifying the process of finding, identifying, and cleaning minerals while framing the nomadic life as an achievable adventure.
Their content strategy evolved into a well-organized multi-platform sales funnel. Short, high-impact clips of gem reveals on TikTok, where they command a following of approximately 297,000, serve as the top of the funnel for broad audience acquisition. These viewers are then directed to their YouTube channel for longer, community-building vlogs. The most engaged members of this audience are then channeled toward conversion-focused platforms, primarily their Facebook page, for direct-to-consumer sales.
How That Camping Couple Makes Money
The Stallings’ business model has undergone a crucial strategic evolution, moving from a high-risk, labor-dependent operation to a more stable, asset-based enterprise. This pivot from prospectors to proprietors has de-risked their income stream and created a more predictable, scalable revenue model—a transition that aligns with the financial needs of their growing family.
In their first phase, from 2020 to 2023, the business was an e-commerce prospecting venture. Their income was generated exclusively by finding and selling their own discoveries. The primary sales channels were an eBay store operating under the handle that_camping_couple and, most significantly, weekly Facebook Live Gem Shows, a method explicitly promoted on their YouTube channel: “We make our living selling our finds, so be sure to join us on our weekly Facebook Live Gem Shows!”
The second phase began in circa October 2023 with the acquisition of the Fort Drum Crystal Mine in Okeechobee, Florida. This marked their transformation into business proprietors. Leveraging their established brand, they now operate a pay-to-dig tourist destination, monetizing the mining experience itself. The mine offers tiered pricing: a Regular Dig costs $200 per person for five hours, while access to higher-grade material at the screening and wash station costs $300 (B Grade) or $500 (A Grade). The business is positioned as a family-friendly attraction, with discounts for seniors (15%) and military members (20%), and free admission for children 15 and under.
That Camping Couple's Collaborations
A key catalyst for the channel’s early growth was a strategic collaboration with an established authority in their niche. Starting in 2020, their first year, Frank and Kyndall produced multiple videos with Bryan Major, the YouTuber known as “The Crystal Collector,” who has a subscriber base of approximately 680,000. These joint mining expeditions, in locations such as Arkansas and Missouri, provided “That Camping Couple” with immediate exposure and credibility among a large, pre-qualified audience of gem-hunting enthusiasts, powerfully accelerating their initial audience growth.
That Camping Couple: Public Reception
The couple’s unique story has attracted significant mainstream and niche media attention. On October 19, 2020, less than six months into their journey, they were featured in the Style section of The New York Times, an article that provided early, powerful validation. Their credibility within the rockhounding community was solidified by two features in Rock & Gem Magazine. The December 2022 issue profiled them in an article titled “RV Rockhounding. ON THE ROAD WITH THAT CAMPING COUPLE,” and a subsequent piece in January 2023, “How to Rockhound from an RV,” offered a detailed account of their business model and lifestyle.
While their public image has been overwhelmingly positive, their travels have not been without incident. A video in their “Popular Uploads” playlist is titled “They Stole Everything! Suspect Arrested!,” indicating they were the victims of a significant robbery. However, extensive research reveals no evidence of any public controversies, legal disputes, or significant negative community feedback associated with the Stallings or their brand.
That Camping Couple Today
Frank and Kyndall Stallings have successfully navigated the precarious path from passion project to profitable enterprise. Their journey, which began in a tent amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic, has culminated in business ownership and parenthood. The acquisition of the Fort Drum Crystal Mine represents a masterful strategic pivot, securing a stable financial future by transforming their brand’s audience into a direct customer base. No longer just “That Camping Couple,” the Stallings are now established entrepreneurs who have redefined what it means to build a family business in the digital age—one hand-dug crystal at a time.