Stealth Camping

[Shadow Catcher]

An interesting article http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-lifestyle/stealth-camping-with-a-truck-camper

[GerryS]

Interesting. I'm curious whenever I read a story like this, how they generate an income full timing. I'm think Eric the "Nomadic Fanatic" types... I know successful you tubers can make decent money....but mobile life isnt necessarily cheap.

[S. Heisley]

...Not my cup of tea, if I don't have to.

[wincrasher]

Key to making it work is free parking. Mostly on public lands in the west.

Glenn on tosimplify.net once stated that his annual expenses was around $12k, He was driving around quite a bit, but not constantly.

If you are not constantly buying stuff, eating out, paying for tourist attraction and paying campground fees, I imagine you can keep your expenditure pretty low.

Eric is really spending money right now with the traveling, eating and attractions. Either youtube is paying him really well right now (which I doubt) or he is burning thru his savings at a good clip.

[deleted]

It sounds like Bryan in the stealth truck article is retired so creating income probably isn't a concern for him?

I went to see the "tosimplify.net" site and was disappointed to learn that since he hit 5,000,000 views on his site he decided to wipe it clean and start over. What????? All of that information he had accumulated is now gone! I hope he has a change of heart and puts it back up again. Would love to poke around through his past travels.

I liked the stealth article that Shadow Catcher shared. While I wouldn't stay at an abandoned cul-de-sac or industrial parking lot (just doesn't seem safe) I did appreciate learning more about how to stealth camp in-town. As there was that time the one (and only) rv park in a small town almost turned me away for lack of an RVIA sticker. Good thing they didn't catch that I didn't have one until the next morning. Had they I would have had to park on a street. Now I feel a little bit more prepared to do so when it eventually happens.

[samblam]

It sounds like Bryan in the stealth truck article is retired so creating income probably isn't a concern for him?

I went to see the "tosimplify.net" site and was disappointed to learn that since he hit 5,000,000 views on his site he decided to wipe it clean and start over. What????? All of that information he had accumulated is now gone! I hope he has a change of heart and puts it back up again. Would love to poke around through his past travels.

I liked the stealth article that Shadow Catcher shared. While I wouldn't stay at an abandoned cul-de-sacs or industrial parking lot (just doesn't seem safe) I did appreciate learning more about how to stealth camp in-town. As there was that time the one (and only) rv park in a small town almost turned me away for lack of an RVIA sticker. Good thing they didn't catch that I didn't have one until the next morning. Had they I would have had to park on a street. Now I feel a little bit more prepared to do so when it eventually happens.

Ah! Why would they wipe it? Tired of paying for storage!? What a cool van, I bet there was a bunch of great info. In my latest searching I've come across a lot of great websites (including yours!) and seeing what people have been successful at reinforces my desire to do similar things. It's amazing what trailblazers do, but that is only effective if there is record. I can see some of the posts thanks to http://web.archive.org/web/20141219205001/http://www.tosimplify.net/ wayback machine. But I doubt it will hold everything and moving around is slow-going on that website.

[Shadow Catcher]

I will admit I am not all that keen on some/much of what is suggested but I felt it was of interest. I have to say, how much is our perception of safety or lack of that influences. For Stacey, single... I can see caution...

[lrrowe]

I found the technique quite interesting in terms of seeing what could be done. But I too would lean toward caution.

[Socal Tom]

There has been some discussion about this on expedition portal. Mainly centered around converting box vans to campers, because they can easily fit in so well in an industrial park or side of a road and just look like they are parked.
Tom

[samblam]

One of the bummers I have about my (future) trailer is that it won't be very inconspicuous. I think I might cruise craigslist in the future, once my intended use for the trailer subsides, to get a van that will blend in. Maybe I'll sell the trailer to my parents!

While I don't recommend letting all caution go out the window, I would like to pipe up that I don't think age/gender/aloneness should limiting factors. I think our guts, once experienced, provide a lot of useful tips. It's getting experience in a variety of situations and building up a reliable gut feeling that is important. I'm a sub-thirty, female youngin' with lots of solo experience traveling everywhere West of the Mississippi. The only thing that has ever been a problem is myself. I've worked myself up into an anxious state camping solo, sleeping in my car solo... and the closest to danger I've ever gotten was years ago up in Bellingham, WA and two situations in different places in one night* provided some invaluable experience. My gender and age were unknown to the people that bothered me that night, they never saw me.

Some things I do now when traveling alone: have my dog. He's the sweetest, but you wouldn't know that if you walked past my car parked in a rest area along I-90. Before I moved I had a cc permit. I never bothered to get one in my new state because I don't feel any need for it, save for the local cougar sightings! Then the usual: keep my keys at the ready/big knife/rock hammer. Oops, rock hammers aren't that usual, I guess.



*Setting up camp next to a FS road that was gated, a mile or so back from the gate... didn't stop locals from roaring up the road on ATVS to go shoot their guns and fireworks off. Shoving the tent into the car and hightailing it down to town to sleep in the car... only to have local hoodlums try to get into the car at 4am, find a person in the car and then keep trying all the cars after. They eventually found an unlocked car further up and that's when I turned on the car and scared them off.

Lessons learned: 1. Gated forestry roads aren't exactly desolate if they are next to a city.
2. Don't try and sleep in your car on a main thoroughfare in a town, as the article this thread was started on states.

[wincrasher]

Sorry I posted Glen's link. Didn't know he wiped the site. There was a TON of useful info - over 5 years of living on the road - almost all of it stealth camping both in urban areas and out in the wilds. Don't really understand why he would do that, but he is an odd duck, so there is no telling. Hope he changes his mind.

The conundrum when you stealth is - will people mess with your vehicle because they don't think you are in there, or will they because they do? Mostly, I think, if it's obvious you are in there, people will leave you alone. Stealthers seem to think people care that they are doing it, but in my travels, I've found most folks mind their own business and could care less what you are doing, as long as you are not making a spectacle of yourself.

[wincrasher]

Sorry I posted Glen's link. Didn't know he wiped the site. There was a TON of useful info - over 5 years of living on the road - almost all of it stealth camping both in urban areas and out in the wilds. Don't really understand why he would do that, but he is an odd duck, so there is no telling. Hope he changes his mind.

The conundrum when you stealth is - will people mess with your vehicle because they don't think you are in there, or will they because they do? Mostly, I think, if it's obvious you are in there, people will leave you alone. Stealthers seem to think people care that they are doing it, but in my travels, I've found most folks mind their own business and could care less what you are doing, as long as you are not making a spectacle of yourself.

[jstrubberg]

If you have to sneak around to do it, should you be doing it in the first place?

A resounding no for me.

[GerryS]

I think it's a different mindset. This guy and a couple others I follow are full time nomads. To stay in a place like a state park could easily cost them as much as an apartment or even as a house payments for a modest home.

For vacation travels, I don't know if it's worth the pain. I guess if I am power driving to a location, a Walmart lot might be an alternative to a $15 a night non-electric spot., but not to be bothered by a sweeper at 2am and the Quartz lights....I think I'll pay the $15. Not to mention for $15 you get a shower house. A truck stop shower will cost half that, so I just don't see any savings unless you plan on GI showers and dry shampoo.

If I were in something other than a teardrop, where I had a shower and toilet it would be very different discussion. But here, we're not talking Walmart lots here, he/we're talking about stealth camping. I just can't see that as an option a a teardrop. Closed windows, no fan, no lights. That seems more like a chastisement than a restful night.

However, it is still a fascinating question. How do these nomads do it? More important than where they stay...how do you earn a living? You've still got gas, food, insurance, health insurance (now mandatory), and clothing/toiletries to buy.. I can't figure that one out at all...

[Redgloves]

The authors background is law enforcement. His career provided him with skill sets and knowledge base on avoiding and dealing with difficult situations. The articles intention is to showcase stealth camping can occur, does not provide information on how to handle/negotiate when he has been asked to move or been confronted by criminal elements.

To me this article is a basis for discussion to determine if stealth camping is a lifestyle choice versus an occasional overnight adventure. Future articles on situation avoidance and self defense would provide full timers interested in stealth camping useful information.

Jean