Jean S wrote:
We used to hate "stealth" campers when we lived in FL. We were in a prime beach area where everyone, including the transient bums, wanted to be. They parked in front of our house and even blocked our driveway. One #$@/% parked his ratty van IN our driveway! We caught one bum sleeping behind our work shed with an extension cord running to our outside outlet. They emptied their trash into our cans so ours didn't fit. They were a plague and a nuisance and we called the cops everytime we spotted one.
Come SXSW in Austin, you get people who park their dilapidated rigs in driveways, plug into a wall socket or water faucet, and tell the homeowner where to stuff it. When the homeowner called the cops, the vermin just move a block away and occupy another person's driveway. This year, people started putting up "no parking, tow away zone" signs on almost every street, just because of this. Since APD is stretched because of the festival, some people even have taken to installing poles and a stiff security chain across their driveways.
Of course, after SXSW, nobody has caught the offenders, but there are quite a few storm drains that smell like black water for a few weeks after the festival.
The problem with stealth camping is that it has been greatly abused, especially in California and Florida. Ten years ago, a college student living in a van might have been possible. Now, some cities actually use FLIR in their planes/drones to look for occupied vehicles to go after.
This isn't to say it is doable. In fact, one of the best things about a "B" is that it can park on the side of a street and not irritate neighbors as an obvious motorhome (a "C" or "A") would. However, it does take some care and common sense.
Texas really doesn't have frigid winters, but I do worry about people who try to camp in a non-heated van. Even with a good sleeping bag, one has to get out of it to use the bathroom, eat, get clothes on, and so on. Without some type of heater, the temperature changes can get someone sick. A Buddy heater is doable... but there are caveats with it (the big three are ensuring there is ventilation for it, ensuring nothing like bedding or flammable items is near it, and making provisions for the large amount of water it throws into the air.)
