Stealth campers
Is stealth camping a thing of the past? I've heard that cops are so on top of it that its nearly impossible to do it full time. Do you or anyone you know do this on a regular basis? (Please only spe...
Forum Discussion
There are both pros and cons with this. Stealth camping as a way to sleep in a crowded area where there is no other way to go (I'll use SXSW here in Austin again... any CG in a 50 mile radius will be full, and charging $100 a night) might be doable. Wallydocking? Doable, but again, use your danger sense.
There are times when stealthing is good. For example, if taking I-10 and one is getting dead tired west of Van Horn or Fort Stockton, finding a good (secure) hotel, paying for a room and getting permission to crash for a night may be safer than some CGs near El Paso with the reviews being, "keep your .45 handy." In fact, some hotels/motels may offer electric or other services. It is more expensive than a CG spot, but if you don't feel at ease, you are not going to get any sleep anyway.
Another time is when in a small town and there isn't a CG anywhere in the region. A van parked at a church or in front of a business is going to attract a lot less attention than one parked on a residential street with a "free candy" sign on it.
Stealth camping as a way of daily living? Not in today's America. Every so often, these RV forums get a college student who thinks he can save on rent or dorm fees by buying a beater van and crashing in a parking lot. After he finds out that parking in a constant location is impossible, finding showers is tough, and constantly having to deal with the law (since people will call the police on a van if they hear any noise, see the van move, see a wisp of smoke from a vent, or just because it is just a van), this idea tends to get extinguished.
There are times when stealthing is good. For example, if taking I-10 and one is getting dead tired west of Van Horn or Fort Stockton, finding a good (secure) hotel, paying for a room and getting permission to crash for a night may be safer than some CGs near El Paso with the reviews being, "keep your .45 handy." In fact, some hotels/motels may offer electric or other services. It is more expensive than a CG spot, but if you don't feel at ease, you are not going to get any sleep anyway.
Another time is when in a small town and there isn't a CG anywhere in the region. A van parked at a church or in front of a business is going to attract a lot less attention than one parked on a residential street with a "free candy" sign on it.
Stealth camping as a way of daily living? Not in today's America. Every so often, these RV forums get a college student who thinks he can save on rent or dorm fees by buying a beater van and crashing in a parking lot. After he finds out that parking in a constant location is impossible, finding showers is tough, and constantly having to deal with the law (since people will call the police on a van if they hear any noise, see the van move, see a wisp of smoke from a vent, or just because it is just a van), this idea tends to get extinguished.
