BKA has raised some salient points about 'stealth camping' (or overnighting, or camo camping, or overnighting under the radar..). In thinking about this, I want to ask the question of you seasoned (or unseasoned) TC travelers that delve into any form of the stealth endeavor.
We are all products of our environment and have gotten used to traveling with the 'big white box' on the back of our trucks. Stealth is close to nonexistent with a 20 foot, low profile WHITE truck and WHITE camper. (Raise hand here) Nothing screams unstealthiness like a 40 foot long 12' tall train of white boxes. Some on here ( you know who you are) have a rather stealthy paint job for the whole rig, namely ones that are painted a tope color. Tope is kind of a murky medium grey/brown with a slight green tint that tends to make the surface disappear after dark, especially if it is in less that gloss. It looks good in the daylight and after dark, dimly. A lot of the euro, big bucks campmobiles are painted this color. I'm not talking about Olive Drab, but something a bit less G.I. looking.
To the Question: Do you think a flat or less glossy tope painting of the entire rig would make any difference at night when you are overnighting? Or would it increase the interest in passersby as to your intentions? Would it look too sinister? Really, I need your input here.
I would drop the hammer on both the truck and the camper (as a camo ensemble) if it would add to steathiness. There some new thin plastic over lays that look interesting. They go on like sheets of tape.
This all came about when I bought a book on camouflage in warfare, specifically as applied to milspec vehicles in different theaters of operation.
The fun was to see the Urban camo, which was a blotchy, broken black and white, all in a flat surface. Of course in the desert you get desert sand, the color of my CJ-8. Since one does not need camo in the desert, that color is out.
Only stealthy in the snow:
Olive drab is too military looking, not the image I want to display.
What say you? Even if you know nothing about it, you still have as good an opinion as anyone.
regards, as always, jefe
We are all products of our environment and have gotten used to traveling with the 'big white box' on the back of our trucks. Stealth is close to nonexistent with a 20 foot, low profile WHITE truck and WHITE camper. (Raise hand here) Nothing screams unstealthiness like a 40 foot long 12' tall train of white boxes. Some on here ( you know who you are) have a rather stealthy paint job for the whole rig, namely ones that are painted a tope color. Tope is kind of a murky medium grey/brown with a slight green tint that tends to make the surface disappear after dark, especially if it is in less that gloss. It looks good in the daylight and after dark, dimly. A lot of the euro, big bucks campmobiles are painted this color. I'm not talking about Olive Drab, but something a bit less G.I. looking.
To the Question: Do you think a flat or less glossy tope painting of the entire rig would make any difference at night when you are overnighting? Or would it increase the interest in passersby as to your intentions? Would it look too sinister? Really, I need your input here.
I would drop the hammer on both the truck and the camper (as a camo ensemble) if it would add to steathiness. There some new thin plastic over lays that look interesting. They go on like sheets of tape.
This all came about when I bought a book on camouflage in warfare, specifically as applied to milspec vehicles in different theaters of operation.
The fun was to see the Urban camo, which was a blotchy, broken black and white, all in a flat surface. Of course in the desert you get desert sand, the color of my CJ-8. Since one does not need camo in the desert, that color is out.
Only stealthy in the snow:
Olive drab is too military looking, not the image I want to display.
What say you? Even if you know nothing about it, you still have as good an opinion as anyone.
regards, as always, jefe
Just do something tasteful. I'd prefer earthtones on vehicles I encounter in the boonies, but if the paint is done poorly (I'm looking at you, Dad, and what you did to that Jeep trailer!) it gives the wrong impression.
A lot of fun, interesting answers here. I'm not trying to get away with anything. Everything we do in an urban setting is above board and under the law. I'm afraid many of you miss the point entirely, but I guess I asked for your perspective and got it.
I have studied the influences of color and hue to the eye for doing model railroad scenery with terms like, trompe l'oeil, (fools the eye) and darker colors making things look smaller and less impressive, and the art of perspective. My idea is to just make the rig less WHITE so it attracts a little less attention overnight. That's all. It's a subtle thing. Of course, the most disappearing at night paint job is flat black. It is not where you want to be in the daytime, however.
Here is a class B we saw in death valley, perfect color match for the surroundings:
and an Earthroamer we saw at Badwater: They were in there having a stealth lunch and didn't want to talk to us stealth-free folk.
actually, BKA's F-550 is painted an earth tone. It's just the other 35 feet that looks like a couple ice bergs with solar panels hung everywhere. 8<)
Maybe I should have used a descriptive term like,
'downplaying your overnight presence',
instead of the socio-loaded terms, 'stealth', and 'camouflage'. So far, I see no clear consensus on any term that describes 'melting into the surroundings' on an overnighter.
jefe
I have studied the influences of color and hue to the eye for doing model railroad scenery with terms like, trompe l'oeil, (fools the eye) and darker colors making things look smaller and less impressive, and the art of perspective. My idea is to just make the rig less WHITE so it attracts a little less attention overnight. That's all. It's a subtle thing. Of course, the most disappearing at night paint job is flat black. It is not where you want to be in the daytime, however.
Here is a class B we saw in death valley, perfect color match for the surroundings:
and an Earthroamer we saw at Badwater: They were in there having a stealth lunch and didn't want to talk to us stealth-free folk.
actually, BKA's F-550 is painted an earth tone. It's just the other 35 feet that looks like a couple ice bergs with solar panels hung everywhere. 8<)
Maybe I should have used a descriptive term like,
'downplaying your overnight presence',
instead of the socio-loaded terms, 'stealth', and 'camouflage'. So far, I see no clear consensus on any term that describes 'melting into the surroundings' on an overnighter.
jefe
Maybe hiding in plain site is not such a good a idea and you should just look for ways that will keep people at a distance. Something like "BIO-HAZARD CONTAINMENT" in big block letters on the side of the trailer and the sight of you wearing a respirator when entering or leaving your TC or trailer.
JumboJet wrote:
Paint it up to look like a military vehicle and WHO is going to mess with you while you are parked in the boonies?
I'll just stealth camp on base
And I'll just mention that boy oh boy where does a sense of humor go? Surely no one thinks anyone will really use camo netting on a city street?
If you are stealth camping at Wally World here is your outfit.
or their proposed new Advanced Vehicle Experience tractor
or their proposed new Advanced Vehicle Experience tractor
