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
IMO....there is no hiding a geometric shape that isn't natural to the desert landscape in the landscape (painted camo). Even draping a camo 3D net over a shape like a TC rig, you'd spot it in a New York second from a mile or more off. The best thing is proly a camo fence....but you'd need it on 4 sides...way too much effort unless you're planning to be there a while :B
Best thing is to use the geography to hide: park in topography that hides ya (behind rocks, behind hills, behing huge groves of desert scrub, etc).
Whaz: gotta love those vehicles you fab up :B
Dave-Pete,
I looked at this pic when looking for the ideal color. We too are along the haul road near Coldfoot in our favorite camp area: the gravel pit. There was no rain during our jaunt to mess up the white paint. 2nd week of June, 2003.
I looked at this pic when looking for the ideal color. We too are along the haul road near Coldfoot in our favorite camp area: the gravel pit. There was no rain during our jaunt to mess up the white paint. 2nd week of June, 2003.
Can you find the truck camper in this photo? Really, it's in here.
This is what you're looking for. We've tried both white and taupe. Errr, actually, the taupe comes from the Haul Road, Brooks Range Alaska. This is a campground called Galbraith Lake. Free. And we couldn't find the local Walmart. ๐
Hint - Look for the red step.
My apologies. Due to the picture size reduction it's almost impossible to see. In the photo it is just right of exact center, along and underneath the horizontal water line.
This is what you're looking for. We've tried both white and taupe. Errr, actually, the taupe comes from the Haul Road, Brooks Range Alaska. This is a campground called Galbraith Lake. Free. And we couldn't find the local Walmart. ๐
Hint - Look for the red step.
My apologies. Due to the picture size reduction it's almost impossible to see. In the photo it is just right of exact center, along and underneath the horizontal water line.
Interesting thread. BKA and Steve, what is it about the EarthRoamer crowd? I almost got run off the road by one of them leaving Mormon Lake last year.
I've looked into colors, paints, skins/wraps and other techniques on my camper. I even looked carefully at the "dazzle" camouflage from WWl that was placed on ships to fool the periscopes of German U Boats. I ran across skins/wraps that are applied to one of the most expensive cars in the world, the Ferrari 458.
My aluminum skinned Avion is anodized and tends to get pretty chalky and weathered looking. Of course its the OEM look that a lot of people treasure so I probably won't change it...even to gain stealth advantage. But even with the chalky qulaity of the surface it can be bright as the sun and visible for many miles.
But, it oddly fits into the landscape.
I've looked into colors, paints, skins/wraps and other techniques on my camper. I even looked carefully at the "dazzle" camouflage from WWl that was placed on ships to fool the periscopes of German U Boats. I ran across skins/wraps that are applied to one of the most expensive cars in the world, the Ferrari 458.
My aluminum skinned Avion is anodized and tends to get pretty chalky and weathered looking. Of course its the OEM look that a lot of people treasure so I probably won't change it...even to gain stealth advantage. But even with the chalky qulaity of the surface it can be bright as the sun and visible for many miles.
But, it oddly fits into the landscape.
