Stealth camping with a Lance TC w/ Tent Option

[RedJeep]

Hello. Looking at switching from a large fifth wheel TH to a motorhome or truck camper. Some nice features of a motorhome is that we could stealth camp (keep slides in and not have to go outside) during some of our longer drives. Or in slow driving situations, like stuck in traffic crossing the border to Canada, kids can grab a snack from fridge or go to restroom.

The truck campers that we would consider are the Lance TCs with the tent option (models 830, 1131, 1040 and 1191). Maybe there are other models? We would not extend the tent during "stealth" camping times.

Two questions:
1. Is it possible to crawl through the rear truck window into the camper to access the bathroom and beds?
2. Is the camper door still accessible from the inside with the slides closed? As in, we would not have to crawl back through the truck window come morning time.

[trailgranny50]

Brings back memories of the time we went west from Oklahoma to Oregon with a 3/4 ton Chevy and Dreamer slide in camper, think it was 10'. Let's see, youngest kid at the time was 10 months old, born in October and he's 42 now so say 41 years ago August. Was a real "trip" in every sense of the word. Worked that poor truck hard in the mountains. Kids rode in the camper, straight cab back then, and we had the blow up doughnut and crawl throughs open. I could get thru back then as I was a perfect 28", 28", 28" and it was still real close. Oh for even half again that much body now! Anyway we made it there and back, stopped off at farm to pick up some pheasant chicks, live, to turn out in the farm we lived on at the time. No generator so no AC in camper, just what air got thru from cab, and those chicks didn't know about stopping for potty calls, just kept on pooping in their cages, day after hot day.....well you get the idea. By the time we got home no one wanted back in that danged camper for a long, long time! Tornado took the camper and truck couple years later. Pheasants died one by one right before they got ready to turn out except one rooster. That fall DH, went to Nebraska on a hunting trip and the day he left I stuck that sucker in a burlap bag and hauled it to the taxidermy guy and he stuffed it for a Christmas gift for same DH. He never questioned me when I told him it died, just didn't tell him how how. Still have it on the mantle. Oh the memories one can accumulate in the old TC. Had two more kids after those three that went in the Oregon trip and stuck to renting for space and economy, then TT, fivers, back to tent, popup, popup TC, pop up hard side, etc, etc, and now back in TC. More things change the more they stay the same. We stay in the front with the AC and heat and no kids in back, not even the furry ones. Safety first.

[H2oSprt]

I can only share about the Lance 830 with the tent. The window into the cab would be very small and only a smaller adult/child would have any luck getting through it. As far as "stealth" camping with the tent. It is not in the way at all when not deployed. You can access everything in the camper with the tent closed with no loss of space. Let me know if I can answer any Lance 830 questions.

[rkortes]

the bear II wrote:
We've never been asked to leave a rest stop with our 5th wheel. If the parking area is large and I can find a spot where the slides don't block another parking spot or walk way(like an end spot)we put the slides out. Otherwise we leave the slides in for the hours we are there.

While traveling we always have snacks and drinks inside the truck and I like to stop every 200 to 300 miles to stretch or get fuel. Always been willing to pull off at the next wide spot in the road or exit to use the "facilities" if needed.

Sure like having 400 square feet of room to be in when the weather turns nasty and we are stuck somewhere for several days.

Hated it when we only had a 10ft TC to stay in with bad weather for days. Cabin fever kicks in quick.

X2.... After that big 5th wheel I don't think you're going to find the room in the camper adequate... Especially if you have more than 2 folks. We went from an Arctic fox camper to a 30 foot 5th wheel with no slides. So far so good after a full year.

[scottz]

You probably won't be slithering through the cab window into the camper unless you are a cat.

For overnighting at rest areas, Walmart, and other large lots you are probably fine with slide/tents out. For stealth camping in city or neighborhood streets you probably wouldn't want to use a slide or tent.

[Budster]

Back in the day (70's) my camper window lined up with the truck window. I had an upholstery shop make a custom boot between the two, this was really cool. Of course back then I was a lot thinner and could fit through, not so much today. If we wanted a snack while driving the wife would crawl through and get it. Not much room in the truck (std cab) so having the pass through was a plus.

[jimh406]

Generally, stealth camping here means camping on city streets and the like which I consider really unsafe, but in any case ...

Truck camper slides aren't that wide. Many spaces at rest areas are plenty wide enough to extend a TC slide. You might have to walk, but there are usually curbs to extend over.

It's possible for a small person to go through the slide window, but most are way too small for a normal sized person.

[RedJeep]

geotex1 wrote:
Doesn't "stealth camping" exclude a camper in the first place? :@

Ever since slide-outs became available on campers, we've known camping while hitched and slides in as - "turtled". :C

I learn something new every day!

"Turtled" 🙂 LOL. Never heard that before. Ok, I guess I am talking about "turtling."

[the_bear_II]

We've never been asked to leave a rest stop with our 5th wheel. If the parking area is large and I can find a spot where the slides don't block another parking spot or walk way(like an end spot)we put the slides out. Otherwise we leave the slides in for the hours we are there.

While traveling we always have snacks and drinks inside the truck and I like to stop every 200 to 300 miles to stretch or get fuel. Always been willing to pull off at the next wide spot in the road or exit to use the "facilities" if needed.

Sure like having 400 square feet of room to be in when the weather turns nasty and we are stuck somewhere for several days.

Hated it when we only had a 10ft TC to stay in with bad weather for days. Cabin fever kicks in quick.

[geotex1]

Doesn't "stealth camping" exclude a camper in the first place? :@

Ever since slide-outs became available on campers, we've known camping while hitched and slides in as - "turtled". :C

I learn something new every day!

[RedJeep]

Thanks folks. To help clarify. No riding in the TC while underway. As far as stealth, nothing too dramatic, I was thinking of rest areas along the highway where it is not practical or courteous to extend the slides.

[mkirsch]

Some campers are usable with the slides in, many are not. You need to go look at the camper in question to see if it is workable for you.

As far as crawling through the window, you'd have to be pretty small. The sliding rear windows on late-model trucks don't leave you much room to wiggle through.

You didn't specify whether or not people would ride in the camper while underway, but between you and me it just isn't a good idea in this day and age. There are a lot of people who will say that they rode in the camper through the '60s and '70s and everything worked out just fine. Of course it was a different time then. There wasn't nearly as much traffic, or nearly as many distractions, or nearly as many unskilled drivers.

Back in the '60s and '70s there wasn't much difference between riding in the camper and riding in the truck because seatbelts weren't mandatory, airbags had not been invented yet, there were no side impact beams in the doors, or rollover protection in the roof, or crumple zones. You were pretty much boned in an accident no matter where you rode. Trucks made in the last 15 years or so have all sorts of safety systems to protect you in a crash, but campers have not advanced in that respect.

[RoyB]

I guess alot of folks like us spends the night at a WALMART parking lot or sitting for a few hours at a rest stop when on long trips.

When the word STEALTH CAMPING gets used here always scares the "H..." our of me haha...

I can envision the police showing up and hauling all of the family off to jail or the property owner showing up carrying a shotgun banging on the camper door...

Whenever we show up at a WALMART parking we always go inside and get permission to park there over night...

This GOOGLE SEARCH article says it is a "AN ART" however... Definitely not for me and my family on the road... We will ask for permission first...

STEALTH CAMPING

Roy Ken