100% STEALTH

[danman81]

That was cool, but Those flex panels only have a 1 year guarantee? Daring of them to sell flex panels when others are recalling them to prevent liability due to misuse. 

where do you find batteries that can absorb 100% of the available power as it is produced?  You can only allow a battery to charge on its own terms. (OR BOOM!)

Read what Sternwake has posted on this subject. 

I have 200 W of panels, and 448 AH of battery.  This takes care of what I use, without resorting to the 130 Amp generator. (Flip a switch!)

Absolutely.  LFP batteries can withstand a higher charge current and my design will be within spec. and actually less than spec whenever possible.  Can't wait to post my numbers to tell you the truth.  One question I have, do you have any ideas I could use for a small voltage sense relay, so that I can use the engine start signal to control to short 2 small wires, like the remote control of an inverter, for example?  I will actually need to control 2 relays with that signal if there are "dual relays" out there...  I understand i could start a new thread for this too...

 

[GotSmart]

Search the electrical threads.  This one should stick with stealth.

 

[danman81]

Search the electrical threads.  This one should stick with stealth.

I agree LOL.  will do!

 

[MK7]

^
I disagree entirely with your first three observations about types of vehicles! Actually your last observation about how one acts being the key far, far outweighs any perception based on how/what one is driving.

And yes, I openly admit to living the dream...a couple of us regularly do reality checks when the biggest problem we have each day is whether we go to the hot springs now or wait until later!...

I agree with what he said with the first three. If I see someone in those first 3 types of vehicles parked near my house or business, on a somewhat regular basis...I will start to be suspicious.  It is not normal to see people living in vans, especially white cargo vans that are stigmatized as "rape vans".

Now some couple in an expensive, newer RV that's valued over $50k, then they're probably just tourists passing through.

 

[danman81]

Hey friends -- just letting you know my electrical system plans are now up just incase anyone was interested:

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-It-begins

There are no solar panels also -- This is the thread that helped me decide (thanks @GotSmart!!) not to use them, and I explain from an electrical side on the new thread i started.  This helps me increase stealth a little bit.  Also, you don't have to worry about parking in shaded areas (which also helps cool in summer, increasing efficiency and decreasing noise with the AC), you can also park in some garages (with a low roof).  There's also less wind drag, which is another minor point.

 

[Goshawk]

Voting to give up on any stealth as a couple. Maybe one person can stealth live in a minivan. But two people will find the challenge too much. Plus being older than 50 you tend to need a restroom in the middle of the night. All that moving around to use the facilities turns you non stealth fast.

 

[danman81]

Sorry, i have to post this

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Prod...r=8-1&keywords=five+gallon+bucket+toilet+seat

 

[GotSmart]

Sorry, i have to post this

http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Prod...r=8-1&keywords=five+gallon+bucket+toilet+seat

The best deal I have found.

http://www.amazon.com/Stout-EcoDegr...a_nav_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GM2NWH0SKVYCWCDWQF3

 

[Mobilesport]

"Hiding in plain sight" means something different to me. To me, it means behavior. If you act like you're trying to hide then it's conspicuous. If you act like you're not trying to hide then you're hiding in plain sight. For example, parking behind a business looks like you're trying to hide. Instead park in plain sight with everyone else.

Talking about making your vehicle look 100% stock, to me that isn't about hiding in plain sight, just regular hiding.

I know this thread is about stealth and I'm somewhat advocating the opposite. But I can't imagine giving up solar for such a reason. For comparison, I've been in San Diego a week now and have not been bothered once. Because I hide in plain sight. And my rig looks like this:



Just a thought. Also, look up some of SternWake's posts on alternator recharging. Lots of good info about what it really takes to do it.

@  TmG1 
How do you hide that rig in plain site?  That roof sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

[GotSmart]

The closest I have seen to pure stealth was when I was overnighting in Flagstaff WM.  When I got there I looked over the back lot where there were a lot of different dwellers, from new class A's to trucks with shells.  Off to one side was a prius with what looked like a bunch of trash inside.

The next morning when I was uncovering my windshield, I saw the pile in the car start to move, someone slipped into the drivers seat and quietly drove off.

 

[Fivealive]

A lot of folks on the internet seem very concerned about stealth and love to throw out a bunch of far fetched what ifs to justify the obsession with being stealth. I guess out east it might make sense but it seems really silly in the western states I've been fulltiming in. We have spent a good deal of time in Seattle, Portland, SFbay, LA and SD, every one of them has hundreds if not thousand's of people obviously dwelling in vehicles every night. Some of the cities have laws against it and some don't. Even when there is a law against we rarely have any issues. The LEOs only have time to deal with the worst offenders, and if your not cooking meth in your rig then your probably not one of the worst offenders and you will be just fine. I think this might be a personality conflict more then anything else. The typical van dweller is normally very laid back so when a type A comes along with a laundry list of things they worry about everyone is like what the hell man just chill out!

 

[Fivealive]

As for personal security I think your better off of its obvious you are in the vehicle, or at least questionable if someone is inside or not. Think about it from the thieves perspective, they don't want to deal with the complications of stealing from a vehicle with a dweller vs one that is obviously empty. The dweller might be armed, violent, or at the very least capable of making a ton of noise and calling the cops. Where as an empty work van looks like a prime target. Those vans are often loaded with expensive tools and scrapable metal parts.

 

[Dust-In-the-Wind]

If your home has a motor, it is a motorhome.  :angel:  

I gave up caring about what society thought of me a long time ago.  I am eccentric.  I live as I chose.  We all are.  It is contagious through the internet.  

Being secritive about how you live, and living stealth is two different things.

You can fool some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you cant fool everyone all the time.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/zappos-ceo-lives-trailer-13-things/story?id=32928943

An alternative version I heard once:  "You can fool some of the people all the time,  ...  ...  and that's enough to make a decent living."

 

[GotSmart]

An alternative version I heard once:  "You can fool some of the people all the time,  ...  ...  and that's enough to make a decent living."

Religion and politics are subject not allowed here.      

The original title of this thread had to do with how people perceive you as a dweller.  Do you come across as a person just out for a vacation, or do you appear to be a shopping cart street person on wheels?

Tony and Karen come to mind.  They have a clean rig, and both are always clean and happy people.  If seen in a neighborhood, you do not think twice as they fit in everywhere. They stand out enough to be invisible.

 

[Luciano151]

Hello, when I put my van together, I made a sketch and had a company design it for me. I emphasized over and over again that from the outside the van has to look like a regular cargo van. They did an outstanding job. The only extras I put, because I figured if I was driving so much I should have nice tunes, is a very nice stereo system with an additional amp. My side windows are tinted, but if somebody put their face to the glass, my stereo would look like one of those full screen GPS units. I have pretty much all power sources on Maxie, except for solar. My batteries have the ends to attach an external solar device. I thought it would be more stealth than having panels on the roof. This way I can externally connect any size solar panels I want.

Personally, I think stealth is super important because I spend so much time in urban areas. I want to be under the radar. I agree with the poster who made the comment about vents. I don't see how somebody can live in their van without one. Especially during the summer. I use mine constantly. When I'm working I have the thermostat going so when I get back to the van, it's at a comfortable temperature. My vent goes with the van and to be honest, I don't think people really observe something like that. Their antenna goes up with accessories that are obviously non-cargo van like. Just my 2 cents.

 

[rvpopeye]

Some say that my class C can never be 100% stealth but I've been negotiating a deal with some Romulans..........................

 

[GotSmart]

Some say that my class C can never be 100% stealth but I've been negotiating a deal with some Romulans..........................

As soon as you upgrade to a cloaking device, some jerk will run into you. 

 

[Milk Hauler]

Live how you want people. If living in a box under a bridge gives you security, then do it. If appearing stealthly gets you through a day, then buy a white cargo van with a ladder rack to hide solar panels.

Being happy is YOUR responsibility


My favorite meme may get deleted, but....

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

 

[Milk Hauler]

In 2 more months I'll have an 09 2500 express, with a 7x14 cargo trl as my main living quarters. Sure I'll stand out, but having that much more room for tools and supplies comforts me.

The ability to make repairs and carry spare parts overrides my care about blending in. Fixing things makes me feel needed. I also carry tools on a brand-new 18 wheeler, in hopes that I can help another person up poop creak.

YMMV

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[Gary68]

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