100% STEALTH

[rvpopeye]

Got Smart
Thanks for pointing out the flaw in my plan.
You just saved me a huge bunch of galactic credits !

 

[GotSmart]

Got Smart
Thanks for pointing out the flaw in my plan.
You just saved me a huge bunch of galactic credits !

The basic law of camping.  Someone will ALWAYS park on top of you! 

 

[Txjaybird]

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

Let me know how that works out for ya         Jewellan and Killer aka Queenie

 

[BigT]

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?

You tell me..  

Kayak, window coverings, solar panel, Reflectix, solar shower, sliding camper/RV windows (now a hitch-mounted bike rack). 



To me, being stealthy is too much work and would limit the things I want (bolted to my roof), like my 190W panel and solar shower.  
Personally I'd rather look like a harmless traveler/tourist than the sort of van dwelling scumbags I see around here.  
And before I get anyone's feathers ruffled, I'm talking about the sort who give the rest of us a bad name.  That seems to be the majority in these parts.

 

[GotSmart]

You tell me..  

Kayak, window coverings, solar panel, Reflectix, solar shower, sliding camper/RV windows (now a hitch-mounted bike rack). 



To me, being stealthy is too much work and would limit the things I want (bolted to my roof), like my 190W panel and solar shower.  
Personally I'd rather look like a harmless traveler/tourist than the sort of van dwelling scumbags I see around here.  
And before I get anyone's feathers ruffled, I'm talking about the sort who give the rest of us a bad name.  That seems to be the majority in these parts.

Looks like a tourist to me! 

One thing I like about the members here, is they are mostly clean and literate.  A little booze, beer, or smoke, but generally the members do not smell, or look like they hate bathing.  Everyone I have spoken with comes across as a person who has  purpose and knows where they will be in a few days.  They all look like they are on vacation.  Some have been for years!  

I had my engine apart (blown head gasket) on State Land in Ehrenberg when a ranger came through evicting everyone.  I was open and honest about the situation, and asked for more time to finish gathering needed parts.  He looked at my rig and spotless camp site, and told me he would be back next week to see if I needed more time. 

The tribe was helping me out with transportation, and passed the hat to help me get the supplies needed.  I will never forget that, and what I have I will gladly share with anyone.  That is one reason I do not sell to members.  You want my brand, Bob has links to those products. I will gladly help you find what you need. I will not profit off of members.  

At RTR I loan tools and supplies to everyone.  I keep a large stock of electrical fittings and a hydraulic crimper.  I can no longer do the work like I used to, but I will help out in other ways.

 

[BigT]

One thing I like about the members here, is they are mostly clean and literate.  A little booze, beer, or smoke, but generally the members do not smell, or look like they hate bathing.  Everyone I have spoken with comes across as a person who has  purpose and knows where they will be in a few days.  They all look like they are on vacation.  Some have been for years! 

I haven't met any of the members here yet, but from the interactions I've had on the forums, they come across as intelligent, insightful, well-meaning, well-intentioned, helpful, open people; "literate" as you say.  Unfortunately that is the polar opposite of what I find in the Bay Area.  
The van dwellers I encounter are the sort you don't want to approach, especially at night.  They're generally dirty, hairy, unkempt, and their vans are a mess!

I have yet to peer into one of their rigs and see the various and ingenious setups/systems I regularly read about here.  Instead I see messy, trash-filled, beat up old vans with little more than a dirty mattress on the floor and piles of junk on every single available surface.

Just to keep this on topic...  You can disguise your rig as much as you like, but I still pick out a van dweller a mile away.  You really aren't fooling anyone. 

 

[GotSmart]

I haven't met any of the members here yet, but from the interactions I've had on the forums, they come across as intelligent, insightful, well-meaning, well-intentioned, helpful, open people; "literate" as you say.  Unfortunately that is the polar opposite of what I find in the Bay Area.  
The van dwellers I encounter are the sort you don't want to approach, especially at night.  They're generally dirty, hairy, unkempt, and their vans are a mess!

I have yet to peer into one of their rigs and see the various and ingenious setups/systems I regularly read about here.  Instead I see messy, trash-filled, beat up old vans with little more than a dirty mattress on the floor and piles of junk on every single available surface.

Just to keep this on topic...  You can disguise your rig as much as you like, but I still pick out a van dweller a mile away.  You really aren't fooling anyone. 

Bob does have an impressive head of hair!  

I bet you would be unable to pick out 90% of the members if they were standing in front of you.

But what do I know.  I am just a Grandpa who putters around on his retirement.  

 

[Jack]

I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread.  Stealth is a topic that people clearly have strong opinions on.  Stealth means different things to different people.  Folks have their own reasons, lines of thinking, and experiences.  With that in mind, there is no one right answer/opinion on the subject.  Someone else's differing opinion doesn't negate another person's.

I want my van to be as stealthy as possible.  That doesn't mean I'm trying to hide or pretend I can drive completely unseen.  For me, it simply means that I don't want to draw any extra attention to my van, especially when I'm parked for the night.  I hope to mostly be in rural places, especially after my first year on the road sightseeing.  I had ideas of pulling off country roads and into the trees to sleep for the night.  (Then I realized you never know what's private property!)  

Also, I wanted to paint my van a kind of charcoal gray so it wasn't an intense white.  I realize that most work vans are white but, in my eyes, white stands out.  Something like a dull gray wouldn't, especially at night.  There are always going to be some people who can tell if someone's living in a vehicle, but your average person never even thinks about it.  Living in a big city right now, I also see white vans as canvases for graffiti thugs.  That's one problem I just don't need.  Granted, thugs can graffiti any colored van, but white seems to be more of an attraction to them.

So, I'm listening to ALL of your opinions and advice because I want to know, realistically, how much having solar panels, or a rolled up awning, on the roof attracts unwanted attention.  I want to know how having things like small vents (fans, A/C) or hook-ups (shore power and water) on the sides of the van will attract either unwanted attention or be an "invitation" for thugs or the immature to vandalize or mess with.

At the same time, just because I'm thinking about these things does not mean I'm worried, or obsessed about them.  It's simply wisdom to consider everything; and unwise not to think about it at all.  Who doesn't consider their health and safety?  I do wish people wouldn't make useless assumptions about the posts they read and simply read what's written without implying any attitudes, emotions, or motives into a person's post.  Comments like, "I'd never want to be stressed out over all these kinds of things!" are passive aggressively telling others they're being ridiculous.

 

[crofter]

I think, after reading this thread, that each has their own comfort level about how stealth will affect their ability to stay parked in a spot all night without interference. Some report that they have never been bothered at night.  I have been bothered enough to concern myself with stealth, and to practice stealth as much as possible. I subscribe to the stock appearance of a white cargo van. I still need to put up the partition and black out my back windows. I think having some type of air handler up top can still look industrial enough to pass for stealth.

About parking, I did not realize that having all the vans parking together was stealthy. I now understand that when I come out of the grocery store and find five vans parked next to me, that we are being really stealthy.       ~crofter

 

[dragonstar85]

I’m with you Jack on wanting to be stealthy in the sense of not being the sore thumb. When I’m living in my car I don’t try to “disappear” in plain sight. That’s humanly impossible. Most of the time I don’t even even cover my windows. I have a Nissan Sentra so someone walks up they can easily see me. But my logic always been if I park with curtains up in a small Nissan that will make people do a double take. Only time I cover my windows is in the spring/summer with a sun visor thingie so my car won’t get too hot. I only cover the front and back window when I do that as well. If I’m sleeping in a spot that it’s not out of the norm for a person to be sleeping in the car I’ll cover the windows that is allowing the most light in. For example reststops. Sometimes that requires covering all windows. I just use shirts and blankets then. I’ll park my car out of the way if I know the area will be loud otherwise I try to blend in with the other cars. There’s a casino nearby and I’ll park in the hotel parking area for the casino. I’ll try to be surrounded by cars there because they do have a night security guy on a cart that drives down every row of the parking lots. If I have cars on both sides of me he can’t get right up against my car. I also have the benefit that the backseats of my car folds down and I’m not tall. I sleep curled up anyways so curling up in the trunk with the back of the seats down with my duffel bag and two backpacks stacked up against the opening helps. It pretty much just looks like I left my luggage in the backseat for the night and makes it hard to see into my trunk. Hardly nobody ever leaves or comes to that parking lot during the night. Considering they drive past my car every 1/2 hour for 8-10 hours and never knocked on my car I’m assuming I blend in enough or don’t stand out in such a way that they feel the need to check what i’m up too. I’ve only once had someone come up to my car and look inside that I know off. I was traveling around, crashed at a reststop, decided to just sleep in that day. Forgot to crack my windows. They of course got condensation on them. The lady that comes and takes care of the reststop saw that and knew I slept overnight there. She didn’t care and went about her work. Hours later she started to worry about me. At this point I had just woke up and was just laying there thinking. Right when she walked up to see if I was ok I sat up. I scared that poor woman. ? But like she said she rather get a jolt to her system because I’m alive than find me dead in my car.

PS
I can tell a mile away when someone is living in their car. A friend of mine and I spent the summer traveling. I would point out every car dweller. One place he insisted it was a abandoned car cause it was there all night and it was late morning and still there. I said someone is definitely living in it cause who would normally leave windows down with a backseat packed full of belongings? Walk up to the car and sure enough there was a college age kid sleeping in the driver’s seat with the seat down.

 

[crofter]

Sometimes that requires covering all windows. I just use shirts and blankets then. 

I got some great window blockers at Walmart. They are the type that is black on one side and reflective on the other side with a spring wire around the outside to support the fabric.  I have been using them for about 14 years. They are great for larger windows, and actually reflect heat back to you if you have the reflective side facing the inside of the van. 
With the black side facing out, you cannot see into the van even on a bright day. Mine have pin holes in them now, so not total stealth if I am running inside lights at night. They are super lightweight, so easily can be used to cover stuff during the day also.      ~crofter
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Folding-Ju...ruck-Van-Visor-Windshield-Cover-/382162509540
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Motor-Tr...-Car-SUV-VAN-Truck-Sun-Shade-3-Sizes/54406922

 

[USExplorer]

Regarding stealth: often the more you try to hide, the more suspicious you appear. Especially in residential areas. With the long nights this time of year, I know I will be cooking dinner, reading, or otherwise spending time awake inside my truck after dusk. This activity is all a big no-no in city streets. The challenge of not getting caught is cool for a while, but with so many options for open camping here in the West, there is no point.

 

[ckelly78z]

Being stealthy on city streets doesn't interest me at all, i'm more interested in heading to places that inspire me from their beauty, and having some peace, and quiet to gain awareness of the small things in life.

 

[bullfrog]

Even renting a garage in an urban area isn't stealthy if you go in and out, what makes you think a vehicle will be? The best you can hope for is non threating.

 

[vanman2300]

I found a pickup one of the best stealth vehicles. It's ubiquitous on streets and other areas so no one really notices them. My truck had tinted windows and a huge cab yet still went basically unnoticed. After spending 3 months on the road the only time anyone knew I was living out of the cab was when I stayed at a campground one time. Even then the person who noticed was surprised.