Appearance More Important Than Stealth?

[den18]

As mentioned in the previous thread, the guy on www.tosimplify.net stealth camps with a very unstealthy Class B. A example of being discovered went like this:<br /><br /><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Anyway, I quickly gather that I've attracted the attention of a couple of security guards making their rounds, and since they're right outside, I just sit there and listen, fully prepared for my first and seemingly way overdue run-in with anyone even remotely resembling an authority figure.</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The dialogue proceeds something like this:</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"What is this, a camper?"</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Looks like it. You think there's a homeless in there?"</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Nah, this thing is too damn clean." (pauses to take in The Falcon in all her glory) "Niiiiiice."</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"You sure no one's in there?"</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">(voices much closer now, as they're trying to peak inside)</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">"Yeah, it's totally dark in there. Empty. C'mon."</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">True story. Happened less than two hours ago.</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The two rent-a-cops waddled off into the night, and there I sat, grinning ear to ear. Perhaps my finest moment yet since going vanward.</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span></span><div><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">That, gentle blog readers, is what we in the biz call TOTAL STEALTH."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">So the question is does appearance trump stealth? If you make your rig looks clean and &nbsp;presentable will that stop people from hassling you more effectively than trying to be sneaky about it?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I would guess yes. People respect appearance and fear that which makes them&nbsp;uncomfortable. If your rig looks nice enough I believe there is better chance of people ignoring it or being hesitant to complain.&nbsp;<br /><br />Thoughts?</span></div><span style="background-color: #292929;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"></span></span>

 

[Mortisha]

Hello Den and welcome&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/wave.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;I agree that keeping up appearances is crucial but I think as time is progressing and more and more people are forced into their vehicles, depending on where you are in the world, there are going to be more and more suspicious officials.&nbsp;<br /><br />Take my area... back woods area in Ohio.... I could go down to walmart and probably live in that parking lot LOL I have never even seen a camper or rv there. I can bet they are never faced with this issue at all. I even checked on allways and there is no info on my area at all.&nbsp;<br /><br />Just be careful and stay safe HuggZ

 

[Pikachu711]

Den, you're right that it's equally important to keep your rig as clean as possible as well as parking in a good location. These two aspects of van dwelling go hand-in-hand. As far as the two security guard were concerned you were just another vehicle they were checking out. This is the best outcome to a good nights sleep.<br /><br />I've done the same thing before as well as a security guard. As I've mentioned before, I used to be a security guard here in Las Vegas. I did vehicle&nbsp;patrols of&nbsp;vacant rental homes in a older residential neighborhood. I came to know which vehicles "belonged"&nbsp;or not.&nbsp;Occasionally I would spot one of two different commercial cargo vans parked on the street in that neighborhood. Since I had been doing research on becoming a van dweller I&nbsp;knew they were van dwellers.<br /><br />These two vans were clean in their appearance as well. They would arrive late and&nbsp;would leave the neighborhood early in the morning. These two people did it right. I had&nbsp;NO problem with them parked in that&nbsp;area whatsoever. I knew them for what they were doing there as well. They were just&nbsp;two guys living out of their van.<br /><br />Den, you did everything right to avoid the attention&nbsp;of the two security guards. <br />&nbsp;

 

[den18]

Mortisha: Thanks for the welcome!<br /><br />Pikachu: I enjoy compliments <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> but the story was actually from the guys blog (simplify.net). I just put it here to illustrate an example of when having a expensive/nice looking rv could be a good&nbsp;deterrent&nbsp;to being bothered by others.<br /><br />His version of stealth seems to be:<br /><br />1. Arrive late and leave early<br />2. Make sure NO light can be seen from outside the vehicle<br />3. Have a clean and respectable looking rig.