Biggest Stealth Fails

[wagoneer]

I tend to agree with the be an asset in the neighborhood idea say good morning watch their backs help out. People are more afraid when they don't know who they are dealing with

 

[compassrose]

... I don't think most of the "stealth" people are fooling anybody but themselves... there's people who know exactly what you're doing.

That also applys to parking in a "Wal-Mart" parking lot. All the "rules" are BS. It's so bad I even made up my own name for what we do Freedom Parking and guidelines that we actually follow. Do I care if anyone else does what we do? Nope. I just put it out there because I was taken to task and verbally "spanked" because I called "pavement parking" by the old name of "boondocking" which now means something else since it was "defined" on the internet someplace (If it's on the internet, it must be true). I also do not follow the "Escapees Code of Conduct" either. We follow "Leave No Trace" more closely than any other "rules". And they're not really rules, they are more like suggestions.

Stealthing sounds like far too much work to me (my mother always said I was lazy). Not that a 40 ft turquoise blue school bus is "stealthy". But I do like my hot showers at the end of a long day at work. Got to wash all that paint and tint off and that takes a bit of work sometimes. I'll pay the $425/mo and take the water, electric, cable TV and wifi.

Don't bother with being stealthy at the Wal-Mart in Roswell, NM. No one cares unless you are aggressively panhandling right in peoples faces.

In Socorro, NM you can stay out at "The Box" when you get tired of Wal-Mart.

 

[Patrick46]

I really like the CamperVan Man's approach toward this. Why hide if you've got nothing to hide...right?? I find this attitude refreshing.

...and the idea of stealth only makes you that much more suspicious to outsiders, who can obviously tell that you're living in your rig.
"So, what are you REALLY hiding anyways??" (...is a very likey question someone would ask.)

 

[wagoneer]

I am not the brightest bulb in the candelabra. But I know when someone is hiding which makes it even more scary. We all have a right to exist and when enlightened realize we do not all exist in the same mentality.Go ahead and play hide and go seek as for me it will be Hi Hello My name is xxxxxxx I am traveling through.

 

[SoulRaven]

I am not the brightest bulb in the candelabra. But I know when someone is hiding which makes it even more scary. We all have a right to exist and when enlightened realize we do not all exist in the same mentality.Go ahead and play hide and go seek as for me it will be Hi Hello My name is xxxxxxx I am traveling through.

Greetings!

Exactly! Once you remove that "Scary Homeless Dude in a xxx" mentality, and become a real live human being, people are much more likely to accept you and less likely to call the cops on you.

And who knows, you may even make some new friends along the way.

I've even done house sitting, and pet sitting for some of my neighbors. One sweet little cocker spaniel traveled with me for six months while her parents were in Europe. We both had a blast. It was hard giving her up when her parents returned, but we remained life long friends, and now her daughter greets me when I return to that neighborhood. There's just nothing that can beat a wagging tail and a sloppy kiss to welcome you back to a neighborhood. They tell you that they love you, and missed you, but you were never forgotten.

Oops, gotta go, I have a visitor, her name's Nikki and she shouldn't be out this time of night...

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

---

Greetings CompassRose!

I guess I'm hosting a furry sleepover tonight... Her parents are fast asleep...

hehe Don't you just love it when somebody changes the definition of something? I'm still trying to figure out what the politically correct term for "The Gay '90's" should be today... (I could tell you a story about that )

I also have my own self imposed set of rules:

Leave no trace, and if possible or needed leave it cleaner than you found it. (HEY... I like "MY" neighborhood clean too!)
Respect Others, people, property, pets, feelings, etc.
Be Friendly & Polite, ALWAYS - ALWAYS SAY <b><u>Thank You</u></b>!
Be helpful whenever possible.

Simple enough, not much more than common sense if there is any such thing these days.

I'll have to visit your freedom parking site, sounds interesting.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[SoulRaven]

I really like the CamperVan Man's approach toward this. Why hide if you've got nothing to hide...right?? I find this attitude refreshing.

...and the idea of stealth only makes you that much more suspicious to outsiders, who can obviously tell that you're living in your rig.
"So, what are you REALLY hiding anyways??" (...is a very likey question someone would ask.)

Greetings!

Yeah, stealth could mean "casing the neighborhood" or maybe "mobile meth lab" or "criminal hiding out" and I can honestly see where those kinds of thoughts could worry people.

In my glass house everyone can see that I'm minding my own business and not a threat to anyone. And a smile and a hello is an invitation for them to get to know me.

One time I had this rather gruff, old cantankerous guy, come up and say to me. "I see you're living in your van, you can't be doing that parked on the street like this..." So I politely introduced myself, and told him that I traveled with my work, so taking my home with me just made sense. He calmed down and we had a very nice chat. In the end, he offered me his driveway, which I politely declined, and he told me that it was illegal to camp on the streets of that town. In the end he told me that if anyone hassled me to tell them that "Big Jim" said it was okay, and if they didn't want to take my word for it they could call him directly.

I stayed several days, nobody bothered me except "Big Jim" who brought me breakfast every morning. When I was getting ready to leave, I wanted to stop by to thank him for his hospitality. When I knocked on his door, the neighbor lady told me he was at work, and wouldn't be home until after 6. So I asked her where he worked, so I could stop by to tell him thanks in person, and she told me "Oh, you didn't know... Big Jim is the Mayor, he's at city hall..." I never had a clue...

So off I went to city hall... His secretary told me that he could be seen by appointment only, so I asked if I could leave him a note. I handed her the thank you note, and as soon as she saw my signature, she told me to wait and she would deliver it immediately. Out came "Big Jim", who I got to thank in person, and we shook hands and he offered me an open invitation to visit anytime I was in the area. My kind of guy!

Life can be so wonderful if you just give it a chance.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[Patrick46]

Greetings!

Yeah, stealth could mean "casing the neighborhood" or maybe "mobile meth lab" or "criminal hiding out" and I can honestly see where those kinds of thoughts could worry people.

In my glass house everyone can see that I'm minding my own business and not a threat to anyone. And a smile and a hello is an invitation for them to get to know me.

One time I had this rather gruff, old cantankerous guy, come up and say to me. "I see you're living in your van, you can't be doing that parked on the street like this..." So I politely introduced myself, and told him that I traveled with my work, so taking my home with me just made sense. He calmed down and we had a very nice chat. In the end, he offered me his driveway, which I politely declined, and he told me that it was illegal to camp on the streets of that town. In the end he told me that if anyone hassled me to tell them that "Big Jim" said it was okay, and if they didn't want to take my word for it they could call him directly.

I stayed several days, nobody bothered me except "Big Jim" who brought me breakfast every morning. When I was getting ready to leave, I wanted to stop by to thank him for his hospitality. When I knocked on his door, the neighbor lady told me he was at work, and wouldn't be home until after 6. So I asked her where he worked, so I could stop by to tell him thanks in person, and she told me "Oh, you didn't know... Big Jim is the Mayor, he's at city hall..." I never had a clue...

So off I went to city hall... His secretary told me that he could be seen by appointment only, so I asked if I could leave him a note. I handed her the thank you note, and as soon as she saw my signature, she told me to wait and she would deliver it immediately. Out came "Big Jim", who I got to thank in person, and we shook hands and he offered me an open invitation to visit anytime I was in the area. My kind of guy!

Life can be so wonderful if you just give it a chance.
Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

Wonderful story CVM, and exactally what I was talking about. LOVE IT!!


...and especially LOVE the quote at the end......

 

[wagoneer]

25 plus years ago Me and my girl were driving through the Navajo nation dessert and I saw this awesome rock outcrop and being in my Ansel Adams stage of photography stopped climbed up she de-robed and I had her laying on the warm rocks as I took some photo's I was so involved with light textures/curves and angles i did not notice the Navajo reservation police standing behind me, they asked me what i was doing and that I was on sacred grounds. She dashed her clothes on and with some explanation and apologies we climbed down. they asked me what was in my truck and I showed them my flea market stuff. One guy noticed a jack I gave him a good deal and the other guy bought a few items as well long story short I sold a bunch of stuff and was asked if i would come to their house for dinner.
We were all like shaking hands and swapping stories

 

[akrvbob]

Every area is different, what worked great for someone in one area will be a disaster in another. Generally, you should find out the attitude in their area before they do anything else.

My recommendation is to go to a local police station, and ask! I know that sounds crazy but more often than not cops are good guys doing a hard job Leave the van parked several blocks away, walk in and ask to talk to an officer. Tell him you got laid off work and need to live in your car while you look for work. You don't want to break any laws but you have to live in your car. Is there somewhere you can park?

If he says YES and gives you a safe place, then you're set! if he says NO, he hassles you then you still come out ahead. You know the cops in that town are going to hassle you and you'd better be low profile and stealth.
Bob

 

[Iggy]

I've been reading the pros and cons of this stealth, no stealth conversation. I guess it comes down to where you are at and your logic. Of course its not stealth when you are parked at Walmart with 20 other campers around. But so many towns and cities are outlawing overnight camping! So you either go somewhere else or you break the law. For those who don't believe in stealth your choices are: move along, pay up for a campground or motel, or openly break the law (and maybe pay the consequences). For those that do believe in stealth, and I could be wrong on this, I assume that most of you would cautiously find a place to blend in and park for the night. I do understand the reasoning about not wanting to appear sneaky or creepy. But breaking the law openly doesn't seem sensible to me. I'm surviving on $500 a month, I don't have the finances to move on or pay for lodging. My conscience doesn't bother me about disobeying the overnight camping laws either, nobody is impacted by what I do, if I arrive late and leave early.

I'm not trying to cause any controversy. It sounds like there is already people that are set in their opinions. And that is fine. Do what works for you. And I'm new enough at this (6 months part time vandwelling, now one month fulltime) that I'm still learning plenty. So please don't jump on me if you disagree. Trolls belong under bridges only.

 

[GotSmart]

Iggy; The vast majority here will agree with you... Because they are in the same boat (van) as you. Limited income, and not wanting to start any trouble. It is those that constantly get drunk or high and raise hell that make a bad name for the rest of us. Those that leave their trash blowing around for others to pick up. And those that will sneak into the hotel and eat the complimentary brunch wearing a contractors safety vest to get away with it.

The majority of members here are just trying to survive while not starting any trouble. Members here will go out of there way to give a hand up to another member.

That is why I plan on sticking around.

 

[Vic.]

Good thread.

A place to sleep is my sole concern and source of anxiety. Bob's suggestions ring most true to me as someone who will simply sleep in the vehicle overnight. In late, out early.

 

[David]

Good thread.

A place to sleep is my sole concern and source of anxiety. Bob's suggestions ring most true to me as someone who will simply sleep in the vehicle overnight. In late, out early.

I pretty much never do this.. I'm usually parked where I'll sleep well before dark and I usually don't leave until well after daybreak. This is while doing city dwelling.

I've been in and around Austin for a month now and due to it being a city, it's hard to find typical "stealth" camping out in the woods or down by the river..

With that said when ever I'm in a city I always park in random parking lots of various big box stores. I almost always stay at the ones with wifi, like Sam's club, Target, Lowes, Home Depot, the various Office Supply stores ect..ect..

Right now I'm out side a Barns & Noble, I've yet to be bothered by anyone knocking on my windows and that includes cops. Austin is big enough that there dozens of these types of stores all over the place that allow me to rotate around but I still use the same stores quite often. (some have better wifi than others)

The only time I've been bothered by "the man" was at Zilker park, where some of the Park rangers or what ever had noticed I had been hanging out there a few days in a row. ( the park has free wifi)

They asked if I was staying there over night and of course I said no, because I never have. I don't think they believed me and they just hung out around my van for several mins I assume trying to intimidate me. I ignored them and they eventually went away, but I gave the park a rest for about a week before going back.

Personally, I think people worry way too much about stealth. If you park at a big box store, specially if it's near a highway you can just say you were traveling and needed to pull off to get some sleep. Obviously it won't work if you stay at the same place every night, but I've yet to even be bothered over night.

I helps if you try to keep your van looking good and don't look like a homeless bum. I've met others whom lived in their cars, SUV's what have you here in Austin and 9 out of 10 of them "look" like they are living in their car. I saw one due two days ago with a Suburban that had black towels across the out side of his windshield and hanging out the side windows..

You do that type of thing, then yes you will be bothered.

 

[Zil]

Very good advice from David. I don't care how you cut it you can not be undetected sleeping in your vehicle. You have to be in a spot that the LEO feels is ok.

 

[compassrose]

A lot of the cops are looking for law breakers not van dwellers, unless they are breaking the law. Try not to look like a criminal. If you look like you are dealing drugs or crusing a park for kiddies, then you can expect to get hassled.

 

[caseyc]

I'm sure every box stores and strip malls treat overnight parked vehicles differently. It may be just fine for some cities, but I've noticed in my neck of the woods, too many private security patrol cars go up and down the parking lot. That's why I don't stay overnight at strip malls or large box stores with private security. On more than one occasion, I've had private security vehicles pull up beside me to check out my vehicle, and I wasn't even parked overnight, although it was dark around 9pm. I'd rather not risk getting a ticket, or having the patrol guard call the tow truck on me. All these strip mall parking lots have signs that say this is private property, so they can call the shots for what they deem fit. Again, your mileage will vary of course depending on your area. I simply avoid all shopping malls altogether for parking overnight.

 

[Patrick46]

I don't stay overnight at strip malls or large box stores with private security. On more than one occasion, I've had private security vehicles pull up beside me to check out my vehicle, and I wasn't even parked overnight, although it was dark around 9pm. I'd rather not risk getting a ticket, or having the patrol guard call the tow truck on me. All these strip mall parking lots have signs that say this is private property, so they can call the shots for what they deem fit.

So....this security patrol pulls up along side you...and then what??

Did he knock, or just look you over and move on??

If they don't knock, then they certaintly aren't gonna tow ya, and it's pretty unlikely that they'll ticket you either. (to me) they obviously don't care too much about me or my presence. Time for some sleep. :sleepy:

 

[caseyc]

I was parked for maybe 20 minutes, and was sitting in the back. When I happened to go up to the front seat, I noticed a patrol car parked parallel to me a couple stalls away. It was obvious he was checking out my vehicle, as there were no other vehicles in between us or around us, as I had parked further down the lot. The patrol vehicle stayed there for more than a few minutes, and then drove away. I knew he was making his rounds, and I was certain he would come back again. So after the security guard left, I then drove away a minute later. It just wasn't worth it to stay there any longer and having any potential anxiety worrying what that patrol guard might do next. I don't worry about parking at shopping malls during the daylight hours, only when it starts getting dark is when I leave.

So....this security patrol pulls up along side you...and then what??

Did he knock, or just look you over and move on??

If they don't knock, then they certaintly aren't gonna tow ya, and it's pretty unlikely that they'll ticket you either. (to me) they obviously don't care too much about me or my presence. Time for some sleep. :sleepy:

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

My boss owns the strip mall here, his security guy definitely runs people off after 9:30. Thier large hotel sits on a hill other side of interstate and the front desk even has binoculars to watch it and call him if a vehicle is over there. :/

 

[caseyc]

Remind me never to park there, haha! Just goes to reinforce my notion to avoid parking overnight at shopping malls. There is a shopping mall that I sometimes go to with a Walmart, and I see relatively large Class C RVs parked there regularly. I recently saw an RV take up 2 parking spots, and had its center slider fully extended off to the side of a parking stall. SERIOUSLY?!? It's no wonder Walmart doesn't ticket these guys. As another general rule that I live by, I never, NEVER, park next to an RV. I just don't. Especially the ones that overstay their welcome. I don't want others to think I'm "part of the problem". That may sound rather harsh to some, but I've quickly learned certain urban survival skills for this particular lifestyle.

My boss owns the strip mall here, his security guy definitely runs people off after 9:30.