Demystifying the Urban Stealth Legend

[lenny flank]

Alas, when you DO try it, you will quickly find that most of this won't work.

 

[wasanah2]

One thing I've thought of...and this was fairly recently. In a big city, a relative of mine was in the hospital there, they had a 5 story parking garage. Later that night, I left my aunt's bedside and went to the van and slept. I had to pay to stay there, and I wondered how much it would cost. I didn't even know. I had a ticket stub. I was prepared for the worst. I went to leave the next day after being there a full 24 hours, and I paid a whopping 2 dollars. My parking spot was in a great spot. I parked on the edge. AWESOME view of the city. A short walk to the hospital across the street was where there was a McDonalds and some other fast food places. The hospital cafeteria was CHEAP. I had a couple scrambled eggs and it cost under a buck. I was like WHAT?????? I had a bottle of water in my purse, so I had a cheap breakfast. They had a lot of great food there and for cheap prices.

There was also free wifi there and places to plug your laptop in the cafeteria.

Now I don't have a high top Astro van. It's a low top and it looks like a passenger van, and with blackout curtains in the window no one sees inside. It was amazingly easy. It made me realize that if I ever go back to that city, I'll pay the two bucks for a 4th story view of the city. It was also under cover, so no blazing heat in the van. No rain. Even walking to the hospital was under cover. Where else can you pay to park in the city for so little and be so close? There was even a bathroom on the same parking garage floor and the McDonalds was a 24 hour one.

No one asked me anything. It's a big city and a big hospital. You can almost be invisible while there....but you still have to pay your two bucks when you leave.

 

[John61CT]

Work on the assumption computerized systems are tracking ins and outs with license plate readers, camera surveillance etc.

Which may be no problem for short visits. If trying for longer, best to exit once every 24 hours for a while IMO. And not be surprised if you get knocked, have a credible story ready.

 

[wasanah2]

Work on the assumption computerized systems are tracking ins and outs with license plate readers, camera surveillance etc.

Which may be no problem for short visits. If trying for longer, best to exit once every 24 hours for a while IMO. And not be surprised if you get knocked, have a credible story ready.

Great idea.  There were a couple people in cars when I walked back, exhausted like I was, catching a few winks in their cars.  Only I was set up for stealth.   This particular hospital makes overnight visit-stays IN the hospital all but impossible.  In fact, I was going to sleep in my aunt's room but they wouldn't let me and the floor waiting room had chairs that kept you from stretching out.  It was the van or the floor there in the waiting room.  So I went to the van where I had a comfortable bed.  I think a few days wouldn't be hard to do.  If you have family there and you're from out of town, it's probably where people stay when it's the middle of the night.  I parked in a cluster of cars and not off by myself.  Daily leaving is a good idea though.   If I go back, during the day I'd want to go to the beach, grab a free shower there and do some swimming and head back for the second night.  It would be a great weekend.

People came and went all through the night.  I'm thinking it would be very difficult to keep track of everyone, but just in case, I'll have something prepped to say.  Besides, I have a stub.  I'm PAYING for my spot.

 

[ZoNiE]

Y'know, this gets me thinking. So I'm boondocking at a receptive Walmart, casino, etc. and decide to sit in my easy chair, crack a beer, open a bag of pretzels, and watch a movie or something on Netflix.
Is it legal to drink that beer? The keys are never in the ignition, soooo...

Then if it is legal, but you are told by LEO to move along, and you've had a beer or two, what do you say?

What if you had a few in the casino with your buffet dinner and go to your coach to sleep, as boon-docking is welcomed by the casino, but LEO decides to roust everyone for some unrelated reason, what can happen? Can't drive, you may be on a reservation, do you get arrested?

All things to contemplate.

On Hospital parking, I think people sleeping in their cars is pretty normal given sometimes you are there when someone is in the ER. The garage at the hospital near me is free.

 

[B and C]

If your drinking, don't have the keys in your pocket or the ignition. It could show intent. Hang 'em up somewhere either inside or outside.

If you are going to drink, stay inside. Public intoxication could be an offense.

 

[highdesertranger]

I would never drink while also trying to be stealth. highdesertranger

 

[wasanah2]

zonie, I'm with HDR in this. If you go to the casino, do your drinking there. You always want to be on the up and up.

The hospital near you has free parking? That's even better. Yes, people were there who looked like they hadn't planned on it. Probably some have a relative in the ER or a surgery or something. If you come from out of town, it doesn't make sense to go home and come back. Yeah, I really like the idea of staying at a hospital parking lot, and a parking garage is even better if you are on the edge and next to cars. It's only super easy for someone to walk behind the van, not in front of or around the sides. And if your van looks empty with smooth black blackout fabric in the back, you will be passed by.

 

[wasanah2]

One other way I've stealth camped in the past was to put the seats back in the van, take out the camping gear so it's clean in there and stretch out in the middle row seat.  I sleep in a sleeping bag the same color as the seat (I'm short enough to stretch out) and use no black out curtains.  I hang a coat or hoodie or something like that on both sides of the middle on the hanger-hooks.  You can't really see that there's a person there if the light's right and not too bright, and if you're parked next to a car, it's even better.  A flashlight shining through the back looks like an empty car.

At a rest area one time that said NO OVERNIGHTING, the cop attendant was there rousing tired travelers up.  We could see it going on when we pulled in, so I was dead tired and couldn't go on.  I put my wide awake teenager in the driver's seat and on her laptop.  The cop came near but saw she wasn't sleeping but on her laptop and didn't bother us...but I was getting some much needed sleep in that middle seat.  I have no doubt if he knew I were sleeping there that he would have made us go on too.  That was around Chattanooga.  Ruthless cop attendant, but super good internet according to my daughter.

 

[crofter]

x2 on not staying in industrial areas. I've never tried that and it seems it would be dicey.

Have you considered Planet Fitness or other 24hr club like that?  I'm wondering if in a larger city it would work to stay almost exclusively in their lots, with maybe a WM,etc. thrown in periodically.

Would they eventually catch on that you were homeless and somehow call you on using their facilities too much??

There is a thread on here about Planet Fitness security hassling a member of their club in the parking lot at 2AM. You might want to check with the manager or front desk before staying, or expect to get the knock from their security.  ~ crofter

 

[crofter]

On Hospital parking, I think people sleeping in their cars is pretty normal given sometimes you are there when someone is in the ER. The garage at the hospital near me is free.

I had the experience of getting my van stuck in a hospital parking structure, and I don't have a high top. The height started out at 12 feet and went down to 7 feet and I am taller than that. It was anything but stealthy getting back out.            ~crofter

 

[wcurtin1962]

Well, my store manger found out I was living in my van and told me I could park out front of the store at night. I would wear my uniform shirts when I wasn't sleeping so the police never bothered me.