East Coast Dwellers

[CountryDweller]

Hi,
I'm trying this again, not sure if it went through

I am trying to see if anyone has ever done this on the east coast, specifically the Mid-Atlantic area?
If you have/are working and van dwelling I would really  be interested to find out your experiences.
I'm hoping to start in the next year but not sure how to go about it without bringing attention to myself.

Presently I'm working/living in the MD/PA area
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[nature lover]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Well I made part of your qualifications I’m on the East Coast but I’m not working. Right now I’m in PA which is where I’m from. in the winter I’ll be in Florida. I hope to be in upstate New York shortly for a while. Again welcome to the forum I hope you find what you’re looking for.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forumsCountryDweller! I moved your thread over here to the Newcomer's Corner. Even though most of the forum members live in the west, there are some working and living in the east. Hopefully, they'll chime in with some suggestions.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[bullfrog]

You really can't do this without someone noticing it but it shouldn't matter if done legally and considerately. There are many people that live in vehicles or RVs but most choose not to brave the cold winters or hot summers by staying to long in one place when they don't have to. My wife and I spent several years in Eastern Kentucky "doing time" so we would qualify for a pension. We campground hosted in summer and got permission from employers to live at the work site and even bought a small lot to live on as well as stayed state and national forests. We used YMCA memberships, Cracker Barrels, Waffle House and truck stops and sometimes did overnight stays. It really isn't that difficult to live the lifestyle in most places.

 

[MG1912]

It is definitely harder, I think. Out west, in that entire corridor from central Texas to California, there is almost endless land to get lost in and explore, and for the most part, you can stay as long as you want (following BLM and other rules, of course). You can hang out, miles away from the nearest person, and then pop into a town in 20 minutes for shopping. It's great. I didn't know of as many opportunities to live like that on the East Coast. There is some federal land, but not much, and I doubt the state parks in the East take kindly to full-timers staying for weeks at a time.

That said, it might be easier to get away with "stealth" nomadic living in towns and cities on the East Coast because there just aren't as many people doing it. It's ubiquitous in California, and so neighborhoods and authorities are hyper alert and always on the lookout for it.

 

[Fandrel64]

Hello and welcome from the north eastern part of MD! Still in the dipping my toe in stages myself.

 

[GypsyJan]

I'm still in an S&B but plan to go nomadic full time in a few years. Like nature lover, I will be in the northeast during the warm months and FL in the winters. FL has many Water Management campsites (few or no amenities) and some forests for boondocking. Check out the Gatherings sub-forum here for a late November get-together in North FL.

 

[vgilbert]

Hello,
Florida resident here but currently exploring the Western US.
The East is much different than the Western US as there is not nearly as much National Forest land and no BLM land.
I learned by watching youtube vids about "stealth camping" or "stealth Parking"
Some suggestions: Walmart -just make sure there are no signs stating no overnight parking. (applies to all suggestions)
Home Depot
Cracker Barrell 
Public boat ramps are good. I spent 6 nights in the Florida Keys free camping at boat ramps....
Truck stops, I like Loves and Flying J / Pilot. Have used them so many times while traveling in the east with no issues. They all have showers and most have a water spigot to fill jugs/tanks (I dont drink it.... just wash water)
Worst case is that you will get a knock on your door from police/security to tell you that you cannot park wherever you are parked. If so just be polite, apologize, and move on, I have never had it go any farther than that. 

Just a side note: There is a group attempting to get camp togethers / caravans established in the Eastern US. We plan to meet in Florida in mid November 2021. There is a thread "calling all nomads in the East" on this site. 
Good luck!
God Bless

 

[vgilbert]

Here is a good vid to start with. They talk about California but the same concepts can be used most anywhere. 
Avoiding the Knock—Stealth Parking Tips and Tricks - YouTube