From Stealth Van to RV

Safaribob · Jan 16, 2011

You made the switch from a stealth vehicle to RV, correct?  I have been thinking a long time about living in a Class A motor home, thinking a Class C or B would be too small and then have had my whole perspective challenged by simplifying all the way down to a van lifestyle and Ã¢Â€ÂœstealthÃ¢Â€Â at that.  There is an unexpected appeal to this and your sight piques that interest.   Not that you have to but I have not seen where you offered the path you took from the van vehicle to an RV.  Is it possible for you to share that thinking?   Regards,

akrvbob · Jan 17, 2011

I did start in a stealth vehicle when i was living and working in a city. And it is very important when you live in a city to have stealth. Many cities don't tolerate people living in their vehicles, and even if they do, there is always a lone cop who wants to hassle people like us who they think are "homeless". After I retired I knew I wasn't going to be living in cities, so stealth was no longer important to me. I spend nearly all my time on public land, either National Forests or BLM desert land. So I wanted 4 wheel drive to get further back into the back country.  So i started out in a camper on my 4x4 truck, but recently got rid of that and I am now in a converted cargo trailer. It is not an RV, I don't have any tanks, a shower, or a toilet. I poop in a bucket. But that is actually want I want. The important thing is that you determine what your priorites are, what will make you most happy. If you want the city life, then stealth is very important. If you want to spend most of your time in nature then it is not very important. Some of us are very social and want to be around other people. For them a RV in a park with neighbors and plug ins may be best. For some they want to travel so good mpg is important--I know someone who lives and travels in a tiny Toyota Prius!! You also must be really honest with yourself about how much comfort you need. I need very little, but I must have a high-top, I can't live in a low-top van. Some people have to have a shower and flush toilet. For them a full RV is essential. It's important to remember that our only goal is to find a life that makes us happy--something many of us have never had. My life makes me estatically happy, more than I can tell you. But it might make you miserable. So you need to discover where your joy is and decide on a vehicle based on that.     As a broad generality, if you can live with minimal comfort it is very hard to beat a high-top conversion van. If you need more comfort, it is very hard to beat a class B. One of those two vehicles is generally going to be the best all around balance of  all factors. Bob

Safaribob · Jan 17, 2011

Thank you for the response.  It gives me your example and then raises the questions I have to answer for myself, like good therapy.

akrvbob · Jan 17, 2011

Glad to help. It's really important to be honest with yourself. It's really common with RVers who go fulltime to buy a RV, find it is too big/small, sell it a buy a bigger/smaller one, and may be even buy another one after that before they get it right. That's expensive! Better to get it right the first time! Bob

Dust of the Sun · Mar 30, 2011

Wow...this site is so awesome...and Bob's answer to Stealth versus an RV is just what I was looking for...if I may rant alittle...I'm very unmechanical and overwhelmed with all the information available everywhere let alone this superb site...I guess I just feel that there is so little time left before the SHTF that there isn't the luxury to steadily learn all this...and I do mean all this: plumbing, electrical, fridges, heat, boondocking, solar, gas generators, cooking, ac, engines, towing, showers, life on the road, internet, banking, postal...geez, just a whole slew of topics to be learned if you're a newbie klutz like me...but Bob's assertion that the best of all worlds...when you want somewhat of a level of comfort....IS A CLASS B is exactly what I kinda thought after looking at eight million ads on RV trader and Craigslist!!!! Now most of you nice people are out west and exploring BLM lands and the wide open and here I'm in another universe in rural, southern virginia twenty trillion miles from you all...dang...anybody out my way with the same interests??? Even finding time to thoroughly study this fantastic website is difficult...I probably just need a hotshot on my attitude and hope we're not all irradiated before I get into FIRST GEAR!! Oh, and now Bob's done started ANOTHER great site to check out!!!!!

Les H · Mar 30, 2011

Hi Dust, upstate Ny here, in tha Catskill mtns. Not another planet, lol, but defiantly worlds apart from the desert sw. As to stealth or Rv, I have a van ( mini bus, kinda hard to hide) and I have a pickup and a little old travel trailer. I choose to not realy hide, per se, but do " low profile " camping. That is, I choose quieter spots with less people around,either very private places or at campgrounds I ask to be off to the side somewhere, no loud music or blaring
lights etc, smaller fires, no drinking, just not calling attention to myself. The camper is borderline classic/antique, so we do get some people who want to look or chat, but usually it's just me, or my wife and I. And if I really want to get out of it all, I fill my back pack and find a mountaintop.
Les

1oleman · Mar 30, 2011

Hi Dust.  Alabama here, we all need to find the right place for ourselves.  I would love to be in south west, not gonna happen.  Retired on SS not enough funds to get there.  You want to talk send a PM and I'll give you my phone.  I know enough to get me in trouble!  Ed

Seraphim · Mar 31, 2011

We've had a Class B for about 4 years: we do extended trips during the summer and are considering going FT in a couple of years. We've been looking at larger units (there are two of us), but the expense seems unnecessary. The high top on our van is invaluable, giving us a feel of greater space. Ours has an over cab bed which we use for storing clothing in plastic bins: sorted by type of clothing and owner *grin*. Again, invaluable. We have a sit down shower which is convenient and nice. I'm concerned about safety (mostly for DW) and hygenics of public facilities. As we get older and need the facilities more often at night, the toilet inside makes the night time trips more convenient. 1oleman: take the trip a little bit at a time - eventually you'll get there and not need a ton of extra funds. You live once, and if you don't make the effort you will always regret it. The extra amenities of a Class B are worth it. 80s to 90s models can be found reasonbly priced ($4 to $8k for reasonably conditioned units) and often have lower miles.  Ours was 13 years old when we bought it and had 25K miles.

Dust of the Sun · Mar 31, 2011

Seraphim Your post really resonated with me as I have kinda settled on a Class B...just beginning my search and my learning curve. While I love those 32 foot Class A's for livability...they just seem too darned huge.. I drove a 33 foot Holiday Rambler Imperial Class A from Pensacola to Orlando once...was like piloting the Space Shuttle!! .I already have a house and I'm interested in MOBILITY ... Semi-Stealth ... Not being restricted from parking it due to being HUGE...so a Class B does seem the best of all worlds....or at least just enough space to be comfortable. Wondering if you have any pics you might share of your rig?? I AM overwhelmed by the bazillion brands and floorplans and styles...

Seraphim · Apr 1, 2011

Only have one to post at the moment: <IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="https://2793351338138324260-a-18027...3SkxuFdLW5KMlAZUko3tfJlDE=&attredirects=0" align=baseline border=0> I can post more on Monday - we're leaving after work to camp at the Kentucky Horse Park for the weekend.  Maybe I can take some photos there and post them. Give me a couple of days? Hmmm. Photo doesn't appear to be posting. Here's a link to a homepage under construction with the photo: <A href="https://sites.google.com/site/recumbentfalcon/home/gyrfalcon" target=_blank target=_blank>https://sites.google.com/site/recumbentfalcon/home/gyrfalcon</A>Not 'stealthy', but considering all the places one can boondock, stealthy wasn't important for us. Since I've listed the site, there's a comprehensive Excel sheet on the 'documents' page I designed for budgeting expenses when I considered full timing. Click on it to download.  Just delete all the numbers I made up to test the sheet, and add your own. It does all the calculations.

VanTramp · Apr 25, 2011

Hey, just a bit late on this, but thought I would share a small bit of input <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Class B's can be stealthy too, I really think ours does a pretty good job of it. Most people don't realize it is anything more than a conversion van from what they tell us. We have everything in it that a person might want though. It helps to not have the graphics, probably helps that it has wheels that look like they are off a street/custom type van too. The bikes we have on back now do make it look a little more like a B though. You can check it out on our blog (in the sig). There are pics of various parts of it all over the blog, many of the interior are easily found from the "roadtrek mods" link. Also, class B's can be had for pretty decent deals if you shop carefully. I bought this one a few years back for less than $5K with 117K miles on it and everything working perfectly. <div> </div><div>hope that helps! </div>

MargaretA · May 9, 2011

Well, I'm even later than Mike on this thread but I thought this might help - I think stealth, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder (possibly a law enforcement officer) . I live in a big city - Denver - and I'm very close to downtown. Every now and then I see a Class C, and rarely an A, and they do stand out. I think this is because it's so crowded here - things are closer together than they would be in a rural area or even in the suburbs - and vehicles that big are more noticeable. Last year there were a couple of people living in small Cs fairly close to here; one of them, someone I knew, ended up moving further out because of pressure to do that, but it was from the locals - not the cops. But a lot of cities have laws about what you can park on the street, and Cs and As are hard to hide. Bs, now - that's a different story. Roadtreks like Mike's don't look much different from a regular van, especially at the shorter length he has. But I've seen longer ones driving and parked around here and they aren't that noticeable either; there are Sprinter cargo vans parked on the streets here that are bigger than some of those Bs. The ones like the Gyrfalcon pictured here would seem to attract more attention, but last year I asked someone who had this style if he'd ever had trouble camping in an urban area. He said no. So I guess it depends on where you are. I guess a good rule of thumb is, the bigger it is - and the more it looks like an actual RV - the more chance there is that it will look out of place in some areas. The nice thing is, if there's a problem you can always just drive it somewhere else. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Meg

Seraphim · May 12, 2011

It's a good idea to read up on the laws of the locality where you plan to live, and get to know the community. Each community is a legal microcosm, not only for the actual laws but for what the tolerance of the community and enforcement officials are.   If a property owner complains, the  police will enforce the law. If you just like you're making a stop for a few hours because you're tired, you may not get bothered. It also depends if the laws are in the zoning sections of the local ordinances or in the traffic/criminal section. There's no one set answer for the question of legality and enforcement. Be aware, though, if you are on property without permission - and it does not need to be posted 'no trespassing' - the you are trespassing and opening yourself to te possibility of arrest. If you are in a business parking lot after the business has closed, that's also trespassing. The lot may be open to the public during business hours, but not otherwise. Same with parks and public facilities. Just some things to think on.

WanderingRonin · Oct 24, 2011

Thank you for sharing. <div>I have had similar thoughts about stealth. I am favoring stealth right now because I am having a ball just parking and sleeping and going to work from the office parking lot.</div><div>Nothing screams "RV" more than those swirly graphics that manufacturers put on those vehicles. I don't know who came up with it and why someone decided it looks "cool", but almost all those designs just look awful and contrived. If I had one of those RV's built for myself, I'd ask for them to leave those things out.</div><div> </div><div>That being said, I am currently researching on small shuttle buses and airport transports as my next "home". My parameters are that my rig should still fit in where a large SUV can park. I bet the stealth factor on those airport shuttle buses is awesome. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

From Stealth Van to RV

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