How bad did solar effect your stealth?

[jrose152]

Looking to add solar and a fridge in my completely normal from the outside looking 2006 sienna minivan. Love the idea of having house batteries with a separate electric system and solar but I know it's going to seriously effect my stealth. I'd like to hear some real world experience from people who went from looking like a regular van to having solar on the roof. Don't suggest flex panels, that's not an option for me. Did the solar cause you problems with people knocking, cops asking you to leave, etc.?

 

[lenny flank]

Most people who see my solar panel, I think, don't really know what it is--it looks like some sort of luggage rack.

Any cop or security guard worth his salt would of course know what it is and why it is there. But I have never had any problem because of it.

But then, I don't park in places where I am actively not wanted.

 

[cyndi]

Stealth is really a state of mind. People who have a clue know you're there. People who don't aren't even looking for you or paying attention. Unless, you're calling attention to yourself. For instance: you're parking in the same spot, too frequently. Also, leaving trash, making noise, getting in and out of you're vehicle, obvious light. Most people are running around in their little world paying attention only to things that disturb their little world.

 

[deadwood]

I have a high roof van so that alone can be seen as affecting stealth. But to be honest I wouldn't worry too much about it. If your van is clean and looks in decent shape and is does not look like a derelict van than you will be mostly left alone.

If you follow the basic rules of stealth parking you might not ever get a knock on your door. If you are parking on the street and sleeping in a vehicle the police most likely know you are. But if nobody calls to report you then they won't have any reason to hassle you. If you are parked in front of someones house, business or anyplace that the general public would feel you don't belong then there is a good chance that they might call the police who will then be obligated to visit you.

The area I move around in is on the border of residential row houses and an industrial area. There are tons of cars parked on the street but where it is close to the industrial part there are a lot of work trucks as well. But they are all parked perpendicular to where the houses are. If I were to go up one of the side street I would have to then park in front of someones house. By staying down at the end I'm never too close to anyones house so no reason for them to even notice me let alone call the police to report me.

I also never park in a parking lot because they are private property and most will post no overnight parking and quite a few will have security to enforce that rule. Their property their rules. Easy to avoid a knock on your door by just never overnighting in a private parking lot. I have broken this rule a few times while traveling. I might pull into a hotel parking lot and blend in with the otters cars and be gone in the morning but I never sleep well when I know I'm parked where I really shouldn't be and am thinking someone might wake me in the middle of the night and tell me to leave

So to get back to your van and a solar panel. I would do it and not worry about it. For the most part people won't even notice it. And having solar to me makes a huge difference in lifestyle. It keeps my lights on at night. and runs everything I need. Because I never hook up to shore power being able to make my own electricity gives me freedom. Just keep your van looking nice and don't park where you have a good idea that it's an area where someone would call and report you and you'll be fine.

 

[jrose152]

The van is nice looking as it only had 9,400 miles on it when I bought it at the beginning of May. 13,000 miles on it now 2 months later. I plan on keeping it as nice as possible looking because stealth is important to me. I do think having a giant 300w solar panel on the roof while street parking in the city or residential, or even motel parking lots is going to be out with solar, but I would be able to get away with it without solar. I'm just worried about going from just another minivan out of state probably visiting family to now making my vehicle questionable or obviously someone is inside it when they see the panel from their 2nd story window or higher in the city. Having solar is important to me for multiple reasons and I guess I'm just hoping it won't cause my stealth to go out the window. It is easy to not draw attention to my self now since my vehicle looks normal but with a big panel I think people will notice the van easier and remember it and question what's going on if they see me a few times here and there.

 

[Beeps and eats]

You can camoflage them somewhat,
I added PVC pipe on the sides of the rack.
They hide the edges of the panels. I was thinking about adding an extra cross member front and rear the smaller pieces of PVC across the back and front.
But after a month of just the side "covers" I haven't had any issues at all. Plus they have locking Cap's for storage.

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk

 

[John61CT]

The van is nice looking as it only had 9,400 miles on it when I bought it at the beginning of May. 13,000 miles on it now 2 months later.

Wow.

Unless you're financially very well off, may I suggest a per-mile budgeting plan?

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?pid=353330#pid353330

Without on, that sort of usage could very quickly catch you by surprise.

With one, you're well on your way to getting a much bigger living space, if you wanted one that is. But at least be ready for those big repairs when (not if) the time for them suddenly arrives.

 

[Trebor English]

My Windstar came with a luggage rack.  I adjusted the cross bars to match the hole spacing of the solar panels.  I drilled holes through the cross bars.  The panels on top of the cross bars are a couple of inches above the roof.    If you know what it is, its obvious.  If you don't, it looks like an inch thick aluminum rack.  People just don't notice.  

The MaxxAir MaxxFan bebind the solar panel does get noticed.  I have had people ask if it is an air conditioner.  Nobody seems to care about it.  

As others have said, don't park where you aren't wanted and don't look like a rolling slum.