Hi Magenta, my answers below:<br /><br /><em>1) Is it true that 21' is the longest vehicle you can park in a regular parking space? If so, what parking tips can you with longer vehicles offer?</em><br /><br />A: I found with both with a small RV trailer, and a large tractor trailer that looking for places to "pull thru" was a great thing. Large superstores, supermarkets and especially Walmarts have so many rows of parking that it's easy to avoid getting boxed in. Watch the parking at Walmart, at the outer edges, and you'll see what I mean. Try to make sure you find a space where you don't need to back out (if you are that large) and one where no smart ahem can come along and park so close to you that you can't pull out when you need to. Give yourself some room. Please DON'T do the pulling horizontally across multiple parking spaces so that you don't have to walk 10 more feet to the fast food restaurant trick. Then I have to walk 10 more feet! LOL!!<br /><br /><em>2) Is it true that many cities will ticket you if you park in a residential area with a vehicle over 21'? And if so, what do you with longer vehicles do?</em><br /><br />A: Yes. And usually before they ticket, the will roust you. But not always. Alternatives: watch signs; find a Walmart, Rest Area, large public parking lot. Avoid nice residential areas or biz areas with sensitive businesses like art galleries and jewelry stores, etc.<br /><br />I spent some time in Seattle last year, visiting a friend in a 'nice' residential area with lots of ritzy apartment buildings. I had a Ford Focus little wagon with Florida plates. I'd been travelling so I had some cargo in the back and had run a curtain across the front behind the driver's seat. I had a small foam mattress and neatly folded blankets to the side of the cargo. I was hassled, even tho I wasn't sleeping in the car. I was there a bit over a week, and after the second day, I was required to move the car every 12 hours. P.E. came and marked the tires and the parking space I was in with chalk. Mine was the only car on the block that was chalked every day. The ONLY thing that made my car stand out was the out of state plates, and the foam pad and blankets. And since my back windows are blacked out like in many cars, someone had to stand next to my car and peer in to see any of that. Some places are like that.<br /><br /><em>3) The key to George and Glenns stealth success, they say, is to scope out the area by circling around the block a couple times, don't park until about 9:00PM, and then bail out early. Have you found that to be true?</em><br /><br />A: There really is no 'key' to this except basic common sense and some experience. It all depends on what type of city you are in. You also need a certain amount of caution if you are traveling alone as a female. I've lived in a cabover in a city park, in a tiny Scotty in a multitude of places, in a VW van (sniff! miss her) in Los Angeles. I'm about to head out once again as a single female, and some of the places I was able to park with husband in tow, I wouldn't park now. Not that I can't take care of myself, but part of a good defense is not making yourself a target. All of this is to say that Glenn and George may not have some of the difficulties that lone females do, and especially lone females not driving nice Class Bs or spiffy Minnie Winnie's. Additionally, there are many places that look OK at 9pm but that get pretty scary around 2 or 3a. Also, it depends on where you are looking, and what city you are in, because sometimes you go out and come back at 9 - 10pm and there isn't a parking space to be had for miles as everyone else has taken them. It's a crap shoot sometimes, but you are living day to day. <br /><br />There's no way to be totally invisible. But that is not the "<strong>point</strong>" of stealth. The reason that people talk about stealth is to avoid notice. Looking for a parking place where no one will notice you, is a "stealth" consideration, no matter what you are driving or when you pull in. If I'd been sleeping in my car in Seattle, I'd have found another neighborhood to do it in. If you are driving a nice Winnie Minnie, or a cool Class B, then you will not stand out in certain neighborhoods, but will be a sore thumb in others. Conversely, an old van will raise alarm in some neighborhoods, no matter when you pull in. And it will look like one of the trade folks in other places. You buy the vehicle you can afford and fits your needs in terms of space, and then decide where you need to go for stealth.<br /><br /><em>4) I was thinking I would build a couple locking storage boxes for my boards and mountain bike. I'd build one for the bike that would attach to the back of the RV and one for the top for the boards. On top of the roof box I would have solar panels. I realize that top box would lower my mpg but I don't know where else to safely keep that stuff away from thieves and the elements. Any thoughts?</em><br /><br />A: Not knowing for sure what your vehicle is, I'm not sure how to answer that. If you are driving an RV, be careful of extra weight on the roof. In both the cabover and the trailer, the roof was always an issue. RV roofs are notorious for leaks, and are not made or engineered well enough to carry large loads, IMO. Solar panels, yes. Surf boards, yes. Heavy locking cargo boxes, not so sure. There are some folks on this forum that have lots of experience in build and can give a good answer on that one. You may want to ask this question in the 'conversion' area. <br /><br />On the other hand, if you have another type of vehicle, like a school bus or a van, you could put some cargo boxes up there. In L.A. folks usually had their boards up top on their vans, just bungeed on, but that was in the late 80's/early 90's. I'm absolutely sure it's tougher there now, especially if you are parking well away from the beach at night. You are right to try to find a way to lock them up, for sure.<br /><br />I'm sure you will figure it all out, magenta! At least you are being smart and asking the good questions before you begin. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> Good luck to you!
