Urban stealth camping… in a pickup truck. Possible?

[Wandering Primate]

Hello everybody,

I have a 1994 Ford Pickup F150 4.9 L single cab with a fiberglass topper/shell connected to the cabin by means of an accordion boot, so I can go back and forth between cab and topper/shell through the cabin’s slide back window. The pickup is in perfect shape both mechanically and visually, no dents, etc., with only about 66,000 miles on the odometer. I keep it clean and shiny, and it looks like it belongs to a tidy person, me!  

I would like to do a little bit of urban and light country camping sporadically. Obviously, for the latter there would be no problem, but my question is regarding urban stealth camping.

Is it possible at all in a pickup truck? My main worry in this regard is precisely when climbing from front to back and vice-versa. How to do it with the least possibility of being seen while doing the move?

What do you think? I would like to read your comments. Thank you!

EDIT: FWIW, the truck bed is 6.5 feet long, what they call standard compact, not short, not long.

 

[B and C]

With a sunscreen in the windshield it should work. Look both ways before climbing through.

 

[Elbear1]

Even in town its not hard to find places perfectly ok to sleep. From motels to airports to hospitals to truck stops to rest stops to walmart to home depot/lowes to gas stations to mechanic shop lots to grocery stores to anywhere trucks are parked to anywhere open 24hrs to all the listed app sites on the outskirts.

Stealth is a misnomer and many find it silly

 

[Wandering Primate]

With a sunscreen in the windshield it should work.  Look both ways before climbing through.

Thank you, Brian, but the sunscreen just on the windshield, not on the windows? I don’t quite follow your logic completely, but it might be a good idea.

Leave it on all night? I was thinking of parking overnight outside 24 hour supermarkets for instance (among other locations, of course). Wouldn’t the sunscreen be a giveaway that someone is sleeping in there?

 

[Wandering Primate]

Even in town its not hard to find places perfectly ok to sleep. From motels to airports to hospitals to truck stops to rest stops to walmart to home depot/lowes to gas stations to mechanic shop lots to grocery stores to anywhere trucks are parked to anywhere open 24hrs to all the listed app sites on the outskirts.

Stealth is a misnomer and many find it silly

Thank you, Elbear1, yes, all those places look like good candidates, but at this point my question is basically how to climb from front to back and vice-versa with the least possibility of being seen, not about locations where to park overnight. But thank you, anyway!

 

[B and C]

Sunscreen just means you got there before dark or will be back after sunup (if anyone is paying attention). Doing the side windows would be a dead giveaway. Anyone that wants to know, knows.

 

[CityWoman]

I think you'll just have to exercise simple, basic, common sense.  Park with the front of the truck away from where people will pass by and then look around for the right moment to jump back there.  Don't sit there with the interior lights on or do anything to call attention to your presence there. In fact, I almost think that getting out and opening the topper like you're looking for something before you climb in would appear more normal. I mean, how many passersby are going to stand around and wait to see if you pop back out again?

What I've learned from living in NYC is that most people are either very self-involved or preoccupied with their cell phones, so they're quite oblivious to the world around them.  Of course, there's always a chance that a nosey-body will come along, but don't be nervous.  Some of the market research work I do has to be done covertly and in order not to be noticed, I have to be (and project) calm and confidence.  It works.

 

[PODebbie]

When I used to sleep in my car in Florida beach areas, I would park my car in the street and go out for the day. I would enter the backseat after dark. I would look in front of me while I was walking to the car, and look behind me when I opened the door. If I saw anyone, I bent down and tried to look like I was getting something out of the backseat. In a couple of minutes, I would just close the door. My rear windows were limo tinted. Getting out in the morning, I could see thru my windows if anyone was around before I exited the back and jumped up front. So, in a truck, you could park and wait for the lights to dim, and then crawl in the back. But really, no one would be expecting you to climb in your back seat, so most people would not see you. Park with your headlights facing the outer edge of the parking lot and the only people who could see you would be parked on your sides. Leave your shoes up front.

 

[ckelly78z]

I have very near the same truck as you, and have been thinking of this as well. My F150 is a rust free 96 model with the 4.9 I6. I have the slider rear window, but can't crawl through. At night in a parking lot, you can't tell if someone is in a car or not, and like someone else mentioned, most folks are too involved with loading their own cars, and leaving to worry about you.

I would back up to a building, or away from a security light, and hop in the back when the traffic is light. You could disbale your dome light to keep it from coming on when you exit, and use Reflectix on all of your topper windows.

 

[Wandering Primate]

Sunscreen just means you got there before dark or will be back after sunup (if anyone is paying attention).  Doing the side windows would be a dead giveaway.  Anyone that wants to know, knows.

Excellent points. Thank you. It more and more looks like I can do urban stealth camping in my pickup.

 

[Wandering Primate]

I think you'll just have to exercise simple, basic, common sense.  Park with the front of the truck away from where people will pass by and then look around for the right moment to jump back there.  Don't sit there with the interior lights on or do anything to call attention to your presence there.  In fact, I almost think that getting out and opening the topper like you're looking for something before you climb in would appear more normal.  I mean, how many passersby are going to stand around and wait to see if you pop back out again?

What I've learned from living in NYC is that most people are either very self-involved or preoccupied with their cell phones, so they're quite oblivious to the world around them.  Of course, there's always a chance that a nosey-body will come along, but don't be nervous.  Some of the market research work I do has to be done covertly and in order not to be noticed, I have to be (and project) calm and confidence.  It works.

Yes, you are right! Thank you!

 

[JohnnyM]

For your driver and passenger door windows you can use sunshades that have one shiny side and one flat black side. You can paint your own, or Kraco makes black/shiny windshield sunshades that you can cut in half and trim to fit. You put the black side facing out at night and from anything more than a couple of inches away it just looks like a dark, empty interior. Then you can climb from front to back any time you want.

Works great.

Johnny

 

[Wandering Primate]

I have very near the same truck as you, and have been thinking of this as well. My F150 is a rust free 96 model with the 4.9 I6. I have the slider rear window, but can't crawl through. At night in a parking lot, you can't tell if someone is in a car or not, and like someone else mentioned, most folks are too involved with loading their own cars, and leaving to worry about you.

I would back up to a building, or away from a security light, and hop in the back when the traffic is light. You could disbale your dome light to keep it from coming on when you exit, and use Reflectix on all of your topper windows.

Thank you for your useful comments. Yes, I was thinking of blocking the topper windows the way you say.

 

[Wandering Primate]

For your driver and passenger door windows you can use sunshades that have one shiny side and one flat black side. You can paint your own, or Kraco makes  black/shiny windshield sunshades that you can cut in half and trim to fit. You put the black side facing out at night and from anything more than a couple of inches away it just looks like a dark, empty interior. Then you can climb from front to back any time you want.

Works great.

Johnny

Thank you, Johnny!

 

[Wandering Primate]

When I used to sleep in my car in Florida beach areas,  I would park my car in the street and go out for the day.  I would enter the backseat after dark.  I would look in front of me while I was walking to the car, and look behind me when I opened the door.  If I saw anyone, I bent down and tried to look like I was getting something out of the backseat.  In a couple of minutes, I would just close the door.  My rear windows were limo tinted.  Getting out in the morning, I could see thru my windows if anyone was around before I exited the back and jumped up front.  So, in a truck, you could park and wait for the lights to dim, and then crawl in the back.  But really, no one would be expecting you to climb in your back seat, so most people would not see you.  Park with your headlights facing the outer edge of the parking lot and the only people who could see you would be parked on your sides.    Leave your shoes up front.

Yes, I agree with you. Maybe I was worrying too much about the possibility of been seen, but, doing it carefully, as you say, it is very doable. Thank you!

 

[Fivealive]

What exactly happens if/when someone sees you?

 

[Wandering Primate]

What exactly happens if/when someone sees you?

Well, I was worried that if somebody saw me while I was crawling through the cab’s back window they might think I was up to no good and call the police or something, but everybody seems to be telling me that there is no reason to worry.

What do you think?

 

[bullfrog]

People who work out of trucks with toppers climb around inside the toppers all the time to get stuff so I open the topper and step over the tailgate keeping my bedding and domestic stuff out of sight as it is below the tail gate and get in but wait till no ones around to close it up.

 

[RoamerRV428]

What is the worst that happens mostly in this I mean you can talk to a cop who is a human ya know LOL and you can just use the bare minimal to get away as fast as you can from any and all situations. I think we all encounter the 'what is going on here' situations at one point in our lives and most can talk their way out of trouble real fast if you keep low, get moving quickly and just handle it best ya can. I think truly you will be fine as most of us are when we are out and about sneaking around a little....we all do it at some point.

 

[Wandering Primate]

All seems to be in my head more than in reality. I keep getting very positive encouragement.

Thank you very much for your comments!