Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 10:02:55 -0700
Reply-To: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Subject: Stealth Camping
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Volks
Stealth Camping ... a subject near and dear to my heart.
After 7 months and 28k miles ...... Like Ed's post on the Eurovan list,
I've enjoyed many, many nights of stealth.
I have found that you can camp almost anywhere with a little common
sense.
Suggestions:
- Top Down
- Lights out
- Stay out of sight
- Be quiet
- Don't be rocking the bus :)
Places I've stealth camped:
- Wallmart
- 24 grocery stores
- Company parking lot with 24 hr operations
- Hospital emergency room parking lot
- Businesses with 24 hr operations
- On the street in front of VW shops
- Highway Rest stops
- 24hr Restaurants
- 24 hr Drug Stores
- Motel / Hotel Parking lots
- Truck stops ... Least favorite ... A bit noisy, but showers nice.
- Casinos
- Closed gas stations if you leave early
- Closed bar parking lots (late night option)
- Church
- Mass Transit or Car Pool Parking lots
- Bus Stations
- Train Stations
- Hiking Trail Heads
- On the street in front of closed RV Dealers
- RV Supply stores like Camperworld
- Apartment complex parking lots
Places to avoid
- Schools
- Military Installations
- Water & Power Company's
- Phone company's
- Police stations ... Although did this once with no problem
- Day Care
- Youth Clubs
- Firing Ranges ... Like ED I'd almost had a mishap. Stumbled onto the
local firing range in the middle of the night, didn't realize it. Awoke
the next morning sounds of gun fire that was way to close for comfort.
Larry Chase
Email: RoadGuy@RoadHaus.com
Web: www.RoadHaus.com
Cell: 480 620 8966
What: North American Road Trip
How: RoadHaus - 1990 White VW Westfalia Syncro
Today: Arizona
- - -
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 01:04:36 -0000
From: "eddebolt" <eddebolt@softcom.net>
Subject: Re: Stealth Camping
I have camped at quite a few wal-marts which have the local no camping
ordinance
sign posted and had no problems. Flagstaff az is the one I have used the
most and
there always seems to be RV's and truckers. I think they just want to
kick people out
who stay too long or mess up the view. BTW truck stops are easy places
to stealth
camp. In ten years of vanagon and eurovan stealth camping I have only
been warned
once in Boulder Colorado for camping next to Boulder creek for 10 days
straight and
one time got run off of a youth camp east of Mt Hood oregon. Those are
the only
times I have ever been questioned or hassled and we are talking about
probably a
thousand overnight camps. I literally lived in my vanagon and traveled
the western
states for nearly 2 years.
I am constantly amazed at the places I have pulled off camping where I
should not be.
One time somewhat by mistake I drove my 2wd vanagon up onto the test
range above
Yakima washington and watched a brilliant Fourth of July. I was lucky to
not get into
trouble for that one.
Ed DeBolt
Boulder CO
87 Vanagon GL 190K
03 MV WK 5 K
