How To Go Stealth: Stealth Camping 101
It’s no secret that once you live in a van full time, you may face the need to stealth camp.
Stealth camping can have a couple of different meanings. To us, stealth camping means that you sleep in your van at a location you’re technically not supposed to. For example, sleeping in a vehicle on city streets or neighborhoods can be illegal. While your van is allowed to be parked there overnight, no overnight sleeping is allowed. So in desperate situations, if you need to sleep in your van then you will have to “go stealth” to not get caught.
That being said, in order to stealth camp successfully you will want to follow these tips:
Tip 1: Arrive Late
To be stealth you’ll want to pull up to your parking spot later in the evening like around 9 or 10pm.
Tip 2: Keep It Dark, Still & Quiet
As soon as you turn your vehicle off, immediately put your window covers up and do not turn on any lights inside your van. Use your phone flash light if you need some temporary light and plan to go to bed fairly quickly so you keep the vehicle from noticeably shaking. Keep the volume down or wear headphones if you plan on watching a show on your phone before bed, etc.
Tip 3: Leave Early
You’ll want to be one of the first cars to leave your spot in the morning. Leaving around 5-6am should work well. You don’t want people awake and noticing you.
Tip 4: Rotate Parking Spots
If you need to stealth camp in the same city or neighborhood for multiple nights, be sure to not park in the same spot. Have a few different locations that you can rotate so that people don’t notice your van or raise questions.
Tip 5: Be Ready To Jet
Be aware of your surroundings. Have your keys nearby incase you need to jet. Also have an alibi to get you out of trouble if you are confronted. Then leave that neighborhood quickly.
Sunny and I have only needed to stealth camp a few times, only in dire situations where we couldn’t find any other parking. We don’t recommend stealth camping as your main source of overnight parking. Try to stay further away from cities and park in free BLM land if possible.