Tips for Stealth Overnight Parking and Building a Stealth Vehicle

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bcbullet

New member
I am far from a regular here, but I can certainly see the OP's point of view. I do the whole "Stealth" thing in a truck that I built to see my kids (divorced) every second weekend in the city they live in 3 hours away from me. We have been having one hell of a good time for over 2 years living in a "truck" and have never been hassled. It has been the coolest of adventures and the kids will remember it forever. I got extremely tired of shelling out for motels/hotels or doing the six hour round trip to stay at home.
147_zps05f6c2eb.jpg.html

154_zpsb5e58ab9.jpg.html

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We hang out, eat great food, take in the local sites and spend the nights eating fresh popcorn and playing video games or watching movies. We have over 800 amp hours of battery and a 1000 watt honda inverter generator for longer stays. A big alternator charges them in in quick order as well. Don't feel sorry for the OP, you should envy him!

I have not posted photos here, but if you look at the links to the photos, you will get an idea of how we "roll". As the OP says; Peace!
 
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Sirocco

Sirocco

Explorer
southpier said:
there's certainly a plethora of information on this site. there's also an abundance of fluff and merchandising. it takes time & energy to wade through it all. maybe the Wanderer is out, well, wandering, instead.
Click to expand...

Surprisingly accurate. I would say that most of the people I have met/meet on the road are not on forums and only 50% have a blog or FB page generally for family reasons. I think the OP falls into the large percentage of people who are just 'out there' enjoying themselves. He is doing his thing and it is right for him as he stated from the outset. For everyone you know or read about 'out there' travelling there are a dozen more like them with no blog and no trace.

Reading some of the reply's here it does make you wonder why you bother writing anything at all and I have often thought of scraping my blog and just doing what we do. My forum activity has certainly decreased in the last 5 years because it does often seem to be a useless drain of time, resources and energy.

Shame really as a lot of experience and good info walks right out of the door because of unintelligent, spurious, narrow minded and often envious comments/remarks which you feel you have to answer or justify. Each time adding to the weight of the argument of 'why do I bother posting' and eventually the inevitable.

G
 
NMC_EXP

NMC_EXP

Explorer
Sirocco said:
Surprisingly accurate. I would say that most of the people I have met/meet on the road are not on forums and only 50% have a blog or FB page generally for family reasons. I think the OP falls into the large percentage of people who are just 'out there' enjoying themselves. He is doing his thing and it is right for him as he stated from the outset. For everyone you know or read about 'out there' travelling there are a dozen more like them with no blog and no trace.

Reading some of the reply's here it does make you wonder why you bother writing anything at all and I have often thought of scraping my blog and just doing what we do. My forum activity has certainly decreased in the last 5 years because it does often seem to be a useless drain of time, resources and energy.

Shame really as a lot of experience and good info walks right out of the door because of unintelligent, spurious, narrow minded and often envious comments/remarks which you feel you have to answer or justify. Each time adding to the weight of the argument of 'why do I bother posting' and eventually the inevitable.

G
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Seems to me that many, perhaps most nomads will by nature value their independence and privacy. Why should such a person take the time to entertain or even enlighten the rest of us?
 
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L

LandCruiserPhil

Expedition Leader
bcbullet said:
I am far from a regular here, but I can certainly see the OP's point of view. I do the whole "Stealth" thing in a truck that I built to see my kids (divorced) every second weekend in the city they live in 3 hours away from me. We have been having one hell of a good time for over 2 years living in a "truck" and have never been hassled. It has been the coolest of adventures and the kids will remember it forever. I got extremely tired of shelling out for motels/hotels or doing the six hour round trip to stay at home.
147_zps05f6c2eb.jpg.html

154_zpsb5e58ab9.jpg.html

158_zps218ed3ea.jpg.html

We hang out, eat great food, take in the local sites and spend the nights eating fresh popcorn and playing video games or watching movies. We have over 800 amp hours of battery and a 1000 watt honda inverter generator for longer stays. A big alternator charges them in in quick order as well. Don't feel sorry for the OP, you should envy him!

I have not posted photos here, but if you look at the links to the photos, you will get an idea of how we "roll". As the OP says; Peace!
Click to expand...

Not sure why your links are not showing up
http://s935.photobucket.com/user/Colin_Couves/media/147_zps05f6c2eb.jpg.html?sort=3&o=14
http://s935.photobucket.com/user/Colin_Couves/media/154_zpsb5e58ab9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=11
http://s935.photobucket.com/user/Colin_Couves/media/158_zps218ed3ea.jpg.html?sort=3&o=10

Nice job on the interior build out.
Do you have solar or rely on grid power for charging of the batteries?
 
B

bcbullet

New member
Thanks very much. I had a good head start as it was spray foamed and lined with FRP. It was a city of Vancouver Police surveillance truck and although a 1992 had only 26000 KM when I bought it (about 16000 miles). I stripped out miles of coax cabling from 30 odd roof mounted cameras, desks and assorted other cabinetry and got to work!
We only use it for about 3 days at a time, so the batteries carry us through. There is now a 1000 watt Honda inverter generator that will run everything (except the air of course) with enough juice left over to run a 10 amp Xantrex charger if the batteries get down. Surprisingly, a 600 watt Xantrex pure sine inverter does the job for everything (again except for air!!). The 42" TV is a newer LED and that and the PS3 only draw about 150 watts so drain is not a big issue.
Future plans include running a six inch PVC pipe around the perimeter of the roof for crapper water (potable is inside) and then mounting 2 or 3 solar panels inside of the piping so it is out of sight. This will be once the kids are done and my "new" wife and I can hit the road a bit.
It has been the perfect vehicle for us...I can't imagine having spent the last couple of years any differently now. We stay where we like, when we like and have never been hassled. We have ordered pizza for delivery at midnight in an industrial park (yeah, third white truck from the left next to the warehouse lol) and have found more free spots right in the city on creeks etc. that would easily rival the best RV parks. We have never stayed in a parking lot of any sort and hope to never have to. Who knows maybe there is a 4X4 F550 or 650 in the future! Just pop off the box and toss into onto the next chassis. With an all aluminium box, solid oak floor and a chassis that is literally like new, this might be a while off though.
Take care all!
 
I

IdahoXJ

IdahoXJ
Howdy,

Good thread and a great spirit about it. It seems like the extreme "stealth" aspect could become a sort of cooped up kind of lifestyle of not wanting to be seen or noticed, no windows, etc. Getting away from the mainstream and ending up a prisoner of another kind. Like it has been said several times on this thread, it is not for everyone ... each should do has he/she will.

For me, I want to be in the deserts, back roads, forests, rural areas. I like hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop cafes, small town hardware stores. I need a 4WD and a little room for a few things to cook and camp and I'm set. Maybe help someone put up a fence, mow/rake the lawn, pick a few tators, then park out by the barn at night ... make some new friends.
 
B

bcbullet

New member
IdahoXJ said:
Howdy,

Good thread and a great spirit about it. It seems like the extreme "stealth" aspect could become a sort of cooped up kind of lifestyle of not wanting to be seen or noticed, no windows, etc. Getting away from the mainstream and ending up a prisoner of another kind. Like it has been said several times on this thread, it is not for everyone ... each should do has he/she will.

For me, I want to be in the deserts, back roads, forests, rural areas. I like hole-in-the-wall, mom and pop cafes, small town hardware stores. I need a 4WD and a little room for a few things to cook and camp and I'm set. Maybe help someone put up a fence, mow/rake the lawn, pick a few tators, then park out by the barn at night ... make some new friends.
Click to expand...
The nice thing about the stealth aspect is you have the option for your way and "our" way. I can tell you it's a bit of a hoot to spend a night half a block off of the main street in a city. You can be downtown in 30 seconds and back to bed just as quick. No bears either! I also love to camp, but we have a GMC truck with a camper top on for that.
 
GR8ADV

GR8ADV

Explorer
Love this thread.

Ok u good photoshop guys, how can I turn the awning, rooftop ac and dish into stealth work truck items.
 
jimi breeze

jimi breeze

jimi breeze
Hey wonderer, I remember looking at your set up before I rigged out mine.. Although mine is a totally different approach, you did provide a bit of inspiration.
 
photo_i

photo_i

Explorer
Couple of weeks ago we pulled off the highway to a Walmart parking lot in Kansas, because wind gust were up to 60 mph and it was too difficulty to keep driving. A yellow Penske truck that looked very much like the one of OP parked next to us. I wonder if it was the Wonderer? :)
 
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