5 Tips on Successful Stealth Camping
Making it look like no one is home
You might find it necessary to channel your inner owl and stay hidden. Coming and going from your vehicle is a dead givaway that someone is sticking around for the night.
1. Cover the windows with light proof material like foil insulation. Cut the foil into the shape for each window. You can glue fabric to the outside to dress it up a bit. It will keep the vehicle insulated and keep light from escaping through the windows at night.
2. Park with your door opening towards the woods or away from the road. If you have a van with sliding door or you exit your rv from the back, park so your entrance is off the main road. If you are car camping, not much you can do here, but try and come and go from the off-road side of the vehicle.
3. Bring everything in at night. This might seem obvious, but before you head out on the road, make sure that all your stuff fits in your rig and that you are able to clear your bed area and fit on it with everything inside. You will be able to stay off-the-radar while free camping and prevent camp bandits from stealing your stuff. Good storage solutions will help with this. We use the “under the bed” storage solutions and the rubbermaid heavy duty stackable bins.
4. Be a homebody. Entertain yourself inside at night. If you have Amazon prime you can download movies and TV episodes for free and keep them on your devices for camping in areas without service. A recipe for a nice night in are some good headphones and a tablet or maybe few good books. We have a pair of the Bose headphones but when we camp as a family we use our JBL speaker. It is waterproof so you can take it out on the boat as well!
5. Bathroom inside your rig. Free camping has its disadvantages and the biggest will be no facilities. You don’t want to go outside in the dead of night hunting for a spot. Having an option for a bathroom in your rig will be a welcome solution, whether you are camping incognito or are scared of bumping into bears in the night. You can buy a port-a-potty if you have the money, the space, and the energy to keep it clean. Better option; just use a 5 gallon bucket lined with a biodegradable garbage bag and filled with natural cedar kitty litter. You can put a cut foam noodle around the rim for a more comfortable seat.
