Don, you just about said it all, well.  Thanks.  DMc

---- Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>   One consideration for Stealth camping ...
>
>   The color of your van.
>
>   Probably not as large a factor in urban stealth camping, though I'd guess
> it still has some degree of  relevance.
>
>   In a rural or public lands setting having an unobtrusive colored van for
> sure lets you avoid notice more often.  Escaping notice is escaping
> un-wanted intrusion.  If nobody sees you, they don't come bother you.
>
>   I would like to have a fancy bright shiny paint-job on my dull dark brown
> van,when driving down the highway or attending a Vanagon gathering.... but
> after owning mine,   Brown,  and using it in all it's "Dull
> Non-Splendor"..I've resisted the temptation to re-paint..
>
>  When I've returned to my "camp" in many situations, I have really come to
> appreciate the way my low-key and backround-matching van does not stand out
> at all.  In the woods, it blends into the shadow and in open country it does
> not 'catch eyes' .   Camping in the desert southwest sometimes amongst some
> 'normal' RVs...when returning from a bike ride or a trip away from camp...I
> can see the other vehicles from miles and miles away.  Not so the van.
>
>   People are pretty 'insecure' for the most part, away from their homes..
>  The "herd-instinct" seems to prevail amongst us as a species. When I find a
> nice private, isolated remote campsite, I like it that way...but all too
> frequently, if some other camper should notice me, tucked-away in my
> solitary camping  'find', they will go to great lengths to 'snuggle-up' and
> camp  very nearby....even when there are hundreds of square miles of
> virtually identical and un-populated  terrain, much more easily accessed.
> They seem to end up waaay too close, almost every time.  So if you aren't
> 'seen' you won't have Mom, Pop, 5 noisy kids and a couple of OHVs, generator
> noise, TV shows, etc.  You won't have people cozying up and then telling you
> to put your dog on a leash....Or stopping by or sitting in their chairs,
> staring into your camp because they don't know what to do with themselves
> after they've fiddled around with their rigs, etc etc...
>
>   Nor will you get some passing over-zealous public employee stopping,
> because he caught a flash of color out of the corner of his eye, and telling
> you..."You can't camp here"....or in some situations you may avoid being
> harassed by drunk H.S. kids on a Friday night or worse...best to blend in...
>
>   Don Hanson
>
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 6:44 AM, Brian Honan <cartruckbus@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I love the idea of an underground map that shows the best places to Ninja
> > camp across the US. There have been some great suggestions on the list
> > before. Like one guy stated he parked at a parking lot for the fairy in NY,
> > paid parking lot yet cheaper than a NYC motel. Half the fun of a westy is
> > finding cool places to camp. We have driven into the backs of over grown
> > fields late at night, rest stops of course and at  every wedding we go to
> > we  stay in the parking lot of the Hotel where the reception is being held.
> > Recently though while in Atlantic City, late at night after a show the wife
> > was on the GPS navigating while I drove and suggested a decent size green
> > spot. We drove out of the city to the suburbs
> > to find a baseball field. I had a bad feeling about it ,but she insisted
> > we'll be ok if we tuck up against the big public works truck parked in the
> > lot. About 20 min after getting snuggled in the back we got the knock on
> > the
> > side door. The officer was nice, yet stated " you can't stay here". Tired,
> > we drove off to hit the highway and got a few hours at the fist rest stop.
> >
> > Brian H
> >

--
David McNeely