Stealth Camper Van: The Essential Guide - Paperback

by Luke Vandenberg (Author)

Stealth Camper Van How to Guide is a primer for anyone looking for information on how to setup a stealth camper van and live comfortably, safely and economically in a typical urban or suburban environment.

There are plenty of reasons why you would want to make a home in your vehicle. It might be to enjoy the freedom of the road, or perhaps you cannot afford to pay rent, or don't want to. Perhaps you don't trust the government and want to fly under their radar. Or maybe you are working to save money and want to live close to where you work.

Whether through choice, or hard times, living in a stealth van can be a good way to go - but only if you know how to go about it.

This guide shows you how to live so as not to be noticed by the law or others, making no problems for anyone and minding your own business.

Most communities have anti-vagrancy laws, but as long as you stay unnoticed and don't create problems, stealth camping is usually tolerated by law enforcement. They have bigger problems to worry about than you not paying rent.

The van - hiding in plain sight
Stealth campervans hide in plain sight, so it needs to blend into the urban environment. It must not look like a campervan in any way. No curtained windows, gas bottles, solar panels or souvenir stickers.

The best choice is a commercial van that looks like a tradesman's work vehicle. Look at what kind of vans are most common in the environment where you will be and ideally choose one like that.

Notice how many tradesmen's vans there are on the roads. They are everywhere; people rarely give them a second look.
The North Americans, Europeans and the Japanese have been making generic-looking commercial vans since the 1970's and have been exporting them to the world. Being working vehicles, they are heavy duty and reliable, reasonably inexpensive to buy, run and repair. Most get decent fuel economy.

Vans like this are spacious enough for you and your gear but not so tall that they cannot fit into multi-story carparks or other confined spaces. Any van will be a compromise, but the kind described here is probably the best compromise for the single-handed stealth camper (plus one very good friend).

Business class stealth camper
Traditionally, the interior layout is a variation on the theme of having a fixed bed. If the van is wide enough, the bed is placed crosswise, back against the rear doors. If the van is narrower, the bed runs lengthways opposite the side door. Then the galley and everything else is built around the bed. In this configuration, the bed takes up most of the interior space. It can also make for uneven weight distribution.

Think of how airlines solve the problem of providing a comfortable place to sit, sleep and be entertained for 12+ hours. A reclining chair that can lie flat or at least nearly flat.

Such lounge chairs can be bought second hand out of Craig's List, or Facebook Marketplace and bolted to the floor of the van.