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stealth camping

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always with the negative waves.
forget I even thunk it up.

My wave says "I used to do it often."

When I got divorced way back when, the reconstruction of my life was financially challenging. The entertainment budget (including dating) was trumped by the Child Support and Separate Maintenance budget.

As cheap entertainment I cut out on Fridays and went motorcycle vagabond or stealth camping for a couple of nights and rode home on Sunday.

Many, many times I camped in the wooded median of larger divided highways. Southern I-45 was one of my spots.

Occasionally stayed on the side of the road where the side of the road rises up above the pavement level. Hill Country and near West Texas roads have a lot of "cuts" thru the hills and you can climb the rise with a smaller bike and stay in the wooded area up high over the road.

Homes and/or acreage For-Sale were good spots. Look for gravel/dirt driveways that haven't been traveled recently.

Another good spot was small town cemeteries. The gates are often unlocked or non-existent. Stay at the back and they are nice n quiet. Sometimes Friday nights can be bothered by the local teens coming to drive thru the graveyard to scare their girlfriends. Ha!

I never cooked out, I just bought stuff at the local store and cold-camped. I also carried a large can of Raid bug killer and sprayed the ground around my lean-to shelter to keep the itchy critters at bay.

I never really "made camp", I picked a spot earlier in the day and came back about dark and just spent the night. Less likely to be spotted that way.

The only real troubles I ever had was the local dog. Even though there may not be a house within any sight-distance from you, the local dog always seems to sniff you out and wants to share your nightly meal!

Great stories abound... Have fun! :clap:
 
Whoops, posted in the wrong thread.
 
My wave says "I used to do it often."

When I got divorced way back when, the reconstruction of my life was financially challenging. The entertainment budget (including dating) was trumped by the Child Support and Separate Maintenance budget.

As cheap entertainment I cut out on Fridays and went motorcycle vagabond or stealth camping for a couple of nights and rode home on Sunday.

Many, many times I camped in the wooded median of larger divided highways. Southern I-45 was one of my spots.

Occasionally stayed on the side of the road where the side of the road rises up above the pavement level. Hill Country and near West Texas roads have a lot of "cuts" thru the hills and you can climb the rise with a smaller bike and stay in the wooded area up high over the road.

Homes and/or acreage For-Sale were good spots. Look for gravel/dirt driveways that haven't been traveled recently.

Another good spot was small town cemeteries. The gates are often unlocked or non-existent. Stay at the back and they are nice n quiet. Sometimes Friday nights can be bothered by the local teens coming to drive thru the graveyard to scare their girlfriends. Ha!

I never cooked out, I just bought stuff at the local store and cold-camped. I also carried a large can of Raid bug killer and sprayed the ground around my lean-to shelter to keep the itchy critters at bay.

I never really "made camp", I picked a spot earlier in the day and came back about dark and just spent the night. Less likely to be spotted that way.

The only real troubles I ever had was the local dog. Even though there may not be a house within any sight-distance from you, the local dog always seems to sniff you out and wants to share your nightly meal!

Great stories abound... Have fun! :clap:

Sounds like freedom to me. A friend bought oversize bike covers and covered the bike and him and would stealth camp. See he is just parking his bike and protecting her from the elements, I still carry an extra large bike cover for usually pulling into a church parking lot during rain storms, The country ones have nice greenbelts. I think it says in the Bible that lighting cannot hurt you on church property :storm:
 
You gave great examples. Now I'm no goody two shoes and will do what I want when I want. But I do so knowing and accepting the consequences if enforced against me.



This is generally because they have paid campgrounds. Don't want to pay and instead you go camp outside the campground, then that is stealth camping. Against the NF rules and basically a theft of services. Same would apply to any public land NP, SP, BLM, COE, etc. with camping permitted only in established campgrounds.




Much more than that do it, hundreds of thousands each year. This is free dispersed camping; allowable, publized and encouraged by the NF rules. Completely different from the above stealth camping.

_

[ame="https://youtu.be/o41A91X5pns"]Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes - YouTube[/ame]
 
Having stealth camped for many years in US and Canada, the one trick learned that always got a positive response. If someone is around to ask, the question is:
"Do you think it is safe to camp here?"

Never asked IF I could camp there.

Once was told the owner lives across the street. Knocked on his door and asked. "No problem". Even brought me a cold beer later as he wanted to check out how much camping gear a motorcycle can carry.

Camping in the city park in a very small Kansas town, the town marshall said I couldn't do that. Town ordinance and all. After talking awhile and realizing I wasn't a threat or a bum, just a tired traveler, he suggested we call the mayor who he saw outside mowing the yard earlier. Mayor said okay. Marshall was satisfied and made sure no one bothered me that night.

Have never been run off in the middle of the night. Always ask when you can.
 
Most cities have passed ordinances regarding their parks. The vast majority prohibit camping, and almost all of them have hours they are open. Being caught COULD get you a ticket or a trip to jail, but usually if there’s nothing else criminal going on they will just run you off. Of course, the level of investigation you have to put up with until the local constabulary is convinced you’re not p to anything can vary greatly.
 
Stealth camping is pulling your bike into the display storage buildings in the lowes parking lot. Rolling out the sleeping back and rolling out early.... :-P
 
Thanks, I'll check that out. Currently using freecampsites.net but an offline app would be great. Hopefully that one is.

_

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Your welcome. I heard that Public Land.org works also but for the computer.
 
Stealth camping is pulling your bike into the display storage buildings in the lowes parking lot. Rolling out the sleeping back and rolling out early.... :-P
Ha I was just at Lowes today to pick up a few pieces of lumber and slow rolled those buildings thinking about your post lol

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Up until a few years ago, TXDOT really frowned on people sleeping in rest stops, except in their cars. Pickup beds were sort of a gray area, but they really didn't want you spending the night in your trailer or lying on the ground. They've since changed their public policy, although I think setting up a tent, camping trailer, or other shelter is still off limits.

.
Years ago, wife and I stopped outside some panhandle town after a full day of crossing Texas from Houston. A DPS stopped, checked on us, and periodically passed through the rest stop all night. We made coffee for him at sunrise.
One other time, near sundown, I stretched out on a rest-stop bench. A Man in a suit pulled up to the restrooms, walked in with a WalMart bag, came back out and left. 5 minutes later, a pickup came through the wrong way, jumped the curb, and a guy in brown boots, belt, and cacki pants ran in the restroom and came out with the same bag, and headed into EDEN.
I got up, loaded up, and headed to Eden where I found a Sheriff cruiser and a DPS patrol talking window to window. I gave them the story with the pickups lic#. They checked the computer, and the DPS laughed and said they knew exactly who it was- a guard at the private prison. A burner phone getting passed! Never know what you're gonna run across at a rest stop.
 
Ha I was just at Lowes today to pick up a few pieces of lumber and slow rolled those buildings thinking about your post lol

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Haha, bring your screw gun with screws for the door and your set
 
I've never seen them closed

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I imagine they do that to keep the homeless out of them, but I was checking them out and the ones by me are not closed. I've seen many that were open.

Haha, i meant the reverse, to lock it while your there. Silly, I would never do such a thing.:lol2:
 
I did this. In 1981 a buddy and me and our wives rode to the Grand Canyon. Being a real hick, I had no idea you had to reserve camping spots ahead of time. Well, there's a ~5 mile gap between the entrance of the park and the canyon facilities....no fence, so a turn to the left and a mile later, we set up camp in the wild.

GS1000s if you're wondering. :trust:
 
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