This is the middle one.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6772837608/in/photostream/
Looks like a Chrysler Town and Country or a Dodge Grand Caravan?
roger
We fugured this out in the early 70’s. Park your van in a motel parking lot. Wander around like you belong there to satisfy prying eyes. These parking lots are perfect as the cops are not checking and nobody really cares. We only got caught one time (Hatteras) and all they did was tell us to leave. The best thing is that if you play it right you can score a hot shower. In the morning when people are checking out a lot of them just leave the room doors open…perfect time to go and grab a shower. We even got free breakfast and coffee a few times.
Toyota Sienna, 30mpg on flat, rural, sea level Interstate. Check the other photos out. Dunno what insects are like on the west coast but here in the south they will eat you alive. Cracking a window near the coast, in the warmer months,can be serious misery. One of the tricks was to figure out how to keep them out without resorting to external devices that would blow my urban stealth cover. I used fabric much like no-see-um netting and sewed cord around the perimeter so it would key into the front door weatherstripping.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6772837614/in/photostream/
Works like a charm, and the wind deflector obscures a window crack of about an inch. Then, using the board as my canopy frame, I draped $12.06 of Goodwill purchased material (two navy beach towels and one near-navy duvet cover…dark colors and low contrast are key) over it and have a cave to sleep in. A few zabuton cushions, or whatever is handy, and it’s reasonably comfortable, dark even in an urban environment, and nobody sees it, or me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6772837590/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6772837610/in/photostream/
Looks like any one of a million other “soccer mom mobiles”.
That’s practically my dream… Ha!
JMCLAY,thats a great design and Cleanlines idea is worth a shot, thanks for the ideas.
Is it illegal to sleep in your car in the ‘Land Of The Free’. Thats sucks!!
Computer fans, 4-6" run on 12V, a strong battery will run 2 of them all night with no ill effect on the battery, get them at electronic surplus stores. You'll need a roof vent in your van, I like the all aluminum ones, you can mount a fan in the vent, some 12V computer fans are large enouph to cover the whole vent, have the vent fan blow in, not out, fresh air is gold in the heat. You'll need to aluminize the panel windows or else wake up and get out before the sun comes up.
cool!
Interesting tips! I’ve considered trying motels that “feel right” in stealth mode. I never thought to establish “bona fides” by being obvious and walking around like I belonged there.
I lived and surfed in Oregon in the 1960s. Nobody cared where you pulled your car over to spend the night. If the cops stopped to check you out it was to see if everything was OK. and not to hassel you for sleeping in your car. Somewhere allong the line we have lost a lot of freedom , now we are common criminals for just sleeping in our cars!!! Such a shame!!!
Yup, it is a big shame that this is an issue. We had similar freedoms in the '70s down here in The South. Fear, greed, probably some blend of the two. Walmart over in Lake City used to allow overnighting but some of the City Fathers didn’t much like it and passed an ordanance agin it. Not a surprise but the rukus it caused in the RV internet community actually got it recinded. Now that…that WAS a surprise!
The Cheapliving link is excellent. There really is a feel, an art to selecting a good place to park for the night. I don’t have it wired by any stretch, but I’m working on it. I like the “Everyman Right” sort of cultural/legal construct found in some of Europe that allows a little overnighting on public land. Seems civilized to me. In the interim, I’ll just disappear into the nether reaches of the Sienna and wait to see what surf conditions the morning brings. And if I keep plowing this field…diesel Sprinter (used), no aft windows; the new VW camper! And because he’s my inspiration, Glen Horn! Cowboy, you rock.
A few more photos, post morning transport:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6775828058/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6775828064/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21624415@N04/6775828070/in/photostream/
nice! some of the best times i have ever had were traveling/living out of a van. once in australia and once across the US (from FL to Seattle and then down the whole west coast). i like how this one has built in ‘urban camoflage’.
Here is the way Glen’s truck used to look… Malibu mid 90’s or so…this pic taken by a friend of Tony, who is waving… Glen sitting along the fence with his red truck behind him…spent many hours in the water with Glen and Roberta over the years!
roger
I am on my 4th or 5th mini-van. Perfect city car for surfing and great to camp out of. The Chrysler Town and County and the Dodge Grand Caravan are long enough to get a 10-0 inside. I had this one(Chrysler) in Baja for 5+ years and never a problem…mechanical or otherwise.
Swapped out the Chrylser for the lower mileage Grand Caravan a year or so ago…
