Tips for Stealth Overnight Parking and Building a Stealth Vehicle

zeke2.0

Adventurer
Unlikely. With unemployment at 25% I doubt they even bother prosecuting vagrancy any more. And a rig impounded will be sold to recover storage and impound fees, not to pay the parking tickets.

And no one gets 7 to 10 years for vagrancy or unpaid parking tickets.
 

zeke2.0

Adventurer
I'm retraining my self to increase my programming skills (web based stuff) so I can work from just about anywhere in the US or Canada. I prefer to stay somewhere I like for a couple of months to get to know it better. I've been checking out the new Ford Transit vans since you can get a second alternator and second battery from the factory.
 

Cole

Expedition Leader
Unlikely. With unemployment at 25% I doubt they even bother prosecuting vagrancy any more. And a rig impounded will be sold to recover storage and impound fees, not to pay the parking tickets.


Citizens complaining about homeless in their neighborhoods don't check unemployment stats first. When the city compiles complaints and tasks officers with addressing them, they don't check the unemployment rate.

As an economist, I can tell you that any number you toss around as the "unemployment rate" is worth it's weight in horse crap anyway. It's only a use is as a fear mongering tool for our entertainment news media.
 

dwh

Tail-End Charlie
Citizens complaining about homeless in their neighborhoods don't check unemployment stats first. When the city compiles complaints and tasks officers with addressing them, they don't check the unemployment rate.

True as far as it goes, but when 100 cases a day show up in the court, they do take notice and start tossing cases. So while they aren't "checking the unemployment rate" - the fact is that the unemployment rate can and does effect prosecution. Which is why I chose the word "prosecuting" to begin with.


As an economist, I can tell you that any number you toss around as the "unemployment rate" is worth it's weight in horse crap anyway. It's only a use is as a fear mongering tool for our entertainment news media.

The mainstream media simply parrots the "official" number - which is what at the moment? 5.5%? A number which certainly is total crap.

That's the U3 number, which only measures those receiving unemployment benefits at the moment. Since unemployment benefits are temporary, that U3 number automatically trends downward. U3 goes down whenever someone's benefits run out - even if no one got a job.

All of the official numbers from BLS include the caveat, "as a percent of the civilian labor force":

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

And that's the second part of the trick - after someone has been unemployed long enough, they are no longer counted as "part of the labor force" - and thus they don't count at all anymore.

So, to even begin to get an accurate reading on the situation, you have to take the official number, and add to it the number "not in labor force":

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/LNS15000000.txt



And thus, I disagree with your assessment. The numbers that others toss around are generally "worth it's weight in horse crap" - but I do my homework and the numbers that I toss around are generally pretty close.

And besides...what I said was, "unemployment" not "unemployment rate".
 
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zeke2.0

Adventurer
I too am intrigued by the Transit and Transit Connect but either will have to be 4WD with a diesel.

No 4wd for American market yet. I would rather have the Ecoboost (Transit only) that is available now, then the diesel. Lower operating costs, more torque works with gas anywhere in the world. Plus factory option for second alternator and battery. Quigley is working on 4WD conversion option, but may price it out of reach for most.
The new Mercedes Sprinter with 4WD and Diesel is for sale now. Very tempting if not traveling outside North America.
 

calrow99

calrow99
This thread rocks.

Surprisingly accurate. I would say that most of the people I have met/meet on the road are not on forums and only 50% have a blog or FB page generally for family reasons. I think the OP falls into the large percentage of people who are just 'out there' enjoying themselves. He is doing his thing and it is right for him as he stated from the outset. For everyone you know or read about 'out there' travelling there are a dozen more like them with no blog and no trace.

Reading some of the reply's here it does make you wonder why you bother writing anything at all and I have often thought of scraping my blog and just doing what we do. My forum activity has certainly decreased in the last 5 years because it does often seem to be a useless drain of time, resources and energy.

Shame really as a lot of experience and good info walks right out of the door because of unintelligent, spurious, narrow minded and often envious comments/remarks which you feel you have to answer or justify. Each time adding to the weight of the argument of 'why do I bother posting' and eventually the inevitable.

G

Yepp... I agree.
 

Wanderer2

New member
It's been a while. Wanderer here...

Hello everyone. Wanderer here(OP). I forgot my original login, so I added a new one.

I had stopped posting due to my travels and because of a few immature idiot posts from fools. Plus, I don't like talking too much any more. I have become a hermit in life and in my heart it seems.

But, I thought that I would give everyone an update on my travels and where I am today.

After traveling in my great yellow cube van for over 4 years and putting well over 40K miles on my yellow truck, I decided to sell it on Craigslist last year. When I first built my camper/stealth/simple camper, one of the goals was to not convert the truck any more than possible, so I could resell it as a utility vehicle when done with it.

All I had done was put gas in it, change the oil and put 2 new front tires on it.

So, I took out the 2x4 pine stud bed frame, table, chair and storage containers and it was back to a simple used cube van again in about 2 hours. I then sold it in about 2 days, I then sold it for 500 dollars more had paid for it 4 years earlier! So, it turned out fine and I loved every minute of it.

In hindsight, it was the PERFECT stealth vehicle. No one ever noticed a yellow cube truck in some parking lot. I had cops stop, flash a flashlight inside and drive away while I slept in the back.

Since then, I have down sized to my little 2002 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 pickup with a fiberglass shell bed in the back. I like the simplicity of this new setup very much. As an old man, it fits my lifestyle very much.

I bought an old travel trailer in a 55+ RV park in AZ for $1500 dollars. I now use that as a base for Tacoma travel adventures. I now go out for a few weeks and then return to the old trailer and plan my next adventure.

Always remember, SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY TO TRUE HAPPINESS! Well, at least I believe that it is. The less I have, the happier life seems to be for me. Less to own, pay tax on, register, maintain, move, protect, paint and worry about. Happiness comes from peace within. It requires peace, discipline, love and courage.

Bless all who followed my threads this long. See you on the road somewhere.

Peace,
From an old man.
 

Wanderer2

New member
Thank you.

Remember, adventure isn't about the vehicle, it's about the journey.

If you spend all your time paying for your camper, building it, insuring it, storing it, maintaining it. Then you have less time enjoying it.

But, what do I know! Do what feels right for you.

We are only on this Earth for a little while. Use up every bit of it!!!
 

Wanderer2

New member
That's our plan!
Seen too many people not make it to 60 and don't want to go out that way.
Ward

Good for you!

And they have spent their whole life planning for something that never comes or that they are too old, crippled, sick to enjoy.

Not me. I want to die having used up this damned old body and regret nothing...
 

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