Anyone tried stealth or sneaky camping?

[Blinky Bill]

I was searching around on the web looking for tarps, quality swags & sleeping bags when I stumbled upon this activity known as Stealth Camping. I'm not 100% sure what it's all about but it seems to be people camping in an undetected manner.

There have been numerous times when I was free camping that I applied the idea of trying to keep my presence undetected by setting-up the camper trailer down a track a ways, behind dense scrub, ensuring the camp light could not been seen from the road and that sort of thing. But is it stealth or just smart camping practice when out solo? My reasoning was that while I was not breaking any laws where I camped, I wasn't looking to attract any unwanted attention either.

Stealth Camping made me me curious if anyone on MySwag knows about it or in fact practices it. And if you do what measure do you go to to ensure your secrecy?

[crackacoldie]

I thought stealth camping was keeping the campfire flames below 30 feet  Now you have me curious

  Cracka

[Mace]

One of these mite be handy, set up anywhere!

Looks like the practise started with bicycle tourers.

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/the-secrets-of-stealth-camping/

[Camping Grant]

Here's an article on it from the True Camping website:

http://truecamping.com.au/blog/stealth-camping/

Cheers
Grant

[sablesoft]

Hi,

Ive done it in many countries around the world back in the 70's, when I was hitch hiking around the world, Europe, UK, USA, Canada, Southern Africa, Australia, NZ etc, when it got near dark then I look for a bit of dense bush someware and setup my small tent and crash for the nite, cheap accomadation

Ray

[biggles1024]

There are quite a few videos on YouTube on this subject. Most, if not all that I've seen are from the USA. 'Camping' in a van of some sort appears popular over there but their 'campsites' are often right in the middle of towns either in a street or a carpark. Go figure!

It seems some are motivated by living as cheaply as possible over there.

I like the idea here and try not to make my prescence too obvious. I just don't want any unwanted attention especially during the night.

[austastar]

Hi,
   we take stealth camping as a norm. Camping or staying overnight (are you camping sleeping in the back of a ute with no canvas, and nothing on the ground) in a place that you would feel awkward sitting around a big camp fire with a pile of fire-wood and maybe a toilet/shower tent up and maybe clothes drying on a line, or staying there several days.


Such places would be picnic areas/car parks, behind a local community hall, in a corner of a local cemetery (good places, very quiet and not many 'hoons'), boat ramps (don't block the early morning fisher folk), golf clubs often have a nice accessible area or a reasonable carpark, country school yards near the bike shed.
Any where you are out of sight of a casual passing vehicle is usually ok for an overnighter.


Out of town, quarries, forestry roads, loop roads, fishing holes, under bridges if it is not a main road, etc are much more casual and I wouldn't really call them 'stealth' camping.
cheers

[Blinky Bill]

I remember this one place that I sure as hell wished I could have camped unseen. 

It was this little spot not too far out of Wyndham WA just off the highway next to a lagoon and we stood out like the dogs proverbials. There was absolutely no scrub on offer to get behind.

The Missus slept like a log and I was on edge all night listening for cars that might pull up & working out my strategy in case drunken hoons harrassed us.

Eventually the sun came up and life was good again. In fact it was a pretty little spot with loads of bird life. But that really got me thinking about where and how to camp from there on in.

[austastar]

Hi,
  I've only been harassed once, and then not seriously.
We were camped in a quarry, out of sight, but moved with out checking the line of sight to the road which was pretty empty anyway.
I saw the flash of headlights and heard the engine note change, down a cog, sliding wheels on gravel and it came over to where we were parked.
Kids asleep, one on the front seat, one in a bunk.
Doors slamming - loud voices, obviously alcohol had been consumed.
I shot out of bed to get the keys, but Damn! a kid was on the front seat.
Right out side the door where I was standing, some one started bouncing on the step, and others were bouncing on the bull bar.
In a quiet voice, just loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door, I said "Pass the Winchester and 3 shells".


Being country boys, they knew exactly what was coming, and hightailed out leaving a cloud of dust and flying grit.


Pity about not having any weapon on board, but it worked!


I'm a bit more cautious of late night drinking possibilities now, always check the area for cans/bottles/condoms/needles etc, use extra precaution on warm Friday or Saturday nights.


Some times we will reject a spot for no other reason that 'just doesn't feel right' - nothing else.


Then we will go and find a spot that feels ok, and are much happier, I can't explain the reason, just a gut feeling.


cheers

[Mandrake]

Where's Speewa when you need him ?? 

[crackacoldie]

I remember camping way out the back of a parking bay, late at night, got us out of sight of the road and the parking bay, behind trees, set up and went to bed.  Train went past just as we had all dozed off.  Scared the $h1t out of all of us.

  Cracka

[Campfire]

SNEAKY STEALTH CAMPING - WHEN YOU DONT WANT TO BE SEEN

[johnyd]

One of these mite be handy, set up anywhere!

Looks like the practise started with bicycle tourers.

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/the-secrets-of-stealth-camping/

I love that they pictured a bright red tent.

[singo-26]

Yep I did it last night. My young bloke and I disguised ourselves as a truck parked on the side of the road, side curtains of the taughtliner closed, 2 swags inside, very comfy. Parked up at a driver reviver, they even offered to make my morning coffee for me.

[MarkGU]

Yep I did it last night. My young bloke and I disguised ourselves as a truck parked on the side of the road, side curtains of the taughtliner closed, 2 swags inside, very comfy. Parked up at a driver reviver, they even offered to make my morning coffee for me.

all i can picture is two hobbo's in rags sleeping in rail wagons   

[GeoffA]

I thought stealth camping was keeping the campfire flames below 30 feet............

........and the boom box below 11...........

[singo-26]

all i can picture is two hobbo's in rags sleeping in rail wagons   

When you gotta sleep, you gotta sleep, and I need more than my fair share of beauty sleep!  

[speewa158]

Years ago in the west south of Broome l decided to set camp in the bush . Found a side road late in the arvo & slide down it . about 1Kto a clearing . Very quiet , small camp fire to cook & into the swag . All good , at about 3am there wasa a rumbling sound & huge lights then dust . The road l was camped on was an old section of the highway & the main road curved around where l was . About 20m off the road . Yeaaaaa that went well 

[Maîneÿ . . .]

Such places would be picnic areas/car parks, behind a local community hall, in a corner of a local cemetery, boat ramps, golf clubs often have a nice accessible area or a reasonable carpark, country school yards near the bike shed.
Any where you are out of sight of a casual passing vehicle is usually ok for an overnighter.

Hospital carparks are usually great places to pull over for a sleep at night too

 

[barneys]

camp fire what happens if the bull comes by

[Campfire]

camp fire what happens if the bull comes by

Hmm didn't think of that, and it's not a load bearing tent either!!

Maybe I could convince the bull, that the  cows have a headache

Looks like I'm back at the drawing board.

Campfire

[Blinky Bill]

Years ago in the west south of Broome l decided to set camp in the bush . Found a side road late in the arvo & slide down it . about 1Kto a clearing . Very quiet , small camp fire to cook & into the swag . All good , at about 3am there wasa a rumbling sound & huge lights then dust . The road l was camped on was an old section of the highway & the main road curved around where l was . About 20m off the road . Yeaaaaa that went well 

Ha! Good yarn. On the positive side you went undetected. So there's a plus.

We had an interesting 'experience' on our way to explore Daintree in September of 2000. Back then our camper trailer was an on road jobby and so I couldn't duck down too many tracks. 

Close to Marlborough Qld though I spotted an old section of the A1 heading off to the East and as it was starting to get dark I thought 'this is it'! 

We made away around a bit of a gravel pile & accessed the old highway just fine & headed along it for 100 yards or so until we were tucked away behind some scrub. Then a quick set-up, some dinner, brush the old fangs & hit the hay. All seemed right in the world as we snoozed away with that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from discovering another great free camp. 

Then when we hit deep sleep mode we were woken by a loud air horn & the sound of many (and I mean many) railway carriages thundering their way North. God almighty it was loud. And it just went on & on & on. A glance out of the camper into the darkness and I'd reckon it was all of 10 meters away. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway the next day we popped in and visited my Auntie & Nephew in Mackay and told them about our interesting Marlborough experience with smiles on our faces of travellers with not a care in the world. They thought they knew where we camped and wondered if it was the same spot where there had been a murder not too long ago and the body discovered wrapped in barbed wire. 

Needless to say the Missus preferred to camp near other campers for the remainder of our trip.  :'(

Take care out there - Wayne

[SteveandViv]

We also try to get off the main drag and often drive into the scrub to be out of the way. We did that a few times crossing the Gulf country last year. Not only does it feel safer but it's just nice to be alone with the family sometimes

[Foo]

One that comes to mind........Pulled up at out near St George Qld and set up camp with two mates and set up for the night.
Next morning we discovered that we setup in the cemetery.

Also the eggs, beer, sausage knob well pretty much everything was frozen, bloody dry ice. (first time we used it)

Foo

[austastar]

Hi,
   I've done the 'fright train' thing twice.


1) First time hitch hiking North of Rockhampton, dead tired and totally whacked, no lifts for hours.
There was a paling fence leaning away from the foot path, grass on the other side and a bit sheltered by the lean on the fence.
Chucked the pack over and crashed in the sack very quickly.
Woke up to Hades, orange steam, ground shaking, noise I had never imagined, heat and humidity - pure Hell.
The rail line was only meters away, and it was a coal fired steam train roaring past above me.
Sheesh!


2) The second time was North of Norseman, pulled over to the East side of the road near dark to the back of a borrow pit with a nice gravel base, some fire wood around, off the road and quiet.
Got woken up with about 5km of ore train about 15m away.
Not as scary as Rocky though.


3) Does waking up suddenly to the hot steamy smell of grass, looking straight up a cow's nostrils sound exciting or terrifying?


cheers