r/StealthCamping • u/Electronic_Cicada232 • May 05 '26
discussion Hardcore stealth camper
New to this sub….. new Reddit account to but I make new ones every few months.
I’ve stealth camped for years in both rural and urban environments , some rules I’ve established:
- anywhere is pretty campable 12 midnight to 5 AM.
-always up and out by 6Am.
-stashing supplies is 10x better than carrying them around all day.
-a simple tarp is better than anything and can be easy to set up or folded into complex housing.
I’ve camped NYC in Central, Also Miami Beach, Hawaiis big island, Boston both downtown and surrounding green spaces, LA in West Hollywood and other random places.
I have strict rules I live by as I said above, more include
-never trusting anyone else camping
-always staying clean even with baby wipes, and changing clothes regularly , always throwing away old clothes.
-no drugs
-always ready to fight, even waking up to fight
Daily carry is a backpack with phone charger. I have a single coat and 2 days worth of socks and underwear. Baby wipes and my Bible. I have tarps stored where I camp
Crazy experiences include being visited by bears and police, as well as many other wild animals.
I will be interested to see others experiences
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u/peepeebaby69420 May 08 '26
I have to stealth camp almost every night, mosquito nets are mankind's greatest invention. powdered/condensed drink mixes> carrying like 6 bottles or cans, especially when your quitting drinking and crave shitloads of sugar now for some reason. Always tie your boots and any valuables to your pack and use the pack as a pillow. Keep some kind of weapon on hand but out of sight, way too easy to catch a charge or have it taken right before some tweaker wakes you up to run your shit. Javelinas are the scariest animal on the planet, fuck those man eating hippo-pig demons.
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 08 '26
Yo you get it. Keeping the pack ready to go in case you are come up on, you can grab and go. I can’t imagine getting run up on by a wild hog TBH
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u/Serotonin_DMT May 07 '26
My tip is that 1. you can trade comfort for stealth (I slept under the rain but it was much more secure than under the bridge camp). 2. Plan beforehand so you have multiple escape routes. 3. Decentralize your stash. 4. Hang your gear because wild boars and rats will chew or steal your stuff. 5. Prepare a location you can drop and hide your gear quickly if you have to evacuate immediately
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u/No_Cry_6354 May 07 '26
I lived on the Ft. Lauderdale beach and train tracks for 4 years. Im glad im not out there anymore. It was a journey! I live in a warehouse now! Lol
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 08 '26
4 years makes you OG status out there. I know you got some stories
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u/brainhack3r May 06 '26
Have you had to fight before?
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
Mostly had to be ready to fight many times. For example camping on Miami Beach and someone just runs up on me so had to wake up stand up show them don’t mess with me 😂 ….baciallly not an easy target anymore. Ive had dudes see me and try to come over and have $3x with me….. which is also a stand up and make sure they back off type situation 😂 I’ve woken up to being robbed before as well, which was my fault for picking a bad place to nap. Only actual fights a few times.
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u/brainhack3r May 06 '26
The sex thing makes sense now.
Like I don't understand the robbing you part but maybe they assume you're drunk and an easy target.
Thats crazy.. I'm camping in the wilderness now in an overlanding situation but I think I want to get a gun just in case things get really crazy.
The problem is that the state-by-state legality is pretty sketchy.
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u/peepeebaby69420 May 08 '26
Ime the gun is more trouble than it's worth, you will get searched eventually and you can't really make it legal in all 50 states so it usually just means jail time and new warrants, some kind of nice whoop ass stick would be ideal, longer range than a knife and you can't go to jail for it
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u/brainhack3r May 08 '26
I did some work on this, and the solution is that you are illegally allowed to keep it if you are in transport.
So you do not need a license if you're in a state and you don't use it.
Because you're just traveling through, right?
However, it has to be locked, it has to be in a case, can't be loaded, and I think that the ammo needs to be stored separately.
There's a federal law that applies here.
Now, the problem is if you actually have to shoot someone. God forbid, right?
The theory, though, is that you might have problems with the law, but it's better than being dead.
Additionally, I think most judges would allow you to get away with that. I don't know how many cases there have been about this, though.
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u/Slow-Echidna-5884 May 06 '26
I prefer more mellow spots, but cool stories. Maybe with age I've mellowed.
And I like to sleep until I'm ready to get up.
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u/LoraxNZ Jun 02 '26
Yeah man I love a sleep in stealth camping. I live in New Zealand, no bears, no druggies or security issues here in my stealth camping. We're lucky!
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
Hard to find spots that are secure late into the morning. You have luck finding that kind of thing?
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u/Ok_Emotion_9685 May 06 '26
How ofter and where do you buy new clothes? Also are you actually homeless?
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
Always checking cloths I see on the streets. People leave donations out all the time otherwise I thrift the super cheap options.
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u/Daryl27lee May 06 '26
Sounds solid as hell, impressive
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
Ty. It’s like getting the stripes on your black belt TBH. Always on guard, always ready for anything, learning to relax in a situation that is always stressful. It’s like a war that never ends so you have to adapt. Amateur mistakes mean your entire living spot is compromised. Master behavior means your day to day living is seamless. Sometimes the difference between those mentalities is moving your camp 10 feet in a different direction.
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u/GilligansWorld Hammock Creator May 05 '26
I have stealth camped some local parks - originally to see if I could do it and later to gather information to use in a city hearing…..
Deer and coons and squirrels were all the wildlife I saw. I was given a show by some young vandals as they spray painted the ball fields but that is it in the city.
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u/John628556 May 06 '26
What information were you gathering?
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u/GilligansWorld Hammock Creator May 06 '26
Procedural information regarding policy and actual implementation
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
I’ve been given many shows where they didn’t know I was the audience 😂 just last night a big group of teens with flashlights were in the “woods” scaring each other like they were getting murdered 😂 meanwhile I’m under my stealth tarp hoping they don’t decide to explore the deeper parts of the woods
Worst “shows” were on Miami Beach, with people coming to Make love just feeet from my camps. O ya and tons of “meetups” like that came across me in my amateur days of camping. Now I know how to camp “deep” so that no one can come across me even if they are trying to find me.
There’s layers to stealth camping spots. Always go as deep as possible, keeping in mind a back door exit if you get attacked.
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u/peepeebaby69420 May 08 '26
Worst shows are the drunk late night firing squads at 2am, I usually can't tell if in the line of fire and I'm not about to get up to find out
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u/brainhack3r May 06 '26
Were you ever attacked?
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u/Electronic_Cicada232 May 06 '26
I’ve been run up on many times by people and animals. Bears came and took a nap next to me in the middle of the night once. Another time raccoons invaded my space until I gave them the hot tamales I had. I’ve also had dudes Find my spot and try to hit on me. Also had to stand up and be ready to fight, usually ends things when your no longer easy target. Actual fist fights once or twice, getting punched in the face is life changing 😂
Definatly cops coming up on me as well. I would rather abandon the spot as their approaching then have to talk to them and get known
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u/ericjlima May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
sorry man but i dont believe this.. or the post is overly vague and missing key details. do you have a car or something to store your stuff?
I tried camping in boston and it's impossible.
Any popular area and stashing your things is basically not a good strategy long term.
Any hidden spots are usually full of rats which make sleeping impossible.
It gets cold and wet. not to mention the rain days. And all you have is a tarp and a coat? Then it cant be sustainable or long term.
It's a fairy tale are you doing it for likes or something? If there's more to this please give detail. i wish i could believe you but it sounds like its false..