Stealth Camping/Car Camping

[Tennhunter3]

The way I look at it.
If you were to shoot a buck at the back of a swamp before dark it wouldn't get to the truck till 2-3 am the time alot are just going in to hunt. So while some areas might say no overnight parking all you would need to do is setup a tent in the woods with no fire. Not like they would ever know as long as no gate gets locked.

Raccoon hunters park all night.

While their may be laws against overnight at some hunting areas has anyone ever seen it enforced? I highly doubt they search the woods every night or do fly overs with thermal imagery.

Several times while traveling I've slept 4-6 hours at wmas.

Rock and Mountain climbers all over the place crash in their vehicles for a few hours.

Rest stops, walmart might be ok for a several hour nap but can be loud and dangerous. To me driving to a hotel or a walmart is a long way from a hunting area using sleep time and fuel cost.

Even if they do find your vehicle as long as you aren't in it I think it would need to be their a long time without moving to be impounded. Imagine the lawsuits if they impounded vehicles of hunters getting out of the woods late.

[Rich M]

I like campgrounds, tent w cot, shower, running water, cheap.

When we were in CO we did public land camping that had a toilet - free. Then hit a hotel for about $50/night after all our water froze solid.

[MrT]

My current setup in my tacoma camper shell, I've got a self inflating air mattress from REI which sits on an easily removable wooden platform that floats over the bed, allowing me to put my gear under there and I still have room to put some beside me. Anything of upmost importance goes in the truck where its more secure. Its actually very comfortable to sleep in.

I cook a lot with my jetboil and usually just boil water and eat a mountain house meal or something similar. Also east canned tuna, peanut butter, protein bars, etc. Collect all trash in a 5 gallon bucket with lid. I have a basket that plugs into my trailer hitch to carry a deer and keep the bed clean for sleeping.

I like my setup, but I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone as far as parking in areas suggested in this topic, but I think I'm going to coming next year.

My biggest concern is like Dewey said, worrying about other people messing with you. Even though I've only stayed in designated camping areas, I still sleep with a mossberg shockwave by my side.

[E72]

My current setup in my tacoma camper shell, I've got a self inflating air mattress from REI which sits on an easily removable wooden platform that floats over the bed, allowing me to put my gear under there and I still have room to put some beside me. Anything of upmost importance goes in the truck where its more secure. Its actually very comfortable to sleep in.

I cook a lot with my jetboil and usually just boil water and eat a mountain house meal or something similar. Also east canned tuna, peanut butter, protein bars, etc. Collect all trash in a 5 gallon bucket with lid. I have a basket that plugs into my trailer hitch to carry a deer and keep the bed clean for sleeping.

I like my setup, but I haven't stepped out of my comfort zone as far as parking in areas suggested in this topic, but I think I'm going to coming next year.

My biggest concern is like Dewey said, worrying about other people messing with you. Even though I've only stayed in designated camping areas, I still sleep with a mossberg shockwave by my side.

Always ! : ....even at home ! I prefer .45 acp .

[Twenty Up]

Dave Owens with the Pinhoti Project camps out of his Tacoma with a camper shell all the time during turkey season. I believe Dave does a walk through video of his setup on his YouTube channel The Pinhoti Project.

[westbound]

check out the websites: campendium and freecampsites.net

On campendium you can filter campsites by price, including only free campsites. Read the reviews to decide which locations you are more comfortable with. I've stayed at more than 10 of these places and never felt unsafe. It depends on what part of the country you are looking at, but there can be a lot of free options in places. Pretty much anywhere with national forest/grasslands or BLM land will have multiple free camping options. There are more out west because there's more public land, but there are free campsites all over the country.

[Trout]

My car is on its last leg. I'm strongly considering going to a minivan or full sized van so I can gut the back end and turn it into a mobile hunting and fishing camp so I can just look like a parked van and camp anywhere I want.

[jmaas07]

I camp in my truck camper shell with a blow up sleeping pad and sleeping bag ,handgun in reach for anyone who wants some. Usually Walmart is my go to, I like to be able to go in and buy stuff and use the bathroom

[seazofcheeze]

I camp in my truck camper shell with a blow up sleeping pad and sleeping bag ,handgun in reach for anyone who wants some. Usually Walmart is my go to, I like to be able to go in and buy stuff and use the bathroom

Don't lie, you're just trolling for lot lizards!

[jmaas07]

I camp in my truck camper shell with a blow up sleeping pad and sleeping bag ,handgun in reach for anyone who wants some. Usually Walmart is my go to, I like to be able to go in and buy stuff and use the bathroom

Don't lie, you're just trolling for lot lizards!

[PK_]

Yea I have slept in lots of places, I have never been messed with. I don’t do it anywhere that says not to, etc...

[Maverick1]

I used to sleep in the back of the vehicle. At the time I thought it was very nice. And it is. But then one year I had to sleep in the front seat of the vehicle because I had a bunch of coolers full of meat in the back. And I realized that I slept just fine that way, too. So that’s what I’ve been doing ever since: just recline the drivers seat as far back as possible, reach around and grab a sleeping bag, crawl in and I’m done. I’ve found that - for me - it’s a lot easier than climbing into the back seat. Been doing it that way for several years. Of course, it greatly helps that I sleep like a rock.

[ThePreBanMan]

You guys sleeping in your vehicles are hardcore. My minimum standard is having at least a comfy and safe place to sleep and a place/option to wash up daily.

[backstraps]

I have actually been giving thought to “truck camping”

I spend a lot of extra gas and time not to mention a crazy amount of money in motels

[Maverick1]

That's one way to put it!

When I am hunting out of state for whitetails, what I typically do is find a local gym that has a "pay-as-you-go" option. They typically cost about $10 or $20 a visit: after sitting in a treestand all day, it feels good to get out of the tree, hike back to the vehicle, go to the gym for a workout to loosen up muscles that become tight from sitting all day, take a hot shower, drive to where I will hunt the next day, put it in park, and be asleep in 5 minutes. The next morning I pretty much just wake up, eat breakfast while in the warm sleeping bag, put on a light base layer/hiking boots/backpack, and start hiking to where I'm hunting for that day.

While a hotel sounds like it would be great - I think it would be a big hassle - FOR ME - to haul all of my stuff inside the hotel, run back and forth to the vehicle for multiple times, have to getup early to drive to a different hunting spot each day, etc. Sometimes simpler is better!