As van life has skyrocketed in popularity, so has the interest to build stealth camper vans that are completely incognito to the outside world. When we were first planning our own camper van build, we were intrigued by this ‘secretive’ concept, but ultimately decided against it. And after almost 4 years into van life, we’re glad we didn’t convert a 100% stealth camper van and believe it would have been an awful idea if we had.
This post is going to explain 4 reasons why building a stealth van goes against your interest and also provide several compromise alternatives instead.
Let’s get to it.
Not what you need? Check out our “Choosing A Vehicle” category page for more similar content.
1. Stealth Vans Sacrifice Too Much Comfort
The biggest give away that a van is a camper are the exterior installations. So if you truly want to build an icognito van, you’ll have to exclude them. Exterior installations can include:
- Vent fans
- Solar panels
- Custom windows
- Sun awnings
- Roof racks
- Roof-access ladders
If you truly want to build a stealth RV, you won’t be able to put in any of these above installations. Let’s not kid ourselves here. The moment you install even one of these onto your van, you’re not longer a stealth van.
If you know what to look for, even a small ventilation fan is a dead giveaway. And the type of people who you want to be stealthy from will identify your camper van immediately (this is reason #2, below).
And we believe that to forgo these types of exterior installations really deteriorates a camper van’s livability & comfort.
No Vent Fan or Windows = Poor Internal Air Quality
Without a vent fan and windows, living inside a van becomes uncomfortable. This is especially true in areas where temperatures are above 80F (27C). Without any way to effectively circulate fresh air into a van, internal air becomes hot, stale, and muggy.
Have you ever entered someone’s bedroom and the air smelled thick & sour? The inside of a camper van can get just like that without proper air flow.
Not what you need? Check out our “Choosing A Vehicle” category page for more similar content.
1. Stealth Vans Sacrifice Too Much Comfort
The biggest give away that a van is a camper are the exterior installations. So if you truly want to build an icognito van, you’ll have to exclude them. Exterior installations can include:- Vent fans
- Solar panels
- Custom windows
- Sun awnings
- Roof racks
- Roof-access ladders
No Vent Fan or Windows = Poor Internal Air Quality
Without a vent fan and windows, living inside a van becomes uncomfortable. This is especially true in areas where temperatures are above 80F (27C). Without any way to effectively circulate fresh air into a van, internal air becomes hot, stale, and muggy. Have you ever entered someone’s bedroom and the air smelled thick & sour? The inside of a camper van can get just like that without proper air flow.No Solar Panels = Limited Electricity Production
Forgoing solar panels is one of the best ways to make your camper van more stealthy. But doing so removes a crucial way to charge your leisure batteries. Solar panels provide ~80% of the power to our batteries and without them, we would not be able to sustainably power all the electronics in our van on a regular basis. Building a camper van? Download our free e-Books with intuitive electrical, solar, and plumbing diagrams.
2. Police & Theives Aren’t Fooled By Stealth Vans
- Camper-specific installations?
- Out-of-state license plates?
- RV windows?
- Visible curtains or Reflectix?
3. Stealth Vans Look Creepy
- What’s the van doing here?
- Anything illegal inside?
- Does a criminal own this van?
- Is this van a danger to me?
4. Many Legal & Safe Overnight Options Without Stealth
- Authorized parking lots
- Truck stops
- Rest areas
- BLM land
- National Forests
Authorized Parking Lots
Certain stores often allow overnight parking for campers. These stores include Walmart, Cabellas, Cracker Barrel, Home Depot, and Sam’s Club. Though not all of these stores allow overnight parking, so it’s best to ask a manager of the store to confirm.Truck Stops & Rest Areas
When you’re on the road, major gas stations targeting the trucking business allow for overnight parking. These include businesses like Pilot and Flying J. Many rest areas along the highway also allow for overnight parking.BLM Land & National Forests
If you are traveling in the western US, there are plenty of free overnight camp spots out in nature. Search online for locations of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and national forests. Almost always there will be spots dedicated for campers that are legal, safe, and free.Use Camping-Related Websites and Apps
We always use the iOverlander app and FreeCampSites.Net to help give us suggestions where we can legally park overnight for free. On both our recommendations, you can read past user reviews to gauge how safe and legal a wild camp spot is.Alternatives To Building A Stealth Camper Van
In our case, just because we don’t believe in building a pure stealth van doesn’t mean we didn’t style our camper van a certain way to draw less attention to ourselves. This was the “compromise” we talked about earlier between a fully stealth van and a flashy, head-turning RV.But if we’re being honest: If you know what to look for, our van is still pretty obviously a camper.
Keeping Our Van The Manufactured White
We kept the outside color of our van the same white as when our vehicle rolled off the factory floor. This helps, to some degree, to keep our van looking like a regular commercial van.Smaller RV Windows
Instead of going for the full frame RV windows in the back of our camper van, we opted for smaller, “half-slider” windows from Motion Windows.No Roof Rack
We chose not to install a roof rack on our van’s roof to help keep the top of our van more streamlined and less of a head turner. The downside to this means we ended up screwing our solar panels right onto our van’s roof, which means risking water leaks in the future. But check out our mounting solar panels post to learn how we created a strong, water tight seal.Keeping Our Front Cab Clean
When we park our van in urban, public settings, we try to reduce our chance of theft by keeping the front of our can as clean and free of possessions as possible. Enjoyed reading? Learn why we also think getting a 4×4 is meaningless (for most van lifers, including us!). Building a camper van? Download our free e-Books with intuitive electrical, solar, and plumbing diagrams.
Still Want To Build A Stealth Van?
GreenVanGo provides a great write up for The Best Used Vans For Camper Conversions and what to look for when purchasing your first used vehicle.Your Camper Van Is Your Home. Make It Comfortable!
No Solar Panels = Limited Electricity Production
Forgoing solar panels is one of the best ways to make your camper van more stealthy. But doing so removes a crucial way to charge your leisure batteries. Solar panels provide ~80% of the power to our batteries and without them, we would not be able to sustainably power all the electronics in our van on a regular basis.
Building a camper van? Download our free e-Books with intuitive electrical, solar, and plumbing diagrams.
2. Police & Theives Aren't Fooled By Stealth Vans
Camper vans are now everywhere. You don’t have to search very long to find a van parked on the street side, in highway rest areas, and in Walmart parking lots all across the country. So practically everyone, and their cousin, knows what camper vans look like. And if you’re the police, or a thief, or anyone else that you are ACTUALLY trying to hide form, you ESPECIALLY know what to look out for.
- Camper-specific installations?
- Out-of-state license plates?
- RV windows?
- Visible curtains or Reflectix?
You would be fooling yourself if you think that the police won’t inspect an odd-looking, out-of-state, van that is parked where it shouldn’t be. Thieves and scammers who target camper vans know exactly what a mobile home looks like, and you would be underestimating their intelligence if you thought otherwise.
So why bother trying so hard to build a stealth RV when the people you’re trying to deceive aren’t fooled in the first place?
3. Stealth Vans Look Creepy
Let’s say you STILL go ahead and build a perfectly stealth camper van. You forgo all camper-specific exterior installations and you keep your van as anonymous-looking as possible.
But let’s face it, a bland commercial-looking van, especially with out-of-state license plates, that is parked in an unusual spot looks creepy! And a van that nobody recognizes and is parked in an unusual place sticks out in people’s minds and causes people to ask questions.
- What’s the van doing here?
- Anything illegal inside?
- Does a criminal own this van?
- Is this van a danger to me?
And when people don’t trust an unknown, potentially sketchy-looking, vehicle, they end up calling the police to investigate.
You may find free, undisturbed nights some of the time, but if you keep trying to stealth camp your way through van life, you will get plenty of knocks on your door from the police.
We’ve seen it happen and even we’ve been evicted before because of a police call from a concerned homeowner.
The Best Vans For Van Life?
Read our post to learn which vans are the best for van life. We compare the Sprinter, Transit, Promaster, and several other popular van models.
4. Many Legal & Safe Overnight Options Without Stealth
If you’re saying to yourself, “I want to build a stealth camper van because I can’t afford to pay for campsites”, then you should know that stealth camper vans have little to do with how much you’ll pay during van life.
You don’t have to stealth camp in order to sleep for free. You can still have all the luxuries of a conspicuous camper van while still safely parking overnight and avoiding paid campgrounds. When traveling, there are enough free and safe places to park overnight that don’t require you stealth camp. This includes:
- Authorized parking lots
- Truck stops
- Rest areas
- BLM land
- National Forests
We cover an extensive list of places you can camp for free in our post: How To Sleep For Free In Your Camper Van. But we discuss a few of the popular places below.
Authorized Parking Lots
Certain stores often allow overnight parking for campers. These stores include Walmart, Cabellas, Cracker Barrel, Home Depot, and Sam’s Club. Though not all of these stores allow overnight parking, so it’s best to ask a manager of the store to confirm.
Truck Stops & Rest Areas
When you’re on the road, major gas stations targeting the trucking business allow for overnight parking. These include businesses like Pilot and Flying J.
Many rest areas along the highway also allow for overnight parking.
BLM Land & National Forests
If you are traveling in the western US, there are plenty of free overnight camp spots out in nature. Search online for locations of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and national forests. Almost always there will be spots dedicated for campers that are legal, safe, and free.
Use Camping-Related Websites and Apps
We always use the iOverlander app and FreeCampSites.Net to help give us suggestions where we can legally park overnight for free. On both our recommendations, you can read past user reviews to gauge how safe and legal a wild camp spot is.
Alternatives To Building A Stealth Camper Van
In our case, just because we don’t believe in building a pure stealth van doesn’t mean we didn’t style our camper van a certain way to draw less attention to ourselves.
This was the “compromise” we talked about earlier between a fully stealth van and a flashy, head-turning RV.
But if we're being honest: If you know what to look for, our van is still pretty obviously a camper.
In fact, if you look at our campervan in the picture above, you’ll notice a few things we did to reduce attention.
Keeping Our Van The Manufactured White
We kept the outside color of our van the same white as when our vehicle rolled off the factory floor. This helps, to some degree, to keep our van looking like a regular commercial van.
Smaller RV Windows
Instead of going for the full frame RV windows in the back of our camper van, we opted for smaller, “half-slider” windows from Motion Windows.
No Roof Rack
We chose not to install a roof rack on our van’s roof to help keep the top of our van more streamlined and less of a head turner.
The downside to this means we ended up screwing our solar panels right onto our van’s roof, which means risking water leaks in the future. But check out our mounting solar panels post to learn how we created a strong, water tight seal.
Keeping Our Front Cab Clean
When we park our van in urban, public settings, we try to reduce our chance of theft by keeping the front of our can as clean and free of possessions as possible.
Enjoyed reading? Learn why we also think getting a 4×4 is meaningless (for most van lifers, including us!).
Building a camper van? Download our free e-Books with intuitive electrical, solar, and plumbing diagrams.
Still Want To Build A Stealth Van?
GreenVanGo provides a great write up for The Best Used Vans For Camper Conversions and what to look for when purchasing your first used vehicle.
Your Camper Van Is Your Home. Make It Comfortable!
Making your van comfortable and truly livable is the sustainable way to live and travel in a camper van for the long term. And we believe that in order to build a livable campervan, you need to have a solid ventilation solution, allow natural light to enter, and having a robust electrical system with solar charging capabilities.
Having good light and air in your van keeps you healthy, both physically and mentally. And when you’re healthy and happy in your home, you’ll have the energy and enthusiasm to really get out there and explore this world.
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