Today more and more people are looking for ways to live that don’t involve the normal daily way of living in the rat race. One way of eliminating the expenses of traditional living such as mortgage or rent, power bills, water bills, real estate taxes etc. is to live in a vehicle that is custom built to your specific needs but that doesn’t look at all like a camper. Instead it looks like a work van, or work truck or something other than what it really is. This allows you to stay almost anywhere virtually unnoticed. Big box store parking lots, gyms, hospitals, and various places on city streets are a few examples. By parking in such places instead of staying at commercial campgrounds you avoid paying their fees and instead pay nothing.

If your stealthy home is set up properly it will be able to supply all the power you need, keep you warm in the winter, cool in the summer and dry all the time. No more power bills. No more rent or mortgage payments or any other bills that come with them either. These little homes on wheels are far different than most people think. There is a preconceived notion on the part of some people that living in such a vehicle is something that is done only in desperation and that it is uncomfortable and undesirable. Like most such assumptions its dead wrong. A properly designed and equipped vehicle can be as comfortable if not more comfortable than most conventional homes and a hell of a lot cheaper. Not to mention the freedom and improved mental state that come with cutting the debtors tether completely.

The kinds of things that can be good stealthy little homes include quite a few different choices. One is a van, and of course its certainly not a new idea either. People have been living in vans for a long time. To be as stealthy as possible it needs to be low profile. Just a plain white van that looks like it could be used by a plumber or painter or for store deliveries works well and white reflects the heat of the sun very well too.
Some of the interiors people have come up with and the layouts are amazing. The only potential drawback I see is that you can not stand up inside them. For some people its not an issue and they could care less, so it works for them. Others prefer the ability to stand up inside.

This slight limitation can be overcome in a number of ways. One is to pull a small enclosed cargo trailer behind the van. Inside the trailer is a shower, toilet, and whatever else you wish that will fit. You could set the van up as sort of a mobile office with a desk/work station for your computer and set the trailer up with your sleeping space, bathroom and galley/kitchen. You wouldn’t need much of a trailer at all for that and they are cheap and easily converted. So many contractors and landscaping companies, construction people and others pull such little trailers they are hardly noticed by anyone. Where ever you live now, next time you take a drive look around and you will see what I mean. If you start looking intentionally for them they are everywhere – they are just so common you normally don’t notice them being there.

You can also do the same thing using a pickup truck and converted cargo trailer. Just either have all your living quarters in the trailer or build a small box enclosure for the bed of the truck that appears to be for housing tools or equipment and that really houses your work space and computer etc. Its very simple and easy to build such a little space for just a few hundred dollars and only requires basic skills and a little patience.

The sprinter type vans are another option and they offer the best of both worlds when it comes to van living. They are widely used now as work vehicles and are becoming more prevalent every day. As they do it makes them an ever better choice as a stealth dwelling. They can have comfortable sleeping quarters, a toilette and shower and full galley/kitchen along with a comfortable seating work space to write and eat. They can easily carry solar panels on the roof, and a generator along with water and holding tanks as needed.

The truth is that if you really want to be free bad enough the only real thing stopping you from actually doing it is you.