Originally Posted by staehpj1

As far as camping...
I don't get the emphasis on stealth camping that seems to be prevalent on the forums. I am not against stealth camping when I need to, but on our cross country trip last summer we never felt the need. We stayed in city parks, churches, people yards, in peoples homes, and sometimes paid for a campsite. We always were able to get permission.

We met lots of nice folks that we wouldn't have met if we were stealth camping and for us the people were the best part of trip. We met other cyclists in camp. We made friends with local hosts. We met lots of other nice people in the parks.


Stealth camping is a good tool to have in your repertoire, but I would recommend that it not be the standard mode of operation. On a trip across the US it will seldom be necessary and in my opinion the trip should be as much about the people you meet as anything else. Hiding in the woods minimizes human contact, if I want that I go backpacking or wilderness canoing or kayaking.