Originally Posted by BigBlueToe

"Stealth camping" - Found this in the dictionary, did you? I think the term may mean different things to different people. To me the word stealth implies that you are doing something for which stealth is advisable, such as trespassing. I guess to some people it also means keeping a low profile so you won't be hassled by the type of person who might hassle an innocent camper for no reason.

In any event, I don't like trespassing. I don't think it's the right thing to do, and then there are all those possibilities that cyccommute listed. I did it a few times when I was younger and poor, and avoiding paying camping fees was a big deal. I felt guilty doing it. I got rousted out of bed a couple of times and it wasn't fun.

I do like camping in random places that aren't campgrounds - like just about anywhere in national forests - as long as I feel like I'm not trespassing. It's free, and there are no noisy neighbors. It's more of a "wilderness experience." On the down side, there's usually no reliable water source, so I either have to have a filter and a river, stream, or lake, or bring lots of water with me and use it carefully; there's no table, and no bathrooms (certainly no shower.)