I get a rush from feeling vulnerable.

Beware of the screech owl(?)pearched above your tent who lets out a blood cuddling scream/whinny/yodel in the middle of the night. Maybe that happens only in Oklahoma stealth camps.

Most people are friendly or at least not interested in picking a fight. I concur with those that think fear breeds hostility. Locals have just as much right to fear you as you do them, maybe more so. You're the stranger. Smiling and being friendly makes people let their guard down and be friendly too. People are like dogs. Feeling the need to defend themselves often results in hostility.

I think the biggest danger is at night time and specifically rowdy drunk teenage boys in a small town without much to do. If I feel vulnerable I go out of my way to camp where nobody knows I'm there. If you're not visible then nobody's going to mess with you.

Excellent advice! Thanks for the trip ideas!

Get some self-defense training. Carry pepper spray - this can be good for animals too (ever been chased by wild dogs in the country?). Get a concealed carry license that is valid in the states you are going to travel to and throw a pistol in your handlebar bag - provided you are comfortable with it and a decent shot. When you're in camp carry it on your person. If you are a law-abiding person you'll have no problems, just have to declare your firearm if you have it and happen to be questioned by police.

There was a picture of a bike I saw somewhere where the owner attached 2 pepper spray holders, one on either side of the bar bag. I can't remember where I saw that. Its a good idea - easy access. Even better is to split your gear off your handlebar bag (except your computer or anything else you need right up top) with a second stem and pipe below your bars. As I build my bike that is what I am going to do - gives my hands more clearance and more positions on the bars to stay comfortable with my gear out of the way.

I just remembered-- Our camp on the California Coast was attacked by 3 marauding raccoons who stole my wife's M&M's and tried to steal our food pannier.

It's good to be a little bit worried, you would be stupid if you were not a little anxious. Watchfulness will keep you alive when things go sideways. It would be very sad if you were so paralyzed that you didn't take your tour. Listen to your inner worry-voice, but know when to tell it to shut up. Like now......

I would have to agree with several of the VERY quick replies I QUICKLY browsed through, didn't read all of them. Don't worry about it.

Last year on my 2600 mile trip the only time I had to deal with the cops I knew it long beforehand. I came down with a case of the stomach flu in the evening. I was 'stealth' camping on the trip and once the stomach flu hit I changed the location of where I was planning on camping out for the night and stuck right in the heart of town. Instead of going for the ballpark on the east side of town and getting away from everyone I wanted to stay around somewhere that was open 24 hours. I set up camp right beside the Sheetz gas station. Literally just feet from side door. Everything was fine until around 4AM when I woke up and heard the side door open. I knew the cops were coming. I had already been planning on getting paid a visit from them even before I set up the tent. About 15 minutes later I saw car headlights. I knew it was the cops. Then I heard them asking for me to come out of the tent. They ended up only having me move about 20 feet away to the car repair shop that was beside the gas station. Otherwise they left me alone.

Now I won't say all is a bucket of roses...check out the article below. It sounds like you better stay out of certain parts of the country or you need to relearn the rules of the road...the local rules of the road, not the federal rules of the road. Some parts of the country seems to hate cyclists even though they also are a host of one of the bigger cycling events each year.

https://303cycling.com/problems-still...iff-department

A smile and friendly hello will take you a long way.

It took me 5100 miles across and plus some and I can tell you that you will find exactly the opposite of what you fear. Arrive at a small town in the middle of nowhere and either knock on the door of the local church, fire department, or police and you will have a place to camp and in many cases a drive by later that evening to make sure you're ok.

Quick story, I was befriended by a Dutch couple doing the Transam same year as me. They confided that they were worried about the police, very afraid of the American police, so I took them to the police station at the next small town we were both camping at. I did introductions (with a friendly smile and hello) and asked where we might camp for the night. They helped us out and one officers came by that night and brought us half a birthday cake. I got ahead of them for the next several weeks, but they caught up to me in Colorado. So I ask if they have had any problems with the local police? They just laughed and started telling story after wonderful story of the great experiences they have had. Meeting Americans, overcoming language / accent barriers and how wonderful everyone had been to them, especially the police.

A smile and friendly hello will take you a long way, and not just on a bike tour

Too much TV. There's a lot of money in fear, plus it keeps the populace quiet.