Stealth Camping in Roundabout Fail

[@billybman1]

Steve Wallis is the OG of stealth camping and he’s a great guy. Give him a goog and keep stealth camping girl

[@hikingdancer]

I love watching him

[@whoever6458]

Steve is how I first heard about stealth camping.

[@jennyjansen754]

I suspect that Steve may be the first person to stealth camp and post it on KZbin.

[@sueb860]

Wow! Roadrunner! I'm part of a group called the Stealth Camping Alliance. They do kooky stuff like this based on Steve Wallis and his YT channel. We do monthly challenges and post videos about our unique spins on the challenges. Some folks like the thrill of a HRS (high risk stealth) but not me. It's a great group! #stealthcampingalliance

[@hikingdancer]

That’s super neat

[@HikeMichigan]

This cracked me up! I love your adventurous spirit, but I could not have slept a wink. 😂

[@hikingdancer]

🤗

[@yonderplace314]

Urban camping extreme. Rainy Nights and Roundabouts.... the beginnings of a song? Live to camp another day! Stay safe and blessed!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@david_W5QDF]

Add camping under an overpass, in an Industrial Park, a Business Park, an abandoned home, an abandoned business. Lots of stealth camping sites if your looking for a challenge. At least you are doing it for fun and not because you are homeless. 🥾🥾🥾

[@hikingdancer]

Gonna check some of these out

[@whoever6458]

Great video! I failed a bunch of times when I first went out too and I still have always failed so far to get a good night's sleep. I'm making a whole stealthy fort in some small woods right next to a pretty popular walking trail. I watched all of these videos on how to bushcraft this and that but I found that I sucked at it at first, even though I've been building things with my mom for literal decades. She has all the fancy power tools for building and fixing things but I went with just hand tools that I could fit in my backpack. It took me a long time to get anything built and I still haven't built a bed that's comfortable enough for my aging ass and I'm on my second one now. I also got caught out in the rain when it wasn't expected to rain at all, which was a pretty big surprise since California isn't exactly known for our rainstorms. It rains so little here that I actually don't even own an umbrella. Luckily, I had some trash bags I had brought to take my own trash out and pick up any other trash I found on my way out and I just shoved a bunch in my bag so I had probably more of them than I ever could have carried out full of garbage. So I threw a trash bag over my backpack and tried to prop one up in the branches above me. There are a couple of those palm trees with the mostly solid fronds near my fort so I went around frantically sawing a bunch of them off of the bottoms of the trees to try to wedge in the branches above where I had been sitting. I got started early in trying to keep myself out of the rain because, when the first rain drops fell, I opened my radar app and could see it was probably going to rain more than a few drops. I considered trying to walk back to my house really quickly but I also quickly realized that even if I did nothing but sit under the trees during the rain, I was only going to get more wet trying to walk back on the trail where there are only very few trees so I decided to try to rig something up to stay semi-dry. It ended up POURING down rain for 3 hours and I sat all crammed up with my huge backpack under the side of one palm tree and under my ugly makeshift roof of palm fronds and trash bags. I actually stayed mostly dry but only so long as I sat in a very uncomfortable position since I had not managed to block the rain for more than a very small area. I did not camp there that night but I wasn't planning to unless I actually finished my first attempt at a bushcraft bed which I had not accomplished when the rain started. When the rain was over, I walked home and it was fine but the really annoying part is that I had crammed my huge military poncho into my already overfull backpack on several previous occasions where there was a chance of rain but it did not rain at all. It figures. Anyway, it's pretty easy, lightweight, and doesn't take up much room to throw 4-5 trash bags into your backpack. I still would have gone home in your situation because you can always come back later but it's good to have those bags in case you're stranded in a situation like that and it can definitely happen to you right in the middle of the city even (which was another time I got stuck in the rain and crawled under a really short palm tree for cover lol). Anyway, I hope to see your next trip to camp at this roundabout. I wish I could try camping at one but the only one around here is about five feet in diameter and covered in nothing but regular, short lawn grass, plus it's at the end of a cul de sac of fancy houses so I'd definitely get in trouble even if I could lie all the way down on it in the first place. lol

[@hikingdancer]

Wow. Amazing story. Thank you for sharing

[@cwesi1]

It’s been a few years since I’ve stealth camped, i.e. late 1970’s, and was usually in beach towns from North Carolina to Florida. My biggest challenge during those years, beyond remaining undetected, was the “evening of the frog invasion” at a spot near Myrtle Beach, SC. Hundreds and hundreds…. Well, perhaps that’s a campfire story saved for later. Much has changed since then with local city-wide camping bans and demographic challenges. I admire your courage and adventurous spirit. Stay safe and I look forward to: Roundabout 1 Roadrunner 1. - Jiffy Pop

[@hikingdancer]

Woot woot

[@BrandonRRRRRR]

Wow this is my neighborhood! Ive thought about camping in the round about ever since they added the trees a few years ago but does not seem worth it when we have some very nice spots by the powerlines

[@hikingdancer]

Go for it! 🤗

[@karenfarrell3961]

You are brave! Never thought of camping in a traffic circle….yours looks rather nice. the ones here (long island, NY) are pretty small and very exposed. Thanks for documenting your attempt!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you for watching

[@joshcarney9067]

Your crazy..........in a good way but literally crazy....love it

[@hikingdancer]

Lol

[@EverlastingDream328]

Wow, what a daring adventure! I found a geocache in a roundabout. It took me about 15 minutes to even get up the nerve to walk there. It was nerve-wracking and I wasn't camping, so kudos to you!

[@hikingdancer]

It took me a while to get in there

[@brooks8792]

Roundabout, sounds dangerous.

[@hikingdancer]

It wasn’t that bad

[@wtr7]

Thru Hiker = Action Junkie - Love it. Ya'll do the hike, and can't stop, which is a good thing. Thought about my backpack trip of Europe. On the return, flew into Miami via Nassau. Stealthed camp in Flörida while hitching home to Maryland. So I know the feeling. Thanks for the vid!

[@hikingdancer]

So fun

[@willswalkingwest7267]

Haha. That was awesome. You didn't do too bad. The only fail with a stealth camp is getting caught and you did not. So you did okay in my book. When I hiked across the USA I did a lot of cowboy camping near highways and homes. I did a fair amount of stealth tent camping as well. It took a while for me to realize it was a lot easier for me to see OUTSIDE my camping area than it was for people to see INSIDE my area. I don't believe I ever got busted really, I DID wake up a few times much closer to people than I though I was when I set up after dark. I say go for it again, you could probably get a small tent up and tore down before morning.

[@hikingdancer]

Thank youuuuu

[@joeyinthewild3321]

You definitely have to try again. Don’t give up on that one. I haven’t done a roundabout yet but I plan too sometime.

[@hikingdancer]

Never gonna give up

[@timsgoinoutdoors9921]

So, that was kind of hilarious.😁 Creative idea and thanks for making the video. Kind of like interstate underpass camping.

[@hikingdancer]

I want to do that too

[@sandrabonagura809]

You were successful! Just the stupid rain. Glad no gators came for ya! Thanks for bringing us with ya!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you for coming along

[@robertblack1373]

Love ur videos. You tried. I know exactly what ur talking about with the weather. I'm excited to see ur next video

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@frankynodots]

This guy does stealth camping www.youtube.com/@campingwithsteve he even did one in a roundabout.

[@scotbotvideos]

The legend that is Steve Wallis.

[@hikingdancer]

Yes I enjoy watching him

[@jimjimagain1066]

That cross is probably a memorial for someone who died in an auto accident there. 😈

[@hikingdancer]

Yeah

[@MsDother]

Kudos to you for the effort and overcoming your fear. It will happen😊

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@hipbeeexplorer]

Well done. I do a lot of winter camping and videos too. The failures get more views than the successes. Stay Groovy.

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@maubeecat2910]

Hi! I stealth camped in some tall grass once and woke to voices. Seems I was so camouflaged they set up camp 15 feet away. I woke up early, grabbed my stuff, then tiptoed out of there.

[@hikingdancer]

Lol nice

[@TheChantybb]

Omg you are crazy 😂😂😂 love it! 😂

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@CScullyBrown]

This was definitely brilliant. Hope you try again!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@rightsideupvt]

Good job Roadrunner, I admire you for trying! There are all kinds of stealth camping opportunities around my area for me, but I'm too chicken or lazy to go.

[@hikingdancer]

I want to try the strange places

[@barbarakonicki]

There is a cross because a student killed himself there last year by driving through the roundabout. That is an extremely unsafe thing to do as several cars drive too fast on that section of the neighborhood and sometimes end up driving through the roundabout.

[@hikingdancer]

Marthaaaaa, I’m alive and safe. Thank you for your concern. I bet every time you drive around there now, you’ll think “hmmmm what kind of stupid German woman is in that roundabout now”

[@richardmyracle6198]

That was cool. I have wanted to do stealth camp too. I am impressed.

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@hanniballectures5798]

Interesting accent 🤔 bit of a German twang. Good video,I'm used to watching people wild camp in colder climates

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@musingwithreba9667]

It's not a fail if you learned something! So for next time, have a bivvy that is rain proof or a light tarp to go over you to block the rain. 😊 Thats so cool that you even have a round about that you could consider doi g that! Here in Ontario Canada, round abouts are still rather new, and none are big enough, nor have plants in them to be stealthy in. I suppose I could try a snowbank next winter... 😉

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you.

[@MarkNieuwenhuizen]

It’s a failed attempt but not a fail as you tried and without the rain and a rainproof tarp there was no chance to get some sleep. Besides that, as someone who sometimes camps stealth in urban areas, a roundabout is next level at your first try.

[@jennyjansen754]

A cross on a damaged tree sometimes means that someone crashed into the tree and died.

[@hikingdancer]

I’m sure that’s why it was there

[@markviers998]

Watching that traffic I'm not sure you would have gotten much sleep anyway so maybe the rain was a blessing.

[@hikingdancer]

It probably was

[@philbest427]

That was cool. That is something I would like to do. ❤❤

[@hikingdancer]

You can do it

[@twofires3549]

Nice Roundabout. I'll be waiting.......

[@hikingdancer]

Cool

[@Self_Proppelled]

This is a skill that people who do cycle touring develop well. Load your gear onto a bicycle and ride across the country. Roundabouts and wood lots hidden from the road become your campsites.

[@hikingdancer]

Nice

[@memathews]

Kudos for giving this a try, I would need something a little less open to viewing. You didn't mention if your campsite came with a pretty alligator 🐊 😅 I once spent the night between the E-47 motorway lanes under a tarp at Puttgarden after a day of slow hitchhiking from Copenhagen (the longest ride was in a fire engine!). But that space was much more wooded and overgrown so drivers couldn't see me even though it was maybe only 20 feet wide, haha!

[@hikingdancer]

No my campsite was too far from any potential gator

[@amerphoto1]

Around many parts of the country now adays, if you were seen stealth camping, people would just think it is another homeless person and think nothing of it.

[@hikingdancer]

lol agreed

[@thealternativevlog]

Rain in Florida???

[@hikingdancer]

Noooooooooooo

[@cjengland2365]

When you said a roundabout the first thing I thought of was someone crashing into it. Especailly when I saw how busy it was. I honeslty think if anyone saw you they'd just think you were one of the many homeless people we have down here and was half expecting one to show up while you were there.. Thanks to the sea breezes Florida rain is so unpredictable. You got in and stayed part of the night. I'd say that was at least 2/3s successful. 👌

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@dougsneider722]

The best laid plans…..that was great!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@woodsman335]

I've considered it in a large wooded median on a nearby interstate. Still haven't been brave like you yet

[@hikingdancer]

You can do it

[@tube321321321]

You may have outdone yourself with this one! There are not that many of us who occasionally look at the road side and wonder how long we could just stay in there undetected, I'm old now but in my youth I many times left the trail and stayed for a day or two. Built a raft and floated out on the unused pond. Maine is full of them. North pond hermit outdid us all but he stole to keep it going: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Thomas_Knight. Thanks as always for your energy. Yes, it is so important to talk about the unsuccessful so the people following in your steps realize that it is never all roses. Thanks as always!

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you Tom

[@jimmyjenkins9240]

I live in a community with scores of round-about. I’ve never heard of anyone being found camping in the middle of one. There was one couple caught doing the horizontal hula. That’s about the most exciting event so far.

[@hikingdancer]

Horizontal hula huh? We call it the horizontal mambo

[@jimmyjenkins9240]

@@hikingdancer I defer to you. As a dance instructor, you would know the better terminology!

[@whoever6458]

Thank you! The most dangerous animal on the planet BY FAR is the human being! The only good thing about this is that all the other animals know this about us and will gladly steer clear of us if at all possible, at least the wild ones will.

[@whoever6458]

Oh yeah and cheers from another woman who likes to stealth camp! I'd like to see more of us (I say and then I never post any videos of my camps lol).

[@whoever6458]

From someone who regular has an "open container" in public, put it in a water bottle. Even if they can smell it on your breath, they will look right past your water bottle. Just make sure to know which bottle is your actual water and which bottle is what I call the hot water. lol I accidentally took my water bottle full of rum to work on a hot day and took a HUGE sip of it. Luckily, I was able to play off the look I had on my face when I tasted it as my water bottle having developed mildew since that sometimes happens when you refill your water bottles repeated like I do. Also luckily, I had other water bottles that actually did have water in them. These days, I just use a different brand of water bottle than the ones I use for water. If you want to bring something that doesn't look like water, just think of what sort of non-alcoholic drink it resembles and pour it into that bottle instead. Beer works really well in something that had kombucha in it.

[@hikingdancer]

Indeed

[@Art-lu7ek]

Your video is still great just didn't stay the whole night

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@thomasobrien8612]

LOL, Steve Wallis. Seriously, watch his show. In my judgement, he already done lot good and bad moves, trial and error. His show is an excellent source of information about stealth camping. I admire your adventure attitude, enjoy.

[@hikingdancer]

I have watched him. I like him a lot

[@susietopspin]

The accident issue is likely why the cross is there to make an unfortunate death like you see sometimes on roadways. I thought only Europeans knew what a roundabout is.. lol. As a Brit🇬🇧, I am very familiar😂😂😂. Happy trails.🤟🏻🥾🏔

[@hikingdancer]

Oh yes they are everywhere in Germany

[@philipthompson5796]

Maybe look for a better, more wooded roundabout? Also, as someone else has mentioned, there are wooded interstate medians, thought they are much more dangerous to get into.

[@hikingdancer]

I’ve been trying to find a better one

[@Yodie208]

The cross was placed there by the relatives of a loved one killed in an mva. the missing bark on the tree is a good indicator....Not a good place to camp IMHO🙄😁

[@hikingdancer]

Gotcha

[@nickhikesinthewoods6150]

Really the best stealth camping is somewhere in the middle of the woods where you're not supposed to be Camo and don't wear bright colors

[@hikingdancer]

Yep

[@Stephtones-75]

Round 2? 🏖️😅

[@hikingdancer]

Hopefully soon

[@magicaltrails]

Girl! Don't they have parks in Florida where you can camp???

[@hikingdancer]

We do…lol…but you knooowwwww

[@happytailscalmingmusic]

I am assuming your talking about Steve Wallis.

[@hikingdancer]

Yes

[@J4060]

Hunker down!

[@hikingdancer]

Indeed

[@napukapu]

what was the fail? some rain? carry a 3x3 tarp.

[@hikingdancer]

💪🏻

[@umreeh]

If you were caching with Cheeseball, I think she just would have crossed the street and went it. We worry about people while caching too but usually, they're focused on themselves that they don't pay attention to us.

[@hikingdancer]

Yes I don’t think people care unless it’s the neighborhood Karen

[@scotbotvideos]

In one of Steve Wallis' videos his trick was to use a suitcase instead of a backpack and pretend to be business traveller, although it seemed to me he could have been mistaken as a serial killer disposing of the body parts of his latest victim.

[@scotbotvideos]

PS: it's not a real stealth camp till you add in a Step 2 or two.

[@hikingdancer]

Lol that’s what I thought when I saw him in a suit

[@RayJackson-ty2vt]

I think you actually succeeded in "camping". You just failed to camp all night. Funny attempt though. I would never have even thought about doing that.

[@hikingdancer]

It was an interesting experience

[@janetwheeler4210]

U R 2 Funny 😀

[@hikingdancer]

Thank you

[@THEBLACKANARCHIST]

Where's your accent from it's interesting

[@hikingdancer]

German

[@danielfegley2735]

Ok I see what you are talking about, I thought a round about was a round building that was made for camping we have those round about in our road no place to hide not legal

[@hikingdancer]

It’s a baby island

[@tylerwhitney3443]

Crazy how humans can't lay down on the Earth.

[@hikingdancer]

Yeah exactly

[@frankynodots]

A-Hole to pack up!!! LOL!!!

[@hikingdancer]

Oh it was an a-hole

[@kirkstaley1170]

You’re more than welcome to use my backyard to camp. It’s safer and more fun.

[@hikingdancer]

Fun.

[@ProdriveGT]

Perhaps start out with a bush.

[@hikingdancer]

Lol

[@mikehillas]

At least you gave it a try. The weather gods conspired against you. Go home and have a "Step 2" .

[@hikingdancer]

Absolutely

[@somerandomguy4149]

I love your videos. But most people dont even pay attention. Or they would just think you're homeless. But most people are so worried about their lives there not even paying anyone attention or care. I'm just being honest. And i cant believe you didnt bring at least 4 days worth of food. I mean what if u get lost. 😅

[@hikingdancer]

Lol nice 😊

[@tripapalouie]

I am sure homeless people have no fear of where they set up camp. We need to think like them eh?

[@hikingdancer]

Yeah you are right

[@bucky716]

Steve is the only stealth camper.

[@hikingdancer]

In the entire world