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[wayne-o]

I want to snowbird out of Chicago December through February to Arizona with a smaller dimension street motorcycle in the van and posibly an off road motorcycle on the back bumper. Ideally van would have conspicuous hardened security cameras facing at least 4 directions and solar panels. Im a fit 62 year old male nurse who speaks Spanish and English.

[Camper_Dan]

Greetings & Welcome!

I'm closer to snowbound than to being a snowbird with my current job, but your journey sounds fantastic.

Have fun and keep us posted!

Cheers!

[wayne-o]

Looking around the forum I'm realizing I'm a little far fetched. Ice cooler is simpler. Bucket works as well as a toilet. Solar panels ? Condensation, DANK. Maybe in Az it isn't an issue. Then there is theft and being hassled.

[Camper_Dan]

Looking around the forum I'm realizing I'm a little far fetched. Ice cooler is simpler. Bucket works as well as a toilet. Solar panels ? Condensation, DANK. Maybe in Az it isn't an issue. Then there is theft and being hassled.

After all is said and done, I have definiitely found that simpler works better for me.  Solar panels pretty much kill stealth, and parking in the sun during the summer for power is pure torture.  Shade in the summer for me.  Condensation probably isn't a huge issue in AZ, but probably reasonable to keep in mind if you might be traveling somewhere where it might be an issue.

Getting hassled hasn't been much of a problem for me since I switched to a window van.  It was sometimes a problem when I had a cargo van.  Also when I had a cargo van, breakin attempts were frequent.  Thieves think there might be tools or other things of value inside.  My window van looks like an empty camper inside with nothing of obvious value in sight.  I tend to take my valuables with me if I leave the van.  Anything of value also has my DL# engraved onto it in a conspicuous place.  A hidden kill switch keeps anybody from stealing my van. 

Valuables on the outside of your van can definitely be a target.  I once lost a generator that was bolted and chained to a hitch hauler.  It doesn't matter if you're in the city or in the boonies, thieves are everywhere.  You can slow them down, but you can't stop them, and unless you know your neighbors well enough that they'll watch out for you, today's mentality of people not wanting to get involved is not in your favor.  Keeping nothing of value in sight is the best solution I've found.  I've seen people walk by when someone was breaking a car window, and they said and did nothing.  Disgusting but true, it's the world we live in today.  I called the cops, but they never even showed up.

I'm giving you the worst case scenarios, but it isn't all bad.  The good times far outweigh the bad, but if we plan for the worst, the rest is easy.