Some of those who live a life on the road choose not to advertise it. For those people, buying a camper van, travel trailer, or motorhome is not an option because everyone can see that you’re in a recreational vehicle. One solution is taking a nondescript commercial vehicle, like a cargo van or box truck, and turning one of those into a camper. Not every stealth build accomplishes the goal of blending in, but I think I’ve found one that mostly hits the mark. This 1994 Ford E-350 box truck looks like a work vehicle on the outside but has most of the amenities of a camper on the inside.
Stealth campers are a fascinating niche of the RVing world. Most people don’t mind rolling around in a giant box covered in windows, awnings, air-conditioner units, and boring swoop decals. However, some people don’t want others to know that they’re living in a van or a motorhome. After all, some folks have rather negative opinions of those who live in vehicles. So, how do you avoid that? You buy or build a motorhome that doesn’t look like a camper but like regular traffic.
Some full-time vanlifers believe that by having a stealth camper, they can get away with parking in places where a camper might not be welcome, but a work vehicle might be. For example, imagine a street in your nearest major city. If you saw a camper parked on the side of the street, you’re probably going to wonder about what’s going on. When was the last time you thought of the random box truck parked on the side of a street?
The topic of stealth campers does seem to trigger debates among vanlifer groups. Some think they’re pointless while others see a benefit. It seems whether a stealth build will benefit you will be highly dependent on where you will park it. If you go places where campers are welcome, you’ll probably be better off just buying a normal camper. But, if you live in a place where campers are considered to be an eyesore, maybe a stealth rig will work for you. There are guides dedicated to what vehicles to choose, how your vehicle should look, how long you should stay in one place, proper etiquette, and where stealth campers may be able to park for the night.
It would seem that the most common advice out there is that a stealth build works only when you commit to the idea. That means no getting out of your vehicle, no decals, no visible lights, no loud noises, no funny doors, or anything that would draw attention to your vehicle. Some may not care about a box truck parked on their street at night, but they will if someone hops out at 10 pm for a smoke.
Again, it’s a fascinating niche, and so are the vehicles involved.
The Camper
This van started life as a 1994 Ford E-350 box truck. This one does not appear to be a former U-Haul, however, it does have a low floor and an over-cab area like a U-Haul has.
That box is a Supreme Iner-City truck body for chassis cab vans. According to Supreme, its Iner-City truck body is designed for urban dry freight deliveries. These truck bodies can also be upfit depending on need and the seller says the truck spent its former days as a municipal camera van. The box has some spotlights, warning lights, and a roof rack, all of which add to the work truck vibe. Also nice are the semi-trailer-style doors.
The underlying van comes from a couple of years into the production of the fourth, current generation of the Ford E-Series van. Technically, if you really wanted to, you could convert the front end of this van to look like a 2024 model. Power in this unit comes from a 7.5-liter 385 V8 good for 245 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque. The seller doesn’t say what he gets for fuel economy, but I’ve driven a similar box truck with this engine before and returned 11 mpg. What we are told is the fact that the van has just 11,600 miles. Look how clean the dashboard is; I’d believe it!
Inside is a sort of minimal build. The seller says the truck’s walls were insulated and carpeted before its use as a municipal vehicle. The camper build is said to be new and comes with, from the seller:
New 6″ queen memory foam mattress, 21gal water tank, water heater, diesel heater, 12v/120v fridge freezer, full shower, flushing camp toilet, 32″ smart TV, 2 deep cycle batteries, Renogy solar set up w/200w on roof, roof top deck, and a ton more.
It’s not noted in the features list, but my eyes also spot a roof fan. The roof rack also has expanding rails so you can use it as a roof deck. The kitchen is also very minimalist. You get a sink with running water, but nothing else. The builder didn’t even bother to try to hide the sink’s guts. You will need to add your own cooking equipment.
I’m a huge fan of the shower and toilet. I’ve seen so many builds that don’t have an easy way to keep yourself clean. Who wants to sit in a hot box all day without being able to take a nice shower? Even some stealth builds don’t have a bathroom, which is awkward when you’re not supposed to leave the vehicle at night.
What I would have liked to see is a little more detail. Stealth campers give up windows to maintain the illusion of a work vehicle. It would be nice to have a little bit of color or some decoration so it doesn’t feel like you’re stuck in a gray box. The cabinetry could also use some doors for a cleaner finish. The seller wants $21,000 for this camper, and even for that price, I wouldn’t want to look at the innards of the sink while I’m on that paper-thin bench. I’d toss a real cushion on that bench while I’m at it.
Otherwise, the execution isn’t pretty, but it looks perfectly functional. Is this camper worth $21,000? I’m not sure, but if you want it, you can grab it from the seller in Stow, Ohio.
The good thing is that none of the camper’s faults are things that can’t be fixed. It wouldn’t take much to turn this gray camper into a little cozy motorhome. A little color here, some cushions there. All of the hard work is done, now you just make it your own!
RVs aren’t my thing, but I really don’t understand the appeal of a “stealth” RV. You get all the luxury of staying in a windowless non-air-conditioned box on your vacation with the added bonus of being able to park it in an industrial park in a sketchy neighborhood (maybe. — that’s assuming nobody notices an unexpected truck in the area and calls the cops assuming you’re some sort of terrorist bomber).
There is an area and a exhaust port for a portable A/C unit inside. These are built for people who live in them to have more flexibility in parking for the night anywhere and not being bothered. I full campervan build with decals/windows/rooftop a/c/canopy sticks out like a sore thumb and will inevitably get the cop knock at 2am. These blend in. Box truck not as much as a windowless Transit, but there was a lot more room in this and I couldn’t pass up the miles and condition
So it’s for bums. Got it.
Yes dear.
The thing that bothers me about this build is the age of the box. A lot of times these box makers have been sold numerous times and getting rails, radius’, and parts can be a bear. Thinking more about it, this sounds like an interesting idea. I would want to try it but I would add another challenge. All supplies should be bought from the Habitat for Humanity Restore
Supreme and Iner-City are still in business and still have parts supplies for even older ones like this. I work at another city water department (not the one this one came from) and we bought a camera van in ’21 with almost the same box as this one from Supreme.
Looks like a nice, sensible build. Kudos. I’m not big into the stealth aspect, but I always liked the idea of starting with a simple commercial rig and just adding “house stuff” to it in a simple way that works for me rather than whatever generic layout a real RV would have.
I wanted to go that route but I found an RV that was close enough that I could make it work with less effort.
Flashbacks to living in an Atco trailer in a work camp, no windows and grey
I’d prefer a few less stealth points, and at least a small sunlight in the roof. It’d make it a hell of a lot more liveable
I would ditch the toilet and shower for more space and add air conditioning. It doesn’t take much heat to make sleeping in a metal box unbearable
Put cleats on walls of shower for removable shelf. Can store duffle bags and remove for shower. This one looks tight, in mine in can also store my mt. bike in the stall.
This is tangential, but I wonder how the different Econoline engines are in the ’92 – ’96 models.
I’m still on the lookout for a cheap, serviceable conversion van, and I would technically still consider a ’92-’94 model because they’re the only ones with rear amber turn signals.
But I specifically avoid ’95 and ’96 since you get the old engines without the aesthetic and operational benefits of the amber turn signals, and still not a great age.
But then, the reliable 4.6l Triton is probably not an option on extended body ones, and if 2005 is the last year for the 2v 5.4l…
What a pain in the ass. Does the V10 Triton have the same downfalls as the 3v 5.4l?
The V10’s main downfall is that it will eat you out of house and home. The E350 van with that engine I rented to move was in single digits once it had any weight in the back. If you want to go full #vanlife instead of occasionally go camping I would strongly recommend looking for something less thirsty. I think you could justify it in a recreational vehicle because it will haul and tow anything you want to throw at it.
I’m really just looking for conversion vans…ideally, extended body. 6 captain’s chairs, and rear bench seat that folds into bed.
I had a ’97 Econoline-150 from 2013 to 2019…had tons of mechanical problems with it, but ironically, none relating to its 4.6l engine or the transmission.
I wonder if I should be focusing on LS Expresses and Savanas instead. On the other hand, replacing the stereo in those is supposed to be way harder… and how many transmissions can claim to have entire Facebook groups dedicated to memes about them, like 4l60e go “PNNNNNN”?
The modular and 2v Triton are stout motors. The main problem I’ve heard about with the 3v Triton is that they tend to slowly back out and then violently eject their park plugs. Maybe you can prevent that by checking them every few thousand miles and tightening as needed? I’m not sure if the solution is that easy.
so is it the engine or tail lights that are your priority?
Oh, definitely the engine. I’d just assume the pre-’97 engines are even thirstier than later ones. But if I did go back that far, I’d want a ’92-’94 for the taillights.
I just wish we had some more choices for full-size vans in the U.S. But even then, anything newer than 2010 or so is probably well out of the price range I’m looking at.
Can you not just change the 92-94 tail lights into something newer? Pretty sure that light housing socket in the sheet metal hasn’t changed SINCE 1992!
From ’95 to the end of the E-series in 2014, the side lights on the back are a dreadful “all-in-one” taillight, brake light, and turn signal. For ’92 to ’94 only, there is a separate amber turn signal bulb (which is desirable). So I don’t think those could be transferred onto other years.
Yeah I mean exchange the entire housing and rewire it
That sounds like it’d be extremely difficult to me. If the computer “logic” for the brakes and turn signals is all designed for one bulb for the newer ones, I don’t know how one would tell it “no, now when the turn signals or hazards are on, send the power to these bulbs instead.” That feels like something where you’d have to reprogram something with the ECU or something similarly intimidating.
Good point, I don’t know at what point those things started using body module controlled lighting instead of like my ’91 and 86 where every switch and button just raw-dogs something and you can follow the wire right up to the dashboard
The 92-97 engines are the same as in the f series, meaning the 300, 302, 351, 460, 7.3 IDI, and 7.3 Powerstroke. Almost all half ton vans have the 302 and almost all heavier vans have the 460 or diesel.
Talking about Tritons….. The 2v 5.4 Tritons blow out spark plugs because they don’t have enough threads in the head. The 4.6 has a different head that does not do this.
3v Tritons have sufficient threads in the head that do not blow out plugs, but they are known for breaking off plugs upon removal. Not convinced this is all that prevalent of a problem, a couple weeks ago I replaced all eight 190k mile factory plugs in my 5.4 and had no issues. The other issue 3v 5.4s are known for is losing cam phasers, but I am also not convinced that is particularly common on well maintained engines. Overall, you can do a lot worse than a 5.4, and there are tons of 5.4s out there with hundreds of thousands of miles of hard service.
The v10 is just a 5.4 with two more cylinders. 2v v10s blow out plugs. 3v v10s do not, and the v10 does not have the VVT that the 5.4 does, so that eliminates a failure mode.
love to watch tv in my oven-house parked outside of Lowes
My parents have a little apartment in the basement, where the kitchen sink is located in the bathroom. It’s a stupid setup that my siblings and I said that you shouldn’t set it up like that, my dad apparently thinks its not a big deal. The rest of the kitchen is in the studio apartment. We call it the Koilet (Kitchen/Toilet). Every time I see a “camper” like this, I think of the Koilet.
The Koilet is Kursed and should be Kulled from this world.
We finished a months long remodel last year that gutted our kitchen, so for months we were doing dishes in the bathroom sink. So thank you for the PTSD haha.
Silly rabbit, the shower is for doing dishes
Silly rabbit, the shower is for eating spaghetti!
Where are you supposed to watch that TV from? The sink? Outside? This looks like a few cabinets and a mattress were thrown in in a matter of less than a day.
TV is on a swivel mount to watch from all around the inside. But thanks.
Hi, that’s mine!
This wasnt a U-Haul, it was a municipal water dept camera truck. They drive to the site, park, fire up the generator, and scope lines usually in the spring and fall. Hence the interior and miles. The roof deck was part of the city order to survey the work site. Hell, it even has a hydraulic leveling system on the chassis. Everything on the outside is how it left the factory in ’94. Access ports and all.
The kitchen was left open to access the hot water tank and such. Room was left for drawers/shelves. Plus it leaves access to switch the fridge from 12v to 110v if shore power is there. The bench houses the batteries/wiring/inverter/diesel heater/solar controller/etc. I leave those areas on my builds carpeted so the new owner can pillow them the way they like. I keep my builds simple and easy, less to go wrong. And I figured leave some stuff undone because those are the first things people change (decorations, shower doors/curtains, pillows, etc)
The more that people travel and live in these, it’s nice to just drop camp anywhere and not be bothered for a night.
It’s very nice. I looked at some 10ft. boxes. this can very easily have small windows and maxfan or whatever added for cross venting. and even a 12v ac system.
it has a maxfan for cross venting. and even a 12v ac system is easy to add. if you are parked where it doesn’t matter open the back doors for all the light you could want. but shower curtain solution doesn’t look so easy.
Thanks! It has a 14″ FantasticFan in the roof that does a pretty good job but when it’s too humid and hot, you can use a portable A/C unit and vent it out of the roof fan. I did it in a previous build and it worked a little TOO well.
The shower curtain is already done, I just haven’t mounted it yet. Just a simple U that mounts to the wall and covers the whole shower with a standard curtain
How do you even live inside this thing in August anywhere south of Kodiak? With no AC and no windows, it must be like an incinerator inside on a hot, sunny day. There is no way a single roof vent is keeping that interior cool. Leaving all the doors open seems to kind of negate the whole stealth thing.
It has a Fantastic Fan in the roof, fully insulated, and an area to put an A/C unit inside and port to vent it. It was actually not terrible with just the fan going in July/August
I could give up windows but then I would need a bigger sunroof than that
It HAS a sunroof? I missed it completely
Lose the ladder and just climb up through a (bigger) hatch.
Also I’ve never understood why those ugly connections on the sides of RVs can’t just be on the underside?
But nice try ????
Whoops, I fell in the emoji trap. That was supposed to be a 🙂
Emoji trap? I’ve had emoji replaced with the question marks too, how did you get around it?
Just type it in, like on a Nokia 3310 😉
Damn. I’m young enough that I’m only passingly familiar with the basic emoticons before Unicode emoji debuted. Now I’m used to tapping Windows + . for the emoji menu.
But thank you.
“..You Could Sleep In A Construction Site..”
Which has always been my lifetime dream.
The box truck stealth camper aspect of this makes it possible to camp in places where you couldn’t take a regular camper: this is fine to park behind the Ross Dress For Less, while a Winnebago is not. But……… I think this is unacceptable in just as many places as any other camper is.
This lets you camp in industrial parks, but it prevents you from camping in RV parks. I guess nobody’s stopping you, but this would be pretty weird to take this to most states parks or other campgrounds. There are even a number of nicer suburban neighborhoods where I wouldn’t park this(being a medium duty truck, this is actually illegal to park on a residential street in some places).
Who wants to camp next to a plumbing supply store so badly they are willing to give up camping at campgrounds or even at the inlaws’?
I guess the plan is to skate by overnight without police intervention?
I’ve worked in industrial parks. None of them have rows upon rows of unmarked white box trucks where this could “disappear”.
Branded trucks, maybe a Ryder/Penske rentals are far more likely. The workers know which trucks belong. If you are snoozing there when the warehouse (or Ross Dress for Less) opens up, they’ll know you shouldn’t be there. Maybe they don’t care, but I don’t see “stealth” either.
And like you said, the box truck is welcome basically nowhere else. It’d seem you’d be a lot better off giving up some space for a van that could blend in a line of street parked cars than this truck.
I’d gladly give up said campgrounds to be able to park where I want for free. Seems most campgrounds anymore are just an expensive parking lot, and got so many useless rules it feels like a HOA, yet I still seem to end up next to loud partiers. And they’re harder to get into, as the tourists book up the places at season opening. The real campgrounds don’t care what you’re in. Once I saw a group in a converted ambulance, another time a converted school bus. Unfortunately the real campgrounds where you can truly relax and be free, are dwindling.
No vehicle is going to be best at everything. I think location helps with this vehicle, being in the industrial rust belt. There are countless factories that are a dead zone on weekends, or are a dead zone permanently.
Well sounds like you’re just going to the wrong campgrounds. Look up Succor Creek in eastern Oregon and you’ll see the kind of (free) campsites I go to and that I’m not willing to give up.
Looking up campgrounds in eastern Oregon doesn’t magically make them appear in the rest of the nation, especially east of the Mississippi. In many areas, good campgrounds simply don’t exist.
If this trucks ‘a rockin…call the cops!
There seems to be a fork in the road of #vanlife. The supposed influencers who go on adventures in the wild vs. the people who can’t afford apartments. Maybe it’s all phony.
The miniblinds cover up mirrors. There are no windows. Yecch. Not much ventilation, either. As a motor home it’s not much, without even a stove or microwave oven. You might as well buy an old Uhaul and put together something similar yourself, and still have ten grand left over to pay for your vacation fuel and expenses. This is one step up from a pedo-van. Maybe some well-heeled kidnapper will buy it for his nefarious purposes.
Thanks?
I’d do it, just for the sake of the simplicity of it all. It’s got good bones, as they say.
Could it be more stealthy by slapping some fake decals on there? Could you legally slap on a Penske? Or perhaps a fake moving company decal in thinking Autopian Movers Inc.
And you could hide two porthole windows in the “o”s in “Autopian Movers Inc.” No one would notice.
How about Hollenbeck Laundry?
The classic move is to hide the window in the zipper of the jeans.
Flowers
By
Irene
Two Guys From Quantico Pizza
Love it! I’ve always been fascinated by cozy hidden spaces with lots of functionality inside, like TV reporting vans, etc.
Literally a sleeper. Compared to vans, there’s worlds of room. More truck mass = less truck movement when you move around, so more stealth. These days you could have nearly imperceptible cameras on the outside, connected to low watt screens, to substitute for windows. I’d leave the sink piping open too, less shit to remove if there’s a plug or leak. Has everything you need inside. Only thing I wonder is HVAC. Or do you only use it in cool climates? Sure you could have a small heat pump but then you’d be found out. A ceramic heater inside would do well if it got chilly.
Not sure about the trueism of the white van stereotype, but if true then a random white van might be more susceptible to being checked out by cops. Not so much with a delivery truck.
Install a reefer-style mini-split for HVAC. A reefer looks normal on such a truck. Put pictures of cabbages on the outside with a made up name. SAMPSON’S FARMS CABBAGES.
—also makes it way less likely anyone except a roving gang of vegans is likely to try and break into it in the middle of the night. If you can’t take on a gang of vegans, outdoor life may not be for you
Speaking of breaking in…
A genuine work truck would certainly have a padlock on the exterior doors to keep unauthorized folks out. Obviously that wouldn’t work for a stealth camper, but maybe there could be a padlock attached to a bracket or something to give the illusion the truck is locked. An unlocked truck would probably attract unwanted attention.
Tangential thought: how unpleasant would it be to have a prankster place a padlock on the doors while you’re in there? I can’t tell from the pics if there’s a pass-through into the cab that could be a secondary exit.
Ha!
I had both those thoughts myself—along with some sort of remote or keyed imobilizer. A good way to do that would be a secondary small battery that would only crank for say 30 seconds while the coil packs were not getting power and die down as if weak. A thief won’t stay around too long making noise trying to start it. Does depend on where you park it, though.
-also wonder about various DOTs and weigh stations
That’s a good idea. The immobilizer could be a simple physical switch, placed in the living area, that sits [electrically] between the starter relay and the starter motor. Or it could sit upstream of the relay, allowing the use of a smaller wire carrying fewer amps.
If someone broke into the cab and compromised the ignition lock on the steering column, the dash lights would come on but there would be no power to the starter. It wouldn’t make any noise but would discourage anyone who recognized there was an apparent mechanical issue. In any case, as far as casual thieves would be be concerned the truck would be immobilized. 🙂
DOT and weigh stations do not apply, this is a two axle truck with no trailer under 26,000lb GVWR being used for non commercial purposes. This does not have to conform to any laws or regulations that a 2006 Camry does not.
Good to know.
I was curious because years ago we ran an old Coke(?) delivery box truck for piano deliveries, and my boss used to roll through the scales on 81 just to be sure. 74 Ford 500: I doubt we ever exceeded 10k even with a few pianos
A pass-through entry would be a must for me, with a curtain or something. This would allow for some daylight for when you are not hiding, too.
there is a pass through. big one
Wait,
while that certainly can be done, it’s going to be loud af inside that box: reeefers are a generator & refrigeration unit in one unit usually fed from an auxiliary tank. Too tired to do the math now, but might be possible to just have a battery pack to run an inverter mini-split. Much will depend on climate where you operate—and insulation. You’ll need petroleum backup in temps much below 20°F: you don’t want your plumbing freezing even if the humans cozy up.
I like the idea of this. I don’t have a use for it but the idea and the execution look pretty good for a solo traveler, especially with an actual shower and toilet.
Also the seller apparently watches at least one of Freddy “Tavarish” Hernandez’s YT channels, which is nice – extra points there.
In the case of these things I’ve learned that ‘stealth’ = no windows.
I’m not an RV guy at all, but from what I’ve learned from Mercedes so far, the biggest thing seems to be structural and system solidity, everything else is (relatively) easy to remedy. And this seems to have that.
It’s not terrible, but I would consider it a starting point, not a finished deal. However, the low miles make it kind of a steal. 🙂
there is no finished deal for $21k worth buying. this is well done for a good number. on a good chassis.