Stealth Camping Dude Spends The Night In A Dump Truck

As long as you don't listen to the ultra-light backpackers who insist nothing can cost less than $200 or weigh more than a feather, camping is a lot of fun. You get to set up your little camp, cook food over a fire, crack a cold one and enjoy some nature as long as you don't get arrested for trespassing. OK, so the fear of being arrested isn't normally part of camping, but thanks to YouTube, more people know about a once-obscure hobby known as stealth camping. Instead of paying for a camp site and setting up your tent where you're supposed to be, you camp in places you technically aren't supposed to be for free. You know, normal camping places such as a dump truck parked on the side of a highway. 

As you know, any time you drive by a dump truck parked on the side of the road, every single one of us thinks, "I wonder if I could spend the night in there." Oh, you don't? Well, clearly, you aren't Steve Wallis, the Canadian stealth camping YouTuber who, if you've ever heard of it before, was likely the one who introduced you to stealth camping. He's graduated from sleeping in roundabouts and on the U.S.-Canadian border to more creative options, and you know what? There are probably worse places to sleep than in the back of a dump truck. At the very least, it should protect you from the wind. 

Now, if you just thought to yourself, "What happens if the driver comes back to get the truck before you wake up?", that's a valid question. Steve also found a way around that by convincing the owner of a local dump truck company to let him borrow one for the night. Is that technically cheating? Sure. If you put videos of yourself on the internet doing things that may be technically illegal, though, I'm not going to get too mad about minimizing the legal risk. YouTube videos are supposed to be entertaining, after all.

If you thought the guy spending the night in the back of a dump truck would break out a couple thousand dollars in equipment from Garage Grown Gear, though, you couldn't be more wrong. Our friend Steve is a simple man who shops at Canadian Tire. That said, he did also bring along a few home-security cameras to ensure he could keep an eye on things without anyone else noticing he's there. After all, once you take off the reflective safety vest that proves you're a regular worker who belongs there, you become some guy who's sleeping in the back of a dump truck, and people don't always take kindly to guys like that. 

Just because Steve doesn't use a Pocket Rocket stove and a Toaks pot to make his meals doesn't mean he didn't bring along a few other camping-related luxuries. Step 2 is always a beer, although, this time around, it's non-alcoholic because stealth camping, alcohol and a vehicle are a recipe for a bad time if the cops show up. And you also can't camp in the back of a dump truck without a couple of car batteries to power your space heater and pizza oven. You take a pizza oven with you every time you go non-stealth camping, right? OK, so it isn't exactly a regular thing, but it probably gets lonely solo camping in the back of a dump truck, and a piping hot, freshly made pizza seems like the perfect companion. Plus, it does draw a clearer distinction between what he does for fun and what other people experience.

After all, you could argue stealth camping videos trivialize the problems people who actually have to live on the street deal with. On the other hand, folks like Steve do try to make it clear that they enjoy the thrill but understand there's a difference between doing it recreationally instead of because you have to. It also helps that Wallis used to live out of his truck and got his start making a documentary about what Canadians call boondocking, so it's not like he's some wealthy executive taking a break from his life of luxury to pretend he's homeless for a night. Wallis also just makes enjoyable comfort content, and we could all use a little of that right now. 

Had you probably planned to spend a half hour watching a grown man spend the night in the back of a dump truck today? I'm going to guess not. But hey, if it's an enjoyable watch, does that really matter?