Latest news with #SteveWallis
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Why Buy A Camper When You Could Build A Stealthier One Out Of Pallets Yourself?
There's just something about hitting the open road with no need to book a hotel or stay with a friend, because you're hauling your own place to stay for the night. Sure, current hashtag vanlife trends may be motivated by how ridiculously expensive housing has gotten, but even before Reagan voters set the U.S. on a path to ruin, Americans loved their RVs and travel trailers. The biggest problem, though, is that travel trailers are also ridiculously expensive. Want an Airstream like you see on TV? Well, the least-expensive Airstream costs nearly $50,000, and the Pottery Barn Special Edition will run you an eye-watering $171,300. That isn't even the most expensive Airstream, either. At that point, you might as well buy one of those stationary condos with an HOA and zero wheels. Wait, actually, I just checked, and the wealthy NIMBYs just blocked the new condos that were supposed to get built. Can't risk their property values, after all. So if you want a travel trailer but don't have six figures to throw around, are you out of luck? Nope. Just build your own like our friend Steve Wallis did here. It isn't pretty, but that's actually the point. Read more: These Are The Worst Transmission Recalls Of The Last 5 Years As we all know, the second-biggest problem with campers is that, even if you can afford one, everyone immediately knows what they're looking at. They all scream, "Someone's sleeping in here, and they probably have their stuff with them." And cops don't like it when people sleep somewhere without a foundation. Disguise your travel trailer as a stack of wood pallets, though, and there you go. Problem solved. Instead of everyone assuming you're a shifty ne'er-do-well, they'll just think you're headed to a bonfire or a Real American (TM) doing Real Work. Sure, he could have probably done a slightly better job ensuring the entire setup was watertight, but it's not like the travel trailers and RVs people spend six figures on have the best reputation there, either. Plus, it has a skylight. And modern batteries mean it's possible to set up interior lights, an entire security system with exterior cameras and a slow cooker. Just don't let anyone from Louisiana see that Crock-Pot "jambalaya" he makde for dinner, even if it probably tasted better than the vast majority of camping meals. Does Canada have Tony Chachere's? Surely, you can at least get good ole Tony C's up in Canada, Steve. What are you gonna do while the jambalaya's slow-cooking? Well, that's the great thing about campers. Just walk into a nearby corporate chain restaurant, catch the Canadian Ice Soccer game on one of the many TVs, sip a beer or two, and even if two turns into 12, you've still got a bed within stumbling distance and a pot of warm jambalaya to go back to. If that isn't luxury living, I don't know what is. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
The Drive
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
This Stack of Pallets Is Actually a Low Budget Stealth Camper
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Not everybody is cut out for camping, even in something as sophisticated as a camper. But even within that niche, boondocking is a horse of a different color. It takes a certain type of adventurer to embrace the art of camping off-grid—and perhaps even doing so in plain sight. Fortunately, those of us who prefer a real mattress and built-in amenities can get our kicks vicariously through lovable weirdos like Steve Wallis, known as @campingwithsteve on YouTube. Steve put together these incognito sleeping quarters using pretty much what you see. The walls of the open interior are plywood, and they're framed in by the pallets that form the exterior disguise. The walls are coated in what Steve describes as plastic (it appears to be some sort of housewrap) and decorated inside with canvas. The former offers some protection against the elements, but not enough to prevent water seepage when it rains, as we can see early in the video. The advantage here is that you can camp where a parked RV or tent might bring unwanted attention, but a RAV4 hauling lumber wouldn't. This is arguably a far better 'tactical' camper than something bright orange and bristling with accessories. Flying under the radar is the real thinking person's apocalypse prep. He describes the camper's electrical system as 'modest,' and from what we can see early in the video, it utilizes just a lithium iron phosphate battery and a simple power inverter. It's robust enough to run a slow cooker for Steve's dinner while simultaneously supplying power to his 360-degree camera setup while he's inside the camper, plus the battery has built-in over-current protection, significantly reducing the risk of a fire if something shorts out. That surveillance system is not merely to identify potential thieves coming to pilfer the pallets; it's also how Steve monitors his surroundings after entering and before exiting the camper. The camper's physical security is almost entirely dependent on remaining stealthy, so Steve takes great care to avoid being spotted during entry or exit; he even taped over the lights on the cameras themselves to make them blend in at night. The camper door itself is secured only by simple slide latches, so he keeps his valuables in the car itself when he's outside the camper. The bulk of Steve's video involves an actual test—the third such attempt, he says, without much in the way of elaboration—in which he camps out overnight in a parking lot attached to a modest strip mall. We'll leave out the spoilers in case you're curious, and it's certainly worth a watch even if this isn't your scene. Besides, don't you want to know how the jambalaya turned out? Seen any other cool stealth camper setups? Share them with us at tips@ Byron is one of those weird car people who has never owned an automatic transmission. Born in the DMV but Midwestern at heart, he lives outside of Detroit with his wife, two cats, a Miata, a Wrangler, and a Blackwing.
