Best bus color for boondocking?

EastCoastCB said:
smaller town maybe 20k people or so.
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Hmmm well that's concerning! I suppose if I ever wandered into a town like that and wanted to boondock, I would probably get the vibe that I was "being frowned upon"...and could take it upon myself to leave...is that true? Or is it hard to tell whether you're welcome or not?
 
MollyCMo said:
Hmmm well that's concerning! I suppose if I ever wandered into a town like that and wanted to boondock, I would probably get the vibe that I was "being frowned upon"...and could take it upon myself to leave...is that true? Or is it hard to tell whether you're welcome or not?
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The city tried to get them to leave and they wouldn't so now there's an ordinance. NO school buses on private property. Specifically school buses.
I'm sure you'd know when you're being run out of town.

I've often entertained the idea of a "bus co-op" but IDK... Seems like it would be easy for folks to take advantage and ruin it.
 
EastCoastCB said:
The city tried to get them to leave and they wouldn't so now there's an ordinance. NO school buses on private property. Specifically school buses.
I'm sure you'd know when you're being run out of town.

I've often entertained the idea of a "bus co-op" but IDK... Seems like it would be easy for folks to take advantage and ruin it.
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Oh geez, sounds like they wore out their welcome.

A bus co-op would be cool! I hear you though...great ideas seldom work because of the small percentage of dumb-asses who will inevitably muck it up...
 
EastCoastCB said:
Someone "boondocked" in my town for way too long and now no privately owned buses are allowed to park more than an hour in the city limits.
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This being the city of Eustis?

From a legal standpoint my bus is registered as a motorhome. So if the law says school bus without saying school bus turned into motorhome then they can not touch me for parking more then an hour in town.

I am not going to boondock in Eustis but have been coming down there for over 20 years. Usually staying with friends or going to a campground. I just do not want to get mixed in some over zealous law(makers) making trouble. I am thinking of the boat ramp in Eustis what if I launch my boat and am out on the water for a day? I would not be camping there.

Speaking of that I am planning to bring my boat for the meetup next weekend.
 
Ronnie said:
This being the city of Eustis?

From a legal standpoint my bus is registered as a motorhome. So if the law says school bus without saying school bus turned into motorhome then they can not touch me for parking more then an hour in town.

I am not going to boondock in Eustis but have been coming down there for over 20 years. Usually staying with friends or going to a campground. I just do not want to get mixed in some over zealous law(makers) making trouble. I am thinking of the boat ramp in Eustis what if I launch my boat and am out on the water for a day? I would not be camping there.

Speaking of that I am planning to bring my boat for the meetup next weekend.
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You'll be fine, just don't do like those folks who ruined it. They were going to just live parallel parked in the street in front of a house with an extension cord and a hose running to the house. According to the guy at the City I talked to it took many months to get them to head on down the road.
The result is that if you own a home in Eustis in the City limits anywhere you cannot even park a school bus on your property.
BUT- if its titled as a motorhome youre SAFE. That's the only reason I make mine a MH on the title.
:thumb:

Would love to meet up with ya next time you're down here man!
 
I've heard others retitling as a motorhome as well. Are there other benefits to doing this? I have a van cutaway bus, and while it's titled as a bus (and the DMV had no issue giving me plates like that), it's VIN shows a van, which is how it's insured.
 
farok said:
I've heard others retitling as a motorhome as well. Are there other benefits to doing this? I have a van cutaway bus, and while it's titled as a bus (and the DMV had no issue giving me plates like that), it's VIN shows a van, which is how it's insured.
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Here in Washington annual registration is significantly less expensive for an RV than for a bus.

Also, if your bus weighs 26k lbs or more you must have a CDL. If it's an RV, a CDL is not required.
 
MollyCMo said:
I really love all the pretty colors I see others painting their buses...the turquoises and mints especially are lovely...but for boondocking, would it better to paint it something more inconspicuous like beige? That color depresses me but I don't want to stick out when I'm trying to blend in...:smile:

One idea I have is to paint it a cream color and then do some subtle pastel blue and green elements over that under the window line (maybe hand painted or stenciled).

Anyone have thoughts/experience/seen any great examples of good boondocking colors that aren't totally boring? :biggrin:
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As mentioned already, I guess earth tones work the best for blending.
 
MollyCMo said:
I really love all the pretty colors I see others painting their buses...the turquoises and mints especially are lovely...but for boondocking, would it better to paint it something more inconspicuous like beige? That color depresses me but I don't want to stick out when I'm trying to blend in...:smile:

One idea I have is to paint it a cream color and then do some subtle pastel blue and green elements over that under the window line (maybe hand painted or stenciled).

Anyone have thoughts/experience/seen any great examples of good boondocking colors that aren't totally boring? :biggrin:
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First I own a campground and do 2 events a year so I see few different define of boondocking.

1) It can mean that you are parking off-grid without using the hook-up.

2) It can mean that 2-4 RV is sharing one hook-up to save the cost so I had to clarify that it doesn't matter how many RV in one site, each RV will pay for using hook-up, individually or shared. (Once, I had breaker blown because of this during the event weekend and hardware store is 30 minutes away)

firebuild said:
Well, boondocking can mean a lot of things. There is boondocking on government land, which is dry camping in "dispersed camping areas," in other words, open space that is unorganized as opposed to a set up campground. There is boondocking in Walmart parking lots, rest areas, and the like. But then there's boondocking in populated areas, which some people call "stealth camping." This last one is the only type of boondocking where standing out is going to be a real problem.

To boondock on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land or LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area on various public lands), it makes no difference what you're driving or what color it is. If you're boondocking in other parking areas, such as store parking lots, highway rest stops, industrial areas that are closed for the night, boat ramps, etc., as long as they are not posted as "No Overnight Parking" it is also not a big deal to be driving a lime green school bus. If overnight parking is NOT allowed, it's probably not going to matter what you're driving because any big vehicle is going to get a door knock from security. This goes for government owned land where it's posted no camping. However...

If your intention is to spend a lot of time in cities, to be honest, you probably don't want a skoolie. It's hard to be stealth in a school bus. Shuttle bus, maybe, but most people who plan on living in a vehicle in a city or traveling primarily from heavily populated area to heavily populated area either have a van, a step van, or a box truck, because these vehicles are basically invisible. And they're pretty much always white.

I'm not saying you can't stealth it up in a skoolie, but it's definitely harder. You need really good blackout material on your windows so your presence is undetectable. You need to not snore, at least not loudly, and you can't bring a bark-y dog along. In some cities, it is legal to sleep in your car, and in others, it very much isn't. I would suggest NOT sleeping in your car in the ones where it's not legal. And of course, not sleeping in your car in cute little neighborhoods in the middle of private homes.

If you're thinking about boondocking on private land, as in the back acre of somebody's farm, just... don't.

So... basically... the color really only matters if you're trying for stealth camping on a consistent basis, and even then, no matter what color you paint it, a retired, privately owned school bus LOOKS like exactly what it is, no matter if it's beige or metallic hot pink. Some places are going to be vigilant and shut you out while others are not. But then, that's true even of mainstream, high cost campgrounds, many of which will not allow those unsightly hippie-filled buses into their family oriented parks. You were bold enough to buy a skoolie - why step back now? Make it your own and paint it any way you want. Just know your options may be a more limited, not by the color but by the very nature of a skoolie.
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firewall gave a lot of good pointers.. he said that boondocking can mean a lot of things.. which is true. In my opinion, best advice here.. if you buy bus, no reason to be shy about it. There will always be a place that will reject bus as a "mobile house" or "RV". It is the risk we all took when we buy the bus so I really doubt color will matter in this case of boondocking. Roll with what put smile on your face and make you happy without worrying about what other people think. If they ask you to leave then shrug your shoulder and think 'screw them' and leave.

I think Firewall's post had good points and I think he was speaking from his heart to the community so whoever might read the topic would take his advice to heart. I would expect that in some place, even if there is no "No Overnight Parking", they may still ask skoolie to leave just because we are labeled as a hippie or gypsy or a cheapskate. It is what it is. That is how some Harley riders are treated.. sure there are motorcycle gangs but then doctor and lawyer do ride a Harley and they all dress the same.. leather chaps, bandana on head, half helmets, etc. They get judged at some restaurants or bars and get asked to leave. What can they do other than to take their money elsewhere and they don't even bother to come back when they are with their family or friend not riding that day/night.

As I said, I own the campground and I would care less if anyone roll in on a flatbed with a shed as a camper. At my event, I have seen few interesting inventions that worked within their budget and I don't mind because that is what make it more fun. People get curious and had to have a look then it lead to good chat and sharing beers. When I was looking to buy school bus, I was warned that some campground would reject school bus and that if I decided to buy RV I should also be aware about how some refuse to accept old RV. Well, screw them.. No way I would pay $70,000 RV that I can load my motorcycle into the rear and I don't like the idea of buying toy hauler because I would also need to buy proper truck to tow the payload.

So go with the color that make you happy.. not to worry about what you may face when boondocking.. if they ask you to leave just leave and do warn us about who/where so we will be aware. There is a facebook group just for this with list of places that are skoolie friendly and not.
 
Dark colors absorb heat, show dirt and body imperfections more easily.

Light colors reflect heat, don't show dirt and body imperfections as easily.

You could always go camo. :rofl:
 
Last edited:
Myth busters did an episode about vehicle colors, and a white car stays 15° cooler, and takes longer to heat up. Elastomeric paint is the best
 
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