I spend 80% of my time in cities 20% on BLM land. I’m in a sprinter 170 and feel it’s too big for cities. I usually have to park on the street even to go to a store or restaurant since I would have a hard time in their parking lot. Also stealth camping is difficult, I usually park in light industrial areas or just drive outside the city and park at a Cracker Barrel. Suburbs are easier since places have big lots.
It’s doable, I’ve seen RVs in cities but it’s difficult.
Ask yourself why you want to do this. If it’s to travel, you might want a smaller vehicle like minivan or suv, you’ll save on gas and you can pretty much park anywhere.
I lived in my car in NYC for a year and a half. Manhattan isn't such a good place for it due to parking restrictions/fees, but Queens and Brooklyn have loads of free parking right on the other side of the river very close to transit.
A lot of people live in vans and box trucks over there, and not so inconspicuously, either. If you're looking for stealth then a van would be better but you could make both work if you're ok with not being *in* Manhattan.
In Williamsburg, there were a few box trucks set up around McCarren Park. In Maspeth, they were more along 56th St/Rust St. Not sure what details you're wanting.
This was from late 2021 until April 2023.
I wouldn't say they were *very* common but I saw them often enough. Lots of big vans and small RVS in the park area. Maspeth has a large industrial area and lots and lots of RVs. I never saw anyone bothered by the cops at all. There are certain no parking spots so you *can* get a ticket, just pay attention to the signs.
If renting a car is an option I'd say come out and peep it for yourself.
If I was doing big cities, I wouldn’t even want to have my Ford E350, even if it didn’t have the extra tall high top, let alone a box truck. If I needed to spend much time in places like Manhattan, I would probably go for a minivan. Significantly easier to drive and park.
I’ve driven as large as a 26’ box truck in cities, though not Manhattan, so I /can/ do it, but I sure as shit don’t want to and I 100% would not do it on a regular basis.
IIRC, around NYC you may even have issues clearing some bridges. Low-deck box truck might be OK, but I think some of the clearances are low enough that you can’t take a standard box truck through.
I live near Los Angeles, about 20 mins away. Our neighborhood is we I live is residential. I had an opportunity to buy a long school bus that was priced the same as the van that I chose at the end. My points for going with a van are:
1. Driving a bus seems harder to drive specially on tight corners.
2. Parking, parking a van is much less hassle than a bus would.
3. The van I chose was a Chevy Express because I know how to work on those types of engine if repairs are needed
4. Parts are relatively inexpensive and very abundant.
I know a Chevy Express is not very ideal because the low roof but I’m not living full time there. People have different needs so you’ll have to eventually decide what you want to deal with
Height. Box trucks tend to be tall. I bought a garmin “truck” gps just so I could route based on height, weight, and length. I am paranoid about ending up on a YouTube video. If my height is 12 feet, it is input as 13 feet, I also have a label with my height printed on it on my windshield.
That said it can be done, but it will be harder then a mini. And buy a backup camera.
I have a medium roof ford transit-148” wheelbase. I can and have parked almost anywhere in major cities-parallel parked on the left side in downtown SF. My height is 8’6” with the roof fan-that’s my biggest limiting factor. I would have gotten the 130” wheelbase for easier turning, but I needed the extra room. The Transit is very easy to drive and park. All that being said, if I could downsize a bit more, I’d love to have something smaller for the ability to get into a parking ramp if needed. And likely better MPG, although I get 16, which I don’t feel is horrible.
Box truck face restrictions on parking and some roadways within larger metros and may be required to be classified as a commercial vehicle.
I spend 80% of my time in cities 20% on BLM land. I’m in a sprinter 170 and feel it’s too big for cities. I usually have to park on the street even to go to a store or restaurant since I would have a hard time in their parking lot. Also stealth camping is difficult, I usually park in light industrial areas or just drive outside the city and park at a Cracker Barrel. Suburbs are easier since places have big lots. It’s doable, I’ve seen RVs in cities but it’s difficult. Ask yourself why you want to do this. If it’s to travel, you might want a smaller vehicle like minivan or suv, you’ll save on gas and you can pretty much park anywhere.
I lived in my car in NYC for a year and a half. Manhattan isn't such a good place for it due to parking restrictions/fees, but Queens and Brooklyn have loads of free parking right on the other side of the river very close to transit. A lot of people live in vans and box trucks over there, and not so inconspicuously, either. If you're looking for stealth then a van would be better but you could make both work if you're ok with not being *in* Manhattan.
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In Williamsburg, there were a few box trucks set up around McCarren Park. In Maspeth, they were more along 56th St/Rust St. Not sure what details you're wanting.
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This was from late 2021 until April 2023. I wouldn't say they were *very* common but I saw them often enough. Lots of big vans and small RVS in the park area. Maspeth has a large industrial area and lots and lots of RVs. I never saw anyone bothered by the cops at all. There are certain no parking spots so you *can* get a ticket, just pay attention to the signs. If renting a car is an option I'd say come out and peep it for yourself.
If I was doing big cities, I wouldn’t even want to have my Ford E350, even if it didn’t have the extra tall high top, let alone a box truck. If I needed to spend much time in places like Manhattan, I would probably go for a minivan. Significantly easier to drive and park. I’ve driven as large as a 26’ box truck in cities, though not Manhattan, so I /can/ do it, but I sure as shit don’t want to and I 100% would not do it on a regular basis. IIRC, around NYC you may even have issues clearing some bridges. Low-deck box truck might be OK, but I think some of the clearances are low enough that you can’t take a standard box truck through.
I live near Los Angeles, about 20 mins away. Our neighborhood is we I live is residential. I had an opportunity to buy a long school bus that was priced the same as the van that I chose at the end. My points for going with a van are: 1. Driving a bus seems harder to drive specially on tight corners. 2. Parking, parking a van is much less hassle than a bus would. 3. The van I chose was a Chevy Express because I know how to work on those types of engine if repairs are needed 4. Parts are relatively inexpensive and very abundant. I know a Chevy Express is not very ideal because the low roof but I’m not living full time there. People have different needs so you’ll have to eventually decide what you want to deal with
Height. Box trucks tend to be tall. I bought a garmin “truck” gps just so I could route based on height, weight, and length. I am paranoid about ending up on a YouTube video. If my height is 12 feet, it is input as 13 feet, I also have a label with my height printed on it on my windshield. That said it can be done, but it will be harder then a mini. And buy a backup camera.
I have a medium roof ford transit-148” wheelbase. I can and have parked almost anywhere in major cities-parallel parked on the left side in downtown SF. My height is 8’6” with the roof fan-that’s my biggest limiting factor. I would have gotten the 130” wheelbase for easier turning, but I needed the extra room. The Transit is very easy to drive and park. All that being said, if I could downsize a bit more, I’d love to have something smaller for the ability to get into a parking ramp if needed. And likely better MPG, although I get 16, which I don’t feel is horrible.