Can one Camp in tent on Islands

Being the devil's advocate. I do not think there is anything wrong with stealth camping. It is an adventure. Stealth is all about leaving no trace you were ever there.

Just set up camp site at dusk and pack up at dawn. When I did stealth camping in the States I slept in woods, brush off high way, under bridges and parks. Only once did anyone ever know I was stealth camping is when I was outside a small town and a very bad storm came up. I ended up calling the police told them I was trying to walk across the USA and needed shelter. I thought a tornado was going to kill me. The Police set me up at a park pavilion with a bathroom for the night.

Also I remember that story of 1000s Native Hawaiians who became homeless because the rich drove up housing prices. They just camped on the beach. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/05/us/05hawaii.html?_r=0 My point is stealth camping is a lot like being homeless for a short time.

I wish you the best of luck.

Stealth Camping is a very bad idea in the Virgin Islands. Just don't do it. There are plenty of options for camping and there is no need to traspass on someone's property and crap all over it and endanger yourself while doing so. Be smart.

Well, this isn't Hawaii, and it certainly isn't the states. Don't take advice on stealth camping in the Virgin Islands from someone who has never lived here!

It is possible to camp here undetected with some degree of success, but it's not very easy to do if you're unfamiliar with the island you choose. And it will not look anything like the dream the OP probably has in his head of "camping out in the Caribbean".

Maybe we should mention the non human deterrents such as swarms of mosquitoes, sand fleas, ground spiders, crab spiders, all kinds of spiders, centipedes, scorpions, jacks-panniers, stinging ants and stinging nettles, vines called "catch and keep," toxic toads, mongoose and thrushies that will steal food if you leave it sitting out as well as the palm rats that we fondly refer to as west indian possums since they are about as large, the extreme heat, scarcity of fresh water unless your lugging it,

Stay at a nice campground or rent a place to stay.
Don't stealth camp.

Maybe we should mention the non human deterrents such as swarms of mosquitoes, sand fleas, ground spiders, crab spiders, all kinds of spiders, centipedes, scorpions, jacks-panniers, stinging ants and stinging nettles, vines called "catch and keep," toxic toads, mongoose and thrushies that will steal food if you leave it sitting out as well as the palm rats that we fondly refer to as west indian possums since they are about as large, the extreme heat, scarcity of fresh water unless your lugging it,

Stay at a nice campground or rent a place to stay.
Don't stealth camp.

Heh. Made me recall scraping a palm rat ass off my floor because the pest control guys wanted to use the sticky traps instead of the zappy traps because the sticky one were "more humane". I don't know if forcing an animal to chew its ass off to escape is exactly humane.

Stealth camping is fine. Just do your research. Accounting for the things Alana mentions is a good start. Some people don't have the resources to pay for campgrounds or rent. And, as referenced, the creepy crawlies aren't limited to affecting those living out of doors.

FYI. When I used to fly around STX in the helicopter, there were several guys living in caves on Maroon Ridge. They were just east of Ham's Bluff. Two in caves and one on a tree covered outcropping. The one on the out cropping had a tent and rain catchment system and a garden. Never could tell how he got there, must have been one hell of a hike.

"Heh. Made me recall scraping a palm rat ass off my floor because the pest control guys wanted to use the sticky traps instead of the zappy traps because the sticky one were "more humane". I don't know if forcing an animal to chew its ass off to escape is exactly humane."

Hate, hate, hate those sticky traps. There is nothing humane at all about them having some animal stuck to them to resort to the above or dying slowly of starvation and dehydration. Needlessly cruel and I refuse to use them.

Sorry to get off the subject matter of stealth camping.
In my opinion, it is just not safe to do so and take the risk of being caught, being robbed or mugged while doing so not to mention all the other stuff.

"Heh. Made me recall scraping a palm rat ass off my floor because the pest control guys wanted to use the sticky traps instead of the zappy traps because the sticky one were "more humane". I don't know if forcing an animal to chew its ass off to escape is exactly humane."

Hate, hate, hate those sticky traps. There is nothing humane at all about them having some animal stuck to them to resort to the above or dying slowly of starvation and dehydration. Needlessly cruel and I refuse to use them.

Sorry to get off the subject matter of stealth camping.
In my opinion, it is just not safe to do so and take the risk of being caught, being robbed or mugged while doing so not to mention all the other stuff.

Alana, LIVING IN CHRISTIANSTED is "not safe to do" and carries the risk of "being robbed or mugged".

Sticky traps are about the most inhumane things you can use. Period. They shouldn't even be legal.

If you're an experienced camper, you can absolutely stealth camp on STX, but it would make more sense to call R2R farm or Mount Victory and just rent a spot for a week.

An adventure should be some what dangerous. It is part of the rush of doing it. Climb MT. Everest, Take a 2 week hiking trip in the Amazon jungle, or visit North Korea(I have seen USA tourist groups for this). Mention those things and camping on St. Croix seems like barely any risk.

Whenever this question comes up, I think people assume they will be camping in downtown Csted or it'll be a dozen college kids on the beach having a party.

Whenever this question comes up, I think people assume they will be camping in downtown Csted or it'll be a dozen college kids on the beach having a party.

I can agree some people might think it will be some luxury camping trip. Sadly as well a lot of campers litter all over the ground :-(.

"Heh. Made me recall scraping a palm rat ass off my floor because the pest control guys wanted to use the sticky traps instead of the zappy traps because the sticky one were "more humane". I don't know if forcing an animal to chew its ass off to escape is exactly humane."

Hate, hate, hate those sticky traps. There is nothing humane at all about them having some animal stuck to them to resort to the above or dying slowly of starvation and dehydration. Needlessly cruel and I refuse to use them.

Sorry to get off the subject matter of stealth camping.
In my opinion, it is just not safe to do so and take the risk of being caught, being robbed or mugged while doing so not to mention all the other stuff.

Alana, LIVING IN CHRISTIANSTED is "not safe to do" and carries the risk of "being robbed or mugged".

Then I am quite happy to be living where I am, Northside, STT. Never had a problem in either location in STT I have lived at in my lifetime here, nor when I lived in STJ as a youngster and which I still visit frequently as have family there..
I consider myself grateful as well as lucky. Ya'll take care.

"Heh. Made me recall scraping a palm rat ass off my floor because the pest control guys wanted to use the sticky traps instead of the zappy traps because the sticky one were "more humane". I don't know if forcing an animal to chew its ass off to escape is exactly humane."

Hate, hate, hate those sticky traps. There is nothing humane at all about them having some animal stuck to them to resort to the above or dying slowly of starvation and dehydration. Needlessly cruel and I refuse to use them.

Sorry to get off the subject matter of stealth camping.
In my opinion, it is just not safe to do so and take the risk of being caught, being robbed or mugged while doing so not to mention all the other stuff.

Alana, LIVING IN CHRISTIANSTED is "not safe to do" and carries the risk of "being robbed or mugged".

Then I am quite happy to be living where I am, Northside, STT. Never had a problem in either location in STT I have lived at in my lifetime here, nor when I lived in STJ as a youngster and which I still visit frequently as have family there..
I consider myself grateful as well as lucky. Ya'll take care.

Well then. Come visit us sometime. See how the other half lives.

Right now my neighbors have a man camping on the beach in front of their house.

The VIPD say he can do that.

Sloop

Right now my neighbors have a man camping on the beach in front of their house.

The VIPD say he can do that.

Sloop

I fine that interesting. Most places have ordinances on loitering. It should never be a crime to be homeless, however I would be highly frustrated if someone camped in front of my home. Out of sight is out of mind.

Until they set the dogs out or shoot the MF.
Or guess they can also wait until high tide.

Until they set the dogs out or shoot the MF.
Or guess they can also wait until high tide.

Lol Alana33 😮

I think we need some https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo4OnQpwjkc

the VI code allows hanging on the beach....... day or nite.....as long as you don't harass.
sloop

the VI code allows hanging on the beach....... day or nite.....as long as you don't harass.
sloop

Well I think I am moving the family to the beach. I am going to save a lot of money. 😮

the VI code allows hanging on the beach....... day or nite.....as long as you don't harass.
sloop

I believe that anything below the mean high tide line is public property. Even if it's in front of your multi-million dollar mansion. Doesn't mean you can TRAVERSE private property to access the beach -- that'd be trespassing -- but AFAIK the beaches themselves in the VI belong to the people dem.

I'm having trouble matching up all this info here...if I own waterfront property, it seems I own from the road or wherever to the high tide line, and the area covered by water and out to sea at high tide belongs to the government. (Explains having to pay the gov't rent if you have a dock out into the water). So then how can Sloop's neighbor not be able to get rid of someone camping on what sounds like their property...unless the guy is sitting in water at high tide, which I very much doubt?

There was another thread on the topic of public access vs. private ownership for beachfront properties.
If you own beachfront property you do not have to provide access by land, unless you are a resort, hotel development.
However, anyone can use the beach, if they access by water up to high water mark.
Camping on private property is not an option so I don't know why sloop's neighbors have some guy camping out in front of their property or on their property.

It's not that simple. Many of the gated sub division permits were granted with a clause maintaining public beach access. "Access" is the troubling term. Some HOA feel that allowing foot traffic fulfills "access". That's a whole other debate.

The camp site in question is either on Public or private land. If neighbor owns the land "in front of his house", then call the cops and have campers removed. If public land, then neighbor is a the mercy of "selective enforcement". If land is owned by an absentee party, then it's up to the absentee owner to call for enforcement.

This was part of the V.I. Open Shoreline Act of 1971. Title 12 Chapter 10.

"(b) For the purposes of this chapter "shorelines of the United States Virgin Islands" shall mean the area along the coastlines of the United States Virgin Islands from the seaward line of low tide, running inland a distance of fifty (50) feet; or to the extreme seaward boundary of natural vegetation which spreads continuously inland; or to a natural barrier; whichever is the shortest distance. Whenever the shore is extended into the sea by filling or dredging, the boundary of the shorelines shall remain at the line of vegetation as previously established."

http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/vicode/