Free over night stays

[allbrand1999]

I have looked at FAQ and found out a lot of good information. Free Apps Park Advisor,Exit,Allstays one was $9.95 or so good stuff. It looks like Walmart ask if it is okay and flying J and Sam's club Cracker Barrel Bass Pro Shops etc.
My question is can you put out your tip outs? Run your generator? Safety is a concern any nightmare stories to share. Stay away from the big gas stations with truckers yes or no these days I think everybody would like to feel safe and stay for free.

[CampFire Junkies]

We put out our slide as it is our bed and run our quite genny in our belly of C class MH as I need for my c-pap.

Stayed at several Walmarts when traveling across Texas. No problems!

[lenkerb]

we have a full wall slide and try to find an area where the slide hangs over a curb....they usually want you to stay out of the main parking lot...we also run our generator but not overnight.

[Loggenrock]

The generally accepted practice is don't make it look like you are staying - no slides, no jacks, no BBQ's, etc. Here's a link to the industry-accepted (Escapees, FMCA, Good Sam, etc) "Good neighbor Policy" re: overnight stops in parking lots. See You are being redirected...
We use parking areas regularly, run genny as needed, have only been bothered once by a panhandler. ST

[JFXG]

allbrand.....
we've stayed at a fair number of WM in the last 5+ years, as well as the odd Cracker Barrel, Sams Club, HD, truck stop now and then. Never had a problem anywhere, but it's important to keep in mind that a truck stop IS a 24-hr truck business. As such I think it would be unreasonable for me- or anyone- to expect quiet at such a place.
That said, WM has become our go-to for convenient, quick overnight stops. They are plentiful, usually quite near the highway, and provide additional convenient benefits. When in travel mode we will likely do 1-2 nights at WM followed by 2 nights at a pleasant CG or RV Park. (We only travel about 200-250 miles per day.).

With WM we .....
.... always call ahead to check if they allow.
.... always go into the store to buy a few needed things, and track down the Manager on duty to say thanks.
... always park in the area they suggest, and try to park driver side to a curb. This allows us to extend BR and LR slides without infringing upon others' movement.
-- If the pavement appears healthy I will put down my jacks just enough to stabilize- a few thousand Lbs. In my coach each tire puts about 6K psf or more on the pavement, so picking up 3K Lbs on the jack won't endanger anything.

We've never had a problem at any of them. Once some folks got a little loud sometime after midnight, just for ten minutes or so and they left. Probably the stockers leaving work. And I think twice we pulled in, didn't like the look of things, and left.
But generally, all is fine.
Good Luck!

[allbrand1999]

Thank you all so much

[bfisher003]

We just spent the night at the Walmart in Grand Prairie, AB. There are at least 17 RVs of one type or another here at 7:00 AM this morning. No problems at all.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by allbrand1999

......these days I think everybody would like to feel safe and stay for free.

... one more point here-- just a comment, really.

Remember, the prime value of a parking lot overnight is the convenience, not the cost. WM is not necessarily free. If you travel in the hot season when you need air conditioning then you'll need your generator, and that costs money. With fuel and recurring servicing I estimate my generator costs about $2.60/ hr to run.

I'd never let that stop me if it's hot outside, but you have to have information to make a valid decision.

[Superslif]

When do a cross country trip, I'll plan out either WalMarts or Cabelas. I'll do a Goodle street view to kind of see the kind of area it is.

One key when pulling in to a Walmart is " are there other RV's already boon-docking. No need to ask then. There has only been one Walmart that didn't allow overnight parking.

[allbrand1999]

Originally Posted by JFXG

... one more point here-- just a comment, really.

Remember, the prime value of a parking lot overnight is the convenience, not the cost. WM is not necessarily free. If you travel in the hot season when you need air conditioning then you'll need your generator, and that costs money. With fuel and recurring servicing I estimate my generator costs about $2.60/ hr to run.

I'd never let that stop me if it's hot outside, but you have to have information to make a valid decision.

Very good point if I can find a camp site for around $40 I might as well stay there and have full hook ups TKS

[Murf2u]

Originally Posted by allbrand1999

Very good point if I can find a camp site for around $40 I might as well stay there and have full hook ups TKS

If you're meandering along a c/g is probably a better choice, especially in cooler or very hot weather, free electricity goes a long way.

If however you're doing an express run as I usually do, and not getting off the road until often well past 11pm and then back out on the road again at zero-dark-thirty, often before sunrise.

I certainly wouldn't want that if I was at a park on vacation, so I won't do that to other people who are on vacation either.

[allbrand1999]

Originally Posted by Murf2u

If you're meandering along a c/g is probably a better choice, especially in cooler or very hot weather, free electricity goes a long way.

If however you're doing an express run as I usually do, and not getting off the road until often well past 11pm and then back out on the road again at zero-dark-thirty, often before sunrise.

I certainly wouldn't want that if I was at a park on vacation, so I won't do that to other people who are on vacation either.

Thank you I'm going to be a 10:00-3:00 camper

[fluffyms]

Interesting thread -

If it's merely stopping somewhere for a few ( 4 to 8 hours ) to get off the road for some rest, we usually stop at the Interstate rest stops - depending on the state we're in. We always try to find one that has a lot of trucks already parked there along with a place to be able to walk our 3 dogs.
Parking in the truckers area, in my mind at least, gives us some feeling of a little security and allows me to run the ( diesel ) generator without any problem because the majority of trucks have their diesel engines running.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[allbrand1999]

Thank you