How safe is overnight parking at Walmarts, Flying J's, etc.

[Mr_D]

The only time I've run into a "problem" was at a truck stop about 40 miles from home. The engine dropped a valve in #6 and I barely made it to the truck stop. The manager wasn't too pleased that I was stranded over the weekend but there wasn't much he could do. Coach Net simply didn't want to pay weekend callout for a tow and I wasn't too worried since we were close to home. I made three round trips to take the DW, food, clothing and cats home and stayed in the rig. I did move to another spot so the tow truck would have better access though.

[valland]

Walmart is good, never ask to leave, I don't level and only run generator for very short periods. No Slides out, I do see other do this if I could without putting jacks down I see no harm but my jacks have to be down to open slide and that might scar their lot.

[dix39]

Originally Posted by valland

Walmart is good, never ask to leave, I don't level and only run generator for very short periods. No Slides out, I do see other do this if I could without putting jacks down I see no harm but my jacks have to be down to open slide and that might scar their lot.

Good for you!

If everyone was that courteous there would be more Wal-Marts available.

Just my 2c.

Steve

[Gordon Dewald]

Originally Posted by valland

Walmart is good, never ask to leave, I don't level and only run generator for very short periods. No Slides out, I do see other do this if I could without putting jacks down I see no harm but my jacks have to be down to open slide and that might scar their lot.

We have large jack pads we place under the jacks. Does not mark the asphalt.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined us!

Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[FaithBowls]

Kmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Cabelas, Camping world also allow ovenight parking. Ask a manager if in doubt.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by goodoldrebel

Traveling back and forth from my to Fla is there any security at these I-95 parking stops?

goodoldrebel
We have overnighted many times in Walmart and Sams Club parking lots, Flying Js and in highway rest areas all over the US, (not only along I-95)....without a problem.
Mel
'96 Safari, 148k miles

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by dix39

Good for you!

If everyone was that courteous there would be more Wal-Marts available.

Just my 2c.

Steve

Not if they are in many cities. The cities pass ordnances against overnighting, not Walmart.

That is stated in Walmart's web site.

[vapor3000]

We have overnighted many times at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot etc. We always call ahead and ask the store manager if it's OK. We have felt reasonably secure and have never had security problems.

[dix39]

Originally Posted by twinboat

6 trips from FL. to upstate NY and beyond. Stayed in Walmart, Flying J and a 1 rest area ( don't park near the dumpsters, they empty them at 5 AM ).

Speaking of parking near dumpsters, one winter night heading East on I80 we stayed at a truck stop in Evanston, WY. It was crowded and we parked near a dumpster. The next morning 80 was closed because of snow and we waited until mid afternoon before heading for I70. After reaching our destination in WV the toad (Tracker) had a terrible smell coming out of the heater when the fan was turned on. My conclusion was that a mouse that had been living in or near the dumpster found it's way into the heating system of the Tracker and expired there. For quite a while it was a choice of freezing or gagging when driving it.

Another reason for avoiding dumpsters.

Steve

[dix39]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Not if they are in many cities. The cities pass ordnances against overnighting, not Walmart.

That is stated in Walmart's web site.

Undoubtedly true.

I was thinking of a Walmart located out of town near Keyser, WV that I would occasionally stay at. One morning after overnighting there I asked one of the other people "camping" there where I could dump my holding tank. He pointed to a ditch at the edge of the paved parking area with water running in it. Of course I didn't do that, but the next time I went there to overnight there were "No Overnight Parking" signs at various locations in the lot. I didn't check, but I think I know why.

IMHO, it is always wise to be courteous when using any parking facilities.

Just my 2c.

Steve

[Nana25K]

We use WalMarts all the time. If its going to be our overnight we leave later so we arrive after 4pm. We try too have 2 places in our pocket. If we pull in and it doesn't feel right for any reason we move on. I come from a long line of truckers and so no truck stops. They need a place to stop and rest.

[twogypsies]

We've never felt unsafe in WalMarts, truck stops, rest areas, etc. It's the noise that got to us.

So we switched to finding a nice quiet boondocking spot...and no, we didn't feel unsafe parked by ourselves either.

However, 98% of the time we'd get off the road by 3pm and find a decent place to stay the night - usually boondocking or a forest service campground. We rarely traveled interstates so other options were plenty. Even city parks in some states have great camp spots (in the West, anyway).

[JFXG]

We've stayed at several Wallys, a few Sams, Cracker Barrels, and Lowe's. Never had a problem. Always call ahead, always go inside to buy a few bucks worth and personally thank the manager on duty.
I park left side to a curb at the edge of the lot so I can run out my LR and BR slides without blocking anything. I put my legs down. Most parking lots are pretty level. If you use your legs in a minimum way-- as stabilizers-- you probably won't put more than a few thousand Lbs on each one. That's less than the tire footprint of an 18-wheeler, so it's not going to hurt anyone's asphalt.


John & Diane, fulltiming since '12
'02 DS, FL, Cat, '04 Element
NHSO RVM103