Not the Cabelas I knew

[DandyDon]

In my opinion, Cabelas started going downhill when they went from family ownership to being a public company. We've stayed in Mitchell a couple times but at Wal Mart. They were very RV friendly. Probably going to see a lot more of this kind of stuff for a number of reasons. More RVers than ever, social unrest, local ordinances, and the fact that most Wal Marts are no longer open 24/7. There's also the rise of the overly litigious society.

[Rumline]

Originally Posted by ArtJoyce

I have been reading that in different areas in the country. Private campgrounds have been going to the county officials asking for zoning changes. They look at these parking lots as competition. The changes they have been asking for are no overnight stays in shopping parking lots. I have heard a few Walmart's no longer allow over nights because of zoning changes.


People who track the industry say part of the reason more Walmarts are restricting overnight stays is because local ordinances have cropped up in recent years banning overnight RV parking in business parking lots

This is what I've heard multiple places as well.

[jrollf]

Originally Posted by Fffrank

Not to get too far off topic but LA is actually pretty RV friendly compared to some places (ahem.... San Diego seems to be winning in their fight against street RV parking.) Much of the city is now "green zoned" where it's legal to stay overnight in your vehicle as long as you are 500ft from a school, park or church. Some areas (Venice) have restrictions on oversized vehicles parking overnight but enforcement is minimal. The famous PCH in Malibu has cracked down on overnight parking but even that is only targeted towards targeting people living there. I have friends that stay 3-5 nights on a regular basis with no issues (and the fine is $100 vs. $125+ for the RV park.)



I stayed in front of a friends house in a nice neighborhood in Hollywood for a few nights and was terrified that one of the people in a $10m+ house on the block would complain..... but my friend put it best: "These people live in Hollywood. Walking outside to the sight of an RV in good condition is about the least offensive thing they will encounter today."

LA must of lightened up some, which is good news. There are still some old? (and very small) signs on poles next to a few highway exits that quote some city ordnace and warn that parking any RV on any city street for any amount of time is a violation and subject to towing and fines. I saw one last time I was in LA for work in early 2020.

[Biljol]

Just called and talked with my son in law again about this.

So there are a lot of variables and each store may be different.

1. Ownership of the land is a big one bass pro shops may allow it but not the land owner.

2. Local laws some city’s have laws regarding camping in parking lots.

3. insurance each store is rated by zip code and an outside actuary looks at the stores policy’s to determine the possibility of loss.

4. Recent events if they have seen abuse of the policy or have had other types of issues with overnight camping the local store or division manager may make the call.

5. Event at times there will be events in the area or at the store itself that would cause a temporary stop in overnight camping (boat show, rv show, and vendor sponsored activities)

6. Communication most of the stores have 3rd party security that patrol after hours they may or may not be aware of the current store policy.

7. Fake notice he was working at a store that allows overnight camping but the gym next door had complaints about it. The gym took it on there own to start giving notices and rousting campers.

The thing to remember overnight camping is not a right it is at the discretion of the business owner, land owner, city, management company, and in some cases a neighbor. It is not uncommon for the local authorities to inform the business owner of complaints from people living near by and the business owner wanting to please the nearby customers to not allow it any more.

[spuds]

Originally Posted by Biljol

4. Recent events if they have seen abuse of the policy or have had other types of issues with overnight camping the local store or division manager may make the call.

The thing to remember overnight camping is not a right it is at the discretion of the business owner, land owner, city, management company, and in some cases a neighbor. It is not uncommon for the local authorities to inform the business owner of complaints from people living near by and the business owner wanting to please the nearby customers to not allow it any more.

Given the huge uptick in RVs out there, the newbie (and not so newbie) RVers who don't follow proper boondocking etiquette, and the YouTube Influencers touting van life and stealth camping and how to "beat the system", it's not surprising that some of these businesses and municipalities are putting the kabosh on free overnighting.

[bradford3454]

I recently stayed at the Cabelas in Ontario, California, after calling and checking with the customer service desk. No problems, just wanted a description of the rig and a phone number.

(FYI - this is the store Last Man Standing uses for outdoor shots.)

The Lehi store sold off the neighboring building site along with the portion of their parking lot that had the dump station, dog kennels, RV parking spots and the horse corrals.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by spuds

Given the huge uptick in RVs out there, the newbie (and not so newbie) RVers who don't follow proper boondocking etiquette, and the YouTube Influencers touting van life and stealth camping and how to "beat the system", it's not surprising that some of these businesses and municipalities are putting the kabosh on free overnighting.

Agree. It's going to get worse. Even national forest boondocking sites have been closing because people are abusing our lands by leaving trash and destroying vegetation. We need to take care of these places.

[hamm2018]

Right now sitting in the Cabela's campground at the old world headquarter store in Sidney, Ne.. Really did a nice campground here, and already been in the store.
I talked to customer service here in the store and asked if this is going nation wide. Simple answer was "no". As said in other post, in some areas changes were made because of local regulations put in place.

[FL420]

Both Cabela's (Lone Tree and Thornton) and almost all the Walmarts in the Denver Metro area are posted prohibiting overnight parking. Enforcement was hit or miss until about a year ago when the WMs tightened up.
The dump station at Lone Tree is completely blocked with pallets but last time I was at the Thornton store last summer the dump station was still available but long lines of Weekend Warriors on Sunday afternoons were creating traffic problems.
[emoji40][emoji382]

[jhalapin]

Originally Posted by Concord

Mitchell South DakotaAttachment 328664

Permanent signs just went up this week, including tow away signs.

Just in time for the Sturgis crowd....

[amosnandy]

Originally Posted by Bobby F

Curious: was this letter posted outside? Were there RV's present in the RV lot? Does it appear that this was posted for official purposes, but RV parking is still tacitly allowed? Or was the lot now empty?

Bummer if it's really shut down. This has been my first-night stay for every trip from MN to points West, and I bet I spent at least $100 every time I stopped.


(Anywhere else people like to overnight in Mitchell?)

The Kongo Club still encourages overnight stays in their lot.

[Bobby F]

Originally Posted by amosnandy

The Kongo Club still encourages overnight stays in their lot.

Seriously? Guess I'll have to check it out. Mitchell is just the perfect stop on the way west.

(But the conversations ought to be fun. "No, mom, I don't stay in the Cabela's lot anymore. Now I sleep at the strip club.")

[Biljol]

Funny they say no camping, but only tow unattended vehicles left overnight.

So if your sleeping in your coach it’s not unattended I guess they will not tow you but will ask you to leave.

If they are close to the event you may find the signs go away after the event. It is common for them to limit the overnight during events because they don’t want people camping for the week on property.

There was another conversation that I posted the information and policy that stated temporary they may not allow overnight parking during major events in the area.

[jhalapin]

Originally Posted by Biljol

Funny they say no camping, but only tow unattended vehicles left overnight.

So if your sleeping in your coach it’s not unattended I guess they will not tow you but will ask you to leave.

If they are close to the event you may find the signs go away after the event. It is common for them to limit the overnight during events because they don’t want people camping for the week on property.

There was another conversation that I posted the information and policy that stated temporary they may not allow overnight parking during major events in the area.

The first time we ever saw them close the parking lot was last year during the George Floyd trial.

They actually put up cardboard signs at all the entrances that said no overnight parking.That lasted about 2 days until they figured out that Mitchell wasn't really a target for the protests and took them back down.