I don't do it often, but by necessity I've stayed o/n at truck stops, rest areas, city streets, and one time each at a Home Depot, Cracker Barrel and, yes, Wally-Mally. The only incident I've had was at the HD; during the night I was awakened by a loud sound like someone had thrown a rock against the side of the TT. I looked in the morning but found no dent, so that will remain a mystery. WM was too light (good for security, bad for sleep) and too noisy. CB was good, but I was the only one there and don't like that anywhere. The scariest time was in a rest area outside of NYC when I discovered my door unlocked in the morning; earlier there had been a state trooper parked right next to me, we exchanged greetings, and I went to bed. Must have been so excited about all my nearby security that I totally forgot to lock the door. Trooper was long gone, of course.
In answer to your original question - no we have never had a security issue when staying in a non-campground environment. We have had a couple very small items missing from a campground though. When we do stay at a Wal-Mart, we will only stay at a 24 hours store because the traffic doesn't keep us awake but it does make us feel less isolated. We also do not stay in a WalMart if we are going to need to run our AC all night. We'll fire up the generator to make dinner and/or charge the batteries/ cool off the rig until it gets dark and then shut it down for the night.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2003 Odyssey
Two cats - Kitty & Casey (18 & 15 years old)
Internet/Cell - Sprint - Sierra Wireless AirCard595U
Fulltime since October 2007
Barbilou and Fujimo wrote: We had panhandlers (2), someone who wanted to use the phone, and someone who asked to use our bathroom, all at the Gallup NM Home Depot one night.
We have had the same experince at Gallup, an Indian wanting to use the phone to call someone to come and pick him up. I called the number he gave and sure enough, someone came by in about 10 minutes to get him. In the meantime he and I sat outside and drank a coke.
We began RV'ing in 2006 and during the return trip that year we used a couple of WM's for overnighting. Since then, while traveling, we use Wal Marts exclusively for overnighting. The Wal Mart stores in Canada close about 10pm but there is a night staff, restocking I guess. The parking lots are well lighted, and certainly quiet enough even before the stores close.
We've always felt safe, at least so far. We travel with a large dog and I'm sure that is a deterrent to would be trouble makers.
The W*M stores are always easy to find, and most are located close to the route we're traveling. Since the W*M stores are usually located in large shopping areas, it's no problem re-stocking our depleted supplies (necessities and souvenirs).
Between Municipal dump stations and truck stops, of which there are plenty, getting rid of the sludge isn't a problem either. Now, having said that, obtaining a large quantity of fresh drinkable water can get to be a problem at times.
Cheers
Vanguard VXL2000
2000 Ford V10 Triton, E350 Super Duty
Just for me,the Mrs and the mutt
I have never stayed in a WM lot in the past, but now I plan to stay in lots of them in the future, but just for the long stay overs, I never plan to go into the store, as I don't like shopping there. But I will use them as they have us.
2005 Chev 5.3 Supercharged 395HP 425 T hp. Two wheels on front, 2 on back. one seat, tint windows. front and rear bumpers, headlights, windows. Door on each side. Heater, floor mats, junk behind seats, some dirt. Pulls so hard.
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