We've done it for the past few years and never once had a security concern.
[Snarky Observation]
Why do all the people who claim to never want to stay at a Walmart, Flying J, etc. insist on cluttering up threads about parking at a Walmart, Flying J, etc.?
Just get over it already. It's a win-win. We find it more convenient, and it leaves more room for y'all at the private campgrounds.
[/Snarky Observation]
2005 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C (was a three-time Jayco owner)
lane hog wrote: We've done it for the past few years and never once had a security concern.
[Snarky Observation]
Why do all the people who claim to never want to stay at a Walmart, Flying J, etc. insist on cluttering up threads about parking at a Walmart, Flying J, etc.?
Just get over it already. It's a win-win. We find it more convenient, and it leaves more room for y'all at the private campgrounds.
[/Snarky Observation]
If it is not your thing, it is not your thing. Why do we try to put everyone in the same box? Sometimes, I want to stay at WM or Flying J and sometimes, I want a CG. What ever you want, just do it.
The reason that I post is because people who do "camp" at walmart, which is perfectly all right with me by the way, keep insisting that they do it either to 1) not wake me up in a campground by pulling in at 11:00 pm, or
2) it's not because of the money.
Come on folks, it's not 1 or 2, it's 3), to save money.
bumpy
Bumpyroad wrote: The reason that I post is because people who do "camp" at walmart, which is perfectly all right with me by the way, keep insisting that they do it either to 1) not wake me up in a campground by pulling in at 11:00 pm, or
2) it's not because of the money.
Come on folks, it's not 1 or 2, it's 3), to save money.
bumpy
NOT, really just because of the money, we do because its:
1. A heck of a lot more convenient.
Personally I drive 300 miles a day MAX due to health reasons. Many campgrounds that I could stay in, are 25, 35, and more miles from my route. Thus, if I drive the 70 miles round trip to a campground, it cuts off that many miles progress to a destination. When convenient, Ive stayed at KOA on the route, paying $40-45 to get a nights sleep. Then, had it disturbed by heavy traffic, and never use the amenities.
2. We do all our shopping at Superstores or Sam's, and buy much of our gas there at a discount of usually .10 a gallon off local prices. (Yes, that is saving on food/gas, but not to save on camping.)
3. We could stay in rest stops, but too many times even when parked in the separate area for RV's, wake to find trucks parked beside us at 3am. Some so noisy we could not get back to sleep, so left to find the nearest Walmart. THEY are much quieter than any rest area.
4. CLEAN RESTROOMS, we stop at Walmarts, as Ive never found a dirty restroom there. In rest areas many have been so filthy we would not use them.
5. We like the fried chicken from the Deli, and their cole slaw. We like to overnight in Walmarts, so my wife gets a break from cooking.
6. Walmart, especially the superstores, have a good RV dept, where we pick up expendable things that need replacing. Even their batteries are better than those normally found in RV's and they cost less. (Again, this is to save money, but not to save camping.)
7. We feel SAFER, in most Walmarts they have their own security patrols. It is safer than Rest Areas, check your local state to find out the crime record in them. Remember the DC Snipers? They hung out in Rest Areas, and were captured in one....
Bob & Nadine 1984 Allegro 23 feet, always at home!
Living Life With a "Golden Age Passport"
and Thousand Trails VIP Membership, Priceless!.
Bumpyroad wrote: "it's not just a matter of cost--it's the convenience. "
yep, cost doesn't enter into the equation at all.
bumpy
Here I go, letting myself get trolled into having to justify why I might stay in a public parking lot where I've been welcomed by the proprietor (Walmart); but since you're quoting me, let me just say that when I travel I'm usually in a caravan of at least 2 or 3 other rigs, and it's no small matter to go out of the way to find a campground, in the dark, in a group, often when the host is already gone, only to leave at sunrise without using the facilities. It makes no sense on several levels. At my age (many years from retirement), time is often more valuable than money.
From the looks of most of the rigs I see in a typical Walmart parking lot, the majority are probably not tightwads. And if there are people there trying to save a few bucks, so what? Don't you yourself hurt the airline and hotel industry by RV'ing?
Skycop: If you can get over the feeling of insecurity, a nice aspect of boondocking and Wallydocking is that you don't often run into too many judgemental people...
Bumpy, I admit that sometimes it is the money. But only as compared to 65.00 per night rv parks.
But, most of the time it is for convience, after all , every town has a walmart, kmart, sears, lowes, home depot, etc. But every town doesnt have a safe, secure friendly level parking site that I can count on.
And yes, even us self contained truck campers use drydocking at big stores.
We recently stayed at about 20 different Wal-Marts around the country. No problems at any. Often we were the only overnighters there. We only stayed at 24hr Wal-Marts, and felt totally safe at every one. Many had retaurants or entertainment within the same complex. Nice to be able to go have dinner and drinks out, then step into the rv for the night. I'd rather pay to stay at a Wal-Mart than at most of the campgrounds we saw on our journey.
"Many campgrounds that I could stay in, are 25, 35, and more miles from my route."
Give me a break, please. When driving thru I find all of my campgrounds within 3 to 5 miles of the interstate. You don't have to drive 35 miles off the beaten path to find one. And yes, I also frequent Wal-marts, spend a lot of money there myself.
bumpy
Bumpyroad wrote: "Many campgrounds that I could stay in, are 25, 35, and more miles from my route."
Give me a break, please. When driving thru I find all of my campgrounds within 3 to 5 miles of the interstate. You don't have to drive 35 miles off the beaten path to find one. And yes, I also frequent Wal-marts, spend a lot of money there myself.
bumpy
You may want to stay in those dumps, that charge as if they are the best campgrounds in the country. Enjoy them, will never stay in KOA or the likes of them which have no security, have been ripped off too many times by transients.
Again, you also assume everyone drives the Interstate. We use DeLorme Street map to plan our route. We have icons on our map, to indicate all the campgrounds in the country. You do not know what you are talking about, when you say you can find a campground anywhere within a few miles of the Interstate. There are stretches in the West where there are hundreds of miles to a campground. Yes, there are some KOAs next to the highway, but the noise level there is as bad as in a Rest Area. There are also campgrounds that are nothing more than parking lots with the noise of the Interstate.
Full Timing we have plenty of time, and want to see something besides a ribbon of cement all day. We belong to Thousand Trails $450 a year, ROD $139, C2C Deluxe #139, and RPI Plus $139. That gives us about 650 campgrounds we can stay in for _nothing_ or no more than $10 a night. Then NCCA and Enjoy America for %14 a night, Passport America for $14-24. So it is not to save $10 or so we stop in Walmart. We waste more than that a day or spend it on unnecessary things.
I'm a disabled Vet from Korea, can only drive a max of 300 miles a day, and thats pushing it. Usually try to stop in less than 200 miles, so it is much more convenient to stop in Walmart. Many stop in rest areas or truck stops, I hate them due to noise, and safety concerns. Check your states rest area crime figures, even the DC Sniper though it safe to hideout in Rest Areas. Plus in many states, there are almost no rest areas, off the Interstates.
There are over 7800 Walmarts, Superwalmarts, Sams, and then places like Sears, Kmarts, Home Depots, Supermarkets, where when you ask customer service, they give you permission to park overnight. Why have a Self Contained RV, if you always park where there is water, sewer, and electricity?
As we are on the road an average of over 15,000 miles a year, we probably travel a _lot_ more than you. Sleeping in a Walmart, instead of Truck Stops, Rest Areas, etc between campgrounds means a _much better_ nights sleep. It has nothing to do with the $10 cost of a campground. ROD cost #139 a year, and nothing to stay for two weeks, out 7 days, and stay another two weeks if we want. We can stay in Thousand Trails 365 days a year for a yearly membership of $450, which includes electric, but I love taking pictures and traveling. You can see just _some_ in the past year at the link below, almost 2000 our of over 8000 in the past year alone. I put more or different ones on every week.
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