Over night stops

[PamJohnZephyr]

I'm seeing reference to "over night" stops on several forums. How do these compare to camp sites or state / county parks?

[GOTTOYS]

Overnight stops are just that. No electricity, no water, no sewer. Most are in parking lots for stores etc. Not recommended to use your slides or unhitch. There are Walmart stores that I will not go to at night because of the neighborhood. I'm not going to risk staying at some of these places to save a couple bucks. You can decide if you want to do that. I didn't spend tens of thousands of dollars on my rig to want to wake up in some Walmart lot or noisy truckstop because I don't feel the need for a real campsite..

[ependydad]

Not necessarily just Walmarts. We commonly use RV parks as an overnight stop. An overnight RV park spot for us is somewhere that we can pull in and be setup in < 5 minutes- electric hooked up and slides out:
- immediately off of the highway (less than 5 minutes)
- easy pull thru sites at the front of the park (I don't want to navigate a dark campground)
- level enough that I can stay hitched up
- long enough that I can stay hitched up (we're 60' bumper to bumper)
- electric hookups (50amp preferred, but depending on the weather, 30amp is fine- but annoying as I have to dig out my adapter which goes against my minimal setup)
- maybe water, maybe sewer- I might or might not hookup, depending if we need to do some laundry or when I last dumped
- cheap (if I'm pulling in at 11pm or later and staying until 10-11am without using any facilities- I do NOT want to spend over $35 and ideally it'll be under $30)

In other news/as for parking lot "Wallydocking", I disagree with most of what GOTTOYS said about Walmarts.

[Philos3]

"I didn't spend tens of thousands of dollars on my rig to want to wake up in some Walmart lot or noisy truckstop because I don't feel the need for a real campsite.."

I agree, if I don't have access to a massage therapist, hot tub, Michelin chef restaurant, etc., why leave home in the first place?

"There are Walmart stores that I will not go to at night because of the neighborhood."
Agreed, I would include some of the RV neighborhoods as well, like those that allow children, cats, and people than do weird stuff like party late into the night and warm up their diesels early in the morning. Barking dogs are ok.

[Nurek]

I found this at the Kamloops BC Walmart parking lot. I'm sure it has more to do with the property management/ownership making the rules.

[fella10]

Welcome Centers and rest areas, ...... not because they're free, but because they're convenient and no wasted travel time,.......safe, always other people around, some have night security,...... can drive until tired, can pull into them at any time of the late night or early morning, ..... no wasted travel time because you had to get to the cg before they closed the gate for the night,..... we've spent a whole night parked right in front of the "no over night parking" sign, because it was the last open spot at that rest area, ...... never seen one that enforces that rule,...... I can't believe any authority would force a tired, sleepy driver to get back out on the road, just because "that's the rule and you gotta go, can't stay here and rest", ....... we use them and will continue to do so,....... that's not camping, it's just stop and rest/sleep, wake up and go, 1-2 hours or 6-7 hr. or longer, whatever is needed,.......

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Philos3

"I didn't spend tens of thousands of dollars on my rig to want to wake up in some Walmart lot or noisy truckstop because I don't feel the need for a real campsite.."

I agree, if I don't have access to a massage therapist, hot tub, Michelin chef restaurant, etc., why leave home in the first place?

"There are Walmart stores that I will not go to at night because of the neighborhood."
Agreed, I would include some of the RV neighborhoods as well, like those that allow children, cats, and people than do weird stuff like party late into the night and warm up their diesels early in the morning. Barking dogs are ok.

Your in Luck,as there are many "Bark Parks" you could stay at ! Youroo! !

[Too Tall]

You haven't lived till you've spent the night in a Walmart or a casino parking lot.

https://youtu.be/nx3o-SSVYjk

https://youtu.be/lQZELcg6B-A

[Kenz]

I prefer campsite over wally world myself, but could see the benefits in a short stay in a parking lot. I would not stay in rest areas just for the simple fact that I don't want to take a spot that could be for a trucker. Many times I've seen tmrest areas so full of trucks they were parked up and down the on and off ramps. I like to get on the road early, and off before dark. Park, minimal setup, have a cold one, eat, shower and have nice sleep. I've found many rv parks right on the freeway for easy on and off.

[rockfordroo]

Cracker Barrel's will usually let you stay overnight, too.

[pgandw]

I've never used the A-frame or PUP overnight in Walmart or rest area. I usually plan well enough to be able wake up in a real campsite. But if I don't make my planned destination, in Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and Texas, I have always seen enough places (parks, RV campgrounds) near the roadside that I could find a place to stop when I wanted.

In Alaska, Wyoming, and the remoter parts of Utah, pulling off the road and staying put for the night works pretty well. When I've done that, you do take a real chance of waking up to some critters investigating you (bears, deer, caribou, raccoons).

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
last trip: Arches and Capitol Reef NP

[W5CI]

If i get to the point i cant afford to stay in an RV park over nite I will just Stay at Home.

[timfromma]

My TT is unusable with the slides closed so I must open them even for a quick overnight at Walmart. Both of my slides are on the same side I will position myself at the edge of the parking area so the slides open over the grassy area. I've never had a problem. I will also lower the tongue jack just enough to take the weight off the TV.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by W5CI

If i get to the point i cant afford to stay in an RV park over nite I will just Stay at Home.

Its not the point of economy, its convenience. When doing log trips, I will drive until I can no longer keep my eyes open then just pull over at the nearest legal opportunity. On the road again early morning after a bowl of cereal, cup of coffee and a trip to the head.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Its not the point of economy, its convenience. When doing log trips, I will drive until I can no longer keep my eyes open then just pull over at the nearest legal opportunity. On the road again early morning after a bowl of cereal, cup of coffee and a trip to the head.

Why???

I tend to drive between 300 and 350 miles, a day doing about 60MPH. We try and leave a campground around 8:00 AM and arrive at the next stop around 3:00 PM. We set up with the truck attached and just drop the front legs with electricity and water with the slides out. This gives us enough time to enjoy a walk and relax before starting out again the next day. Remember it is about the JOURNY not just the destination.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Cracker Barrel's will usually let you stay overnight, too.

This is our choice as well. For the price of a darn tasty dinner, most cracker Barrels have a dedicated RV/Truck parking area and do not mind you putting out a bedroom slide or running your generator.

Unless it is just a quick 4 hour nap in a rest area, Cracker Barrel is our preferred overnight to Wallydocking

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

Why???

I tend to drive between 300 and 350 miles, a day doing about 60MPH. We try and leave a campground around 8:00 AM and arrive at the next stop around 3:00 PM. We set up with the truck attached and just drop the front legs with electricity and water with the slides out. This gives us enough time to enjoy a walk and relax before starting out again the next day. Remember it is about the JOURNY not just the destination.

When I have a destination, my goal is to get there as quickly as possible so I can enjoy it for as long as possible. Having limited vacation time and having to work around my daughter's school calendar (she is special needs and goes to school year round) means that when we head some place, we drive long and hard so we can maximize our time there before we need to come home.

My max is about 700 miles per day. I use that figure to determine how much time I need for travel and how much time we can spend at our destination.

[another_newfie]

Have used Walmart all over the US and in Canada. Never have ran into any issues at all. We do our research ahead of time and have a few options. We try and determine if overnighting is allowed at that particular Walmart before going there. We ALWAYS go inside and buy something, usually we will grab some groceries. We do put our slides out, but try and always position our rig so that our slide is over the grass.


Most often there are numerous RV's at any given location we so park relatively near the others.


Have yet to use truck stops, but would if need be.


It's not for everyone, there are many opinions on it as can be seen by the posts on this thread. Not sure why people try and project their opinions onto you.


For me it isn't about the money; I can easily afford a CG for the night, its about the convenience of it. We pull in anywhere between 10 and midnight and are almost always on the road by 7 or 8. Q quick stop and flop. When I used to travel in my car I often slept in the car at truck stops, rest stops etc. So this sort of thing is nothing new.


To each their own.

[Too Tall]

When I can find a campground at a reasonable price like this one in Whicita Fall, Tx on I=44/ 287. $17, honor system, such as the one below. Full hook ups, dump station, right off the freeway, it's a no brainer.

https://youtu.be/1EW7Zi9hL3Y

Otherwise, I'd rather a quick rest area, walmart, casino and now I know about cracker barrel.

I don't care for the private campgrounds. Too cramped up and over priced. It's not so much the money as it is, I don't feel like I got my money's worth and I hate that.

[SKnight]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Its not the point of economy, its convenience. When doing log trips, I will drive until I can no longer keep my eyes open then just pull over at the nearest legal opportunity. On the road again early morning after a bowl of cereal, cup of coffee and a trip to the head.

Exactly. I'm planning a trip to the Rockies next year, from Georgia to Fort Collins as my first destination. According to google maps it's 22 hours drivetime. I'm planning on pounding it out there which means pulling out at 5:00am, driving until I can't anymore. That could be anywhere from 8-14 hours, with traffic woes anywhere from 400-800 miles.

I'm not retired. Sometimes I can't afford to enjoy the journey, not if I want to achieve the things I want to achieve in the two weeks my company will allow me to take off at once.

So planning stops will either leave me stopping short, feeling like I'm wasting driving time, or struggling to make it 100 more miles to stop.

So I'll find the next stop, rest area, Walmart, truck stop, or campground if convenient, usually in that order.