Overnight at Walmarts

[mrsrodeo]

Hi, newbie here again with yet another question!

I was reading the blog on staying overnight at Walmarts and Flying J, etc. I read the rules and didn't see anything about putting out your slides. I totally understand about the levelers, and the issues that might arise from using them on asphalt, but didn't see anything about slides. We could sorta use our bed without the slide being out, but wouldn't be able to get to some of the drawers.

We aren't even sure if we would take advantage of this option, but, I don't want to break any rules if we do!

On another note, I've been stalking these forums for months, and I have really gotten some amazing information.

Thanks to all who post!

[medico]

We have stayed at 2 Wal-Marts recently and both said sure, open your slides. No problem!

I have not yet stayed at a PFJ. Next time you fuel, ask them and post back.

[lylefikse]

We have stayed at Walmart parking lots overnight in several states. We always go in and ask permission first, and have never been refused. We also put our slides out. With our floorplan it is hard to use the bedroom area without them out unless you crawl over. We stay in a remote corner of the lot out of traffic flow. Only stay one night. Buy supplies when needed. Great place to stay.

[akadeadeye]

The few times we have stayed at Walmart/ Sams I have been able to park near an outside curb such that the slides open out on the driver side over a grass area or landscaped area. That is sufficient for us and frees up our bedroom. We do not put jacks down. I would if it happened to be a concrete surface but haven't run into that option yet. Common sense goes a long way.

Don

[tbutler]

We love to stay at Wal-Mart when we are traveling cross country. We were full time for almost 10 years and stayed overnight 100's of times at Wal-Mart stores in over 3000 nights of camping. It was always just an overnight stay when we were on a cross country trip which involves lots of driving, many miles in a few days. We also stay occasionally at rest areas, parking areas, vacant lots and have stayed on grocery store lots a few times, museum lots several times. We've also used Cabellas, Camping World, Home Depot, Lowe's and more. If someone has a large lot and we can get onto it, we'll ask to park and stay the night. All these stays were with permission or were in areas where overnight parking was not specifically prohibited.

As Don said above, we try to park so we can put the slides out over a curb rather than projecting into the parking lot. We have a two-slide coach so this allows us to open the living/dining room for meals as well. We need to open the living/dining slide to get to the pantry and table service. Sometimes we can get by without digging into the cabinets but eventually we'll need to get out some food or dishes.

There are occasions when we can not park by a curb. I carry four red cones (Lowe's, Home Depot, hardware stores) and place those along the side of the coach with the open slides. In those cases, I park parallel to a driving lane with the slides opening on the dividing line between parking spaces on the two sides of a row. This is always a distant part of the parking lot that is largely unused.

We also make a practice of parking late in the day (within an hour of sunset or later) and do our best to be gone by the beginning of the busy day at Wal-Mart (about 8:00 a.m.). Frequently we'll be gone shortly after sunrise. That way we are truly staying overnight and no more.

I use an iPhone app which will find Wal-Mart stores for you and it indicates those which are designated no overnight parking with a red pin and those that are ask to park with a blue pin displayed on a map showing your location as well. That app is called ALLSTAYS ONP Wal-Mart. It costs $2.99 and is well worth that price. If you want something more useful, ALLSTAYS Camp & RV finds campgrounds, RV Stores (Cabellas, Camping World, Flying J, etc) and also does rest areas, picnic areas, parking areas, etc. That app costs $9.99 and includes the Wal-Mart finder as well.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

In my opinion, it would be rude to deploy slides without asking. And then, use your judgement. If there is room, slides out. Crowded lot, suffer a little.

[desertdeals69]

Never have seen a problem with slides however not all Walmarts allow you to park because of local restrictions.

[on.vacation]

Don't try to stay in Walmarts in AZ. We were kicked out of the one in Tucson even though they asked us to move while we were unloading about $200. of stuff. We then continued on toward Phoenix (both on I-10) and found a Walmart about 1/2 way there- it had signs clearly stating NO RVs- so we pulled in, turned around, and pulled out- with security on our tail.... We did find a rest area to stay at in AZ- when they are open- they have very nice rest areas in AZ.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

Ask permission. Park in an isolated area. Just summing up what's already been said.

[BillAdams]

Oh, no! Not another Wal-Mart thread. mrsrodeo, the answer is that you can put out your slides as long as they are not going to be in the way and you are sure someone might not walk into them (can't wait to see that lawsuit). There are apps available which show which Wal-Mart's allow overnight parking but you should still verify with the manager that it's OK. As stated above you want to get out of the way and if you can live with just 2 slides out try to do that along a grassy edge for everyone's safety and so as not to create the look of camping. The camping part also means no awning, chairs or campfires but running your generator is OK (all night long if you like). There are likely going to be some haters along who rant and rave about how you should never stay or your ruining someone life or stealing their income or some other silly stuff so as the thread wanders please just ignore those posts and remember that Wal-Mart specifically invites RVers, as a corporate policy, to over night (not camp) at Wal-Mart. If that is necessary or appropriate and not disallowed by local regulations then stay, be courteous, spend some money and move on.

[jlandon13399]

Ditto Bill Adams. The Wal-Mart in Oro Valley allows overnight parking.