how to boondock

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We stayed at the Eureka Casino in Mesquite, NV last night. Sloped parking lot meant some serious leveling block work, but we got it done. Also is the quietest parking lot I have ever stayed in! Had a decent dinner at the casino too.
 
We never had any problems staying at Walmart’s. We would always spend money in the store. We never stopped at a Walmart if there were no other RV’s parked. When I was on the road I would drive until 11 or 12 at night. Stop, get the grandkids in bed, have a glass of wine sleep for 5 or 6 hours and hit the road.
Just stay away from those big scary trash cans or you will surely fall in
 
We stopped in the SC welcome center on I95N last week. Welucked out that an end slot was open next to the woods. I angled the truck & trailer so we could put out the bedroom slider half way and opened the dining slider a foot so cats could access the litter box. It was sloped perfect so the bed was level. Got an ok sleep. Better than not.
 
Stayed at Walmarts, rest stops and truck stops many times. Never been asked to leave. If at a Walmart or truck stop we always spend some money there. We are destination campers. I just can't justify spending $30-$50 to pull into a campground to spend the night.
Do you dump and get fresh water at the truck stops? My husband and I are wanting to boondock, I'm just not certain
 
Do you dump and get fresh water at the truck stops? My husband and I are wanting to boondock, I'm just not certain
RVing skills accumulate over time. Are you experienced in RVing already?

If not I would say plan your first trips around full hook ups. Shut the black and grey valves, fill the water tank and shut off the city supply.

The learning curve is quick and you will get an idea of how quickly you consume water and fill waste. You will learn water conservation techniques and you will learn how long you can go without dumping and filling tanks.

Then there are lots of ways to find dump stations in your area, or the area you happen to be in. Google searches and searches for like Love's truck stops, many of which have dump and fill facilities as well as propane fills.

It is always best to call ahead. I was enroute to a spot, made a Love's stop to fill propane and found out after waiting for the pumping guy for 30 minutes that their tank was out. I had to drive another 80+ miles to the next one which thankfully had propane. I was on y way to a park and definitely would have run out of propane if I didn't get a fill up.
 
we have never boondocked .we are planning a trip to myrtle beach s.c. in april .we live in s. jersey .I keep hearing how you can stay at Walmart .would we stay hooked up to the truck and just put the legs down. we have a 26ft travel trailer .how long will my lights work for can I put up my atenna to watch tv .can I make coffee in the morning. any help
You can’t “stay” at Walmart. You may be able to park overnight for one night but they will expect you to be gone fairly soon in the morning.

Not boondocking. Just overnight parking.
 
You can’t “stay” at Walmart. You may be able to park overnight for one night but they will expect you to be gone fairly soon in the morning.

Not boondocking. Just overnight parking.
This is a thread revival - Blinkycats post was from 2016...

It's been revived a couple of times since then. I was responding to Anchovy, the latest revivalist - LOL...
 
Do you dump and get fresh water at the truck stops? My husband and I are wanting to boondock, I'm just not certain
Not very often. Some Flying J and Love’s may have a dump, but water is rare. To get water and dump, we generally find a campground. Many will let a non-guest dump and fill for a nominal cost -$10-$15.
 
Never unhook for an overnighter!
Just park such that the trailer is mostly level.
Park farthest away from the front doors so the shoppers have prime spots.
If you arrive at night you will see other RVs parked. Park among them, but not too close.
You can do whatever you want inside your rv, even run generator, not a big deal. Be considerate that other RVs dont want to hear a gen right next to them, aim that gen away if you can.
Stay away from Semi rigs parked, they will run their motors all night and you will be miserable.
There will be signs posted on the light poles if you are not allowed to park overnight. Look for the signs.
Walmart doesnt care if you park, but sometimes the city will. In that case the police might ticket you, but probably just wait until 2am to knock on your door. In this case there will be nowhere to legally park overnight in the city, even private property such as walmark.
This is typically more a blue city thing, or a popular tourist area thing,might not even exist in SC.
Cracker Barrels also welcomes you and even have RV parking spots. Don't stay all day, stay at night, eat b'fast there then leave so to not block off parking spaces for paying customers.
Leave the truck stops for truckers who legally have fewer places to stay and are limited to how much time they can drive per day, unless there is specific RV/car parking spots that the trucks can't park in anyways. Truck stops are noisy all night and lit up like the sun - is a last resort
I do know in Ohio overnight parking isn't allowed, my husband parked his truck (small one) outside a business he was waiting for it to open (it was far away) and the cops made him leave. I'd check with Walmart or Cracker barrel in that state to see if there are exceptions. Morgantown WV has a 24 hour Walmart off of Route 79 near Star City exit, there's also a Cracker Barrel restaurant there. I had to sleep overnight (in my tiny VW) when I was doing back to back cleaning jobs, I parked with the RV's and they kept me up with the generators, LOL! But Target patrols their lots. The Walmart on Route 70/79 interchange in Washington Pennsylvania has overnight parking there too.
 
We haven't "Wallydocked" often over the years, but the worst night we ever had in one was when the local police got in a shouting argument with the state police at around 2:00 AM. The locals wanted to chase about a dozen of us RV'ers out because of a local ordinance, but the state guys were telling them we were there under escort because part of our campground was flooding from heavy rains in the nearby mountains. It got pretty loud for awhile, but eventually the locals backed down and gave us until 8:00 AM to leave. Fortunately, by then the water had receded and we could go back to our campground. The Subway in the Walmart even sent out free coffee for us.
 
I do know in Ohio overnight parking isn't allowed, my husband parked his truck (small one) outside a business he was waiting for it to open (it was far away) and the cops made him leave.
The whole state, or maybe it was a particular city? There are likely many places with local ordinances like that, but a state law that is universally enforced across the state?
 
The Love's truck stop on the west side of ABQ charges $10 to dump, which checks that box if you need it. But there's chain of gas stations here too, "Speedway" that where available lets you dump for free. Not a hard guess where I dump coming back from a trip, and then ultimately top off the fuel tank.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Most Sam's Clubs let members stay overnight as a "perk" of membership. The only place that I have been told no at is in ABQ (I wouldn't stay in any parking lot in Albuquerque). One had too many problems with parking and the fuel station (Eubank) and the other was just plain too dangerous (Coors). The one on Renaissance said no problem. I have been told, by several managers in various states, to get my grill out (steak was on sale), also invited to spend a week in the parking lot (AL) because their town was having a bicentennial celebration the following weekend (we declined as we needed to be someplace else on a specific day). I've also never been told no at Cracker Barrel (supper then breakfast the next morning). I've parked overnight at Rest Areas in some states. I've only parked my camper(s) overnight at a WalMart five times in 43 years (twice due to emergency repairs). Parking over night is not "camping". Nor should you assume that those "No Parking" signs apply to overnight parking. ASK THE MANAGER. Which you should always do anyway. Along with where do they want you to park.
 
Might be a good idea to read these articles for those who want to sleep for a few hours in a rest stop but aren't sure if it's allowed.
That says Florida allows overnight parking. But every rest stop I checked in Florida (many) had a sign that said "no overnight parking" as well as "3 hour limit".

See here.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
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That says Florida allows overnight parking. But ever rest stop I checked in Florida (many) had a sign that said "no overnight parking" as well as "3 hour limit".

See here.

-Don- Reno, NV
If you click the "Florida" link you will be taken to an article that says that. So the "yes" is misleading.

As the article explains though, you won't get chased out of a rest area if you say you are too tired to drive. But, possibly being awakened so you can say that you are tired probably doesn't allow for a good night's sleep.
 

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