Free overnight parking

[Hillmann]

I need ideas on where I can spend the night in my camper for free. I mounted some engraving equipment in a camper and plan to travel from flee market to flee market and be away from home 3-5 days a week. The first night I plan to get there around 3am so I will just pull into my spot and set up, the second night there is a wall mart on the way to the second flee market but after that there aren't any convieant places to spend the night without paying $15- $35 for a campsite.

All of the flea markets I plan to set up at are near/in the northern highlands state park (Wisconsin) which costs money to get into and more money to camp at.

I have thought of pulling into boat landing and casting out a couple fishing poles with bells on them. That way if I get stopped I can claim I am fishing not camping, don't know how well that will work.

I have also thought of pulling off the side of a lesser used road and if anyone stops to bother me I will claim the car broke down and I am waiting for a friend to come with parts and tools in the morning. (of course I could only use that excuse once).

There are no rest stops in the area and I can't find a map showing locations of waysides so I can't really plan on using them either. The nearest truckstop that I could find is about an hour south of the markets.


So can anyone suggest where I could pull in for the night for free? I am not looking for a place to camp, just a place to pull into once it gets dark and then leave around 5 am.

[Photoman33770]

In years past. Wally World welcomed travelers. They even had an article in their in-house magazine. Now days it depends on the store manager. Safest way is to park far out and go in and ask the Manager if you can stay out there a few hours or so. ( It wouldn't hurt to have a cart with stuff in it when you ask to talk to the Manager. )
Some travelers don't ask but park out a bit and show no lights as if they parked there to shop.

If they chase you off out of any store I suggest you stand there and call home office and complain that you stopped to shop, where tired and asked nicely so you would not be a hazard on the road. They do not like negative images. If everyone that needs a short pit stop tries Wally World and all those that get sent packing calls home office. Eventually they will send a memo out to all managers to not be so stupid.
Large or small by a customer. Heck even get him to come out and look at what little space you use and if it is a decent job on the TD he will probably keep you up a bit asking questions. ( Make sure to open the Galley to store the paper plates and ice so he gets an eye full. )
There are some places that local codes will no allow it.

Never had problems at any truck stop even back in the days when I was pulling a 32' travel trailer.

[wagondude]

While the OP posted about the known Wal mart on the planned route, it is important to note that WM in crime prone areas will not allow you to stay overnight out of safety concerns and others don't allow it due to local laws. You might check parking ordinences in the towns/cities you plan to visit. Many cities won't question a vehicle parked on a side street overnight as long as you don't "water the flowers". Our city allows an RV to park for up to 3 days without being moved, although they did pass an ordinence prohibiting parking next to one park that had two "RV"s parked in front of it on a regular basis. Those folks just moved to side streets a couple of blocks away and move to a secondary location every three days.

Bill

[48Rob]

Always better to be honest/upfront.
Schemes and round about ways to do something you shouldn't generally just make it harder for the rest if us who, with good intentions are told no, because the last guy took advantage...


Every time I've ever done the flea markets, I've been able to camp on the site I rented, so no need to find a park or campground.
Do some of the flea markets prohibit you camping on the site where you are selling?

Rob

[GerryS]

Always better to be honest/upfront.
Schemes and round about ways to do something you shouldn't generally just make it harder for the rest if us who, with good intentions are told no, because the last guy took advantage...


Every time I've ever done the flea markets, I've been able to camp on the site I rented, so no need to find a park or campground.
Do some of the flea markets prohibit you camping on the site where you are selling?

Rob

Your right...also overnight camping is illegal in some municipalities, it's not always the choice of the manager.

It also sends the message we are a bunch of gypsies not to be trusted....

[Photoman33770]

Most cities ( Mine included ) allows a trailer to be parked in the street for 3 days max. If it is in a driveway the 3 days still applies unless it is further than 52 feet from the center line of the street. Sleeping in it in either case is not allowed. (The code enforcement people are not out at night to check, they look for things like power and water hook up. Although if further than the 52 feet, power can be hooked up for 90 days. ) The cops here couldn't care less unless they have to respond to a complaint. Even then it is safe under the 3 day rule on a public street.
As for calling Home office on wally, I am referring to places like here that do not have an ordinance about being in a parking lot.
I have seen broken trailers sit in a parking lot for weeks.
An internet search on code enforcement or city codes for a city will tell you if you can or can't by law. If the manager says no he can by virtue of it being private property, but if no code is against it, he is being a butt. The store near me allows it and doesn't even care if they are asked. They figure you will buy something at some point and they want the money.
Heck the store near me doesn't even enforce the no pets rule. I have seen cats, dogs, parrots, ferrets and even a large boa snake.
I have found in my travels most business managers don't mind if codes allow. I built a gypsy food wagon once. Even Lowes had no problem. Of course I showed him in progress build pics and explained that most of it came out of his store.
Hint. there are no laws about trailers in parking lots, only codes by the city. If you are out of the city limits........
Counties do have codes but they are more with food or building which also come under state at times.
If you ask a manager at night you are talking to an assistant. Next time call ahead during the day and get the manager to ask. Or even do it ahead anyway.

[GerryS]

I'll probably never camp anywhere "free" there are too many miscreants out there that I just don't trust 3/4 inch of plywood and a few screws to protect me from.

The real question is by "assuming" you can do it and doing it anyway...it may not land you in jail, it might not even get a citation. But if you get caught the fact is this reenforces negative stereotypes and may just generally tick off a manger enough to let his complain be known to higher levels of management if this feedback to corporate manager types get bad enough, its a stroke of the policy writers pen to simply forbid it everywhere. Once one domino falls, the rest will fall much easier.

There are about 6 walmarts (I hate that store --- I just use it as an example because its so common referenced) within a 30 minute drive from me. Based on all-stays data (and a foggy memory) 2 of them do not allow overnighting and one you're taking your life in your hands going to the store at all. That still leaves 3 that do allow overnighting for the price of asking a manger. Thats not a big price to pay. A call ahead before you leave to ask it is accurate in the all-stays database, and a polite stop by the customer service desk (with a bag of groceries in your hand isn't a difficult task.

As a business owner, there are already enough PITA customers that do stupid things and try to steal you blind. This one just one less problem we don't need to give a business owner.

[burlesot]

This is a really interesting thread.

Please take no offense at this next remark, but my evolution of the term 'camping' has changed as I have aged as I'm sure it has for others. My first 25 years, camping was ONLY what you could carry in and out on your back. I mean EVERYTHING. My last ten years (add kids for seasoning) has been a combination of a huge tent, air mattresses, battery operated fans, etc. I slowly, slowly began to see the 'benefit' of having a shower at a camp ground. I've very slowly warmed to the idea of sites that include electric, but to be honest, I really, REALLY, do not enjoy 'camping' when I am next to a HUGE RV the size of a rock and roll tour bus. No offense intended here. I guess I tend to think of camping as a time to be in nature, in solitude. My trailer will end up having a spot for a laptop to watch the occasional movie when on a long trip and it's raining outside, etc. But primarily, I plan to use it as a shelter at night while we explore nature around us.

So, what the heck does this have to do with 'free parking?'

Maybe nothing. However, as I was thinking about my plans for the future, I was honestly thinking about 'long' trips across the country with my wife and or kids. I was 'planning' on using truck stops, rest areas and the occasional Wal Mart (with permission) in between actual 'camping sites' as places to rest and recharge a bit (maybe not staying there for 12 hours, but 4-6 for rest.

Sorry if I got the topic off on a different bend here, it just made me think a bit.

Thanks,
Todd

[Gary and Cheri]

If you have a smart phone there are apps that will give you clues to what is nearby to camp at. I use "Allstays Camp and RV" app. It lists many RV dealerships which will allow you to camp as well as places like Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop type of places which will allow campers. Allstays also helps by telling you if the Wallmart does not allow camping so you don't have to waste your time. Some of your restaurants will also allow camping. I heard Cracker Barrow is one that lets people stay over night. I'm sure there are more.

Good luck on this one.

Gary

[Verna]

Gary, you made me curious about the app. I hadn't looked at it for a while, and especially not since it had an update. Thanks for the nudge.

Per All Stays Camp & RV iPhone app, places to stop overnight:

Walmart, Sam's Club, RV dealers and RV service, Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, Camping World, Costco, Cracker Barrel, Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain, REI, Truck Stops (with caution), Rest Parks (with caution).

And, yes, many of these will be along the Interstates, and in sizeable towns.

[burlesot]

That app sounds great!

TB

[GerryS]

All stays and reserve America are my Favorite camp apps.

I feel the same way about giant class a's too btw. I teardrop to me is a hard sided tent with a seriously comfortable mattress pad. I am too old and hurt too bad when I try tenting....It's a compromise between my sofa and hanging from the side of a mountain

[jeff0520]

As a truck driver, let me interject here. At a truck stop, please park out in the car parking, not on the truck lot. A car pulling a teardrop will fit out front very nicely, and there is always a shortage of truck stop spaces for tractor trailers. I almost took a slide-out clean off a camper once. They started extending the stupid thing just as I was pulling into the space next to them. I got the truck stopped, then they hit my mirror with the slide out.
As for free parking, If I find the truck stops full, I usually cruise the industrial parks, With current economic conditions, there's always vacent industrial sites. If you park in an unobtrusive spot and do nothing to attract attention, you'll most likely have no trouble. I also love vacent retail locations. In a truck, the secret to a vacent retail location is to pull around back and back into the loading dock. Casual obersvers, and cops assume somebody rented the space and are beginning to move in. A car pulling a teardrop would most likely be ignored

[Blumie]

We have found that there are several ways to locate free camping spots:
- "dispersed" camping on national forests and BLM lands. These are unofficial, undeveloped spots along roadsides and streamsides, usually made and used by hunters as camps in the fall. In California, though, you need to obtain a free campfire permit (good throughout all national forests in the state) even to use a stove. Last month in NE Oregon, we asked the clerk in a small town grocery and got directions to a beautiful spot within a few miles.
- county fairgrounds and some county parks will allow you camp overnight for free. We asked at a small town gas station about camping in Kansas, and were directed to the local rodeo grounds. They had no set procedure for collecting fees, so they didn't charge us! Since then I have begun researching not just state parks but also county parks to check for camping options.
- the RV "full-timers" have their own directories of free sites.

[Redgloves]

I have been pondinering the possibility of anetwork of homeowners who can offer free driveway camping. Establish a network across the country for free camping, the possibilites are endless of hosting guidelines and user guidelines.

Kinda like the idea of home swapping for vacation or services in a community. Is there such an established organization for camping?

Jean