Can I put My Fifth Wheel Slide-outs at Walmart?

For many Rvers, Walmart is not only where they get their mitts on camping necessities, but it is also the top kept secret when it comes to overnight camping. Many Walmart stores across the country allow for RV enthusiasts to camp overnight for free in their parking lots. The unfortunate thing, however, is that there’s a lot of misinformation about one-night RV parking in Walmart’s locations. Here are the Do’s and Don’t of overnight RV parking at Walmart locations:

Call ahead and speak to the store manager before arriving

It’s part of Walmart’s corporate policy to allow for overnight RV parking, but enforcement of this policy is dependent on local ordinances too. Permission for RV parking will be extended by individual store managers based on parking space availability and local laws. Rvers are therefore encouraged to contact specific store management to confirm accommodation before moving in with their RV

·       Be nice

While speaking to the store manager, keep in mind that Walmart is extending overnight RV parking as a free courtesy. Two things may happen, you may be warmly greeted, directed where to park, etc. or you may be kindly turned away if the local laws restrict overnight RV parking.

If you get turned away, don’t snap at the employees, thank them and leave. The same applies if your RV cannot fit where you’ve been told to park, call them back and let them know you are not going to stay, thank them for their hospitality and leave.

Be considerate of others when setting up your rig

You may find that your RV is unable to fit where you’ve been directed to park, this may be due to fellow Rvers taking too much space. Don’t be like that guy, be considerate of others, and try to occupy as little space as possible. You won’t be here forever, this is just an overnight stop, no need to go all glamorous about it. As long as you are comfortable, you will survive the night.

Be smart about how you use space. Leave room to pull out comfortably in the morning, so don’t let others choke up space in front of your truck. Eliminate the need to wake up the person parking in front of you to move their car out of the way.

Using your rig

To encourage proper decorum among fellow pavement campers, Rvers have a few suggestions on how to use your camping rig:

·       On the use of slide-outs

According to a statement from Walmart corporate, if the store allows RV parking, using your slides shouldn’t be an issue. However, the use of slides often leads to complaints by the “self-declared” neighborhood watchdogs. Rvers are therefore divided on the use of slides; some are for it while others say to keep them in to put the community at ease. Here’s what to do: If you have to out slides-out to make the rig usable, it’s okay; however:

Do not block traffic – If you have to let slides-out, make sure they are not obtrusive. Remember, you are only passing through, and slides, jacks, and related items make you look like you are going to stay a while, which may make locals feel uneasy. Park your rig somewhere where it doesn’t stick out in front of all and sundry, blocking traffic.

Only deploy slides you really need – Many Walmart parking lots have borders where you can park, use your slides without blocking off others from using the lot. Also, just deploy the slides you need.

·       On the use of supports

Sometimes lowering jacks is necessary for slide operation. But the consequences are that the use of supports tends to leave dents on asphalt parking lots.

Avoid deploying hydraulic jacks and supports on asphalt and soft surfaces. This is just a convenient night stop, not your camping ground; you can survive a rocky, bouncy night. You will survive without supports.

·       Don’t put out lawn chairs, grills, and other accessories

Again, treat this as an overnight stop, grilling and smoking up the neighborhood says otherwise, that you aren’t going to move out anytime soon. So, don’t get excited and put out chairs, grills, awnings, and start to barbeque. Avoid sticking out in the community: that means not dog pens, kids jumping around, lawn chairs, etc. instead, be quiet and remain unobtrusive.

·       Generators go against the low-key stay concept

Don’t use generators; they are noisy and stinky. They go against the whole pass-through low-key living concept. Just top off your device batteries in advance so you won’t feel the need for generators. Also, familiarise yourself with inverters in case you need to get electricity out of the batteries for something.

If you can run the A/C off of the battery power, there shouldn’t be any issue using it. The same goes for heaters, but avoid propane heating systems; this produces toxic carbon monoxide.

·       Chock the wheels of your RV

Yes, trucks have strong parking brakes, but RV’s park a ton too, and when they roll, they can take the truck with them. To avoid this, drop the wheel chocks when parking your rig, particularly if you have the Fifth Wheel or the Travel Trailer towable RV.

Leave the parking lot cleaner than you found it

When you roll away, it should be as if you never parked in the lot, so be clean and smart on how you use your RV.

·       Do not litter

Do not dump your trash on the lot pavement, pick up after your pet, return shopping cart into the store.  Do not dump trash in the store’s dumpsters or the parking lot’s trash cans. Find somewhere else to dump your trash.

·       The store’s bathrooms are not for pavement campers

On the use of the store’s bathrooms, don’t, unless you’re actively shopping in the store. Avoid brushing your teeth, doing your hair, and other nigh time and morning ablutions in the store’s bathrooms.

How long can you stay at Walmart’s parking lot?

Again, this is not your camping destination; you are just passing through, so only a night at Walmart pavements is ok. Spend anytime longer, and the locals are going to start feeling uneasy.

If you are in the area for a job or sightseeing, please do not misuse the courtesy extended to you by turning Walmart’s pavements into your alternative campground. It’s bad manners to drop off your rig at the lot then take off in your truck to check out the town. Simply roll in for the night and immediately move out in the morning.

Buy something from the store

Do you know why Walmart decided to extend parking lots for overnight RV parking? It’s because Rvers are among the brand’s best customers. So, if you are parking on the store’s lot for the night, please step into the store and purchase a few things

It’s not a must-do, since its free overnight RV parking, but already chances are you need to grab a few camping essentials such as gas, milk, etc. step into the store, buy something, even if you don’t need to use it. Remember to return the shopping cart after unloading items in your rig.

Avoid disconnecting truck from towable RV

You want to leave the setup such that if something happens, you can move the RV in a moment’s notice. So, if your RV is towable, leave it connected to the truck. That’s why dumping your rig and heading out in your vehicle to check out the town is bad manners.

Can I hook up to water, electric at Walmart lot?

No, it’s not possible to hook to water or electricity source at Walmart lot. The corporate statement begins by saying that while the stores won’t avail water, electricity, and other essentials necessary for RV customers, RV parking is possible depending on space availability and local laws. It’s essentially boondocking – no connection to water, sewer, or electric. Find somewhere else to fill your water tanks

Is it safe to overnight at Walmart pavements?

Parking your RV in Walmart lots has its issues, but it’s mostly safe. Use your perceptual abilities while looking for a Walmart location to park. There are Walmart stores in bad neighborhoods, avoid them. Look around for stores with police presence nearby.

There you go, “Camp Walmart” has got various draws, including low costs, handy when it comes to shopping, it’s easy to get in and out among others. But not all Rvers fancy the idea of resting in Walmart’s parking lot. In fact, some Rvers say “Camp Walmart” enthusiasts give fellow Rvers a bad name! To maintain proper etiquette, keep the above-mentioned suggestions in mind when rolling into Walmart’s lot for the night.

However, not all Walmart stores allow overnight RV parking. You can find out from the state-by-state directory of which stores to call and which to not call.

Walmart is not the only place you can park your RV overnight for free; you can also ensure overnight parking with Casinos, Truckstops, etc. The Key is keeping up appearances. Local neighborhood vigilantes are always watching, blend in, so no one looks at your vehicle twice. Stay presentable and clean; avoid putting stickers on your car. Roll in the lot sometimes after 10 pm, that way, no one is around to watch you set up your rig. And if they do knock, be ready with your story, remember honesty is the best policy, if it doesn’t work, ask the officer the directions to the nearby rest stop.