Walmart Stay

Big1 · 07-08-2018, 06:31 PM

Hello campers, I would like to know is the a list that show you all of the Walmart stay or not. The wife and I are planning to take ours 5th wheel in for warranty work so we would like to know can you stay at the Walmart for one night in Redmond or Bend Oregon? Thank you guys and gals for your comments.

SouthCo · 07-08-2018, 06:37 PM

Why not look up what Walmarts are in the areas you mentioned and call? It doesn't matter if someone on here says you can and then you get there and management says you can't, right? Someone on here could tell you if they have recently been allowed but I'd call. And I'd ask for the management employee's name who said it was ok, if in fact they say it's ok...

RedHorse1 · 07-08-2018, 06:46 PM

The Allstays app shows WM’s and indicates which allow overnighting.

KCSA75 · 07-08-2018, 09:02 PM

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/walmartrving/info

This group keeps a database of Wal-Mart's and Flying J truckstops that do and don't allow overnight parking. They seem to be a pretty active group so it's probably fairly accurate.

Big1 · 07-09-2018, 01:28 AM

We decide to just find a Good Sam Camp ground to stay for one day, since it will be hot there we will need to hook up power for AC.

**norty1** · 07-09-2018, 05:15 AM

We are retired and when we pull out on a trip, that is when it starts. If we can't get there in 5 hours of driving, we have a overnight at a small inexpensive place where we can relax and sleep.
I can't do that in a parking lot or rest area and believe me I have tried when it was not a choice.

I know those that have a 1 or 2 week vacation may not have that luxury but that's how we roll.

RAurand · 07-09-2018, 06:14 AM

When ever we spend a couple days on the road, we always call the Wal-Mart we plan on staying at and talk with the manager.

Jday7757 · 07-09-2018, 06:29 AM

I’ve only stayed at a Walmart one time and that was out of necessity. I had scheduled an InvisiBrake installation at the nearest Camping World. It was about 180 miles from home and I needed to have the Precept and towed there first thing in the morning so my plan was to drive to the local area the evening prior. I talked to someone (on the phone) at Camping World and asked if I could spend that prior night in their parking lot and was told that I could. So, I didn’t make any campground reservations. When I got to Camping World in the evening I was told that whoever said that I could stay there was mistaken. I then had a choice of traveling about 35 miles (both that evening and the next morning back to Camping World) or doing my first Walmart stay. I did call the Walmart (5 miles from the CW) and got permission. The parking lot was pretty empty and I did park as far away as I could from the store. This was in West Texas in summer so I did run the generator all night to have a/c.

Kim Gass · 07-09-2018, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

The Allstays app shows WM’s and indicates which allow overnighting.

there is a disclaimer that you should not assume it is so. These are user fed info and often rules change. Some info is out of date.

Always ask

Bassdogs · 07-09-2018, 07:36 AM

Have overnighted in dozens of WM's, and have never had a problem with any of them. I have only talked to management at maybe 3 or 4 of the locations. At one where it was clearly posted "No overnite parking", the night manager walked with me to the front door and directed me to the best place to park.

I avoid locations near tourist attractions as they don't want to become impromto camp grounds. It is also wise to research a community that you are not familiar with to avoid "bad" areas of town. Friday and Saturday nites may tend to be hangouts for kids and their cars. Most retailers have clampted down on cruising.

Call me cheap but its more about convience. We use the stop to stock up on needed supplies and often grab one of their roto cooked chickens for dinner and donuts for breakfast.

John from Central Florida · 07-09-2018, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Have overnighted in dozens of WM's, and have never had a problem with any of them. I have only talked to management at maybe 3 or 4 of the locations. At one where it was clearly posted "No overnite parking", the night manager walked with me to the front door and directed me to the best place to park.

I avoid locations near tourist attractions as they don't want to become impromto camp grounds. It is also wise to research a community that you are not familiar with to avoid "bad" areas of town. Friday and Saturday nites may tend to be hangouts for kids and their cars. Most retailers have clampted down on cruising.

Call me cheap but its more about convience. We use the stop to stock up on needed supplies and often grab one of their roto cooked chickens for dinner and donuts for breakfast.

X2. Also, if possible, I always look at the place using Google Maps to help judge if it’s in a safe area. No offense to those who live there, but if I see the WM surrounded by lots of apartment complexes I avoid it.

Grumpy · 07-09-2018, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by norty1

We are retired and when we pull out on a trip, that is when it starts. If we can't get there in 5 hours of driving, we have a overnight at a small inexpensive place where we can relax and sleep.
I can't do that in a parking lot or rest area and believe me I have tried when it was not a choice.

I know those that have a 1 or 2 week vacation may not have that luxury but that's how we roll.

That's how we traveled for 45 yrs even with the kiddos. In our younger day I would drive 8-10 hrs.. That turned into 350 mile day in later years. Never used a WM or truck stop, always a CG.

eharris205 · 07-13-2018, 08:56 PM

We have been camping since the mid 80s. Have always used campgrounds for the overnight stays. Would never think about staying in Walmart parking lots or others. Having been a police officer for close to 40 years I guess my outlook on such places is somewhat jaded. IMHO most campgrounds offer much more peace of mind.

wags999 · 07-13-2018, 11:15 PM

More and more cities are prohibiting over night parking in commercial areas for safety's sake. I would check before assuming you can park there. I have stayed in several casino parking lots with permission, and most had security patrolling also. Never have, nor would I stay in a Wal Mart or a HD....scary enough to see what patronizes them in daylight, let alone middle of the night.

KST-184BH · 07-13-2018, 11:58 PM

I have no helpful advice or comment, this just reminded me of a video I watched last night. I'm sure it's been posted many times but just found it interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1AWLo_fK1U

Big1 · 07-14-2018, 01:32 AM

My wife really don't care to stay at WM, so I was able to make reservation at a camp ground, which is pretty nice and clean and flat.

Bassdogs · 07-14-2018, 07:47 AM

I clearly stated my experiences overnighting at WM and other similar retailers over a decade or more. This is a personal choice and each must make their own decision. I do challenge those who cry wolf about both the dangers of such practices and those who say they just choose inexpensive CG's. As to the latter that is not very practical without research and preknowledge of the area when stopping for an overnite while on the road. With a MH it might be less of an issue but with a TT finding the Cg is only the beginning and then its finding a site that will allow me to get level and have room so I don't have to disconnect. In regard to the WM / Retailer overnight I repeat "over a decade or more" I have never had an issue doing this. Using a bit of good judgement we have had only a few problems with cruisers mostly on Fri/Sat nites. Don't want to do the Retailer overnights, then by all means DON'T. I would add that rarely am I alone [typical # is 3 or 4] and I would estimate that a third of them are Class A's, reinforcing my statement that this is not about the $$'s.

Marine71-76 · 07-14-2018, 07:58 AM

As stated earlier a lot of communities are now posting no "overnight RV parking". It wasn't always about the safety but more about the mess some of our fellow RVer's have left. Would presume that overnight meant sleeping but no, we have actually witnessed the grills, chairs and ground mats being out.

We have stayed at WMs and have always checked with management before staying. We have also used truck stops and rest areas. DW's cousin is an over the road truck driver & has given us some solid advice.

WeRJuliian · 07-14-2018, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine71-76

As stated earlier a lot of communities are now posting no "overnight RV parking".

Around here (Florida), I have read of communities making those rules as a result of pressure from commercial campground operators, who would rather you paid them for your overnight stop.

Per the Walmart website, many(most?) of their Florida locations will not allow overnighting. Rest areas are the same.

mtdawg · 07-14-2018, 09:40 AM

Although there have been plenty of replies both pro and con, I'll add my 2 cents. We will use WM while traveling. If we have a long day and quit late at night, we'll stay in a WM instead of paying a campground fee for 5 or 6 hrs. of sleep. I use Allstays exclusively and have never been disappointed. My experience has been that by arriving late, others are there already. Lets me know that camping is probably okay. I've never had a problem other than noise from traffic or other campers.

You may also like: