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Topic ClosedFree Campsites aka Boondocking
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Free Campsites aka Boondocking
    Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 4:49pm
Found a few sites online, but all are lacking so far in 'realtime' info.. Like, when where you there?

This whole stay at a Walmart thing just doesn't seem right for me with a TT. 
You tell me.. Have you done it with a TT and how was the experience?

Have a good site that shows good spots? Please share.

I'm going to run up to the Nor'east Martimes this spring and found a nice spot to overnight in Maine called Airline Rips. The second stop would be just onto Cape Breton NS at a Visitor Center (this one sounds weird, but would be there early enough to figure it out). If good, might be able to re-charge batteries and water up. Dump station??? Still working on that.

My add to this will be:
https://freecampsites.net/welcome/

If you have one, please suggest. If this goes well, maybe admin could place a 'sticky' with all the sites for us all to use.
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Posts: 34 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 5:10pm
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allstays.com
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 6:08pm
There are whole forums dedicated to boondocking.

As far as the walmart thing. I see it as a stop for a few hours while going from A to B sort of thing.. have never done it. We usually try not set up our travel so we do multiple hard days tows. I generally will stop in a regular RV park if convenient.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6285 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 7:15pm
We have stayed at truck stops (Pilot/Flying J) and at Walmart stores for overnight stays. Truck stops tend to be loud. A Walmart off the highway is a lot quieter. We always go inside to check with the store management to make sure it is okay. If it is, then I park where it is specified. One Walmart had a dedicated lot for big rigs and RVs to stay. It was not paved, but was graded and had a base of gravel so we were not in the mud. Since we were so small, I tucked us into a corner away from the big rigs. We had a pretty nice night there.

When we do stop, I try to park on the most level spot I can see. If I can't find one, I try to get the front of the 'Pod a little lower. I level the R-Pod side-to-side if needed and use the jack if needed to level front-to-back. Then I lower the stabilizers. I do not unhitch. I do disconnect the umbilical so there won't be a chance of the vehicle battery draining even though with dual 6V batteries, I don't thing there would be much of a chance of that. I often extend the slide-out since even with that extended, the R-Pod is narrower than some of the rigs on the road. In the morning, the slide-out is retracted, the stabilizers retracted, the jack lowered, and the umbilical reconnected. It does not take much time to do this.

Sometime after we get set up or in the morning or both, we go inside and make a purchase at the Walmart. Sometimes, it is just some food item. Other times, we have seen something we want so we get it there. It is a way of saying thank you for letting us stay.
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rawest50 View Drop Down
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Posts: 440 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 7:20pm
Originally posted by StephenH

We have stayed at truck stops (Pilot/Flying J) and at Walmart stores for overnight stays. Truck stops tend to be loud. A Walmart off the highway is a lot quieter. We always go inside to check with the store management to make sure it is okay. If it is, then I park where it is specified. One Walmart had a dedicated lot for big rigs and RVs to stay. It was not paved, but was graded and had a base of gravel so we were not in the mud. Since we were so small, I tucked us into a corner away from the big rigs. We had a pretty nice night there.When we do stop, I try to park on the most level spot I can see. If I can't find one, I try to get the front of the 'Pod a little lower. I level the R-Pod side-to-side if needed and use the jack if needed to level front-to-back. Then I lower the stabilizers. I do not unhitch. I do disconnect the umbilical so there won't be a chance of the vehicle battery draining even though with dual 6V batteries, I don't thing there would be much of a chance of that. I often extend the slide-out since even with that extended, the R-Pod is narrower than some of the rigs on the road. In the morning, the slide-out is retracted, the stabilizers retracted, the jack lowered, and the umbilical reconnected. It does not take much time to do this.Sometime after we get set up or in the morning or both, we go inside and make a purchase at the Walmart. Sometimes, it is just some food item. Other times, we have seen something we want so we get it there. It is a way of saying thank you for letting us stay.


At a Walmart is it just a place to park for the night. Not utilities available?
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Posts: 6285 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 9:06pm
That is correct. No utilities available at Walmart. It would be the same at a truck stop or at a rest area (if allowed in the state in which one is traveling (NC does not allow it).
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Posts: 1446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Nov 2017 at 9:20pm
We'll stay at Walmarts or truck stops as places to pull into late, spend the night and go in the morning -- when it takes two or more days to get where we're going.  It was a little weird the first time or two, but now it's a cheap (free) place to stay without having to get far off the road. 

I've haven't yet run into a Walmart or a truck stop that offered any sort of hookups, although I've heard of truck stops with dump stations and I imagine one could find water if they looked.

I always call the Walmarts before getting off the interstate.  Some of them don't allow overnight parking.  And I don't unhook or lower the stabilizers usually.  We're really there just to sleep and maybe make some coffee in the morning.  We do run the slide out.

AllStays is really good.  It's a paid app, but it covers a lot of camping and RV territory. 

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Posts: 4508 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Nov 2017 at 6:07am
A lot of the Flying J truck stops have dump stations and allow camper to park over night.
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Posts: 6285 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Nov 2017 at 9:33am
The RV Parky app is very handy for finding those overnight stops. It will indicate if a particular Walmart or other spot allows overnights or not. It isn't 100% accurate as one that is listed as allowing or one that is listed as not allowing may have changed and the app may not have been updated. It has been overall reliable though.
StephenH
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Posts: 302 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Nov 2017 at 12:11pm
Most Cracker Barrels will let you stay the night in their lot.  Did this a few months ago.  Was really nice to walk right in for breakfast the next morning.  We called the manager prior to arriving to check and they were more than happy to let us stay there.  Would do it again.
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