When we had our motor home, we would stop at a Home Depot or Walmart, unhook the car and check out the local area. Now with our 5th wheel, we are somewhat unsure about leaving the trailer in a parking lot. Yes or no??

I would never think of dropping the fiver (or MH) and driving away unless I was in a RV park or campground. If I was the owner of a business and saw you do this with either a motor home or fiver, I'd call the towing company. They are in business to make money, not provide free parking so you can visit other businesses or sites.

Oh good grief.....the answers are the opposite of what we do!!! We will pull into an empty lot or Home Depot/Walmart.......go in and talk to the manager. We will buy something, but tell them our "problem"......the problem is that we need to run into town, too, but finding parking for the 5th wheel might be hard and wonder if he minds if we take it off the truck for a couple of hours. Or we want to tour their town or sites. And we promise we're not staying overnight.......NEVER have we been turned down.....

amandasgramma wrote:Oh good grief.....the answers are the opposite of what we do!!! We will pull into an empty lot or Home Depot/Walmart.......go in and talk to the manager. We will buy something, but tell them our "problem"......the problem is that we need to run into town, too, but finding parking for the 5th wheel might be hard and wonder if he minds if we take it off the truck for a couple of hours. Or we want to tour their town or sites. And we promise we're not staying overnight.......NEVER have we been turned down.....Sounds like the way to do it.BK

agesilaus wrote:amandasgramma wrote:Oh good grief.....the answers are the opposite of what we do!!! We will pull into an empty lot or Home Depot/Walmart.......go in and talk to the manager. We will buy something, but tell them our "problem"......the problem is that we need to run into town, too, but finding parking for the 5th wheel might be hard and wonder if he minds if we take it off the truck for a couple of hours. Or we want to tour their town or sites. And we promise we're not staying overnight.......NEVER have we been turned down.....Sounds like the way to do it.BKX2 to that, asking permission is always best.I would also avoid doing this on weekends, as most of the time for HD and Wally the lots run pretty full.I would also use a good pin lock, you never know who may be watching.

Daytime side trips without the 5th | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

we3
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
My problem is finding a rv park or campground near the town I am visiting. I live in the country and we go on vacation to the city and there is seldom CG or park within 15 mi. of the city, but there is ALWAYS a Walmart.
arnko37
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
I have stayed at a WalMart overnight maybe 2 dozen times. It was always after dark when we arrived and I did not wish to go looking for a campground and get hooked up in the dark. We did not need hookups as we were just going to sleep and then move on. One time I thought I would do the right thing and ask permission from the manager. He said NO. Right across the road was a Home Depot so we went there and I asked the manager. He said sure.
aruba5er
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
This was discussed 2 weeks ago. Do what you want but I left mine in a parking lot at a state owned rec park and had permission from the ranger and came back to find it parked in so I could not hitch back up. Plenty of room to park anywhere but the guy (fisherman) was just being a Jack a##. Never again will I disconnect and leave my fiver anyware except a campground.
Us_out_West
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
Thread title says "Daytime trips".

Some are really straying....
Stefonius
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
B.O. Plenty wrote:
It's an RV..it belongs in a RV park. What's the obsession with Wal-Mart. I hate those places. Never spent a night there never will. I can't understand why some people are so cheap...

B.O.
It has nothing to do with cheap, at least in my case. I have yet to meet an RV park owner who appreciates me for showing up at his gate at 3 AM after a long night on the road. A 24-hour Wal-Mart generally doesn't care about such things. I can get a few Zs, shop for some last minute stuff and get to the RV park during normal business hours the next day.
amandasgramma
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
B.O. Plenty wrote:
It's an RV..it belongs in a RV park. What's the obsession with Wal-Mart. I hate those places. Never spent a night there never will. I can't understand why some people are so cheap...

B.O.
Let's do a scenario......Your driving thru Bend, OR to go fishing 50 miles away at a lake. You need some things to complete the trip (maybe you're a full-timer and you've depleted a # of supplies). You know that when you camp at the lake, over an hour away, that you'll have to drive BACK to Bend and do your shopping. GOLLY.....I think I'll just stop on my way thru and get what I need. OH..well, Walmart doesn't have that special thing I need....so.............. I'll be DANGED if I'll pay $50.00 to an RV park in Bend, when I'm planning on camping a little more than an hour away. GET REAL.......the OPer did NOT say he's staying the night....he said he's going to do some shopping. How about site-seeing?? Do we HAVE to go to an RV park when maybe we're just passing thru a town and we want to see that particular tourist attraction that doesn't have enough parking room for your 5th wheel????
dewey02
Explorer II
Apr 17, 2014
shagan77 wrote:
Today's obsession with texting and social media has left far to many people without skills needed to talk to someone face-to-face.

AMEN!
B_O__Plenty
Explorer II
Apr 17, 2014
It's an RV..it belongs in a RV park. What's the obsession with Wal-Mart. I hate those places. Never spent a night there never will. I can't understand why some people are so cheap...

B.O.
shagan77
Explorer
Apr 17, 2014
X2 the ask and leave a contact number. We've been all over the country, and have found no problems in doing this. Always ask first. It is simply amazing just how nice people can be when you demonstrate just a little respect and courtesy. This same thing applies to over-nighting in a Wal-Mart lot. We always find the Manager on Duty and ask if it's ok, and if so, his preference where we should park. (ah, yes, and we do use a pin lock)

Today's obsession with texting and social media has left far to many people without skills needed to talk to someone face-to-face.
rhagfo
Explorer III
Apr 17, 2014
JIMNLIN wrote:
I see no difference in your leaving the MH sitting in their parking lot than leaving a trailer.

Either way ask first.

I think another gesture that would go a long way with the location, is leaving a cell phone for contact.