Questions about power for overnighting

Gdetrailer wrote:
NinerBikes writes "The stated goal in overnighting is to be unobtrusive to all, including fellow overnighters. No different than camping. Including quiet hours from 10 pm to 6 am. Why would it or should it be any different, unless you are a selfish bore.

The issue isn't noise being created by your AC unit, the issue is if you make noise to generate electricity to power up your AC unit, when your AC unit and whole Rv was designed from scratch, to be hooked up to a pedestal, not a generator, to power the AC. RV parks and RV builders are in bed together, they have a symbiotic relationship.

As for me, I plan my trips to make stops, even in the summer time, such that I have enough elevation, where it cools off at night, at any given overnight spot so as to never have to run the AC unit, let alone the generator. This means climbing up out of the desert southwest onto a 5000 ft elevation plateau around or north of Cedar City, UT before stopping, about a 450 mile one day drive. Or else, I pay a fee at an Indian Casino to plug in at a pedestal overnight and cool down."

Everyone has "different ideas" as to what "overnighting" may mean.

There is huge difference when one is "overnighting" in a public or state CAMPGROUND vs a "public/private" PARKING LOT.

You are very lucky to have access to a "Indian Casino" to plug in or even 5000 ft elevations to pull over and park without some need to run a A/C.

MANY don't have such luxuries.

There is no reason to be shouting about one using a generator in a Walmart parking lot. Heck I would rather hear a gen than a trucker idling their rig all night (ever try to sleep with a reefer truck parked beside you?) I have.

In a place like Walmart you are a "guest" of Walmart, they have no "rules" about who can run a gen or not. They have no "quiet" hrs posted to abide by.

Yes, I have overnighted at Walmarts and yes, it is anoying when a Motorhome parks and starts a gen for all night.. BUT, I PAID NOTHING for that parking spot..

I overnight at Walmart because I do not want bothered driving miles and miles out of my way on single lane dirt roads up steep mountains only to find they they are closed (I have lots of those stories from my childhood of my parents HAVING TO BACK THEIR WAY OUT FOR MILES more than once).

I am not going to go and pick a fight with another fellow camper over a generator, EVEN IF I WAS THERE FIRST..

That would be a very childish and not to mention potentially deadly game to play to make your point.

I myself HAVE fired up my gen in the back of truck, but I only run it long enough to cool down the trailer to a reasonable sleeping temp.. Kind of hard to get to sleep when you have a trailer inside temp of 80F or 90F..

So, I will run mine for a 1/2 hr which gets the temps comfortable.. and often since one of my stops is in the mountains of West Va it sometimes cools down outside quickly and trailer stays reasonably cool all night.

Personally, I just don't sleep all that well around a lot of noise so I break out some nice soft hearing protectors.. Those work wonders on muffling traffic, gens and truckers. Best $.50 that anyone could spend if noise bothers them..

Ninerbikes I agree I missed the point of you being there first.
When I plan to use my genset I will park away from everyone or near someone already using a genset. I would avoid disturbing others.

However Gdetrailer sums things up pretty well.
Expectations and rules are very much different when it comes to a Wal Mart parking lot vs.CG.