Question on parking lot or walmart camping

[mrad]

When staying overnight at a walmart or rest area that allows it, Can you put the slides out with only the front stabilizers down, or is best to unhook and auto level? I have hydraulic slides so all come out. I also have 6 stabilizer legs.

[laknox]

FWIW, My KZ has to have the slides out to access the whole rear of the rig. If I had to, I'd park, unhitch and pull forward just a bit, level and put the slides out; no awning. I'd then go in, talk to the manager and buy some stuff. For me, that's a last resort type of thing when I'd be a danger to be on the road. Want to give me a ticket when I'm trying to be a safe driver? Fine. See you in court.

Lyle

[laknox]

Lantley wrote:
The general policy for Wal Mart is to simply overnight.
That means do not disconnect from truck. Keep slides in as much as feasible.
No jacks down.
Their policy is for getting sleep overnight and leave in the morning.
No need to disconnect and set up as though you were camping.
Pull in for the night. Sleep and leave!
Staying for days and setting up is why Wal Mart appears to be phasing out the policy.

Not always Walmart, it's the municipalities that are enacting codes to prevent this. Closest one to me has "No Overnight" signs all over the property, but do not cite a city code, so I'm assuming it's the property owner. Doesn't stop people from parking an RV there for days on end.

Lyle

[mrad]

We ended up driving farther than expected and foudn a nice campground in Rantoul Illinois for $30. camping with full hookups for the night.

[TenOC]

I have a 36 foot 5er that needs all 3 slides out to access the beds. I park near the edge of the parking lot so the slides do not block too much traffic and lower the jack only enough to take the weight off the springs so the trailer will not rock too much.

Never a problem.

[QCMan]

The trucks will stay but with some limit on how many.
The reason for this goes back to before Walmart was Walmart. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, was a trucker before he was a shop owner and understood that it was hard to find a safe and legal spot to rest. Where the practice is legal, trucks are permitted but may be restricted to certain parts of the lot. RV's are accepted by extension of that policy but non commercial vehicles can be excluded by some municipalities.

[way2roll]

FWIW, when we had our FW we deployed the slides once without levelers. The weight of the slide with the fridge in it flexed the frame enough the slide did not want to go back in and would have caused some major damage had I not deployed the jacks to straighten it back up.

[ferndaleflyer]

The WM near me will cut out this parking deal soon I imagine. Not because of the RVs but The parking lot, especially on weekends, is full of trucks. Trust me those car haulers and log trucks aren't making a delivery to WM.

[opnspaces]

What's the make and model of the fifth-wheel? Someone here might know the answer or might have an electronic copy of the manual(s). Or try the manufacturers website they probably have the manuals online.

As as much as I hate to say it you can ignore almost every post that alludes to Walmart frowning on staying overnight in an RV. Yes in a perfect world people would not abuse the privilege and not setup camp at Walmart. But Walmart Corporate isn't saying no. The local Walmart store might not allow overnights for various reasons. Or might say overnights are okay but no jacks because they tear up the asphalt or have some other restrictions. But it's up to each individual store.

For the record here's the only question on RV's in Walmart's corporate FAQ's. Notice it doesn't even mention staying overnight.
Link


Can I park my RV at a Walmart store?

While we do not offer electrical service or accommodations typically necessary for RV customers, Walmart values RV travelers and considers them among our best customers. Consequently, we do permit RV parking on our store parking lots as we are able. Permission to park is extended by individual store managers, based on availability of parking space and local laws. Please contact management in each store to ensure accommodations before parking your RV.

[way2roll]

Sounds like your rig isn't conducive to overnighting at places like Wal Mart.

[mrad]

nickthehunter wrote:
How many slides? How. Big? How big is the RV? To many unknowns, at least for me, to offer an intelligent answer to your question.
P.S. it may be semantics, but parking overnight in a WM parking lot is not “camping” (see title of your thread). WM “camping” should not be a thing. If when stopping overnight in a WM parking lot you look like you are “camping”, then you should move on. In my opinion, you should look more like you’re in the store shopping, not setting up residence.

I probably should have stated one night parking. I told my wife my rules for campgrounds are two nights minimum unless we are in by 7:00 pm or close so we can somewhat enjoy the campground before pulling out.

It is 43'. without slides out we do not have access to fridge. Can get to the bed, but it is a pain. 3 slides. both living room slides are same length

[fj12ryder]

QCMan wrote:
Instead of cheaping out, why not just spring for a few bucks and get a campsite instead of stopping at WM? They offer us a courtesy and by unhooking and putting slides out you are putting anyone that really needs to stop for a while in jeapordy of losing the courtesy extended to us.

I used to feel the same way, but with the price RV parks/campgrounds are asking, I no longer feel that way. $40-$50 for a dirt/gravel parking space is outrageous. We've started considering skipping one-night stays in RV parks/campgrounds too.

I would only consider putting the legs down if you need to level, or get fuel. And slides left out only if you're in a open area where you won't be annoying anyone. IMO this is supposed to only be a stop, not a campsite.

[nickthehunter]

How many slides? How. Big? How big is the RV? To many unknowns, at least for me, to offer an intelligent answer to your question.
P.S. it may be semantics, but parking overnight in a WM parking lot is not “camping” (see title of your thread). WM “camping” should not be a thing. If when stopping overnight in a WM parking lot you look like you are “camping”, then you should move on. In my opinion, you should look more like you’re in the store shopping, not setting up residence.

[Lantley]

The general policy for Wal Mart is to simply overnight.
That means do not disconnect from truck. Keep slides in as much as feasible.
No jacks down.
Their policy is for getting sleep overnight and leave in the morning.
No need to disconnect and set up as though you were camping.
Pull in for the night. Sleep and leave!
Staying for days and setting up is why Wal Mart appears to be phasing out the policy.

[jffnkrn]

You may be able to contact the manufacture and get a manual or download one using the model or serial number

[MFL]

While JMO, unless the slides are adding most of the wt to one side, just using the front jacks should be fine. It is recommended to deploy slides with trailer level.

Most say for normal camping, to put jacks down, before putting slides out.

Jerry