New to RV....new to class c....new to it all

[Cerevisaphile]

My wife and I purchased our first motorhome and are planning in using it year round on extended weekend trips. I can work from anywhere as long as i have a good internet connection and she is working partime for now..2 days a week..

It has always been a dream of mine to travel the country and see things, hike mountains , fish for mighty trouts and do other things we love to do.

We will be traveling with 2 dogs...

There are too many questions for me and i dont want to flood the forum....

Some of the topics we are interested in are...

Internet connection...what works usually best.. I have a 4glte hotspot on my phone which seems to work well on vacation but i am not sure how it will perform in a more constant use scenario...

Wild camping ....what is the law about staying overnight ? Are parking lots of state trailhead acceptable ? For short stays when doing hikes during the day ? We are also skiers how friendly are they usually when it comes to motorhomes ?
The german nature in me wants to ask for permissions but then i learned that its easier to ask forgiveness than permission...

Someone told me that walmart lets rv stay the night when traveling... I this true ? What other stores might allow this ?

Whats a MUST HAVE....one of the things i thought about bringing was a chainsaw to cut dead trees into workable chunks when staying of the grid .

And of course generic tips tricks etc....

We are planning on staying close to home for the next few months till we work out the kinks and then do some more exploring towards the westcoast...

Thanks for links, remarks, tips etc....

[kellybelly]

Jim Shoe wrote:
I'm looking forward to your posts. I love reading stories by people that do whatever they want and ask permission later. In your case, a cell phone is a good thing to have, because you can text us about your adventures right from your jail "cell". And call your attorney that, I assume, you have on retainer.

this post is so funny, thanks for making me laugh

[Cerevisaphile]

Well we survived the first night in the RV...even though we had some mishaps we enjoyed it.... Created a blog at tumblr in case anyone would like to see what a rookie rv trips looks like...if you see FUNNY english i apologize...i am not a native english speaking person...

http://cerevisaphile.tumblr.com

[DaCrema]

When on longer trips I have stayed a few Walmarts and at rest areas. On my iPhone I have the app "All Stays". The app has a setting or filter that shows which stores allow overnight stays and a phone number. I always call ahead to make sure local laws or store policy has not changed.

For public campgrounds I found two useful apps "Ultimate CG" (iPhone only) and "Campwhere". I'm sure there are a bunch more.

I came to RVing from backpacking and tend to not use campfires when camping alone (leave no trace camping), but sometimes when I am with a group there is nothing like a good fire. I think a chain saw may be overkill. I have a small hand axe and my backpacking saw. In most places near where I live you are somewhat restricted by what you can collect. Also mindful of the invasive beetle problems, I no longer bring firewood from out of the area I camp. It is kind of a shame because the wood bundles you typically buy at the camp-stores are not usually from well seasoned lumber.

[Bordercollie]

We have not done much camping in primitive areas. It's wise to check things out as far as permits, campfires, length of stays, red flag fire warnings, etc., to avoid disappointments. Overnight parking in rest stops is prohibited in many states due to potential danger from criminal elements and shortage of police patrols. Overnight parking at Walmarts is allowed in some prohibited in others depending on local ordinances. There are lists of Walmarts and truck stops that allow overnighting and RV dump sites that may or may not be up to date. Best to have a Plan B for where you are going to stay overnight unless you can make reservations.

[orfsotr]

Regarding CAMPING at trailheads - My husband and I are avid hikers/campers. Most of the trails we have hiked in 30+ years/50 states are posted for NO CAMPING within a certain distance of the trailhead. You can certainly PARK your vechicle during the day while hiking and if a longer trail leave it for any number of nights. Be sure and use the trailhead register!

[ALnCORY]

WE have used parking lots or truck stops for sleeping purposes, usually a few hours to recharge and then off again. Our local Walmart is pretty liberal with overnighters but I believe it varies by location. Many rest stops in the western states will be filled up with sleepers at night although I believe they are posted no overnighting, but we have never been asked to leave, once again we aren't staying more than a few hours not camping out. Idaho has many acreas of federal and state owned land, and alot of it is open camping, although there are often campfire restrictions if not in a developed campground. I know some other western states are the same.
Good luck and enjoy your RV,,,, it really is the only way to travel.

[Cobra21]

You usually can sleep in areas where the big trucks can. That's sleeping, not camping. Also when doing this make sure you wear
pajamas or something decent to bed so if you have to answer the
door in the middle of the night you look presentable.
Brian

[Handbasket]

For on-the-road internet access, I've been mostly very happy with a Verizon jetpack. But that's with the caveat that I live and mostly travel in the East. As far as I know, the mi-fi / hotspot function on your phone should be pretty much the same as the jetpack. But if you use a lot of data, it may get pricey.

Jim, "I drink coffee for _your_ protection."

[charming]

We are new to RV'ing but have done a lot of driving on the east coast. It is important to know that each state determines how their land is used. Some states allow overnight parking at rest areas, others do not. I think once you know where you plan to visit you can look for info on rest areas.

Walmart and retail parking for overnights is an even more diverse issue. Not only is it up to the retailer or owner of the parking lot, but also local laws. In my area most communities do not allow over night in parking lots. Probably because we have wall to wall private and public campgrounds. 😉

I would not risk private land due to the problem called - trespassing.

I am a planner/plotter. Before I leave home I have to have a pretty good idea of where I will be sleeping that night (yeah, I know, in my RV). I'm not good at winging it. I am allowing us some leeway on that when we take a long road trip, knowing we will be making our plans a little more on the spot and not all reservations with confirmations 3 months in advance.

Good luck and post back on your adventures.

[Dusty_R]

Most interstate rest stops are posted NO OVER NIGHT PARKING, but many do spend the night.

[noe-place]

If there is no parking then there will be signage to that effect. However these can honestly be overlooked. We arrived very late one night at Devils' Tower and found a nice pull off just a mile or so from the Tower entrance so I parked there for the night. At dawn when I went outside to walk the dog there was a huge sign "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING." Probably lucky the ranger didn't see our MH. Ask and it shall be answered; happy trails.

[Cerevisaphile]

Seems the best bet is almost to see if there is signage saying DONT DO IT and if not give it a try ...i am surprised there is free camping at all.. In the old country there is no such thing...

[Cerevisaphile]

G and D wrote:
Cerevisaphile I am new to the forum and just got my first c class. What I have found to be VERY helpful is the jump to forum at the top right of the page. You will find a huge amount of info here and can search by topic or key word.

A great place to stay is in most National forests. You can camp off most roads unless it is posted. That is of course when our ETHICALLY AND MORALLY BANKRUPT CONGRESS hasn't closed them!

Welcome and enjoy

Thank you for the tip... I been reading through the posts and yes there is a vast amount of information there...not always really what matches my questions... I have always been someone who takes a persons word and personal opinion over a thread that starts with a decent questions and end up with 2 or more people argueing about which color is the best... I understand there are alot of repetititve questions from the noobs in here... But we were all noobs at one point...

[G_and_D]

Cerevisaphile I am new to the forum and just got my first c class. What I have found to be VERY helpful is the jump to forum at the top right of the page. You will find a huge amount of info here and can search by topic or key word.

A great place to stay is in most National forests. You can camp off most roads unless it is posted. That is of course when our ETHICALLY AND MORALLY BANKRUPT CONGRESS hasn't closed them!

Welcome and enjoy