Walmart / Generator???

[nagel]

We are planning a 2 week road trip this summer and will be stopping in some Walmarts for a quick overnight stay. Being summer our concern is heat and would love to bring our generator to power the AC in our Travel Trailer. Our concern is the noise from the generator...is this good etiquette?

We have a larger generator we use for emergency home service that is probably a little louder than the smaller portable units that may or may not power our AC.

Thoughts?

[Grit_dog]

colliehauler wrote:

tomman58 wrote:
After driving all day a cheap RV park along the hwy gives me power, internet and a hot shower. I hope to never stop at a wallmart or truck stop for the few bucks I have no worries or need to carry my generator.

Now that I'm retired I'm not in a hurry and stop early enough in the day to utilize a cheap RV park as well, besides they need the money. I travel of a summer and enjoy A/C and the quite. I usually only plug in. I can understand people who just need a few hours of sleep using Wallyworld, box stores, rest areas, truck stops.

I agree with Grit dog on a lot of small towns around here will have a nice quiet area for a overnight some even for free or a minimal charge usually a 3 day limit.

Granted, we don’t travel a lot compared to most of the folks on here. We’re not retireded yet, kids in school still. But we wally dock, rest area, city campground, boondock, NF campground, friends driveway or $50/night rv Park. Depends on the day, the trip and the situation.
Fwiw I’d camp in the hotel parking lot for kids hockey and soccer tournerys if the wife would let me. But them kids smell way too bad too many times a day at those events to make the navy camper shower a great option! Lol

[tomman58]

On the other side of this I use RVreview (or whatever it s called now) Google and a phone call. All of our trips yearly across the US are preplanned and we have stayed in many of the same parks each year but we do add some also. If you look to where you want to end up at the end of the day (our day ends around 5:00 or so deepening how far I care to drive. We stay hooked up relax, do dinner and then read a book for a couple hours. I know the park from Google looking overhead, no surprises. We leave normally at 5 in the morning, we are on the road in 15 minutes. Works for us and as said helps the locals out with a few bucks they are there for us overnighters.

[colliehauler]

tomman58 wrote:
After driving all day a cheap RV park along the hwy gives me power, internet and a hot shower. I hope to never stop at a wallmart or truck stop for the few bucks I have no worries or need to carry my generator.

Now that I'm retired I'm not in a hurry and stop early enough in the day to utilize a cheap RV park as well, besides they need the money. I travel of a summer and enjoy A/C and the quite. I usually only plug in. I can understand people who just need a few hours of sleep using Wallyworld, box stores, rest areas, truck stops.

I agree with Grit dog on a lot of small towns around here will have a nice quiet area for a overnight some even for free or a minimal charge usually a 3 day limit.

[Lantley]

Veebyes wrote:
It is a shame when rules need to be made to enforce what should be common courtesy.

No, there are no rules at Walmart, or anywhere else where people stop for a bit of shut eye. Most TTs, 5ers & TCs don't have built in gennys. If you have a genny that you intend to use go park away from those not likely to have gennys. Park near others that do & are likely to use them.

Simple courtesy.

WEll Said!

[ependydad]

tomman58 wrote:
After driving all day a cheap RV park along the hwy gives me power, internet and a hot shower.

I'm sure I've said it before in the thread (and the many others like it) but I stop at Walmarts for a couple of reasons:

• We stop late, 11pm or later
• I don't want to navigate a small/unknown park in the dark
• I really don't want to intrude on my neighbors at such a late hour

Walmart is the ideal solution for me.

I either can run off of battery or generator for power.

I always carry my own internet anyway; I can't remember the last time I used campground internet.

And I can get a hot shower in my rig, even without a generator.

The cost is almost the last of my considerations.

http://learntorv.com/wallydocking/

[tomman58]

After driving all day a cheap RV park along the hwy gives me power, internet and a hot shower. I hope to never stop at a wallmart or truck stop for the few bucks I have no worries or need to carry my generator.

[DrewE]

Grit dog wrote:
Fwiw, when we stop for a quick night, usually can find a little city or county park in most areas that is quiet and sometimes free but always cheap.

In my experience, this is far from true in the northeast. I know of one city park campground in Vermont, and it's not especially inexpensive (though convenient and on a nice beach), and no town ones offhand. There are plenty of parks that close overnight or do not permit camping.

[Veebyes]

It is a shame when rules need to be made to enforce what should be common courtesy.

No, there are no rules at Walmart, or anywhere else where people stop for a bit of shut eye. Most TTs, 5ers & TCs don't have built in gennys. If you have a genny that you intend to use go park away from those not likely to have gennys. Park near others that do & are likely to use them.

Simple courtesy.

[TomG2]

My generator is a pleasant purr. Yours is irritating, even though we have the same model. Your dog barks too much. Mine issues sensible warnings when someone approaches. You love your music and want to share it while I prefer silence. I will move on after demanding a refund on my rent if I don't like the current Walmart Astoria. You can too.

[Ralph_Cramden]

azrving wrote:

time2roll wrote:
Just park in the generator section and let it rip. Otherwise you need to verify with the store manager what is acceptable. Portable stuff setting out might be a no-no.

Not for me. I love off-grid camping but if I need cool air all night I am looking for hookups.

Walmart has a generator section?

Some do. It's usually located across the parking lot from the Big Rig section, around the corner from the section designated for the diehard freeloaders.

[Grit_dog]

Fwiw, when we stop for a quick night, usually can find a little city or county park in most areas that is quiet and sometimes free but always cheap.
If you pull into the Wally World and there's a rv with a big loud generator, embrace it. Pull up next to them and roll yer cord out and plug in to it! It's dark and loud so easy to go unnoticed....free power!

[Lantley]

TomG2 wrote:

Lantley wrote:

If your parked and sleeping while Wally Docking,and you don't have a genset running. I don't think you want me to park beside you and fire up my genset.

I don't own or control Walmart parking lots. Do you? Then park wherever you want. They don't owe me peace and quiet. When I pay for a quiet spot, I get a quiet spot. I have been blasted out of bed by the roar of motorcycles at midnight. I don't condemn motorcyclists or their choice of transportation. Some people on here seem to think that Walmart owes them bathrooms, convenient shopping, for other security cameras, designated parking areas, and the absence of "contractor" generators. I aif I were camping around othersm respectful of others and would never fire up a generator where it would bother others. Not everyone feels that way.

Courtesy and etiquette have nothing to do with WalMart.
I don't need a law or rule to show courtesy. I agree with you" I am respectful of others and would never fire up a generator where it would bother others". Furthermore I would never use a contractor generator if camping around others period. I'm not looking for others to set my courtesy standards

[TomG2]

Lantley wrote:

If your parked and sleeping while Wally Docking,and you don't have a genset running. I don't think you want me to park beside you and fire up my genset.

I don't own or control Walmart parking lots. Do you? Then park wherever you want. They don't owe me peace and quiet. When I pay for a quiet spot, I get a quiet spot. I have been blasted out of bed by the roar of motorcycles at midnight. I don't condemn motorcyclists or their choice of transportation. Some people on here seem to think that Walmart owes them bathrooms, convenient shopping, security cameras, designated parking areas, and the absence of "contractor" generators. I am respectful of others and would never fire up a generator where it would bother others. Not everyone feels that way.

[time2roll]

azrving wrote:

time2roll wrote:
Just park in the generator section and let it rip. Otherwise you need to verify with the store manager what is acceptable. Portable stuff setting out might be a no-no.

Not for me. I love off-grid camping but if I need cool air all night I am looking for hookups.

Walmart has a generator section?

Right so park in the opposite corner if you are the only one with a generator.
And don't complain when that diesel pulls up running the generator spewing diesel fumes right at you.