Sleeping in Walmart parking lot with roof top tent

[dlh62c]

The iOverlander and the UltimateCampground apps should help you locate plenty of low cost and/or free places to camp.

Regarding a RTT, roll into a Walmart lot and open it up after the sun goes down and pack up as the sun is peeking in the morning. Hang out parked up somewhere else like a local city park with grills and picnic tables. 24 hour Walmarts are great for one stop shopping.

Consider a way to secure the ladder to the vehicle via some sort of cable lock. It pays to recycle Aluminum, if that's what it's made of.

 

[pugslyyy]

I know that Walmart allows and encourages people with RV's to sleep in their parking lots overnight. Has anyone slept there using a roof top tent?

I cant imagine they would have an issue with it, but there is a fine line between someone sleeping overnight and "setting up camp".

The fact that the tent is on a roof and cannot be run over by a car, and does not require (in most cases) ground staking, I am thinking it might be OK.

Anyone know for sure?

People overnight in pretty much everything imaginable in Walmart parking lots. My only concern in a RTT would be restful sleep - they can be bright and noisy places, so I would think good ear plugs, etc, would be important. The walls of my camper provide quite a bit more insulation from noise than canvas, but I still find the earplugs to be handy at times.

 

[Terex]

Staying in the parking lot of a Walmart in northern NM would be taking your life in your hands. I'd be super cautious if staying at a Walmart most places.

 

[rruff]

Staying in the parking lot of a Walmart in northern NM would be taking your life in your hands. I'd be super cautious if staying at a Walmart most places.

??? Do you know of anyone who has come to harm in a Walmart parking lot?

 

[TripLeader]

??? Do you know of anyone who has come to harm in a Walmart parking lot?

I was curious, so I Googled "Walmart shooting." Here's some of what I found:

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Some of these seemed to have occurred inside, and some in the parking lot. There were lots more examples.
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I doubt any of these incidents probably arose over someone sleeping in the lot. But I wouldn't want to be sleeping in the lot when the OK Corral reenactment happens.

 

[kinnon]

We've stayed in both Canadian & U.S. Walmart parking lots in our Sprinter conversion numerous times in the last year. We've consulted the web as to what Walmart's will allow overnighting, and then gone in each time to customer service to ask permission. Never been a problem for sleeping — other than a parking lot being cleared of snow in UT in April.

 

[rruff]

I always tell the people who come to New Mexico to be off of the streets when the sun goes down.

It isn't safe to be out after dark in Rio Rancho or Taos? I live in Ruidoso, and that's my favorite time to take a walk. No worries whatsoever.

Actually many years ago I even slept in the Taos Walmart parking lot and survived to tell about it. But then again I didn't have any problems in seedy neighborhoods full of homeless people and drug addicts in CA either.

 

[rttz4me]

Walmart camping

IVe seen an hard shell roof tent and an old wilderness at the Walmart in centennial co.
HUge parking lot and people park way off in the farthest corner. I don't think WM minds as
Long as you make it safe.

 

[philndz]

Much like an interstate rest-stop, you are 'PARKING', not 'CAMPING'.
RTT is always camping. Pop-up campers, Travel-trailers w/ pop-out tent-sides, or even hard-sided slide-outs deployed is camping. Don't do it.
I think the wal-mart overnight policy is a generous allowance, especially when the company has essentially nothing to gain. It is a huge time and money saving tactic for those of us who have to travel on tight schedules or budgets but don't mind roughing it. From St. Louis, my trips West always start after a work day and stopping for the night around 1am for a covert sleep in a Wal-Mart, rest-area or the like. I'd hate to see abuse lead to a blanket withdrawal of the policy.

 

[80t0ylc]

People overnight in pretty much everything imaginable in Walmart parking lots. My only concern in a RTT would be restful sleep - they can be bright and noisy places, so I would think good ear plugs, etc, would be important. The walls of my camper provide quite a bit more insulation from noise than canvas, but I still find the earplugs to be handy at times.

Depending on how tired I am would determine parking at a Walmart with my hardshell RTT. Also what part of the country would be a big consideration. But in those circumstances I would never use earplugs. If my body needs rest bad enough for me to consider Walmart - ok, but it would be my last choice. It definitely would not be a relaxing night's sleep, just some shuteye to keep from falling asleep at the wheel. But earplugs could prevent you from hearing something outside that you need to hear, regardless of how tired you are. There are other times I would use earplugs, but not when you're in a public parking lot, with the thugs that run rampant in our society. Tents & the like are meant for the outback - not very secure at all. Also someone may be trying to warn you about an emergency - that you need to move your rig.

 

[VicMackey]

As I mentioned earlier. IMHO the huge advantage of Walmart is being able to roll in at 1AM and set up shop. Most campgrounds I have used in the past will not allow you to enter/set-up that late at night to prevent you from disturbing others while you set up camp. Sure, saving the 30 bucks is nice as well.

 

[taliv]

last weekend i pulled into a walmart parking lot in western NC around midnight, with my truck and trailer. It was like fast and furious. every teenager in town had apparently removed their muffler and suspension to pawn them for money to buy neon lights. they were like roaches huddling in little clusters in the parking lot. the security guard would chase them off and they'd just move to the other end of the parking lot. then he'd chase them away from there and they'd move back.

nevertheless, I just walked up to the security guard as he was driving by and asked if i could spend the night. he said "sure! I'm just chasing off the teenagers. And that door is open 24 hours if you need to use the restroom." I thanked him and opened the popup.

I didn't get much sleep until about 2am, but it was better than trying to find a campground at that hour. I bought some supplies from them in the morning, and a bottle of basil hayden from the ABC in the same parking lot.

 

[pugslyyy]

Depending on how tired I am would determine parking at a Walmart with my hardshell RTT. Also what part of the country would be a big consideration. But in those circumstances I would never use earplugs. If my body needs rest bad enough for me to consider Walmart - ok, but it would be my last choice. It definitely would not be a relaxing night's sleep, just some shuteye to keep from falling asleep at the wheel. But earplugs could prevent you from hearing something outside that you need to hear, regardless of how tired you are. There are other times I would use earplugs, but not when you're in a public parking lot, with the thugs that run rampant in our society. Tents & the like are meant for the outback - not very secure at all. Also someone may be trying to warn you about an emergency - that you need to move your rig.

With earplugs I find that I still wake up to unusual noises, and if anything it makes me even more sensitive to the motion of the vehicle rocking. In my experience it is very rare (in the US) for someone to knowingly mess with a vehicle that has occupants.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

We were suppose to sleep at a Walmart parking lot this summer on our way back from my parents place. I had brought the inlaws and their cousin down with me. We stopped at a Walmart in the early afternoon to scope it out and saw a spot, and we wanted a patch of grass to setup the awning since the in laws and their cousin was sleeping in there, while me and the girlfriend were in the RTT. We parked the brother-in-laws motorcycle in the parking spot we would take later on and went to do some errands and grab supper. There was really no other RV or anything in the parking lot at the time. By the time we got back, there were several RV's and a person setting up a regular normal tent said patch of grass that we had hoped to use. In a good set of circumstances, a friend that had recently beed posted there had messaged me earlier in the day since Facebook tagged that I was nearby. Normally I don't leave the GPS on the phone on, but I guess it worked out well this time, so we setup camp in his back yard.