Lowes

[No Roots]

My new favorite place to stay...they even offer free wifi...

 

[lenny flank]

I prefer Walmart---they also have food, water, and paper towels.

 

[deadwood]

Did you stay in the lot overnight. No issues??

 

[lenny flank]

Lowe's are generally OK to park in. And they have wifi and a bathroom. One disadvantage is that in general they are located out by themselves, so it can be difficult to find a place to eat nearby, if you want one.

There's no security and they're not open 24 hours, so it's pretty empty at night. If you are in w town with a "no camping" ordinance that may make it easier for the cops to spot you.

 

[John61CT]

The one near me has some contractor type vans and trucks parked there overnight, so maybe if your rig presents with that sort of style you can blend.

 

[user 15857]

Our Lowe's is posted NO overnight. It's not due to town ordinance, must be a manager decision. We've had many derelict RVs set up 'residence' in any open space they find, leave trash, use the shrubs as bathrooms and stay for weeks at a time and ruin it for everyone else.

 

[lenny flank]

I would guess that Lowes, like Walmarts, allows the individual store managers to decide. Sadly, every time I hear about a store that bans parking, or a town that passes an ordinance, they ALWAYS give the same reason: "many derelict RVs set up 'residence' in any open space they find, leave trash, use the shrubs as bathrooms and stay for weeks at a time and ruin it for everyone else." It's always a handful of shitheads who wreck things for the rest of us.

 

[No Roots]

I agree with your assessment, Lenny, being a women I am ALWAYS in stealth mode. If I feel at all compromised, (unsafe), I move on.
Yes, I do park between the U haul, Ryder trucks. I do not get out of my motorhome at all after dark.. I will not park in or around derelict RVs.
Also I must add I am an early riser most times I'm gone before 5:30am. I did have to relocate from a pilot once too busy, I stayed at Burger King the manager was very nice.
I think from an earlier post of yours, you stated if your ask to leave just leave. Although its never happened to me, its a good rule.
Stay safe, everyone

 

[lenny flank]

I've only been asked to leave once--that was not because of anything I did, it's because the Walmart had recently changed its policy and was expelling ALL vans from the lot. Likely because someone had recently been a shithead and pissed off the store manager. Oddly, the security guy who kicked me out was sympathetic, asked me a ton of questions about vandwelling, told me about a few local sites and museums I should go see, then pointed out another lot nearby that I could park in.

Yes, if I am asked to leave, I leave--promptly, courteously and cheerfully.

And when I am parked, I make every effort to be completely unnoticed. I do not stay in lots where campers are not welcome. I make no noise or light. I stay in the back of the van where I cannot be seen. I do not get in and out of the van. I do not look like a homeless person, nor does my vehicle. I move several times a day and do not stay in the same spot all the time. I dump nothing in the parking lot and make no mess. In lots without security people, I doubt anyone even realizes I am there--I'm sure the security folks figure it out (at minimum they can see the solar panel on my roof), but they don't bother me because I cause no trouble and do nothing to attract their wrath.

In general, if you don't act like a shithead, people won't bother you.

 

[ZoNiE]

What about Home Depot?

I overnighted at the Walmart in Payson AZ a few weeks back. First time in a parking lot, ever. There was one other RV when I got there with a small genny outside runnng (a no-no) and by morning, three cars that were obviously slept in as well.

Some dickhead opened both of my waste take valves a little bit and I only noticed it after I took a shower when I was leaking water. It was not leaking before I parked or all day at the storage lot when I was working on the coach, so I know it wasn't just me not closing it properly. Embarrassed, I left immediately as it was only shower water, or so I thought.

It was fun taking the cap off at the dump station later that day. (FYI, the Giant on 260 as three free dumps). There was a little Black water in that pipe too. I was pissed. It made a mess at the dump station. In decades of RV'ing, I have never made a mess. I did my best to clean it all up.

I now LOCK my plumbing compartment as the valves pulls are inside of that. It may have been the guy in the blue car (was a Cobalt or a Neon, cannot remember) that I didn't notice had an occupant immediately when I pulled in and didn't turn my headlights off right away, who knows.

I try to be quiet, but have a Cat Diesel, not the quietest Purr...

I had considered the Home Depot instead. I am actually going up to Payson next weekend to do some work on my coach (I store it up there) but may boondock at the Casino. They allow three nights, but some folks say they have been told to leave after the first night, I only need one, maybe two. They have a buffet.

 

[Weight]

Many of those big-box-stores do not own the land or parking lots. They are in a long term lease with a property manager. It may not even be in the stores choice to prevent overnight.

 

[CyrusL]

I was talking to a security guard once who said that if the store shares a parking lot with other stores, then they probably don't own the property (or at least don't control it completely). If the big box store has a parking lot all to themselves, then it's likely they own the property (or at least control it completely).  In the case of Walmart and Lowes, that means they are more likely to allow overnight camping, assuming there's no local ordinance against it.

 

[John61CT]

All the Lowes I've been to have other stores at the edges of the property, even if they're 100 yards away, Best Buy, movie theater etc.

Same with many Walmarts too.

But there is discreet overnighting going on in both, so the town gov and landlord must not know or care.

 

[lenny flank]

I have found that if you are not a PITA, most places won't bother you. I've overnighted in plenty of places where even though it's technically illegal, the nighttime security folks never bothered me.

Most of the time, the cops and/or security simply have better things to do and more important things to deal with.

 

[ProfessorChaos]

In Avon, Colorado Walmart and Home Depot are right next to one another and I have seen RVs in both lots and sadly they are doing something stupid. Taking up multiple spaces, playing loud music, and acting like the parking lot is their own private camping spot. Last summer someone left an RV at Walmart for like two weeks before picking it up. One of these days overnight parking is going to be banned at these places because of idiots like this.

 

[RVTravel]

Lots of organized trips leave cars at Walmarts for varying trip lengths. In DFW some casino buses pick up people at Walmart and take them to Oklahoma or maybe even Louisiana. Sierra Club trips park at Walmart for trips up to nearly a week long. Both obviously have an agreement that it is okay.

 

[ZoNiE]

How does one only take up one space when their RV is 35 feet long?