Laine Saunders

>>How do you feel about Wal-Mart parking lots?

Thank God for Wal-Mart! Nothing is perfect and one can find positive and negative in anything, but I personally appreciate the fact that Wal-Mart, with some exceptions, allows for overnight camping in an RV. While a Wal-Mart parking lot isn’t necessarily my ultimate campsite, they offer a lot of positives. Coffee, groceries, water, or about anything you might need is conveniently located a short walk away when you wake up. And, you won’t get stuck on a Wal-Mart parking lot in bad weather, since it’s paved and flat! Wal-Mart parking lots are also quite safe because they are well lit and usually have other campers around, and law enforcement patrols them. With the VanDOit thermal storage curtains, the van is so dark inside that we have slept well past our normal wake up time.

>>What about truck stops, or other places like that?

I love truck stops. We are not picky about what brand of truck stop we stay at, as long as they are clean. However, I am very picky about being able to escape the fumes of the diesel engines, which will generally run all night long.

Most truck stops have a large area for commercial trucks and a separate area for everyone else. I make sure to look at the distance between automotive parking vs. commercial truck parking first thing. Truck stops have similar assets to Wal-Mart with a few additional positive and negative attributes. While one can buy most of what one needs in a truck stop, certainly there isn’t nearly the variety of Wal-Mart. However, one of the best things about a truck stop is that most of them have restaurants, café areas and showers. Even though one can shower out of their VanDOit, variety is the spice of life, and since a person has to refill the water on the VanDOit, it’s nice to use someone else’s water occasionally. Speaking of water, a truck stop usually has an available hose for adding fresh water to the tanks. Likewise, you can fuel up, have breakfast the next morning and clean up the windshield with the longer squeegee sticks usually found only at truck stops.

>>How do you know when it’s OK to park somewhere overnight? What are some of the safe/legal stealth camping tips you might have for people?

I have found that with a van you can really camp just about anywhere because they are incognito and don’t look like motorhomes. I am not at all suggesting a person camp where they will cause harm or make someone mad, but there are many places everywhere you travel where cars are parked overnight, and are often taxpayer-funded entities. Hospitals and health centers are a great example. Likewise, a large percentage of towns and cities across the U.S. have certain streets where overnight parking is the norm. As an example, our crew camped in two VanDOit Adventure Vans in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, right across from a neighborhood market before a mountain bike race. Many cities have carpool lots which have overnight parking available. Likewise, county fairgrounds and recreation centers have always worked for us as well.

We have also never had a problem parking at a casino, which also allows for overnight parking. Church parking lots tend to be a good place to camp. I typically just ask someone in the church for permission and offer to leave a donation should they allow me to charge my batteries through shore power. Like churches, civic organizations tend to be good sports about allowing overnight camping if one simply asks permission.

One of the best-kept secrets is a nationwide fitness centers that are open 24 hours a day. They are used to cars parked in their parking lot overnight and a person can grab a great workout and a shower. Hotels and motels can be a great place to camp, but we are transparent with them. We pay for breakfast the next morning. The request is usually accepted, especially if you can show that you are a rewards member and do business with the hotel. They usually ask what type of vehicle you are driving and give a smiling approval. Cracker Barrel is a great location as well…and of course we are patrons the next morning.

Many retail style farms and vineyards are usually happy to allow you to stay, as they tend to benefit from this type of tourist. Harvest Hosts is a cool resource to find the farms and vineyards who allow overnight parking/camping. Companies who “get it” and benefit from outdoor-oriented people generally love to have you stay. Retailers such as Bass Pro Shop, Cabela’s, REI and nearly every privately-owned sporting goods/camping store are almost always happy to have us, and of course we try to do business with them.

I’ve found that camping in a van without ruffling feathers is really easy due to its size and appearance. I have also found that being transparent and asking permission gets the job done almost anywhere if you are in a VanDOit. I have also found that if a person tries this in a motorhome…one is usually disappointed. Lastly, we can always find a state campground and hook up to shore power for the night.