Have you ever been on an RV road trip where you travelled for multiple days to reach your destination? Maybe you stopped overnight in the parking lot at one of those big-box retail stores? If so, then chances are good that you have encountered an RV slug. That RVer who is ruining it for the rest of us. Here RV boondock etiquette is explained so we can keep a good thing good.
Starter Terminology:
- Road Trip-A long trip or holiday using a vehicle.
- Camping- The activity of spending a vacation in a tent, trailer or RV.
- Dry Camping- Camping with no hook-ups to electricity, water or sewer.
- Boondocking-Dry camping outside of an established campground.
What is Boondocking:
RVs are self-contained units with batteries, holding tanks, propane and often generators. You can park anywhere (boondock) and live off the grid quite comfortably while you continue to enjoy your creature comforts.
Boondocking is a way to enjoy a path less travelled with the opportunity to meet like-minded people, which is often free and without the restrictions encountered at private campgrounds. There are websites like boodockerswelcome.com or apps like Allstays that help RVers connect with places to stay.
Boondocking can also be about functionality. Many RVers take advantage of empty parking lots along their route to simply stop and get some rest.
Boondocking at Walmart:
Walmarts in particular, are a favourite boondocking spot. This is referred to as Wallydocking by RVers. Sam Walton was an RVer and it is corporate policy that RVs be allowed to spend a night in Walmart parking lots. There are lots of pluses to taking advantage of this.
- Convenient
- Paved relatively level spot
- Don’t have to unhook tow vehicles
- Opportunity to re-stock supplies
- Use washroom facilities
- Safety in numbers
- Open later than many campgrounds
- No reservations required
- Free!
The word is out. The sheer volume of people using this free space to park their rigs overnight is considerable.
How to Boondock:
Here is an example of how we use boondocking:
We are Canadian and like many other Canadians (as well as those from the northern snow states) we have made the winter trek south to Florida.
It is not possible to drive from Toronto to Key Largo in a day. It is a 2500 km trip.
Many RVers limit themselves to 500 km a day. We tend to do around 900 km. That’s a lot of driving. You will need to stop and rest. So when we are ready to stop for the day we find a Walmart to spend the night. If the store is open when we pull-in, we go and ask at the Customer Service desk if it’s ok to park overnight. Then while in the store we purchase a few things. I usually get a couple of Almond Joy chocolate bars (they don’t have these in Canada) and my husband will get a case of cheap US beer. I usually stock up on fruit and some fresh veggies, since these are things that we can not cross the border with. Then we go back to our motorhome and sleep. In the morning, we shower, make a coffee, prepare something to eat, brush our teeth- all in the motorhome. We are gone early after a comfortable rest. We leave no trace that we were even there. Easy.
Why Boondock:
The appeal of boondocking on a road trip like this is entirely financial. To stop at a KOA campground for example, which while they are often conveniently located, can accommodate late-night check-ins and have level pull-through sites, can cost at least $60USD a night. That’s a bit expensive for a sleep, a shower and a bit of power to run the Keurig.
So Walmart it is.
Some Boondocking Rules:
- Ask permission from a qualified person.
- Obey posted regulations.
- Arrive late in the day so as not to impact the store’s customers.
- Park on the outskirts of the parking lot (again to be considerate of the regular customers).
- Clean up your trash. There are usually multiple garbage cans located throughout. Don’t leave a mess.
- Don’t dump anything from your holding tanks- like from your black tank down a sewer. (This is illegal as well as gross).
- Keep the noise level down.
- Don’t “set up camp”. All that should be visible are your motorhome and your tow vehicle.
- Leave in the morning (the earlier the better).
- Never stay for more than one night. Period.
Conforming to this code of conduct keeps it a win/win situation for everyone. However, unfortunately, the RV Slug has evolved and threatens to ruin everything.
RV Slug:
An RV Slug refers to those that don’t conform to the boondocking rules, often staying multiple nights and actually set up full camp right in the parking lot.
People need to remember that this is Walmart. It is private property.
It is not your God-given right to set up your trailer on the grass median, open all your slides, bust out the gas grill, sit on your camp chair under your awning illuminated by your solar powered patio lights and drink a beer!
Do you think I’m exaggerating? Nope. People do this. I kid you not.
Every time we have boondocked at a Walmart we have seen some version of the RV Slug. And it is their behaviour that is turning a good thing bad. Ten to 12 years ago about 80% of the Walmarts in the USA and Canada allowed overnight RV parking. Today, it’s about 65%.
Case in Point:
There is a Walmart that is located conveniently off the highway in Quebec City. It is within easy travel distance to the city’s tourist areas.
RV Slugs abused this situation severely. Many stayed multiple days, unhooking from their trailers and leaving them unattended in the parking lot and taking off in their vehicles to enjoy in the sights. In the evening, they BBQ’d their meals outdoors, let their kids ride around the parking lot on their bikes and were rowdy with music and drinking. They even posted reviews online about where the best places are to park in the parking lot. All the while, gloating about their cheap vacation.
People complained. Most of the complaints had to do with the perceived abuse of privilege. In response, Walmart banned overnight parking and reconfigured the parking lot making it difficult (if not impossible) for RVs and vehicles towing trailers to access.
Thank you, RV Slug- good job.
Another example is Walmart in Whitehorse, Yukon. They no longer allow overnight parking as a response to all the complaints received regarding the conduct of RVers and the messes they leave behind. This might seem like an out of the way, obscure Walmart location, but if your bucket list includes a road trip to Alaska then you would pass right by it and since it is the only Walmart in all of the Yukon then this just got really inconvenient.
So be mindful. Fellow RVers don’t be an RV Slug. If you are camping then check into a campground. If you are just stopping for the night then be a good steward and be respectful of the privilege that good ole Sam has allowed.