I had this at the end of the Walmart thread (rip ). But just as a reminder, so we don't loose the privilege of being able to park at different places. Etiquette God bless, John
I had never heard of anything like this and found it interesting. To be honest, though, I was looking for some "rules" regarding real boondocking, as in the forests, by rivers, etc. Staying at a WM or participating retail store such as listed in your post is something that I would consider parking overnight rather than boondocking, but I suppose to each his own. Thanks for posting the "rules".
According to Mr. Webster, boondocks 1) rough country filled with dense brush; 2) a rural area. Now then, according to my wife, and I'm sure many others, if we are not in a CG with full hookups we are boondocking! Definition relevance is subjective and therefore set forth by the individual.
I think we follow these almost all of the time except for the very few times when we have stayed two nights. I also noticed that nothing was said about slides being out. We also use the boondocking term whenever not in a campground. In our kind of camping, we rarely fully use the services of the campground and especially when only staying one night. We love to explore the area and the local culture and food. The campground is usually just a place to sleep and recharge the batteries if needed and boondocking is frequently all we need. It is also so convient.
Yup, I posted it as just a reminder. Most people do follow these common sense "rules." The problem is that there are some people out there who do now have something as "rare" as common sense. It is so sad. I agree with Lindsay, that the only one that we have stretched is the one night only. Of course, we always ask permission. It is too bad, but the people out there that don't have common sense, are the ones that are going to get the rest of us outlawed from staying in WM. I like to stay in CG's but the problem is we don't fit into a lot of CG's. For example, we were in Sumter, SC, and there wasn't a CG that could accommodate us. We are 13' tall, and 45 long. That is when we like WM. God bless, John
I just remembered that once in mid Maine, we stayed in a Wal-Mart for 3 days, but I was sick as a dog and don't think I even left the coach. (spent a lot of time in the head.). THe few times when we stayed two nights, we moved to present a lesser impact. My wife always says when thinking about stopping at a Wal-Mart, "Want to stay at a Super Campground?" Gilda, that is a play on words for Super Center. I have seen many abuses though. I guess you see them in campgrounds too. All in all, we love RV'ing so much that where we stay doesn't make a lot of difference to us.
Lindsay, I agree with you. WM don't mind us, because we are clean. We shop in them alot (and that gets expensive ), and we have a nice looking rig. If we have to stay more then one night, so far the managers have always been very gracious, and had not problem at all with it. Then they have often commented on our rig, and asked more questions. Tonight we are dry camping in a funeral home parking lot. This is certainly a first for us (we will be here tomorrow night too). Some friends own it, and it works out well. God bless, John
This is comical. The "booddock etiquette reminder" is posted. Then the only one's who have posted say they don't follow it anyway. (including the one who started the post in the first place).......what the..... :lol:
QUOTE(gilda @ Sep 26 2009, 09:50 AM) [snapback]19240[/snapback] This is comical. The "booddock etiquette reminder" is posted. Then the only one's who have posted say they don't follow it anyway. (including the one who started the post in the first place).......what the..... :lol: Gilda, I believe that you are referring to the one day only, correct? As a matter of fact, that is something that it is a generally good idea to follow. Like I said, we always ask. Like I said, when we weren't able to stay at a CG in Sumter SC, that was because there wasn't a CG that could accommodate us. We were too big. The manager was just fine with us staying there, and like our rig. FWIW God bless, John
If you like, I will post another version stating that it is OK to stay 2 nights if you ask first and it is OK to put out your slides over the grassy areas. This should make most people in complete compliance and should you feel a lots better.
Fine with me, Lindsay. I think that it is most important to be respectful. For example, one shouldn't stay in the Walmart parking lot, and camp for a couple of weeks on end. Also, it isn't good to get the grill out, and set up the lawn chairs, and make a mess on the parking lot. The reminder was just for those that might not know different. God bless, John
John, I was adress my semi sarcastic reply to Gilda's post, not to you Sorry. Anybody with a name like John316 has to be a heck of a nice guy in my book. Like so many other things, staying overnight at Wal-Mart involves a lot of common sense which is sometimes in short supply.
The note posted was developed by the Escapees RV Club, which is the group who have probably done more to protect our ability to stay in places other than campgrounds, than any other group.They have worked very hard to establish some type of middle ground and to gain the endorsement of other RV owner's groups. The primary organization that is working to stop us from such stays is ARVC, or the Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. They have long encouraged their members to work for local laws to prevent such stays. At one time some of us had hacked into their members only area and we had copies of their page giving advice on how to push such laws. I guess that they figured out that they had been hacked and have improved their security, but I'd wager that their activities have not changed. They seem to feel that we should be forced to stay in their parks, rather than them having to attracts us to come. Some of us make an effort to avoid staying in RV parks that belong to ARVC as a result. I rather imagine that there will be some flame efforts by park owners as a result of this post.
QUOTE(Kirk @ Sep 28 2009, 07:02 PM) [snapback]19306[/snapback] The note posted was developed by the Escapees RV Club, which is the group who have probably done more to protect our ability to stay in places other than campgrounds, than any other group.They have worked very hard to establish some type of middle ground and to gain the endorsement of other RV owner's groups. The primary organization that is working to stop us from such stays is ARVC, or the Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. They have long encouraged their members to work for local laws to prevent such stays. At one time some of us had hacked into their members only area and we had copies of their page giving advice on how to push such laws. I guess that they figured out that they had been hacked and have improved their security, but I'd wager that their activities have not changed. They seem to feel that we should be forced to stay in their parks, rather than them having to attracts us to come. Some of us make an effort to avoid staying in RV parks that belong to ARVC as a result. I rather imagine that there will be some flame efforts by park owners as a result of this post. I agree with you that the Escapees are a good organization that is very supportive of it's membership. I'm a bit surprised that you would admit that you hacked into someone else's private web site. At the very least, that seems unethical. As the "professional volunteer" you show in your signature (I volunteer on a part-time basis) I would recommend you rethink your ethics viz-a-viz this area. I'm obviously not associated with a park owner, but definitely agree with them that campgrounds should be supported when they are available. When there is no campground available - or at least one that meets health and needs standards - other "parking lots" such as WalMart may be acceptable. I learned a lot from John316 and his boondocking etiquette and it did alter my thinking in some ways. However, my original thoughts regarding those who stay at WalMart and the like on a regular basis is unchanged.
Today I was again reminded why we like Walmarts so much. We are in a VERY tight CG. We have 1 foot of wiggle room either way, plus we have to back in at a very squirrelly position. It is, by far, the tightest place we have been in...doable, but just not convenient for a quick overnight-er.
John316, ok, sorry but we missed the entire walmart thread..but I can tell you that I love staying at wm pking lots for many reasons: 1.)safety 2.)easy to enter/exit 3.) no big trees to fight with sat. tv 4.)shopping and most of all, 5.) because there is a walmart at every corner..ok, not every corner, but when we are exhausted at early hours of am we can safely rest..I hope we do not lose this privelage...
QUOTE(jchapman @ Sep 28 2009, 10:31 PM) [snapback]19316[/snapback] John316, ok, sorry but we missed the entire walmart thread..but I can tell you that I love staying at wm pking lots for many reasons: 1.)safety 2.)easy to enter/exit 3.) no big trees to fight with sat. tv 4.)shopping and most of all, 5.) because there is a walmart at every corner..ok, not every corner, but when we are exhausted at early hours of am we can safely rest..I hope we do not lose this privelage... I'm with you there, buddy. We like WM for a lot of the same reasons. We haven't had safety issues either, and wonder about the people that speculate about them. God bless, John
QUOTE Some of us make an effort to avoid staying in RV parks that belong to ARVC as a result. Kirk, Very interesting. Could you help the rest of us out and let us know the names of the parks that belong to arvc? It would help us all know which parks to avoid. Or, is there a website that lists the parks that belong? What is the current status with arvc regarding walmart? Is it still there stance to drive rv's away from walmart? What counties has arvc been successful banning camping in walmart? Your info is important to the rest of us since you were able to get "the inside scoop".
Kirk....you're painting with an awful large brush with your assessment about ARVC members. ARVC provides park owners with a lot of positive things, such as education, supplier discounts, etc. Just because a park owner belongs to ARVC does not mean that owner subscribes to every position of the organization. The same as a member of AARP may not agree with every position of that organization. And this applies to members of any organization, whether it be Chamber of Commerces to the NRA. I have been a member of ARVC for 5 years, and I have never seen or heard a position taken by them on Walmart. I have been to their convention where I learned the value of providing quality wi-fi, improved people skills, ways to attract customers, and ways to improve our parks so people will want to stay in them. These are all good things. If people want to stay in Walmart parking lots, that is their perogative. Have I ever done it? No, I like my amenities. Would I if I needed to catch a few hours sleep? You bet. We just happen to be some of those 200/2:00 people. So, when you say you try to avoid a park that belongs to ARVC, you may be passing up 3700 of the best parks in the US.
QUOTE(dancyn @ Oct 1 2009, 01:32 AM) [snapback]19353[/snapback] So, when you say you try to avoid a park that belongs to ARVC, you may be passing up 3700 of the best parks in the US. Except when you are in a lot of places like, Sumter, SC. Then they don't have a park, let alone big enough to accommodate us. We find it usually much more peaceful in WM, then trying to get into a very tight spot, for our big rig, late at night. Walmart's are such a blessing. God bless, John
