Traveling on the cheap...where to just sleep.

[David S.]

I'm cheap. Often times when I am traveling cross country, I just want to get to my destination. The part I hate is when its time to go to bed but I just don't want to sleep in the car. I've often wondered say if I could just pull into a Lows parking lot and dive into one of those storage sheds for the night. I've never been brave enough though cause I doubt I would be able to sleep for fear of some over zealous police officer busting me. Another thought is why couldn't I just pull off the side of the interstate and just run into the woods with my tent and sleeping bag for the night and just leave early in the morning. My car would just look like a stranded car until I left the next day. I hate sleeping in my car and I hate paying a minimum of $35 for a cheap hotel.

I hope I am not the only one here that has pondered these ideas. Sooo...what sorts of cheap methods do you/have you used to get a good nights sleep while driving to a distant trail head or your just on the road for a long time.

[Montego]

On long cross country trips I just pull into interstate rest stops like the truckers do. They're usually safer IMO than just stopping on the roadway since most of the ones I've been at were lighted and had other people around (truckers, other travelers) plus the availability of (usually) restrooms, water, trash cans, and occasionally vending machines.

Another good place are truck stops. Most don't mind if you sleep for the night in your car, plus again, you have restrooms, water, trash cans, travel store, and it's fairly IMO safe.

In some wide open states like Wyoming, New Mexico, or Nevada, it's still possible to park on a side road and camp a bit away from your vehicle, but in this day and age even that can be somewhat iffy. The problems may not be so much with the LEO's as with the locals. Stay safe.

[weary]

My road tripping buddy and I once spent 6 weeks on the road camping and going to music festivals and concerts. We didnt have much cash, so we spent several nights a week sleeping in the back of the jeep cherokee (pretty cramped!)we were driving. We would stay in hotel parking lots where we decided cars were expected to be overnight and occasionally at churches where we could probably talk our way out of any trouble. At hotels we eventually got bold enough to wash up in their bathrooms, eat the complimentary breakfast, take coffee and fruit for the road, and fill up our cooler with ice. We got some funny looks at times, but no one ever said anything to us. 17 states, lots of good music, great and not so great camping, ramen and hotdogs every day and sometimes twice. It would've been more comfortable/honest with a bigger budget, but it was the best summer of my life.

It used to be easy. In the mid 1950s, I and a buddy drove from Maine to Seattle, Washington, to pick up a 1920s Mercedes Benz he had purchased before going to Korea.

We stopped every night, set up a tent in city parks or anyplace we could get off the road. No one objected. One morning in Seattle we were awoken by a cop walking across a downtown park where we were camping while the Benz was being repaired. We expected to be kicked off. Instead he only announced that we weren't allowed to park our car on the grass.

The plan had been to tow the Benz home with my $150 1940 Buick. But the Benz was too heavy, so we got the Mercedes going and towed my Buick home instead.

My wife and I did somewhat the same thing three years ago when we toured all the northern National Parks. For weeks we camped most nights in National and state parks and forests enroute to Olympic National Park, and drove home through Canada, also camping most nights in that country's parks and forests.

Weary

[scavenger]

Road tripping around western virginia, arizona, utah, nevada and parts of oregon ive not had problems finding a place to spend the night on the ground next to the car... doesn't work in more populated areas though.

[JF2CBR]

I sometimes look for a state park to camp in, they are usually only 10 dollars or so for a nights camping.

I've been known to bunk down in Walmart parking lots too, even had a few police officers stop because they were curious (only once in a walmart that wasn't open 24 hours), but no one ever asked me to leave.

[Jim Adams]

park in the rest area and camp in the woods behind it.

geek

[Caveman of Ohio]

http://www.couchsurfing.com/ This site my be helpful

[take-a-knee]

park in the rest area and camp in the woods behind it.

geek

That is a lot smarter than sleeping in your car in a lonely rest area. I'm sure Michael Jordan would agree with that, especially around father's day.

[Bob S]

park in the rest area and camp in the woods behind it.

geek

I’m fairly sure this is against the law, at least in Ohio.

[Jim Adams]

I’m fairly sure this is against the law, at least in Ohio.

probably is but if you park near the end of the lot away from all the foot traffic near the restrooms etc., most people don't even notice you going back there...I've done it all over Ohio...never had a problem.

geek

[Nearly Normal]

You see RVs in mallwart parking lots, usually at the further fringes.
Sometimes for several days.

I have a pickup with a camper shell and have slept in it at removed places but wouldn't have a problem with a big parking lot. Most are under camera security.
If your scared take your pistol with you. That's what its for.
You have the RIGHT to keep and bear arms in this country.

[Jim Adams]

Just thought that I'd add this: you don't set up your tent!!!!!!
sleep in your bag on a mat or in a bivy. If it is raining I just tolerate sleeping in the car just to keep my gear dry.

geek

[Jim Adams]

You see RVs in mallwart parking lots, usually at the further fringes.
Sometimes for several days.

I have a pickup with a camper shell and have slept in it at removed places but wouldn't have a problem with a big parking lot. Most are under camera security.
If your scared take your pistol with you. That's what its for.
You have the RIGHT to keep and bear arms in this country.

Wal-mart actually encourages motorhomes to stay in their lots.


geek

[Bob S]

My brother is getting ready to retire and loves to travel & camp. He bought one of these teardrop campers. It’s light (like 600 pounds) and easy to pull with almost any car. He does what he calls Boon-docking with it. Basically this is what people do when they stay at Wal-Mart, K-mart or flying J truck stops. It’s a small camper that on the inside has a mattress that unfolds to cover the whole floor. It has a powered roof vent, lights, DVD player. And a few other things we put into it to make it nice to sleep & travel in. It allows him to travel very inexpensively.


Here is the link to it; he has the one on the right with the NASCAR package. It’s on the left side of the web page, in fact the picture is his exact trailer as he bought the demo/ show model they used for shows & the web site pictures. People really look at you when driving down the road with this behind you.
http://www.golittleguy.com/cms/


PS while Wal-Mart allows campers to park in their lots overnight. Some cities don’t. Here in the Toledo area there is a Wal-Mart in the suburb of Oregon and the wonderful Oregon city government will not allow any overnight parking in any store lots. So if you are boondocking, make sure it’s allowed before you just pull up and camp.

The nice thing about my brothers Little Guy trailer is it looks like a utility trailer and not a camper, so he can stealth-camp with it in a parking lot easier then a bigger travel trailer.

[Frosty]

I tend to grab a few winks in my car.I think rest areas are dangerous. I pull into the parking lot a motel and sleep there. Never been ousted yet.

I set a timer for 20 minutes. If I nap longer than that, I wake up logy. Sometimes I stop for 20 minutes every hour after midnight. When the sun comes up, I'm fine.

[Pokey2006]

Not all Wal-Marts allow camping in their lots! The Wal-Mart I frequent in NH has signs everywhere saying no camping/overnight parking. So check first.

[River Runner]

Most rest areas I've seen prohibit overnight (all night) parking. If you can find National Forests, camping is usually cheap or free. State parks are usually pretty cheap.

[shelterbuilder]

One of my friends (older, now deceased) had an older full-sized truck with a top over the bed. He laid carpet in the bed and built in some shelves, bought a battery pack to power small lights, and used that as his "camper". I used to drive a mini-van; I took out the rear bench and built in a pong padded bunk with dog crates underneath for my team. With the windows "blacked out" with those reflective silver windshield curtains (cut to size for the smaller windows), I'd be nice and dry and secure, and no one would know that I was in there. I could pull over anywhere and sleep for hours. I even used DC-powered fans and a battery pack and cracked the windows a bit to keep the windows from fogging up!

[JAK]

When I buy a car I make sure it is comfortable to sleep in. Most aren't.
Do they design them that way or what?

[Grinder]

I have a Geo Metro that I use for long solo trips. I remove the passenger seat, stow my baggage there, with a four foot long piece of plywood on top.I call it "the world's smallest RV".

I drive until 10PM and pull into a rest area. I sleep my normal hours (10:30 to 5:30) wake up, use the facilities, and continue the march.

All the interstate areas these days seemed to be signed "NO OVERNIGHT STAYS PERMITTED" , but I've never been challenged by "the man".

Miles of Smiles

Tom