Dirtbagging in a van

Hi I'm in the process of outfitting my van for dirtbagging. The one thing I'm unclear about is were is it ok to sleep at, I know Wal-Mart is ok. Looking for any other suggestions. Is national parks or blm land ok . Any other van dwellers have information on this topic. Any help is greatly appreciated.

BLM yes - check the local BLM webpages for addition rules
National Forest yes
National parks - probably not

Outside of National Parks, I rarely have trouble finding a spot to sleep. The trick is to pull in, turn off the vehicle, put up your window shades (dark shades are best, not something that looks like curtains or window coverings), and go to sleep. If you need to cook or want to do something outside, then do it in a shopping center parking lot and then find your sleeping area. Don't go outside the vehicle in the place you intend on sleeping.

One thing you should always think about is that when you actually try to hide your van (i.e. behind a shopping center) many times it looks more out of place and is more likely to gain unwanted attention than had you "hidden" it in plain sight. Climbing stickers and other accouterments are a definite no-no to staying stealth.

Best,

Jeff

Some Walmarts are ok but some are not with overnight parking. Truck stops like Flying J's are totally legit and safe with shopping, restaurants and showers on site. It's good to do your research by city and call the store manager to see if their place is ok with RVers. The key is to keep moving and not be that regular guy who hogs the bathroom for 30 minutes in the morning, if you are at a small restaurant. Marinas are cool for during the day and most of them have coin showers and laundromats too. Rotate between apartment complexes for overnight stays. Rest stops along highways are ok too for overnight, may get quite noisy too. Make sure you stay low key and leave if asked to leave. Some stores like Cabellas, Camping World, Cracker Barrel, welcome overnight RVers as well.
Check out an app called "RV Parky". It's free and good to use with maps if you are looking for a place.
Happy trails!

Jeffrey Dunn wrote:Outside of National Parks, I rarely have trouble finding a spot to sleep. The trick is to pull in, turn off the vehicle, put up your window shades (dark shades are best, not something that looks like curtains or window coverings), and go to sleep. If you need to cook or want to do something outside, then do it in a shopping center parking lot and then find your sleeping area. Don't go outside the vehicle in the place you intend on sleeping. One thing you should always think about is that when you actually try to hide your van (i.e. behind a shopping center) many times it looks more out of place and is more likely to gain unwanted attention than had you "hidden" it in plain sight. Climbing stickers and other accouterments are a definite no-no to staying stealth. Best, Jeff

The infamous Vansion.

Blacking out the windows is key. You can sleep almost anywhere without issue if people don't know you're sleeping in the van. I've used reflectix and velcro to cover my windows and spray painted the side that faces out black. It just looks like my windows are tinted really dark unless you inspect very closely.

In town I've parked on residential streets plenty of times, but never staying in the same stop 2 nights in a row. Also, I will often sleep in hotel parking lots (again, nobody can know that you're sleeping in the van).

I use rest stops often, but they can be a little noisy. Trailheads in National Forest are another common spot for me to crash.

My experience with the BLM is that they don't care what you do on their land... so long as you pay your grazing fees.

There are a lot of Walmarts that don't allow overnight camping, check the list below...

walmartatlas.com/no-park-wa…