![]() We’ve listed some options below, and check out our boondocking articles for an in-depth look. There are plenty of locations you can park overnight for free. Without Walmart to count on, you may be wondering how to travel on a budget in your rig. ![]() Where Else Can You Legally Camp Overnight? A one-time stalwart supporter of the RV lifestyle seems to be getting cold feet. What used to be 78% of stores allowing overnight camping dropped to 58%. In 2020, CNN polled Walmart locations and found some startling figures. With the rise in RVers using Walmart as an overnight stop and resupply, you’d think managers want to encourage this. And if incidents occur, managers are less likely to continue this practice. Walmart doesn’t provide security or services for folks parking at the store. However, you’re responsible for ensuring the store you plan on allows overnight camping. That means if the store’s manager permits RVs and vans, you’ve got a safe place for the night. ![]() In spite of the lawsuit, Walmart’s corporate policy does allow overnight camping if the local store is on board. He plead guilty and faced 120 days in prison and three years probation. Hipolito faced arrest after the fire and served 32 days in jail before sentencing at his trial. Before heading into the store with his wife, he piled pillows and blankets near the cooker. On the day of the incident, Hipolito cooked breakfast and then put the hot stove back in his vehicle. The two drove their 2005 Dodge Caravan from California and made a habit of camping at Walmart stores on the way. Roberto Hipolito and his wife camped in the Fridley Walmart parking lot the night before the incident. And while they allow parking, they don’t provide any amenities or hookups for the rigs on their lots. Walmart’s defense noted that company policy allows individual stores to decide about overnight parking of RVs and other vehicles. ![]() The suit seeks at least $75,000 in damages from Walmart for failing to monitor and protect overnight guests. Sadly, the six-year-old died of her injuries.Īfter the initial trial, McKenzie filed a new lawsuit in July 2022. Rescue attempts saved her then nine-year-old daughter. McKenzie reported her daughters were asleep in the burning minivan to the on-site fire crews. The two went in to shop at the store, leaving the hot cooker in the back of their minivan.īy the time McKenzie finished shopping, her vehicle and several nearby vehicles had caught fire. Hipolito cooked breakfast on a charcoal stove in the lot and packed up the cooker before it had time to cool. Meanwhile, Roberto Hipolito and his wife moved their vehicle next to McKenzie’s after spending the night in the parking lot. McKenzie left her daughters, ages 6 and 9, sleeping in her minivan while she went shopping. It seemed like just an early morning shopping trip. Paul Airport and needed some essentials on the way home. ![]() Essie had just dropped her mother off at the Minneapolis-St. Let’s go! About the Walmart Camping LawsuitĮssie McKenzie and her young daughters stopped in a Fridley, Minnesota, Walmart parking lot in August 2019. Hang out with us as we explore the lawsuit and free camping alternatives. With Walmart reconsidering its practices after the deadly fire, we may lose this option too. However, secure parking spots have dwindled in the last few years, with laws passed in several states against public camping. A recent lawsuit against Walmart after a parking lot fire brings camping at the national shopping chain into question.įor decades, RVers and long-distance drivers relied on Walmart parking lots for safe overnight parking. ![]()
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