Camping out in your car while chasing

[Greg McLaughlin]

I have camped out a few times while chasing. I have had success finding remote spots on county roads in the middle of wind farms. I have camped in the middle of the wind farm on I-70 west of Salina a couple of times.

 

[Mike Johnston]

I love staying at the huge rest stops / truck stops that are in the middle of Interstate 35. There are 3 or 4 of them that start near El Dorado, Kansas, and go all the way down to Wellington. I have also seen one in Oklahoma. I think they are pretty common in the Southern Plains. They have 24 hour gas stations with tons of food and snacks, as well as 24 hour fast food options. They are very busy and well lit and not once have I felt unsafe at these places. I see lots of other cars parked there for a night of rest, and people walking around with their pets and stretching. I have come to love these places, as they remind me of chase season. It may sound silly, but I always get excited the first night back in the plains as I am pulling into one of those rest stops for sleep. It's that time of the year again...

Yeah, the one at Matfield Green, Kansas is legendary. They even have a big weather radar screen inside.

 

[Mike Szentes]

Haven’t seen state parks mentioned yet. Plotted my chase for this last 4/13 setup in Texarkana partly around TX state parks. I have an annual park pass but do need to pay the ~$15 overnight fee. Got me a water only pad. But showers and electricity at the restrooms. Late arrival to one south of Wichita Falls (came from SATX) just filled out the envelope and a note to settle up in the morning. Pick sites in a park on a lake shore that faces your storm for a better photo op. Arrived at Lake Arrow Head park south of Texarkana next morning to just shower and stretch legs. Felt very safe (also CHL) and have easy going chats with other campers. I’m in a F150 with a cap over the truck bed. So the windy thurs nite in Wichita Falls I don’t think a tent would have held up! Are parks too few and far between? Yeah. Could they be worth it? Was for this last trip. Just a thought haven’t seen mentioned.

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[Bobby Little]

Many times we have used county or township parks. They at times can be hard to find. Not sure if there are many along the chasing corridors. A good map will leave hints. Many of these parks we have in Michigan/ Midwest are on the edge of a little towns, on a pond,lake, or river. Usually very affordable and cheaper than state parks. Some free. Usually have decent bathroom and showers, electricity if you need it.

 

[Randy Jennings]

Here is another option I didn't even know existed:

While taking a look at one of my local TV stations website's today, there was a brief story on how camping on top of your vehicle was a hot new trend. I googled it, and they actually make tents that store on top of your vehicle and deploy quickly and come with their own ladder. Story with pics at: https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/g2585/8-roof-top-tents/

 

[Matt Tottle]

There's actually a collaborative directory/map of Walmarts that don't allow overnight parking (http://www.walmartlocator.com/no-park-walmarts/). There aren't many in the Plains, the biggest cluster is in Fort Worth. The ones that prohibit it I think it might be related to city ordinances re: camping and free parking. Ours in Hays allows passenger vehicles and RVs but no semis (those signs are common). I've camped in my truck many times. The back of my Durango is big enough for an air mattress, and I have blackout curtains that I just velcro over the windows. However unless I am actually going "camping", I do prefer public places with lights and at least a small amount of round the clock activity if it's a place I have to/decide to stop at in lieu of a motel.. I'd advise against stopping on/near oil lease roads, as you run the risk of being confronted by the sheriff - or worse, an armed landowner - in the middle of the night. Same with roads that provide access to turbines. Transients are another hazard you could encounter on less traveled roads.. We get a LOT of them here (we seem to be Grand Central of the bum railroad). Most are tame, but some are nuts. I'd rather not have to deal with them lol.

Another thing to be aware of if you camp in your vehicle is if you need to run the heat or A/C, the engine must be running.. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real danger in this situation, so have a battery powered detector in the vehicle. Make sure your exhaust system doesn't have any leaks, make sure your tailgate/trunk weather seal is in good shape (especially if the tailpipe comes straight out the rear), and leave a window or two cracked on the side OPPOSITE the tailpipe. Also make sure you do not use the MAX A/C or RECIRCULATE setting - as it closes off the fresh air intake.

 

[Jeff House]

To avoid using AC we once slept with wide open van doors (dome lights off) in a DFW office park. Police kicked us out with a stern lecture about safety and sleeping with the doors open. Well, we had a zero carbon footprint!

If Walmart is becoming more strict I would consider hospitals still. Hard to imagine trouble makers in a somewhat somber place. At the same time be respectful of families who may be going through stressful times.

 

[Chad Dunn]

I know this thread is a little old, but I did want to add some resources that could be very useful to car campers.

The best resource I have found is the website freecampsites.net. It is hands down the best resource for finding places that allow free camping. It even has a tool that you can plan a route and find free sites within a certain distance of your route. It's a little finicky on mobile, but worth the hassle.

Specifically useful for finding a friendly Walmart or truck stop is an app called RV Parky on Android. I don't know if there is an iOS version.

 

[Devin Pitts]

Having done another year of car camping while on chasecation(slept in my car for 10 of the 14 days on the road) the primary places I stayed at were truck stops; specifically Pilot, Flying J, and Loves. The quality with these 3 was generally very consistent with being well lit and having clean showers along with not getting bugged at all while camping out. There are plenty of these spread out in the plains and I generally would only have to drive an hour at most to get to one no matter where I finished a chase.

 

[Chad Dunn]

...specifically Pilot, Flying J, and Loves. The quality with these 3 was generally very consistent with being well lit and having clean showers along with not getting bugged at all while camping out. There are plenty of these spread out in the plains and I generally would only have to drive an hour at most to get to one no matter where I finished a chase.

RV Parky is good for those as well. There are some Loves truck stops that only allow overnight truck parking, not RVs or passenger vehicles and RV Parky will tell you which ones don't. I was really surprised when I first pulled into one that didn't. Had signs posted everywhere. Guess my $50 fill up doesn't rate a spot in with the folks dropping $450 on their fill ups.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

From time to time I have slept in my Xterra or van. I usually do truck stops or a rest area. Sometimes it has been to save money, and other times just safety, just too tired to keep driving. Bring a mask unless you have something to block the lights. I asked a truck stop if it was ok I slept for a few hours, they just looked at me like an idiot, because of course it is ok. I also slept just off the cap rock once cause I couldn't make it to Lubbock since I was so tired. It was nice waking up to the terrain that's just where the caprock ends. If you are continuing chasing, while not cheap, I do recommend a truck stop shower. Most are very well kept up, and it's amazing how much a shower refreshes you for the day. Have fun, good luck.

 

[Ryan Doan]

During my most recent chase, I car camped in a couple Walmart parking lots. The first was in Guymon Oklahoma, where I chose the southeast Colorado target (I knew it was a mistake with all the rain cooled air around but I went with the masses instead of my gut). The second night was in Colby Kansas which was difficult to find an isolated area to park. I ended up having car troubles, so I had to call the entire chase off and missed the Lynnwood EF-4. I have car camped country roads earlier this year with no issues ( this was the day of the Donnellson Illinois tornado producer , but as Dan said, it can take a while to find a good spot. The sunrise was amazing to say the least.

 

[Joey Prom]

This is a great thread! My chase partner and I are thinking about taking advantage of the cheap gas and lack of structure due to the virus and take out first chasecation. We would be camping out with a tent, bringing all of our food beforehand. Tent camping sounds to me like the best plan to both keep isolated and save money. Does anyone have experience with tent camping and chasing? For a 2 week trip (upper end of how long it may be), what is a ballpark budget? Any tips on items to bring? Also, are state parks, etc going to be open to camping, or are they all shut down? Which states may be opening up first? Thanks.

 

[Warren Faidley]

If you are tent camping, then you will need to make sure you are out of a risk zone for the night. It would be no fun being in a tent in the middle of a severe or hail storm.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Dont camp on private property, even a farm field, without permission.