Loving traveling in my JLU and utilizing truck stops for overnight stays

[Irish Creig]

I just got back from a 1700 + mile trip and I am loving having the ability to park in a truck stop, inflate my air mattress in the back and sleeping in my Jeep overnight! I am highly averse to spending $100 + on a hotel/motel room when to me a room is just a place to sleep at night and take a shower in the morning. So, a few months back I started traveling and camping out in my Jeep at various truck stops along the way and in the morning I can take a shower in the truck stop for $13!!! And believe me, the showers are incredible!! They are private rooms with a sink, commode, shower and bench to sit on with a locking door! I do take precautions though, overnight I park under a light where the clerks in the truck stop can see my Jeep, after inflating the air mattress I put the pillow on it with my handy gun right there within easy reach as well as my key fob so if anyone tries breaking in, well, first thing, I'll hit the panic button on the key fob setting off the vehicle alarm which will draw the attention of the clerks in the truck stop and if that doesn't scare off the culprit, well.....I'm sure my 9 millimeter Sig Sauer in their face will work (also love having my own "protection")! Since I'm an early riser, I typically go in for my coffee....then hit the road and stop at another truck stop around 8:30 - 9 am to take advantage of the $13 showers. That gives the truckers time to get up, get there showers and get back on the road to make money without me being in their way of getting out early! I'm loving having found an inexpensive way to travel around the country without spending a fortune on hotel/motel rooms!!! Anyone else crazy cheap like me doing this??

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[Heimkehr]

I just got back from a 1700 + mile trip and I am loving having the ability to park in a truck stop, inflate my air mattress in the back and sleeping in my Jeep overnight!

Since I'm an early riser, I typically go in for my coffee....then hit the road and stop at another truck stop around 8:30 - 9 am to take advantage of the $13 showers. That gives the truckers time to get up, get there showers and get back on the road to make money without me being in their way of getting out early! I'm loving having found an inexpensive way to travel around the country without spending a fortune on hotel/motel rooms!!! Anyone else crazy cheap like me doing this??

I too hate the idea of having to spend a C-note, or more, on a service that sometimes isn't worth half the price.

This isn't a a precise comparison, but...I've utilized stealth camping when on extended motorcycle touring trips. "Stealth", in that I'll set up my tent in locations that are reasonably hidden, and allow me to get in and out without drawing too much, or any, attention to myself: Church parking lots, cemeteries (no quieter place!), wooded areas, etc. Set up at dusk, pull away at dawn. The energy of being on the road, so to speak, makes this an easy task.

As for showers and bathroom breaks: the frequency of the former is variable, since I'm constantly out in the open. The latter is as close as the bathroom in a Sheetz or that day's restaurant...or at the bathhouse in the State Park in which I'll be billeted on a given evening.

Pro Tip: I eat as healthy as possible when traveling, so that Regularity reigns. More than twice have I witnessed fellow riders get delayed by the clear effects of poor eating habits. This M.O. translates to any mode of traveling.

 

[supermike]

I always wanted to try out truck stop showers.

 

[Yogi]

I just got back from a 1700 + mile trip and I am loving having the ability to park in a truck stop, inflate my air mattress in the back and sleeping in my Jeep overnight! I am highly averse to spending $100 + on a hotel/motel room when to me a room is just a place to sleep at night and take a shower in the morning. So, a few months back I started traveling and camping out in my Jeep at various truck stops along the way and in the morning I can take a shower in the truck stop for $13!!! And believe me, the showers are incredible!! They are private rooms with a sink, commode, shower and bench to sit on with a locking door! I do take precautions though, overnight I park under a light where the clerks in the truck stop can see my Jeep, after inflating the air mattress I put the pillow on it with my handy gun right there within easy reach as well as my key fob so if anyone tries breaking in, well, first thing, I'll hit the panic button on the key fob setting off the vehicle alarm which will draw the attention of the clerks in the truck stop and if that doesn't scare off the culprit, well.....I'm sure my 9 millimeter Sig Sauer in their face will work (also love having my own "protection")! Since I'm an early riser, I typically go in for my coffee....then hit the road and stop at another truck stop around 8:30 - 9 am to take advantage of the $13 showers. That gives the truckers time to get up, get there showers and get back on the road to make money without me being in their way of getting out early! I'm loving having found an inexpensive way to travel around the country without spending a fortune on hotel/motel rooms!!! Anyone else crazy cheap like me doing this??

Okay, some truck stop etiquette is in order here ...
1) We carry bigger guns than you do ... LOL
2) The knock on your door in the middle of the night is not a truck driver looking to admire your Jeep. It's just one of the lot lizards. You're on your own with that information !!!
3) Shower Sandals !!! A pair of rubber flip flops is a necessity. Protects everyone from athlete's foot.
4) Lysol can be your best friend. Not all shower cleaners do a super job.
5) A can of air freshener ... just in case last night's burritos weren't that good.

And a tip ... buy your gas and a meal there ... see if they'll flip you the shower for free

 

[Heimkehr]

Okay, some truck stop etiquette is in order here ...

1) We carry bigger guns than you do ... LOL

In Canada?

 

[omnitonic]

The irony is that I was an over-the-road truck driver for 10 years, and I've never taken a shower at a truck stop. I was never out long enough to get that desperate for a shower. I despise truck stops, and I used to avoid them like the plague. I used to sleep at the customers' stores, or, on rare occasions, at a Walmart.

I still got bothered occasionally, but nothing like at a truck stop.

Knock knock knock! "Hey driver my alternator went out, and I need $100 to buy a new one. Can you help me out?"

"If your alternator is out, why are you running your engines and burning your headlights? Where the hell are you going to buy an alternator at 4:00 am?"

Knock knock knock! "Hey driver, I thought you might want a wakeup call."

"A wakeup call? I don't have to get up for three hours."

"I'm trying to hustle up some money."

"Uh. I don't have any money."

I went back to sleep, and when I woke back up, I finally realized she was a hooker.

I would have a lot more stories like that if I had made a habit of sleeping in truck stops, but on the bright side for you, the night folk probably won't bother a guy sleeping in a Jeep. If they do, night folk tend to find somewhere else to be when they see a gun.

I've never actually pulled a gun, but I have allowed people to become aware of my gun's presence before. One time, shit was about to go down at a gas station. I think they were fixing to rob the place. Screw concealed carry that night. I stepped out of the truck with my .357 in a hip holster, my hand casually draped on the butt. "It looks like some shit is about to go down, and I just wanted to make sure you and me ain't got no problems."

I like my current job much better. I'm still driving a truck, but I encounter almost no night folk at this gig.

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

Truck stop sleeping and showering? No Thanks! You are way more tolerant and braver than I've ever been.
When I travel across country I purposely look for better hotels with no truck stops nearby. Truck stops to me are like this: " You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy"

These new truck parking areas just off of I-40 are looking like roadside dumps lately too. Nasty!

This is from my personal experiences with the trucking industry. Not sorry if this hurts anyone's feelings.

 

[txj2go]

I've done a lot of study on this kind of thing including people who live out of their cars, van lifers, etc. I went on a week trip to Utah in May and slept in the Jeep every night. For one person this is a lot more convenient than using a tent. One night on the way to Utah I spent one night in Colorado. I looked on the map near where I wanted to stop and found the boundaries of BLM land. Then I looked for dirt roads out of the way with spots where it looked like I could park. In Utah of course you can stay almost anywhere.
On the road I read that lots of people use WalMart and Cracker Barrel parking lots. And people that do this for extended periods use gym memberships for showers. I've read that truck stops and roadside rest stops can be too noisy for sleeping.
I had a separate thread about how to lock your doors when sleeping inside. I haven't found a way to do this with my Jeep but other people don't seem to have this problem.
The JLU is not huge inside so it can be a bit cozy when rigged up for a week trip. I found a way that works for me.

 

[donmontalvo]

How does one get out to pee when sleeping in a JLUR? #askingforafriend

 

[Jeep4Win]

Okay, some truck stop etiquette is in order here ...
1) We carry bigger guns than you do ... LOL
2) The knock on your door in the middle of the night is not a truck driver looking to admire your Jeep. It's just one of the lot lizards. You're on your own with that information !!!
3) Shower Sandals !!! A pair of rubber flip flops is a necessity. Protects everyone from athlete's foot.
4) Lysol can be your best friend. Not all shower cleaners do a super job.
5) A can of air freshener ... just in case last night's burritos weren't that good.

And a tip ... buy your gas and a meal there ... see if they'll flip you the shower for free

Glad you are warning of lot lizards! Not too many people know who they are.

 

[AZJeepGuy]

Gun in your vehicle should be locked and away from the driver?

 

[Moosebear]

Gun in your vehicle should be locked and away from the driver?

Doesn’t do much good then

 

[txj2go]

How does one get out to pee when sleeping in a JLUR? #askingforafriend

Gatoraide bottle.

Gun in your vehicle should be locked and away from the driver?

Laws vary from state to state, the traveler needs to find out the laws for the state(s) they are visiting.

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

Gun in your vehicle should be locked and away from the driver?

Makes it pretty useless

 

[rent]

My stealth urban boondocking strategy:

1) Find an affluent neighborhood, scope out quiet, free parking area in the afternoon. Other locations for consideration: parking lots for commuter trains (usually free), airports (not free), casinos. Always use a different location every night.

2) Go hang out at wherever. Have dinner. Use bathroom at restaurant or coffee shop or book store.

3) Pull up to location scouted earlier. Very quietly go to bed, without being seen.

4) Leave at the break of dawn. Go to gym to workout and shower. Grab coffee and breakfast and get going.

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