Traveling turkey hunters sleep

[High plains drifter]

Camping is boring and kind of uncomfortable, but in a pinch,it will have to do.

[bigdrumnc]

Has anybody tried the back seat air mattress they sell on Amazon for the can of a truck?

[High plains drifter]

Camping is easy, but boring and uncomfortable, but finding a good motel can be difficult.

[arkrem870]

I enjoy camping.  Being a little cold and uncomfortable sometimes is a good thing

[compton30]

I enjoy camping.  Being a little cold and uncomfortable sometimes is a good thing

Keeps you honest

[GobbleNut]

I enjoy camping.  Being a little cold and uncomfortable sometimes is a good thing

I do, as well, although after about three-nights worth, I am ready to find a shower and regular bed for a few nights before I do it again. 

I think the point asked in the original post was mainly where does one stop for the night if there is no public-land option, motel, or other similar accommodation near where he is going to hunt?  Is pulling over at a wide spot on a road a good solution? Maybe in some places that is a reasonable idea. In others, I suspect not so much. I know that, in unfamiliar territory, I would be sleeping very "lightly" with some sort of weapon handy...and even then, I would be uneasy about the situation.

I mentioned the Walmart solution, partially in jest, but also because I have seen that mentioned more than once by people in the same situation.  I know the Walmart's around here (or at least some of them) allow travelers to stay in their parking lots in that I have seen, on multiple occasions, pretty big RV rigs set up here that were obviously staying overnight. Is that safer than pulling off the road somewhere? I couldn't say, but I would weigh the odds based on where I might be traveling.

Bottom line for me is that, when traveling, I always have some sort of tentative plan as to how far I am going to get before stopping for the night...or where I will be staying if the place I am hunting has no accommodations of any sort. I know, for me, I would rather get up earlier and drive a bit further rather than feel anxious about sleeping in an unfamiliar setting. 

 

[Dtrkyman]

A google search shows Walmart allows this, but it is at the discretion of the store manager, so I guess just go in and ask, or slide in if there are a few RV's there already!

[WV Flopper]

I prefer a cheap motel.

My girl has a hiking app on her phone. I believe it is "All Trails", it shows a lot of things OnX doesn't. Like available camping areas. Plus a lot of walking trails! Hikers seem to document a lot of good info.

These camping/sleeping areas may include commercial parking lots. It's actually good info for someone travel on the cheap.

[arkrem870]

Later in May when it gets hot hot...cheap hotel is hard to beat. Sweating all night is no fun. Having a nice battery power fan is critical for afternoon naps while camping

[GobbleNut]

As an aside to this discussion, how does everybody deal with flying in somewhere and renting a vehicle to hunt?  A couple of us are headed out of state to a remote area where the one and only motel is a minimum 30-45 minutes or more from the hunting areas. Checked on rentals (AirBnB and the like) and nothing any closer.

We went the motel route and will just leave very early to drive to hunting spots, but considered just stopping at a sporting goods store and buying some cheap camping equipment and camping in hunt areas (would have saved money that way but the thought of minimalist camping for a week was harder to swallow than shorter nights and just driving a bit more). None of the options were desirable, but we had to make a choice.

Anybody got any good solutions to that sort of problem?...

[10th Legionaire]

Gobblenut, several solutions to that problem but in all honesty you probably picked the best for someone who is working full time and has limited vacation time.

You could ship your own better quality camping gear to a FedEx, UPS Mailboxes Etc. type place for them to hold for you to pickup. Ship it in a cooler so you don't have to buy one. Then ship it back at the end of your trip.

You could fly to wherever and rent an RV instead of a car.

If it's just two of you you could do a low budget hybrid of those two but instead of an RV rent a van and ship your camping gear. That way you have the option of sleeping in the van or camping.

If time permitted you could just drive with your camping stuff or rent an RV close to home and drive.

This year I'm driving to Colorado solo and will spend a night in a motel on the way out and back and depending on how long I wind up staying it will be a mix of VRBO, camping and motels. But I'm retired for the most part and now have the luxury of time that I didn't have while I was working.

[GobbleNut]

Didn't consider the option of shipping stuff to improve the camping experience. 

As for the rental vehicle dilemma, we have rented a four-wheel-drive truck because we want to be prepared for any sort of remote two-track conditions in the area. Nothing worse than not being able to get to a spot because the roads require a high-clearance 4WD (been there, done that).

As for driving instead of flying, quite honestly, I absolutely HATE driving on long-distance trips that may take two or more days to get to where we are hunting. I am retired, as well, but my "boss" allows me about a week for these trips before she gets a bit cranky about me being gone  ...and if we drive instead of flying, and it takes two or more days to get to where we are headed and back, well, that doesn't allow much hunting time in a week! 

As such, my limit for driving distance for a hunt is about a day's worth...not only due to the "hunting time" allotment, but also due to my own mental block about longer-distance driving. 

[POk3s]

As an aside to this discussion, how does everybody deal with flying in somewhere and renting a vehicle to hunt?  A couple of us are headed out of state to a remote area where the one and only motel is a minimum 30-45 minutes or more from the hunting areas. Checked on rentals (AirBnB and the like) and nothing any closer.

We went the motel route and will just leave very early to drive to hunting spots, but considered just stopping at a sporting goods store and buying some cheap camping equipment and camping in hunt areas (would have saved money that way but the thought of minimalist camping for a week was harder to swallow than shorter nights and just driving a bit more). None of the options were desirable, but we had to make a choice.

Anybody got any good solutions to that sort of problem?...

I'll start off with the OP, as I think I can help. I camp everywhere I go. I've yet to find an area where I'm not within an hour of my hunting destination.

First off, look up any kind of state park, recreation area, boat ramp, or whatever. In many areas I've been, these places aren't necessarily open to hunting, but they do have a campground or something similar.

Also, sometimes camping is not permitted on WMAs, state forest, or whatever. Sometimes it is. You kind of have to dive into each one and see, sometimes make some phone calls. I have also resorted to paying at a privately owned campground. Usually I'm just in some kind of tent, or nowadays, sleeping in the back of my truck as it has a camper shell, so I don't need any amenities. Unlike lots that have responded, I love camping hahaha. I meet some cool folks and interesting characters on these trips, usually camped at some lake with a campground. I tuck myself away from everybody. But I'm always up well before the sun and back well after dark roosting birds so not really much time to do anything but eat dinner and sleep! Hard to get too bored!

Gobblenut, I flew into florida a few years ago and still camped. I have a backpacking tent. It's a 2 man and weighs next to nothing. I just shoved it into my other gear. I also have a lightweight backpacking sleeping bag I brought and with Florida's weather, I knew I didn't need much. I understand you guys might not have that, but if you're planning on bringing a cooler, stuff it full of camping gear! I then just bought pillows at wal mart when I arrived, when I was getting groceries. At the end of the trip you find a second hand store to give them to, or you toss them away.

Between a couple suitcases, and like I said, a cooler, you guys should find room for camping gear.