Banning Boondocking?

[makya]

It's not a small amount messing up the land. It's a large amount of campers literally demolishing dispersed camping areas.
Covid really pushed this drive to all the "overlanding" and camping. There are a lot of them out there destroying areas, week in, week out.
Areas I usually went for years are now unusable or overcrowded.

As for closing down dispersed camping, yes there are active lobbyists and groups fighting to close off and limit dispersed camping.
As with many trails and blm land, they fight those one trail at a time and get things shut down.
It's important to keep our access.

^^^ this guy gets it.
When I sat in on the Rubicon Oversight Committee meetings, we were fighting against the nature conservancy, sierra ski club, and another group i dont remember the name of.

The biggest problem we faced, was uneducated enthusiasts that tore up the trail in wet weather, littered, and used the trail as a bathroom.

But... the problem isn't just them, it's us as well.

In California, our statewide advocacy group, Cal4Wheel, the California 4 Wheel Drive Association, has lost memberships this year which they rely on for funds.

While Blue Ribbon Coalition does some work for us locally, they don't have the ability to keep track of our (and your) local trails adequately.

Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals to get involved, and take part in educating the people that are just getting into this way of life.

 

[M Rose]

^^^ this guy gets it.
... ... ...

Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals to get involved, and take part in educating the people that are just getting into this way of life.

Exactly, it is our responsibility as stuards of the public lands to help educate those that are ignorant of the proper use of our lands. When the ignorant refuse to fallow the laws and regulations, take down their information and report it to the appropriate agencies.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Read this and wondered if anyone knew anything about it?

RV Park Owners Lobby to Abolish Boondocking | Drivin' & Vibin'

RV Park Owners Lobby to Abolish Boondocking It’s a tale as old as time. Business owners lobby governments to help increase their bottom line. This time RV park owners are trying to abolish free camping. It’s happening in New Zealand. And it may be on it’s way to the USA. American RV park owners...

drivinvibin-com.cdn.ampproject.org

We have no problems with that here. Most campgrounds are booked well in advance and all of them have seasonal camping sites to pay for their bottom line. Most weekend campers like my family have to take crappy sites because the seasonal campers get prime spots because they pay up front.

 

[grubworm]

The State campgrounds with horse trailer camping areas are more fun than ever. Tons of people enjoying that every summer here. That used to be rare, now there's hundreds of them.

we were up on the buffalo river in arkansas camping last year and all the state sites there were tent camping and horse trailer camping only....NO rvs. it was off season and nobody was at the one state area ( steel creek) so we went and set up and got booted because my small camp trailer was not a horse trailer.
i was thinking of finding a cheap used horse trailer and hauling it behind me and set up camp there...anytime the ranger stops and asks where my horse is, i'll just say its off in the woods taking a shit or something....

as far as the OP goes....its a few different things, but mainly it seems like government, big and local, just like to control things for the sake of having and showing power. when people "boondock", they are showing an independence that government loathes. its not so much the pollution because huge factories pollute on levels far exceeding anything a few campers can produce. its really about control....you go out and fend for yourself and show you don't need city water or municipal supplied utilities, you are waving a red flag at the government by showing that you are autonomous and self-reliant. not cool. also, boondocking means people are off-grid and cant be monitored and they are not putting money into the system. at least with private RV parks, the owner charges and pays taxes and there is a record of where people are.
only when the desert can be adequately watched by government will boondocking be OK....

 

[Boostpowered]

I don't see American rv park owners getting their heads out their own butts to accomplish anything. State parks aren't gonna get rid of tent camping it brings them money. If your traveling to a offroad destination You can boondock in your vehicle at any Walmart parking lot you dont have to ask a manager or pay anything just can't set up a tent or start campfire.

 

[makya]

I don't see American rv park owners getting their heads out their own butts to accomplish anything. State parks aren't gonna get rid of tent camping it brings them money. If your traveling to a offroad destination You can boondock in your vehicle at any Walmart parking lot you dont have to ask a manager or pay anything just can't set up a tent or start campfire.

While it's not a big problem yet, it isn't the owners that we would have to worry about, its the corporate (koa) and owners associations that the park owners are members of. Those are the groups that lobby in the best interests of the park owners to keep them in business and paying to keep the organizations profitable.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

government, big and local, just like to control things for the sake of having and showing power.

Bingo.

 

[Boostpowered]

While it's not a big problem yet, it isn't the owners that we would have to worry about, its the corporate (koa) and owners associations that the park owners are members of. Those are the groups that lobby in the best interests of the park owners to keep them in business and paying to keep the organizations profitable.

Most rv parks at least around here dont meet koa standards and ive never heard of a rv owners association. Here the rv park owners don't really care for each other too much since its competition and not too many folks that aren't criminal want to stay there aka most of them are methamphetamine or pill communities, places you wouldn't care to stay at unless you want to have stuff stolen or worse.

Maybe in your area but America isn't the same in all places.

 

[Offroadnutz]

I don't see American rv park owners getting their heads out their own butts to accomplish anything. State parks aren't gonna get rid of tent camping it brings them money. If your traveling to a offroad destination You can boondock in your vehicle at any Walmart parking lot you dont have to ask a manager or pay anything just can't set up a tent or start campfire.

Unfortunately most walmarts do not allow this anymore.
There was an article about it the local newspaper my wife writes for, talking about how many cities are banning it and many store managers are too due to people abusing the privilege.

 

[Boostpowered]

Unfortunately most walmarts do not allow this anymore.
There was an article about it the local newspaper my wife writes for, talking about how many cities are banning it and many store managers are too due to people abusing the privilege.

I still see it at every Walmart from Texarkana to dfw always a few semi trucks idling and a few rv in the parking lot at every one of em.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Bingo.

While I may agree with the statement about the government just wanting to control things in general, in my experience they dont move on something until they perceive they have to. And, not being experts on some subject, they defer to those experts. In this case, that means some organization such as the aforementioned KOA, or Sierra Club, or anything that they would recognize from the news or common cognition. They wouldnt even KNOW that there might be another set of experts out there.

We can say that the government just wants to control things, but the more they control, the more management they have, and they hate that. So they take thier cue from other organizations. I think they key here is joining or creating an organization that looks out for our interests and making sure we are monitoring and getting involved.

And using the land properly so we can speak to it (or have a representative who does) at town meetings or state assembly, etc

 

[Snowwalker]

Unfortunately most walmarts do not allow this anymore.
There was an article about it the local newspaper my wife writes for, talking about how many cities are banning it and many store managers are too due to people abusing the privilege.

I still see it at every Walmart from Texarkana to dfw always a few semi trucks idling and a few rv in the parking lot at every one of em.

Walmarts are one of the very few places driver of Semi trucks can stop. It is hard to stock up with groceries, cleaning supplies or even get a new pair of underwear.

So many places at banning trucks, and even putting in ANTI truck systems.

It seems unfair for me as a driver making sure you have all the goods you need, to have to sit in my truck starving with no clean underwear..

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Walmarts are one of the very few places driver of Semi trucks can stop. It is hard to stock up with groceries, cleaning supplies or even get a new pair of underwear.

So many places at banning trucks, and even putting in ANTI truck systems.

It seems unfair for me as a driver making sure you have all the goods you need, to have to sit in my truck starving with no clean underwear..

The good news there is, if you starve, at some point you quit soiling your underwear

 

[Snowwalker]

The good news there is, if you starve, at some point you quit soiling your underwear

If I starve then I'll be making an even bigger mess.

 

[MidOH]

Meh. Truck driving and rest stops were cake. Line haul was cake. Moving from a giant rail road to a giant distributor was cake. Tight city deliveries are where the real pain is at. Traffic jams suck to.

Now I'm a field tech and get to go home or hotel every night. But it's a hotel where my truck is a giant $$$$ target, and way more stress because I have no idea what I'm going to run into every day. Used to boon dock with a tent, a bit with my work truck in Florida. (hotel was too far from the actual jobsite)

 

[grubworm]

well, the bottom line is that the only way to get people interested in ANYTHING is to make it beneficial to them. people like us on here, benefit from getting out and exploring and enjoying nature. government people sitting behind desks that don't like the outdoors get zero benefit from "boondocking". i would like to suggest a license be issued for boondocking just like hunting and fishing licenses. hunting and fishing is still allowed because there is money generated by issuing licenses. hunters make messes and leave shit all over and act a fool just like everyone else...except they are generating revenue...why else is hunting still allowed? with al the gun control stuff that has been going on over the years, it would seem that people running around all over shooting at innocent animals would certainly have ended by now, but it hasn't. i'm pretty sure that if citizens paid a license fee for boondocking and a recognizable amount of revenue was generated by it, boondocking would be getting a lot easier and a lot more accepted

hey, this IS america after all...if you want something to be fashionable and accepted, all you have to do is.....

 

[Billiebob]

well, the bottom line is that the only way to get people interested in ANYTHING is to make it beneficial to them. people like us on here, benefit from getting out and exploring and enjoying nature. government people sitting behind desks that don't like the outdoors get zero benefit from "boondocking". i would like to suggest a license be issued for boondocking just like hunting and fishing licenses. hunting and fishing is still allowed because there is money generated by issuing licenses. hunters make messes and leave shit all over and act a fool just like everyone else...except they are generating revenue...why else is hunting still allowed? with al the gun control stuff that has been going on over the years, it would seem that people running around all over shooting at innocent animals would certainly have ended by now, but it hasn't. i'm pretty sure that if citizens paid a license fee for boondocking and a recognizable amount of revenue was generated by it, boondocking would be getting a lot easier and a lot more accepted

yep, the revenue would also fund the enforcement necessary to police the idiots trashing the land. one more revenue stream for the fish cops, forestry guys and local bylaw enforcement guys

its not like wecan't afford it, just one more sticker for our RVs beside the overland badges

 

[Boostpowered]

well, the bottom line is that the only way to get people interested in ANYTHING is to make it beneficial to them. people like us on here, benefit from getting out and exploring and enjoying nature. government people sitting behind desks that don't like the outdoors get zero benefit from "boondocking". i would like to suggest a license be issued for boondocking just like hunting and fishing licenses. hunting and fishing is still allowed because there is money generated by issuing licenses. hunters make messes and leave shit all over and act a fool just like everyone else...except they are generating revenue...why else is hunting still allowed? with al the gun control stuff that has been going on over the years, it would seem that people running around all over shooting at innocent animals would certainly have ended by now, but it hasn't. i'm pretty sure that if citizens paid a license fee for boondocking and a recognizable amount of revenue was generated by it, boondocking would be getting a lot easier and a lot more accepted

hey, this IS america after all...if you want something to be fashionable and accepted, all you have to do is.....

View attachment 182254

Hunting is still a thing because animals are tasty and you don't piss off a good ole boy with a gun. I don't think they are gonna be as afraid of someone with everything and the kitchen sink strapped to a stock vehicle, they'd just think haha your homeless.

 

[MidOH]

Nobody is really trashing much in the midwest-east. That's a cali plague.

Packing out our garbage has become one of the most popular virtue signaling things. Trasharoo's primary purpose is to clearly signal "Hey look how nice I am." Not getting the garbage stink out of an SUV, like it used to be. For example, pickup owners are running them on their swing out spares, even though they have an empty open bed.

Funny. But I don't want to discourage such.

 

[M Rose]

I still see it at every Walmart from Texarkana to dfw always a few semi trucks idling and a few rv in the parking lot at every one of em.

Here if you are parked more than 6 hours you receive a ticket and the rig gets impounded.... unless severe weather