iOverlander - A call Out To Members

[Polaris Overland]

Bjoern, agreed the note regarding wild camping rules should be prominent on the APP as this is a minefield of rules, rumours, grey areas and in some cases abuse.

However as you say there are grey areas where the rules don't quite cover all scenarios.
A good example as you state above is no camping in lay-bys. However this is allowed in a Motorhome, Camper van or a Lorry for rest and as you said as you are inside. But sleeping in a camper van becomes camping when you put out chairs or add a fire etc. So in this instance a self contained unit is acceptable for a rest break.
Sleeping in a car is acceptable for a rest break but opening up an RTT is camping and therefore not acceptable.
Personally if I am in my camper van in a lay-by I do not raise the roof or place anything outside and this would apply to a Land Rover with Pop roof. I stay inside and only ever stay in a lay-by if I am doing a long drive to an area that requires a few hours rest. Staying for days on end is definitely not acceptable and then becomes camping. We see this a lot in Scotland during the Summer Silly Season.

So how do we resolve the situation.

Firstly OB App - Good POI descriptions, making it clear what type of vehicle / set up the POI is suitable for. Often (and I include myself) laziness creeps in and the only consideration is your own set up and don't consider the suitability for other vehicles. This is evident in iOverlander and Park4Night, too often the POI is not suitable for your specific vehicle.

Then Educate Yourself - so you understand the rules in the regions you visit and OB can help with this. Maybe a pinned section in each region with Wild Camping Rules which is reviewed annually.

Finally Respect - We respect the rules in the places we visit. Getting away with it is not respecting the rules, it is abusing them but not getting caught. Sadly something I hear far more often than I should especially from overlander's visiting other regions and thinking it doesn't matter because they don't live there.

Whilst not a total solution the above I think will make a good starting point.

 

[El-Dracho]

Very good ideas. I will try to find out whether and how the suggestion with the notes on wild camping rules per region was followed up. I submitted that via the prodcamp some time ago.

I also like the idea of a pinned section in each region with wild camping rules. Should we just start with that? I am happy to contribute Scandinavia as I have researched this extensivley recently.

 

[Polaris Overland]

Yes, it is always a problem when POI information is user dependent. It will always result in gaps. iOverlander has the ability to flag a POI as tent friendly, big rig friendly, etc. RTT friendly maybe not. But that can change. Our POIs are or will be outdated too. It it just the way things are with user dependency. Across the board "not reliable" is a very broad statement. But we have some context so I will assume it means in regards to camping POIs.

Dave, I am appalled that you would suggest an organized OB member effort to scrape iOverlander's POIs, and not even have the courtesy to update iOverlander. And this from an Ambassador? Is this what we are about? You could contact iOverlander and purchase a partial database - Like maybe Garmin does. That would be correct.

Oh, and for the record, I work as a moderator for iOverlander.

Rick

Thanks Rick for responding and yes you do have some valid points. I could contact iOverlander for a database of POI's to add to the map. But I don't want that! What I wanted are OB Member reviewed POI's on the OB map. FYI I do have a database of iOverlander POI's if I had wanted to go down that route but I don't.

With regards iOverlander change! In the past I have contacted iOverlander direct (looking at emails it was Jessica and Sam) with a number of recommendations including adding the RTT suitable tag. The response was somewhat none committal and has never been implemented.

As for scraping up POI's. Everyone of us find POI's through publicly available sites no different to iOverlander. Hence why I also mentioned Park4Night. There are many more as I'm sure you are aware.

My suggestion has multiple benefits for members and by visiting their local POI's to see if they are suitable they can add and update the OB map. In doing so, we are encouraging members to get outdoors even if only locally, they are possibly meeting up with other members to do so and they are adding value to the OB map for other members. We are certainly not interested in all POI's only the ones that are reviewed as of value to the OB Members Map as has already been done by members in the past. Pretty much all the POI's I created on iOverlander on my travels are on the OB Map also.

Here in the UK Park4Night and iOverlander have been blamed in the past on social media and local press for overuse of areas so you will also note I suggested cleans ups and Trail Guardian events. This is to try and undo some of the harms of overuse that have occurred and created in some cases hostility and resentment. So where as iOverlander and Park4Night just place a banner stating follow the rules on their app but with no actual responsibility we will also be doing the same but physically doing something to hopefully alleviate the issues and concerns of locals. This in doing so would also benefit iOverlander as their users will gain a better experience.

With regards updating iOverlander. Due to the massive increase in "overlanders" "vanlifers" etc more and more people are choosing not to share their favourite POI's on the various platforms for the very reasons mentioned above ie once tranquil settings now crammed with vehicles and vans jostling for space , mess and carnage left by previous visitors or fed up local authorities closing off access. Hence why I leave it to the individual to decide what they want to share.

iOverlander was a game changer when it started out. From my experience outwith Europe iOverlander was very helpful but it has not evolved as the political climate has changed certainly that is the case in the UK at least.

Hopefully that answers your concerns somewhat and as an iOverlander Moderator hopefully you can have some influence on creating a better more up to date platform.