How Does Your Troop Camp And Share Campsites?

[RememberSchiff]

4 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Yes there are different sets of rules and expectations and it seems they rarely match up and it usually is the lowest bar that is set for both Troops. I wish it were otherwise.

If only we had, I dunno, a common oath, a common law....

[Back Pack]

24 minutes ago, ValleyBoy said:

A camping trip is not complete with out a fire.  Adults in our unit do like to burn some wood.  A fire does have it uses.  Nothing like cooking over a fire, then letting the fire turn into outdoor TV.

Hard to have fire in some states. More often than not we can’t have them. When we do they are low impact fires. Our unit enjoys fires too but has made a commitment to conservation. Fires are only when necessary. Maybe fires are another tradition that needs to go away. 

[Tampa Turtle]

Just now, RememberSchiff said:

If only we had, I dunno, a common oath, a common law....

Yeah! Great idea....

I will say we once had a GREAT campout with another Troop but looking back I think we were the poorly behaved guest.

[Tampa Turtle]

1 minute ago, Back Pack said:

Hard to have fire in some states. More often than not we can’t have them. When we do they are low impact fires. Our unit enjoys fires too but has made a commitment to conservation. Fires are only when necessary. Maybe fires are another tradition that needs to go away. 

We do low impact fires and bring our own firewood. We frequently go without because of burn warnings. 

[Back Pack]

Just now, Tampa Turtle said:

We do low impact fires and bring our own firewood. We frequently go without because of burn warnings. 

Us too. 

[RememberSchiff]

1 minute ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Yeah! Great idea....

I will say we once had a GREAT campout with another Troop but looking back I think we were the poorly behaved guest.

Sharing a campsite has had challenges. Sharing the latrine...

[ianwilkins]

16 minutes ago, Back Pack said:

Hard to have fire in some states. More often than not we can’t have them. When we do they are low impact fires. Our unit enjoys fires too but has made a commitment to conservation. Fires are only when necessary. Maybe fires are another tradition that needs to go away. 

A fire always improves morale, and is therefore necessary.

Our Portuguese chums had some pretty bad forest fires this year, they grow an awful lot of the worlds cork oak there, so it's *very* important. Apparently their fires were in a hole on the beach not more than 12" diameter. If the flames were more than flickering out the top, the fire was too big. When they came to us, we were in 400 acres of British woodland (close to the original woods that were the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh's wood), to be cliched, it wasn't the driest summer we've ever had in the UK, and over the winter there had been forestry works, let's put it like this, the Portuguese were in hog heaven, a 5' square fire pit, and a practically limitless supply of wood. We had some warming fires that week. Necessary as the British summer was cold for them.

Ian

 

[Jameson76]

54 minutes ago, gblotter said:

"Lord of the Flies" is an apt description of how their campouts operate. 

Everything is fun and games until someone sets the island on fire.  Upside of that is the navy may come by to check on things....

[gblotter]

38 minutes ago, Back Pack said:

Hard to have fire in some states. More often than not we can’t have them.

Fires are allowed in about half the campsites we visit. Generally, they are allowed when we go car camping and disallowed when we go backpacking.

37 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

We do low impact fires and bring our own firewood.

Same. We always bring our own supply of firewood. Gathering firewood from the surrounding forest is never allowed it seems.

The only exception is at our BSA summer camp. At that location, there is an incredible amount of dead wood on the forest floor and it is a terrifying fire hazard. They encourage the Scouts to gather and burn the excess dead wood for small campfires to reduce the hazard.

43 minutes ago, Back Pack said:

Maybe fires are another tradition that needs to go away. 

@Back Pack  I agree with almost everything you say on this forum, but not on this point.

[ValleyBoy]

1 hour ago, Back Pack said:

Hard to have fire in some states. More often than not we can’t have them. When we do they are low impact fires. Our unit enjoys fires too but has made a commitment to conservation. Fires are only when necessary. Maybe fires are another tradition that needs to go away. 

The only camping trips that we do not have fire at is when the area is under a no burn order or during the summer when the temperature is very hot then on a small cooking fire.

[mashmaster]

In Texas....  We have had 2 years in a row with severe fire bans, not even a candle allowed.

LUCI light campfires have replaced campfires often.

[Back Pack]

1 hour ago, gblotter said:

@Back Pack  I agree with almost everything you say on this forum, but not on this point.

I was being argumentative on purpose. There are some that are quick to throw out traditions such as OA for lesser reasons than conserving natural resources. Yet I’ll bet they’d defend their need for campfires if folks came looking to ban their use too. I just find that ironic. What’s the phrase, not in my backyard. 😎 I love fires too. Would not want to ban them but I don’t think big fires for no reason are a good use of resources. I’ll bet many here agree. Sounds like you do. 

[Col. Flagg]

4 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

We do use fire for staring at. 

I do too but in Texas that's not always possible. We try to be conservation-minded. We don't do Texas A&M-style bonfires. We tend toward lower impact fires...still good for staring at.