Shiny New Forum feedback/forward, ideas, thoughts, requests, etc.

Sauve

Howdy y'all,

I thought we could do with a general chat about what you guys and gals want from this forum.
What would ye like to see here, not see here, ideas you'd like to throw forward to the group/mods?
This is your forum, and I think there's potential for a great community spirit here given the nature of the activity.

So, what would make this place somewhere you'd return to again and again?
What will attract more like-minded posters?
What type of threads would you like to see? (Feel free to open anything you think is suitable within the charter of the parent forum)

By the way, please don't use this thread to discuss the privacy of the forum or lack thereof. There is a thread in feedback for just that purpose.

Thanks,
Sauve.

Pat Mustard

Sauve wrote: »

What will attract more like-minded posters?

I'm guessing that the people who will come here are people who post in the main Outdoor Pursuits forum.

Maybe people could be asked to advertise the forum in their sigs? I had a lovely picture of people camping in my sig before somebody deleted it for being too big. (I thought that I had measured it and that it was ok - maybe not)

If somebody clever came up with something good, I'd use it as my sig.:)

Maybe something like this, scaled down - I haven't figured out how to do that properly.



Or this?

Sauve wrote: »

What type of threads would you like to see? (Feel free to open anything you think is suitable within the charter of the parent forum)

I don't know if people are going to discuss camping locations, which is what I would have liked ideally, but gear and know-how are still relevant.

I suppose cold weather camping could be a good one for this time of year.

Also, anybody who is thinking of getting started out could be pointed in the direction of good, basic, inexpensive gear.

Professey Chin

I wanna try wild camping

silverharp

A weather thread as a sticky? people could post any information about weather expected for the upcoming weekend and any nuances pertaining to upland areas that might not be obvious from the general regional reports, low cloud, mist etc.

Sauve

Absolutely Silverharp, great idea.
Take the honour of starting and naming it and I'll stick it!

Same as that The Mustard - your ideas were worthy of stickies too I think.

Whispered

Maybe rules of wild camping - from a legal point of view. I'd love to try wild camping, but I don't know how legal it is, where it is and isn't allowed. Where campfires are permitted, is the consumption of alcohol allowed in a public place etc.

Also maybe some guidelines for making as little impact on the camping area as possible. Some common sense points for total newbies to wild camping. A "minimum requirements" when you're packing type thread.

I'm so excited by this forum!

Sauve

Great idea Whispered
I can get onto that, unless someone else fancies a project?!

Whispered

If I can help let me know, but I reckon I'll have more questions than answers :pac:

Sauve

Whispered wrote: »

If I can help let me know, but I reckon I'll have more questions than answers :pac:

How about you (and anyone else) chuck out the questions and I'll root out answers with the help of all and any experts here? We could use this thread to set it up, then when it's ready I can just edit it all and tidy it up?

Pat Mustard

Sauve wrote: »

How about you (and anyone else) chuck out the questions and I'll root out answers with the help of all and any experts here? We could use this thread to set it up, then when it's ready I can just edit it all and tidy it up?

I'm happy to get the ball rolling by opening a thread on it.

Sauve

The Mustard wrote: »

I'm happy to get the ball rolling by opening a thread on it.

Brilliant TM - thanks
Fire ahead and holler if you want me to do anything for it.

maryrose608

I had a lovely picture of people camping in my sig before somebody deleted it for being too big

aidenk2

Hi all,

First timer, looking for advice on wild camping, does any one no of groups or clubs into wild camping looking to get back to basics, also were to buy good camping gear for winter camping. thanks aidenk2

Frosty McSnowballs

I'd just like to add something.

Please do even a small bit of research as to who else uses the area you select for camping.

The Defence Forces train in a lot of woodland throughout Ireland. The last thing you want is to be half asleep then 100 soldiers turning up and doing a bit of fire and manoeuvre through your stuff!

Enjoy!

Sauve

Senor Jingle Balls wrote: »

I'd just like to add something.

Please do even a small bit of research as to who else uses the area you select for camping.

The Defence Forces train in a lot of woodland throughout Ireland. The last thing you want is to be half asleep then 100 soldiers turning up and doing a bit of fire and manoeuvre through your stuff!

Enjoy!

Very good point. It could get 'interesting' :P
Are the areas they train in publicly advertised or anything?

Frosty McSnowballs

Sauve wrote: »

Very good point. It could get 'interesting' :P
Are the areas they train in publicly advertised or anything?

On most OSI maps the areas are defined by broken red lines with "military area" or similar notated. Usually firing range areas but There are other unofficial areas used also.

Coillte land is popular. Pretty much all of Wicklow is used as a training area. If you see any spent casings where you are I would advise being as visible as you can be or find another location.

They train all year round in all weathers and can turn up day or night depending what they are doing. No prior notifications are announced or published. They will not train on private land.

They will not hassle you or anything but it may put a damper on your activities.

Whispered

Sauve wrote: »

How about you (and anyone else) chuck out the questions and I'll root out answers with the help of all and any experts here? We could use this thread to set it up, then when it's ready I can just edit it all and tidy it up?

Ok so my first question is - where are you legally allowed to set up a camp?

Whispered

Whispered wrote: »

Ok so my first question is - where are you legally allowed to set up a camp?

From searching around I would like an answer that isn't what I've found - basically nowhere.

Pat Mustard

Deleted User wrote: »

From searching around I would like an answer that isn't what I've found - basically nowhere.

It might appear that way, because it's tough to find places to camp in this country.

Options may boil down to:

1. Coillte lands.
2. Some National Parks.
3. Certain private lands, often held between multiple landowners, where they turn a blind eye to camping and other activities such as hiking. These are often mountainous areas or areas of very poor agricultural value.
4. Areas of foreshore where camping is not forbidden.
5. Private lands where you have permission to camp.
6. Uninhabited islands.

feck sake lads

Would it be an idea for members to pick a weekend and camping spot for a meet up.if people turn up great if they dont your still getting out.

i'm a member of the (www. fellclub.co.org) ITS A GREAT WEE CLUB IN THE UK but they have meets all year round basically a camping weeken its a great get together for people that love the outdoors.
anyway just a thought.

cheers
fsl.

feck sake lads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmFUxyFUfDg....

just a bit of fun but didn't he do well.:D

SNAKEDOC

When it comes to camping i pick a site thats out of sight of any trail teack road or path where anyone may walk. I never stay in the same site more than two nights in a row and i dont light a camp fire. I leave the camp site as i found it or better and im not there to drink cans. If asked to leave i do so which has never happened. I bring out all my rubbish i brought in and account for every scrape of paper. I dont usqe toiletries instead opt for baby wipes instead of bio soaps. I use a small gas stove for cooking one meal a day the rest i dont have to cook.
I stay out of peoples way and dont announce my presence. People have walked within twenty fet of my camp site before and never even saw me.

Sticking to some simple rules such as these will pretty much garantee a sucessful camping trip. Respect the outdoors and youl be fine. A farmer or park ranger probably wont move you on if they see your a responcible camper well set up away from rivers and waterways and away from roads.

On another note i frequently see signs of fires having been lite in places you would expect not to see. I stumbled upon a fire pit before christmas in glendalough literaly fifteen minutes wLk from the ranger station at the upper lake. I have reported instances of disrespect and blantant missuse of the psrks before such as illegal dumping and raging camp fires. I once came across a fire with a family gathered around it. It was in the middle of summer and the dad had what amounted to a log the size of me on the fire smoke bellowing all over the place at three in the day and it was about twenty degrees absolutly no excuse for behaviour like that.

Sory for the rant.
So in closing camp responsably and you will be fine just remember places to camp properly in this country are scarce so we need to protect them.

feck sake lads

so when i'm cycle touring i usually would have cycled 50 or so miles by that time i'm pretty well knackered time for a wash something to eat and then hopefully a good nights sleep.

but if your wild camping and you reach your chosed pitch early in the day how do you entertain for want of a better word until its time for sleep.

SNAKEDOC

feck sake lads wrote: »

so when i'm cycle touring i usually would have cycled 50 or so miles by that time i'm pretty well knackered time for a wash something to eat and then hopefully a good nights sleep.

but if your wild camping and you reach your chosed pitch early in the day how do you entertain for want of a better word until its time for sleep.

When i wild camp i puck a spot and set up my tent and sleeping system. Then i go exploring to see what i can find and i do some photography so ill have my tripod telephoto lens for some shots of deer and the like maybe ill see if i can spot a fallen tree and bring some back to carve something ill collect some pine needle branches for tea and hea back to camp before dark for dinner then ill ly back in my tent read for a few hours maybe a novel or a good outdoors mag ive brought then get some sleep rise early, or be woken by birds,for some great morning mountain picture opertunities and then its breakfast time another days exploring and then pack up for my hike home around dark. Two isolated days in the mountains. Im goin next week and im looking at my packed bag right now. Cant bloody wait. Listen to the sound of silence.

feck sake lads

sounds fantastic you sound like a guy thats well experienced in the outdoor life.camping in defo an art form there more to it than just pitching a tent thats for sure.:cool:

SNAKEDOC

Ah its more about your state of mind. I just threw out an invite thread for a trip to a possible new site for me next tuesday have a few days off your welcome to tag along walking dificulty is moderate to easy not far of the road.

silverharp

one of the main reasons I go camping is for fitness so in the summer I'll normally head after work or take a half day so normally aim to be at camp ~9 in the evening (in the summer) by the time everything is done its getting dark. Also ties in with the arrive late/leave early strategy , if you are 2 hours from anywhere youre not going to bump into randomers at dusk. In the winter I find routes that I can walk in the dark as Im not sure what I would with myself for 6 hours.

Agree with the post above the lack of thought by people who light fires is mind boggling I saw one on the Wicklow Way 1mtr from the path going uphill from Enniskerry. how thoughtless does one have to be to do that.

LaughOrDie

Really looking forward to using this forum. And looking forward to a bit of camping this year!