Boondocking or (Dispersed Camping)

[Glenn Baglo]

No joke. They wanted some bubble-gum.

[Carol H]

LOL Steve I am not sure but perhaps as in the right hands they could be used as a deadly weapon. Keep in mind we do have our far share of asian gang issues.

The most current HOT item being confiscated at the border are eggs! Yup chicken eggs. Friends had theirs confiscated yesterday as they apparently haven't been watching the news of late.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Carol : Why are the Canadian Border Guards so concerned if you bring nunchucks and /or throwing stars into Canada .

OK so I looked it up and sure enough they are illegal in Canada as well as many other countries including some US States as they could be used as a weapon.

List of Prohibited Weapons and Devices is here on the Canadian Border Service Website.

[Steve Outlaw]

Originally Posted by D Davis

They are illegal to have in most areas where we camp, National Parks, State Parks, National Forest Campgrounds, etc even if you have a carry permit.

Actually this is not correct as is stated on the NPS web site.

"The law governing possession of firearms inside a national park changed on February 22, 2010.

Visitors may possess firearms within a national park unit provided they comply with federal, state, and local laws."

Firearms in National Parks - Gateway National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

[RogerDat]

I think this has been a surprisingly civil discussion of a topic that generally gets peoples knickers in a twist.

Pretty much boils down to same answer as the bathroom or no bathroom in the camper question. What works for you is the best choice.

I will mention something that has not come up. Commitment and escalation. A weapon escalates the situation, a deadly weapon always escalates the situation to one of deadly force. If the other party brings the weapon then you have to decide if you want to go to that level. If one is not committed to that escalation don't ratchet things up.

Even pepper or bear spray against a person makes a fight with that person probable unless flight is an option. Breaker bar, knife, spare axe handle are not used to "threaten" someone they are used to injure, disable or possibly kill them. A firearm is by definition deadly force it is not a tool to threaten, wound or scare someone. Expect the other person to go to that same level of violence.

One other important point, you may well not scare anyone. You are a nice person, the person(s) confronting you are not. They may well figure you won't really act (shoot, stab, or hit) or won't be able to hurt them before they take you down. You don't confront violence on a regular basis, they may well be experienced at it and in their eyes you are a victim, not a threat.

My somewhat ugly 215 lbs. 6'1" self with a club in one hand asking if you would mind putting the generator back where you found it would probably convince one guy, probably even two that they "made a mistake, wrong camper, thought this was our buddies camper". At three the gray hair might make them a bit more tempted to argue the point.

My wife being petite, pleasant, and cute would have a hard time convincing two guys to leave with a pistol in her hand. Darn sure not going to "scare them off" waving a can of pepper spray or a club around. Her best bet may well be to strike with total surprise. If god forbid she ever had to use a knife or club to defend herself I would hope the other party would not know she had it until they she had already struck at least twice and they were already going down, and any other target was already being struck.

Pepper spray hampers the other person it does not put them out of action so you better have a plan for what next. No action is best unless you have absolute commitment to the course of action you set in motion.

I think predatory people can tell when you mean business and when you are just hoping they will go away. Put another way if you won't shoot, stab, or beat one or more people into a hospital don't carry the tool that requires that and don't go there in an actual confrontation.

[Borrego Dave]

Good points Roger

[EcoHeliGuy]

+1


Sent remotely

[honda03842]

Avoidance is usually the best.

I check my regularly my tires, do not have lighted candles around the house, minimize driving at night, avoid drug areas of a city,.... safety is a first choice,.

That said I do own a firearm, certainly a very last choice.

As well I have never felt unsafe in our trailer in 3,000 nights of camping all over the USA and Canada. In 14 years there have been only a handful of campgrounds we driven in and left.

Your best weapon is the use of your mind, on the trail or in a city.

[John Linck]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Avoidance is usually the best.

I check my regularly my tires, do not have lighted candles around the house, minimize driving at night, avoid drug areas of a city,.... safety is a first choice,.

That said I do own a firearm, certainly a very last choice.

As well I have never felt unsafe in our trailer in 3,000 nights of camping all over the USA and Canada. In 14 years there have been only a handful of campgrounds we driven in and left.

Your best weapon is the use of your mind, on the trail or in a city.

Well said as usual Norm. John

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Avoidance is usually the best.....


.... As well I have never felt unsafe in our trailer in 3,000 nights of camping all over the USA and Canada. In 14 years there have been only a handful of campgrounds we driven in and left.

Your best weapon is the use of your mind, on the trail or in a city.

If the place seems a little off or sketchy, best bet is to assume it is. Even if you are not sure why. Just move on. I never lost a conflict I avoided.

110% agree it is how you use your mind that will make the most difference. The people that survive hotel fires and plane crashes tend to be the people that think about what they will do in the event of a problem or think rationally about what to do when faced with a situation.

I don't know about "unsafe" but certainly a little concerned once way back in the Huron National Forest sitting around a campfire that was essentially burned down to coals, listening to the whippoorwills and other night birds it suddenly got dead silent, the dogs head came up and started slowly tracking something going left to right in the woods that surrounded our little clearing. I know I wasted no time throwing some small stuff on the fire to bring it back to life it kept it well fed for a good while too.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

110% agree it is how you use your mind that will make the most difference. The people that survive hotel fires and plane crashes tend to be the people that think about what they will do in the event of a problem or think rationally about what to do when faced with a situation.

When ever we go to a movie and on the even rare event we're in a motel, Ginny always know where the exits are. She thinks ahead. The process of looking to the future adds to ones consciousness.

[papa-t]

Never take a knife to a gun fight. What? Always be prepared.

[Glenn Baglo]

Are we done yet?

[Kenny in Ohio]

No Glen, Here is something I saw about bears:

[Mike Magee]

UDAP bear spray will put an attacker out of the fray; it is much more potent than pepper spray. But you have to make sure you're not upwind when deploying it.

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

UDAP bear spray will put an attacker out of the fray; it is much more potent than pepper spray. But you have to make sure you're not upwind when deploying it.

I know good bear spray is really effective in stopping bears and people but I would be concerned about using it in a trailer. You might stop the troublemaker as well as yourself.

[Oregonian]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

My advice is to do what your comfort level leads you to do.

My comfort level includes having a handgun. I grew up in a family that used firearms for hunting and target shooting and that taught me proper safety, plus I took a hunter safety course and later on a CCW course to get a concealed carry permit. I try to know the pertinent laws of the places I'm going to camp in (not hard to find such info nowadays with internet).

I feel that I am the one who's primarily responsible for my own safety, and that I know how to carry a firearm safely and how to use it properly in the unlikely event that the need arises. It's just a tool, like a hammer or a wrench, and there's nothing better than having the right tool for the job should the need arise. Just as I hope to never need to fix anything, I hope to never need the handgun... but it's nice to have it. I really feel better about boondocking in the middle of nowhere in bear or mountain lion country if I am "packing", because some animals can act unpredictably.

If you feel more comfortable with bear spray, that's fine. Be aware that pressurized canisters of bear spray caution against exposure to high temperatures (not advised to leave one in a hot vehicle or trailer). If my can of UDAP ruptured in either place, my camping trip would come to an abrupt and miserable halt! And some parks can prohibit bear spray! IIRC it was banned in Yosemite. Another option would be a good knife or some tool or other object that you feel comfortable wielding. Even a key can be used in self-defense against an aggressive human, and it's better than nothing.

Do what you think is best for you, not necessarily what anyone else thinks is best.

^^^THIS^^^

I owe it to myself and my family to have the ability, mindset and means to protect them. I would never leave our fate in the hands of others. And as much as I respect and admire our LEO's, a wise old cop once told me "when seconds count, the Police are only minutes away." Each of us must act within our own comfort zone.

[papa-t]

Amen

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Jack L

I know good bear spray is really effective in stopping bears and people but I would be concerned about using it in a trailer. You might stop the troublemaker as well as yourself.

Oh, absolutely! Another limitation of bear spray. You'd ruin the trailer!

[stevebaz]

Try washing that out. That pepper oil will transfer everywhere. Everything you touch, move, eat will have it in it. We use to make fiberglass rodent armor for the telecommunication industry and mixed Capsicum in the resin so the Ground squirrels would leave the long distance underground cables alone. The only thing it deterred was the people in the shop. We mixed 5 grams of pepper oil into 18,000 grams of resin. It was totally miserable in the shop within a week. I don't miss those days.