The Seven Deadly Sins of RV Camping

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by herbike

The people of the state of CA are being put to the grinder for generators. <<SNIP>>

Actually, it's a proposal, not a law yet. Time to weigh in.

I suspect that, after much wrangling, several things may happen (all of which I'd whole-heartedly support):
1) Two stroke engines will be history.
2) Carbureted four stroke engines will be history.
3) Irreplacable systems, such as small generators, will remain available if equipped with EFI and additional de-smogging equipment.
4) Easily replaced systems, from leaf blowers and string trimmers to lawn mowers, will be required to migrate to battery power - except for commercial applications (the same kinds of exemptions applied to commercial trucks).

Honda, Yamaha and numerous other small engine and power equipment manufacturers will have a huge lobbying effort to blunt the impact of the proposed regs. See their websites for info on how to speak up now.

But counterpoint to your message is simple. "You" are in no way entitled to foul the air I breath and wantonly contribute to climate change when reasonable alternatives are available. The "You" is the manufacturers, and the "you" is consumers...with emphasis on manufacturers. This is why it starts with new products for future sale.

Just as you are not entitled to buy a car with '60's technology spewing huge amounts of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, you soon won't be entitled to buy small equipment that does the same. All the "you's" in the scenario are NOT entitled to cram your pollution down MY throat. And that's where the actual boundary is. You don't get to kill others with your recreational equipment and lawn maintenance machinery.

To be blunt, the fact that these small engines are not ALREADY fuel injected and running OHV or OHC valve trains is ridiculous. The fact that Stihl and other small engine manufacturers are getting away with selling two strokes (running pre-mix no less) borders on criminal...and hopefully it soon will be.

These regs NEVER prohibit you from using what you have until it is used up. What they do require is that you buy and manufacturers make available equipment that crams less pollution down the throats of your neighbors.

If you want to keep the option of buying a small inverter generator...which seems like a reasonable wish...speak up and plan to compromise...and perhaps pay more for a small engine that uses readily available technology that has been around since the mid-1970's...EFI and OHC. There is no excuse for any machine sold today to have side valves, OHV and carburetion. Yet, that's what's available, and that's why SOMEONE like CARB needs to step up and demand change. Honda and the rest - all the way down to MTD - have proven over and over again that they won't do it unless forced. They're about to be forced.

[LivingToCamp]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

4) Easily replaced systems, from leaf blowers and string trimmers to lawn mowers, will be required to migrate to battery power - except for commercial applications (the same kinds of exemptions applied to commercial trucks).
:

Batteries need recharging, to recharge most use electric, to make electric some companies are still using fossil fuel.
We should stop using fossil fuel to generate electric.
Of course, Solar power isn't much better if you really think about it.

"The solar panels are usually much darker than the ground they cover, so a vast expanse of solar cells will absorb a lot of additional energy and emit it as heat, affecting the climate.
If these effects were only local, they might not matter in a sparsely populated and barren desert. But the scale of the installations that would be needed to make a dent in the world’s fossil energy demand would be vast, covering thousands of square kilometers. Heat re-emitted from an area this size will be redistributed by the flow of air in the atmosphere, having regional and even global effects on the climate."

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by LivingToCamp

Batteries need recharging, to recharge most use electric, to make electric some companies are still using fossil fuel.
We should stop using fossil fuel to generate electric.
Of course, Solar power isn't much better if you really think about it.

"The solar panels are usually much darker than the ground they cover, so a vast expanse of solar cells will absorb a lot of additional energy and emit it as heat, affecting the climate.
If these effects were only local, they might not matter in a sparsely populated and barren desert. But the scale of the installations that would be needed to make a dent in the world’s fossil energy demand would be vast, covering thousands of square kilometers. Heat re-emitted from an area this size will be redistributed by the flow of air in the atmosphere, having regional and even global effects on the climate."

Seriously? Dark solar cells are going to warm the climate? How about we offset that by not making roads, buildings, or cars black.

When the arctic and antarctic, and the mountain snow melts and reduces reflectivity, I expect that dark solar panels are going to be a minor problem.

[FollowTheSun]

Originally Posted by NJKris

This short article should be required reading by anyone buying an RV. Before you sign on the line, you must read this first! Imagine how heavenly things could be if everyone read this:

Number Eight ... Don't use leaf blowers to stir up as much dust as possible. I usually avoid crowed public campgrounds to avoid idiots committing the "Deadly Sins." This was one of those times we visited an other beautiful state park in northern Idaho. This is the first time I witnessed somebody using a leaf blower at their camp site ... and he just had to be my neighbor.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Thanks for sharing this. Sadly, the ones who most need to read it never will.

They will read it and feel it doesn't apply them. Either that or they will try to to make each situation worse.
We stayed at one campground where most everyone cut through campsites because the didn't want to walk in gravel to the pool. A great place to put spike strips!!!

[Mountaineer1954]

#6 is big one for us. Turn off your freaking lights !!!!

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1954

#6 is big one for us. Turn off your freaking lights !!!!

My one big issue with the lights the front cap lights and under belly lights on some of the trailers. They look like they are inviting planes and UFO's to land. The people inside these trailers aren't bothered since they can't see them when their inside.

They don't have to show off their trailer at night. We see it during the daytime. Our awning light strip is dimmable and normally set to the lowest setting. They are turned off at night. We have a motion sensing light by the door if we have to go out at night.

[Rockwood Travelers]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

Actually, it's a proposal, not a law yet. Time to weigh in.

I suspect that, after much wrangling, several things may happen (all of which I'd whole-heartedly support):
1) Two stroke engines will be history.
2) Carbureted four stroke engines will be history.
3) Irreplacable systems, such as small generators, will remain available if equipped with EFI and additional de-smogging equipment.
4) Easily replaced systems, from leaf blowers and string trimmers to lawn mowers, will be required to migrate to battery power - except for commercial applications (the same kinds of exemptions applied to commercial trucks).

Honda, Yamaha and numerous other small engine and power equipment manufacturers will have a huge lobbying effort to blunt the impact of the proposed regs. See their websites for info on how to speak up now.

But counterpoint to your message is simple. "You" are in no way entitled to foul the air I breath and wantonly contribute to climate change when reasonable alternatives are available. The "You" is the manufacturers, and the "you" is consumers...with emphasis on manufacturers. This is why it starts with new products for future sale.

Just as you are not entitled to buy a car with '60's technology spewing huge amounts of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere, you soon won't be entitled to buy small equipment that does the same. All the "you's" in the scenario are NOT entitled to cram your pollution down MY throat. And that's where the actual boundary is. You don't get to kill others with your recreational equipment and lawn maintenance machinery.

To be blunt, the fact that these small engines are not ALREADY fuel injected and running OHV or OHC valve trains is ridiculous. The fact that Stihl and other small engine manufacturers are getting away with selling two strokes (running pre-mix no less) borders on criminal...and hopefully it soon will be.

These regs NEVER prohibit you from using what you have until it is used up. What they do require is that you buy and manufacturers make available equipment that crams less pollution down the throats of your neighbors.

If you want to keep the option of buying a small inverter generator...which seems like a reasonable wish...speak up and plan to compromise...and perhaps pay more for a small engine that uses readily available technology that has been around since the mid-1970's...EFI and OHC. There is no excuse for any machine sold today to have side valves, OHV and carburetion. Yet, that's what's available, and that's why SOMEONE like CARB needs to step up and demand change. Honda and the rest - all the way down to MTD - have proven over and over again that they won't do it unless forced. They're about to be forced.

This whole dissertation smacks solidly of a product of successful indoctrination. Nuff said about that.

I boondock in some very secluded places in our area of Illinois. I also am a farmer who has had a lot of experience regarding livestock (I really hope the indoctrinee above doesn't give us another essay on how detrimental THAT is to mankind! LOL!). We dump our black water tank that is full of sewage into our pasture area. We've done this for the over two decades we've been camping. The practice of dumping raw sewage into a pasture area is no more revolting than what our cows and calves do in the name of nature in that same pasture area. That said, dumping raw sewage into a spot that is frequented by unsuspecting visitors or passers by is cause for disgust and even prosecution. But doing it the way we do it is not, so a blanket statement is incorrect and unwarranted.

We're farmers, and animals, whether they be dogs, cats, sheep, cattle or any other form of mammals are as much a part of our lives as any human but, again, if someone is caught letting their dogs run free, letting them relieve themselves in environments that are designated for use by the public is not only disgusting, there needs to be legal consequences for animal owners allowing it.

This list is full of BS that is common occurrence among mannerless and disrespectful louts that populate society today.

[jimmoore13]

Originally Posted by Rockwood Travelers

This whole dissertation smacks solidly of a product of successful indoctrination. Nuff said about that.

I boondock in some very secluded places in our area of Illinois. I also am a farmer who has had a lot of experience regarding livestock (I really hope the indoctrinee above doesn't give us another essay on how detrimental THAT is to mankind! LOL!). We dump our black water tank that is full of sewage into our pasture area. We've done this for the over two decades we've been camping. The practice of dumping raw sewage into a pasture area is no more revolting than what our cows and calves do in the name of nature in that same pasture area. That said, dumping raw sewage into a spot that is frequented by unsuspecting visitors or passers by is cause for disgust and even prosecution. But doing it the way we do it is not, so a blanket statement is incorrect and unwarranted.

We're farmers, and animals, whether they be dogs, cats, sheep, cattle or any other form of mammals are as much a part of our lives as any human but, again, if someone is caught letting their dogs run free, letting them relieve themselves in environments that are designated for use by the public is not only disgusting, there needs to be legal consequences for animal owners allowing it.

This list is full of BS that is common occurrence among mannerless and disrespectful louts that populate society today.

I, too, have 20 years of experience farming. All I do is boondock. ...and, apparently, I am a mannerless, disrespectful lout. Perhaps we should return to unregulated motor vehicles while we're at it.

[CC75]

Originally Posted by sfsgm

Iron Eyes Cody wasn't an Indian. He was Italian.

Just sayin'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Eyes_Cody

Fun fact: Also so noted in a Suparons episode.

[Flybob]

Moderators Note:
This thread is being closed as it has morphed from a civil discussion on camping etiquette to political comments which are not allowed as they disrupt the forum. Those offensive posts have been removed.