Britbong backpacking in USA dumb question: If I'm walking with a 60l pack, will a forest janny ask where I'm camping / for a campsite reciept or just for the trail permit? I want to dispersed camp when I'm hiking but there's literally nowhere near where I'm heading (sanfran bay area, Point Reyes probably) that permits dispersed camping.
Dispersed camping in the bay area is just being homeless
Yes a forest janny will upon seeing you ask for your permit. That's why they have you print/save your permit when you get it. In places with lots of backpacking and hiking, they even have specific forest jannys whose main job is to rove trails and do things like check permits. If you don't have one you will most likely just get turned around. Just leave the bay for real wilderness
>>2809314This is good to know, thanks anon. Is this just for the hiking permit or for campsite permits even before you're at the site?
>>2809307Who cares what they ask? You just gotta have the right reply."Excuuuse me? Actshually, that pack is full of trail mix. Are you discriminating me for being fat?"Or"Well, uh, I'm practising for SHTF. Just hauling my BOB from one place to another, you know? Wait, you're not with the lizardmen, are you?"
>>2809317I mean for camping. Your entrance fee covers day hiking. But if you obviously have overnight gear, they will ask to see your overnight permit. Point reyes does have backpacking sites so just reserve one of those.
>>2809307>walking with a 60l pack, will a forest janny ask where I'm campingno. They'll assume you're just carrying a big pack for exercise. Also Trump fired all the forest jannies.
>>2809307>CaliforniaOoof, that sucks. Beautiful nature but absolutely fucking authoritarian little tyrant forest jannies. They hate you getting away with not constantly paying for everything and begging permission and getting a loicense (Might remind you of home I guess?). Fucking California. Best bet, as others said, get farther away from civilization and touristy out hotspots into more remote wilderness. They're still out there but you'll have an easier time avoiding them.
>>2809307Forest Rangers in the US are worthless and don't enforce anything on the back trial. They only enforce rules at the drive in camp grounds and sometimes on beaches. I've only seen one ranger on back country trails in the past 10 years (and I hike a shitload) and that was a medic on a safety patrol and he didn't even know any of the regulations. I knew another ranger who's job it was to go up and down mount Baker every week or so and he didn't do enforcement either--he just looked for lost or injured people.
>>2809307just pull a knife on them and speak gibberish. they'll leave you alone
>>2809307The answer is generally all of the above, if you even see anyone, and if they even bother to ask.
Lads, thank you all for the advice! I've taken it all into account and am all planned and ready. I'll take some photos and kick any cairns I see with y'all in mind. Very best, Britbong
>>2809307If it's a containment area for clueless normies they'll probably bother you. I've never been hassled in my local national forest but usually the jannies have better things to do than hassling large groups of heavily armed people for a few bucks
>>2809651Thanks!
>>2809307Holy fuck muttsharts need a fucking permit to be outside????
>>2810359Unironically yes, they don't have "right to roam" They will probably call the police on you for being in their HOA or just "loitering" remember when the cop pulls over Rambo in "first blood" 1982, yeah, that's the future now
>>2809307in SF you can camp in Golden Gate Park quite comfortably, and for free. just don't get caught rent-a-bikes are all over the city, either lyft or baywheels is the ebike rental app.
>>2810360Sounds like you should actually visit here fren. Not all states are like California. I live in a somewhat wealthy suburb and nightwalk without ever having cops mess with me.
>>2810496Yeah...it's a big place and CA may as well be it's own separate nation at this point.OP: instead of flying over the entire continent to hike in arid country filled with tweakers, hippies, and techbros, why not fly into DC, rent a truck/SUV and hit the eastern WV area? It's lush, green forests with every sort of outdoor experience/trail type you can think of. No permission or fees needed unless you want to fish or hunt. If you tell locals you've never shot a gun or drank moonshine, they'll probably start pulling stuff out for you to try. Your accent alone will make you "interesting" to them lol. That's assuming you're white of course. I would avoid that area if you're brown... people probably won't be as helpful to a minority in rural Appalachia.
>>2809314Holy shit california is fucking gay.
>>2810359>>2810360>need a fucking permit to be outside????>derpNot at all. You just need to pay a nominal fee to use one of the designated camping spots in this particular spot. If you are not spending the night you can hike for free. Moreover, there are 132 million acres of National Forest in the US- an area larger than the entire country of Norway- in which a person can "roam" and camp for free.
>>2810359>>2810360Degenerate obsessed Euros cannot fathom the majesty of the National Parks and Forests of the USA
>>2811176nta but that sounds great
>>2811568California has nothing to do with it these are federally managed lands in question
>>2809418This is true, anything even resembling remote never has jannies. But hell I've gone dozens of times to NP and camped right at main camping grounds, interacted with jannies, never paying any entrance or making a reservation for a site. If they are at the gate, come at night, or make an excuse as to why you can get in without paying. For sites you just kinda take it, but I have had issues, where other people have had reservations. One time on a backcountry site, the reserving group showed up, look confused and just fucked off.
