I have an idea that I'm sharing with a few of the communities I go to, basically the idea is that a bunch of us members would get together in real life at a park and go camping together. I actually got the idea from Facepunch's annual British camping trip, so I figured we should have an American one here. If the camping trip goes well and we get enough people, perhaps people in other countries will have meet-ups too, and we'll have our Japanese members get together some place in Japan or our Nigerien members get to together in Niger, or our Canadian members get together in Canada, so on and so forth. It would be great, we could all get to know each other better in real life and just hang out around a camp fire talking and what-not.

We could even do some stuff together, like go fishing or some of us could bring a bunch of laser tag equipment for everyone to use (probably Laser Tag: Team Ops). We could also go hiking together or for those of us who are gun owners, we could go to a gun shooting range or something like that. Perhaps we could even have a contest to see who can barbeque the best, or play sports, or something like that. I'm open to ideas, and of course you're all welcome to do whatever you please so long as it's within the meet-ups rules, which are below. This isn't a for sure thing, nor is this even the official thread for the meet-up, should we choose to have one. This is just seeing what people think of the idea. If enough people like the idea, then I'll post an official meet-up thread where people can announce if they are coming or not. So, what do you think of my meet-up idea? And would you like to attend it if you could?


RULES
-You must follow all federal, state, and local laws, as well as any rules the park may have.
-You must be at least 13 or older to attend the meet-up.
-You must respect all members at the meet-up, even if you don't like a certain member.
-No littering, if you have trash, dispose of it properly, or better yet, recycle it.
-No elitism, you are no better than any other member.
-No illegal drugs, this includes marijuana.
-No getting too wild or extreme, this isn't a high school or college party, this is members of an online forum having a mature real life gathering.


Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I take my girlfriend/boyfriend with me?
A: Yes, if you want to.

Q: Can I take some friends with me?
A: You can take 1 or 2 people with you, but now more than that since this is meant for the members of the forum.

Q: Why can't kids 12 or younger come?
A: This is a meet-up for teenagers and advlts.

Q: Who would host the meet-up?
A: I will.

Q: Can I bring alcohol or tobacco?
A: Yes, but do not distribute them to anyone under the age of 18.

Q: If I do something stupid on the camping trip, will I be banned on the forums?
A: No, unless you do something illegal like start stalking a member or try to physically harm another member.

Q: Where would we be having this meet-up?
A: That has yet to be decided, though likely somewhere in the central United States.

Q: Can I bring my gun(s)?
A: Yes, but please be careful and be sure to follow all gun safety guidelines.

Q: I'm a girl, what if a creepy forever alone guy won't leave me alone?
A: Kick him in the balls.

Q: Do I have to sleep in a tent?
A: Not if you don't want to. Feel free to sleep under the stars or in your car if that's what you want.

Q: Can I bring my RV?
A: If the park allows RV camping, sure.

Q: What if someone steals my stuff?
A: Tell me about it and/or contact the police.

Q: If something bad happens to me, can I sue the forum staff or you?
A: No, the meet-up is unaffiliated with the forums and solely run by me, and you can't sue me either since I am not legally responsible for you, if you get mauled by a bear, that's on you. However should another forum member be directly (or indirectly) responsible for putting you in harm's way, and you feel the need to take legal action, then you are well within your right to do so.

Q: Will it just be our community camping or will people from other forums be there too?
A: Just us.

Q: Will transport be provided for me or will I have to come here myself?
A: You'll have to come here yourself, though if some members want to carpool and pick each other up on the way to the campsite, then by all means, do so.

Q: I don't live within the United States, can I still come?
A: Of course, but you'll have to pay for your own transportation just like everyone else.

Q: I'm scared of the outdoors, can I hang out with you guys outside, but sleep at a hotel?
A: Sure, if that's what you want.

Q: Do I have to do what everyone else does and go where they go?
A: No, you're a human being with free will, do whatever you want, but it would be nice if you joined the rest of us.

Q: Can my parents/guardians come?
A: No, unless they are members of the forum, but even then, no.

Q: Can I bring someone who is under the age of 13 to the meet-up?
A: No.

Q: Will supplies and tents be provided, or will I have to bring my own?
A: You'll have to bring your own, though some members may decide to share supplies and bring stuff for other people.

No.

Cool idea, albeit maybe not the smartest.

Your not showing up in a primered van with the word "CANDY" spray painted across it are you?

---

I love travelling and meeting people.
but come on, California is the place to be.

Aye caramba, that's a lot of Q and A. Can it not just be boiled down to "bring your own things, pay your own way, and don't be stupid"? I thought most people knew what a meet entailed, or could make a reasonable guess.

Oh, and bring a towel. It's the one thing you should never leave home without!

...In any case, I'll be absent as I'm from the frozen wastelands of Canadia. Good luck bringing the people together! :goodjob:

Why dont you all come over here?

The sun is still shining, but the snakes, spiders, drop bears, killer owls and bogans are all going to sleep now, so its all safe!

I wasn't....

*finds paint removal*

If those are the only location choices I would have to say the same. :shrug:

edit:
Also...


Yeah... no.

We can have one in Ontario I know of quite a few members from here.

It's a neat idea, OP, but I don't see it working on a forum like this. It's too busy, with too many new, untrustworthy or distasteful members. There would have to be a way of organizing it without publicly posting the information for anyone to see, like PM'ing anyone who says they are interest, and then hoping they are trustworthy and not disclosing the information with unapproved people. It'd be worth it if it worked, but it could end in disaster in so many ways that I wouldn't take the chance of attending.

I could definitely see this working if it was a private forum with say 30-50 people who are very familiar with each other.

Come down, I won't even shank you.

Okay, maybe a little.

It will appear as though I haven't shown up. You will all arrive at the campsite, and I'll hunt you down one by one as I hunt the most dangerous game. You'll find yourself running through the woods in terror, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Little do you know, there are boobytraps and cockpits all over the forest

I'll pass.

Why camping? That's just silly.

Don't be ridiculous - the random people who'd be with you and whom you've never met before in real life would have guns! Don't you think they'd be there to protect you? Seriously, some people...

An armed society is a polite society.

I hear Juarez is a good place for large meetings announced on facebook.

Why not? Unless it'd be in Cali/Illinois I don't see a problem?



I'd have to agree with this.
Maybe have smaller camp-outs for particular groups? I'll use the above as a example.
A camp-out for members who actually want to shoot/fish.

Virtual high-five. :foodndrink:

And that's why america has such a low crime rate.

Non sequitur, but I see how it's a comforting thing to say.



I won't get into discussion about gun laws and whatnot. All I'm saying is that I'm not fond of the idea of being among a group of (relatively) complete strangers who all may or may not have guns. For all I know some of them may be all kinds of crazy and, I'm sorry, but I just don't see me putting myself in such a position, thank you very much. Call me paranoid if you want, but coming from a place where people don't carry guns around (and most don't even own any) unless they're police officers on duty I wouldn't quite feel comfortable nor safe.



Bazinga!

Let's continue this via PM

Thats perfectly understandable. I wouldn't either, not with some of these people.

Veeno! Noo! From Alizee to Lillian! To the gay cat!

Anyways,

No, I'll pass, I think I'd rather head with John Lennon and the hippies over to Woodstock.

*Just...Don't...Reply*

You forgot Julia Gillard and bunyips.

But I'll pass. Schmuty likes to remian unkown. (Plus, only the Americans can meet up) But, no thank you :/