Free Republic

The Camping World CEO claims he was forced to close down one of his North Carolina stores as he defied local politicians over the massive American flags flying over the locations. Marcus Lemonis made the shocking revelation that one of the national RV dealerships in Greenville, NC, was shuttered on April 18. Lemonis says he was forced to shut down operations at the smaller of the two locations after the city council sued him and the company for violating city ordinance with the larger-than-life flags, and continues to impose fines. “We think the ordinance is wrong,” Lemonis told local radio...

The CEO of Camping World, a national RV dealer with stores in 200-plus locations, is facing a lawsuit by another city over its massive American flag that waves outside a dealership. City leaders in Greenville, N.C., voted 4-2 last week to initiate legal action to take down the American flag at a Camping World dealership. The vote came amid another lawsuit filed by the city of Sevierville, Tennessee. "Not when they sue, not when I lose, not if they take me to jail, the flag is not coming down," Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis said last week after the city...

I have been reading the articles concerning Proposition 127 and how this undermines the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s ability to properly manage wildlife. I agree 100 percent. However, there is another insidious movement underway that will undermine both the CPW and hunting in a big way. The National Forest Service is quietly, but steadily closing off dispersed camping — camping in areas other than designated campgrounds. I experienced this in September on my muzzleloading deer/elk hunt in South Park. This will probably be the last tented hunting camp I will be able to do with my hunting partner. I am...

There's nothing particularly political about camping. People across the ideological spectrum enjoy overnighting under the stars. But buying camping gear is a whole different story. Before you pitch your tent, you have to declare where you pitch your tent. Nowhere is this divide more pronounced than in the rivalry between retail behemoths Bass Pro Shops and Patagonia. troll into a Bass Pro Shops location, and you’re greeted with a rustic, log-cabin feel, stuffed bears, shotguns and rifles, and camo gear lining the shelves, soundtracked by the giant waterfall in the middle of the store. Head over to Patagonia, and you’re...

...as we move to options that have a lower impact” on the environment, said Josh Simpson, co-founder of Little Kamper, a one-pound refillable propane canister exchange company in Manteca....

Dozens of die-hard Trump supporters who couldn’t wait to see their candidate Sunday night at Madison Square Garden started camping outside the venue Saturday to make sure they snag a seat. As many as 100 Trump backers were lined up in lawn chairs just after midnight Sunday outside the famous arena — and some of them came as early as 10 am Saturday to a spot along 33rd Street and Sixth Avenues. “We love Trump,” Patty Vitala told the Post, “I love Trump and it’s cold out but it’s worth the wait. We want to make sure we get in.”

Dozens of die-hard Trump supporters who couldn’t wait to see their candidate Sunday night at Madison Square Garden started camping outside the venue Saturday to make sure they snag a seat. As many as 100 Trump backers were lined up in lawn chairs just after midnight Sunday outside the famous arena — and some of them came as early as 10 am Saturday to a spot along 33rd Street and Sixth Avenues. “We love Trump,” Patty Vitala told the Post, “I love Trump and it’s cold out but it’s worth the wait. We want to make sure we get in.”...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill this week to ban one-pound, single-use propane cylinders, meaning that only more expensive reusable cylinders will be available in the state. The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Disposable propane canisters like the dark green ones used with camping stoves will soon be phased out in California, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Sunday requiring all one-pound cylinders sold in the state to be reusable or refillable starting in 2028. … Between 4 million and 7 million of the single-use cylinders are sold in California each year, according to an estimate from the California...

In what sounds like one of the weirdest cases in recent memory, the Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 in favor of municipalities in the case of City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson. The case involved whether municipalities could bar homeless people from “camping” in public spaces, addressing the question, “Does the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property constitute ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ prohibited by the Eighth Amendment?” The short summary from SCOTUSblog's Amy Howe in the site's live chat is that "The court holds that the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public...

At this time of year, a reservation with Chill RV Rentals isn’t usually the easiest to come by. The Los Angeles-based company’s 16-camper fleet is typically booked solid, with the RVs oftentimes reserved weeks in advance. That’s just not the case this year, said Nika Shneyder, who started the recreational vehicle rental business with her father in 2016. Bookings are light; plus, the people who are traveling are taking shorter trips, she said. “We’re definitely seeing demand for RV travel slowed down compared to previous years, and I don’t think it has to do with people coming out [the pandemic]...

Ever wonder how to build a campfire the right way? I’ve got good news for you. Making a campfire is easy, conditions and experience willing. But you can always craft a better one than your last. Here’s some intel that’ll take your next burn a little further, even if the weather’s bad.Perfect the IngredientsAny fire, no matter how you make it, needs three basic things: Fuel, oxygen, and heat. Altering the ratios of those ingredients will change the way in which a fire lights, burns, and lasts.Take moisture content in wood, for example. Wet wood produces less heat because energy...

Wherever we drive nowadays, we see electric vehicles (EVs) amid the normal internal combustion cars and hybrids. Maybe one in ten, maybe one in twenty, maybe one in a hundred. It all depends on where we live and where we go. They are no longer the noticeable rarity they were just a few years ago; you no longer turn your head in surprise when you see that Tesla logo beside you. The modern Left has a dream – that soon, very soon, every vehicle in the world will be electric, running on a heavy, cobalt-laden, lithium battery that needs to...

PORTLAND, Ore. — A new bill in the Oregon legislature is proposed as the Right to Rest Act. House Bill 3501 would decriminalize camping in public places. Under HB3501, homeless individuals would be able to have "a privacy interest and a reasonable expectation of privacy in any property belonging to the person, regardless of whether the property is located in a public space" – i.e., granting the individual rights to treat public spaces like a private residence "without discrimination and time limitations that are based on housing status." Homeless individuals would also be able to sue for up to $1,000...

Last year, California took a step that riled plenty of RVers. A new California Air Resources Board (CARB) rule essentially hit the off-switch on RV generators. While not outright banning small (less than 25 horsepower) generators, the state severely tightened emissions restrictions. The reaction was quick. The lynchpin of the RV generator industry, Cummins, announced it would no longer sell LP and gas-fired Cummins generators in California after the end of 2023. The backlash was swift. RV industry talking heads issued immediate warnings. If the regulations stuck, the RV industry would lose a million dollars in sales in the Golden...

Wifi signal pretty poor in camper

Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County is partially reopening later this month—with reservations accepted starting Friday for limited day-use access—for the first time since the CZU Lightning Complex Fire destroyed much of the park in August 2020. The fire burned more than 97 percent of the park, destroying its headquarters, campgrounds, employee housing and nearly every other structure, and the park is still without electricity, running water or phone service, California State Parks officials said. Big Basin will partially reopen starting July 22 to allow visitors to explore the Redwood Loop and about 18 miles of fire...

Forcing children to sleep and undress next to kids of the opposite sex effectively puts up a ‘Christian kids need not apply’ sign on public recreation activities.This spring I got an email from 4-H, a club I participated in as a child, effectively communicating that my Christian family need not apply to summer camps and other activities sponsored by the quasi-public organization. (County governments often sponsor 4-H activities.) This email was signed by a 4-H staffer who put pronouns in his signature and told me, “Youth are assigned cabins based on gender indicated on the 4-H camp application and registration,”...

Expandable campers have really been pushing above and beyond simple pop-tops into more advanced forms, like transforming Cybertruck A-frames, stretchable off-road teardrops, and flip-open truck-top tents. Germany's ICC Offroad played a big role in the rotating Flip90 pickup camper, and it also has another expanding camper design in the pipeline. Its FlexCamp prototype is designed to start the journey as a basic trailer or pickup-top box, expanding up and out at camp to become a cozy micro-cabin for a family of four. ICC Offroad is developing the FlexCamp to meet the demand for a compact, four-season, off-road-ready camping solution. With...

Last week I went tent camping with my son at a GA state park. When we checked in, I had to sign an acknowledgement that I understood bears would be in the area. Yawn. I didn't give it further thought.The second day, at 0500, the food cooler outside my tent was knocked over. I thought, oh man, this is it. The cooler was about 8 feet from the entrance to the tent. It took me a while to get on my glasses, jeans, find the flashlight and get personal protection.I got everything together and unzipped the flap. I shined the...

Nearly a year after the CZU Lightning fire burned through California's oldest state park-the clean-up continues. The fire swept through 97% of Big Basin State Redwood Park's 18,000 acres. With historic structures now gone, the public is being asked to help with the rebuilding process. It's really going to be a labor of love, as this week the state parks unveiled a new website: ReimagingBigBasin.org, where the public can get information and get involved in the planning for its rebuilding. "The canopy is gone. So what you have are big hulking, tall hulking things that is now sprouting out greenery...