Perth CS Camping Etiquette Guide
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OK, we all know that too many rules are a bad thing, but guidelines can be great to remind you of some common sense and courtesy. CS Perth group camping trips are a lot of fun for everyone involved, and are normally just like a group of friends going camping; these guidelines act as a simple reminder of what that should mean.
All of these items are baselines, most organisers will do their best to help you out, but there always comes the time when you have to help everyone else out as well.
So please read through the following items and acknowledge them before embarking on one of our awesome camping trips. We hope you think these are as obvious as they seem.
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Communication
If the organiser needs to know something, tell them. Do not assume that anyone else will pass on ANY information, if you have not spoken directly with the organiser, then it hasn't happened. Double check with your driver if there are multiple drivers involved with a trip. Telling a driver at 8am on Sunday morning that you need to be back in the city at 9am will likely result in disappointment.
Get mobile phone numbers: If something unforeseen happens, you can communicate it to the main group as soon as possible.
Event organisers are NOT tour guides
We love camping, going to festivals and travelling around Western Australia. We are more than happy to share the knowledge of good journeys and places - or share the experience of finding somewhere new. Whilst going camping with locals often means they will be acting like a guide, Perth CS Hosts do not get paid for organising everything and usually do incur out of pocket expenses.
To put it into perspective, if you want to go on a tour where you can sit around and do nothing, then feel free to pay $1400+ and travel with a tour company where the tour guides will look after you and pamper you.
Anyone who has done both will vouch that the CS trips are a lot more fun and a lot less expensive if everyone does their bit to help out.
Transportation
When the person organising the trip has arranged transport for you, use a lot of courtesy and put in the required effort to make that as easy as possible for the organiser. We all want to be out experiencing the joy of staying in the australian bush or visiting the next camping festival. Waiting for someone for two hours does not help this at all and takes away from everyone else's enjoyment of the journey. It is fairly common to stop for ice on the way out of the city. If required, this will be at a service station or a bottleshop. This is likely to be the only stop along the way, depending on the distance to be covered, but do not assume even this will happen - communicate with the driver.
So please keep in mind these three easy points:
- Respect agreed pickup locations
- Have everything you need: Stopping anywhere with a large group takes a LONG time. There will probably be only one QUICK stop for ice.
- Be ready and at the agreed pickup location on time: We're about camping, not waiting.
Plan ahead to make sure you can meet these requirements; If you're leaving early in the morning, then get some sleep. All night drinking sessions can be great fun, but dont expect everyone else to wait for your recovery.
The organiser has already spent a lot of time and effort so they can enjoy the trip with everyone; so do not be too surprised if the transport leaves after the set time with or without you.
Please consider everyone else.
Respect the Driver
Driving is never going to be as much fun as being a passenger, the driver can't relax, can't sleep and they are usually busy concentrating on the road. They generally just want to be at the destination so they get to relax as well. Please consider the following when being a passenger:
- Try to keep the requests to stop along the way to a minimum.
- At stops, don't take your time getting yourself back into the car.
If the driver has said it is time to go, then it is time to go. Not in 30mins, not when you feel like it; it generally means get in the car now or start hitchhiking.
Borrowed Camping Equipment
Many CS hosts and organisers are kitted out with spare camping equipment. Tents, sleeping bags, cooking/eating equipment, eskies, torches etc. If you borrow and use any of this equipment, common sense should come into play, as well as gratitude, when you return that equipment in the same condition that it was in before you used it.
Setting and packing up camp
Organisers are also not scout leaders. Help each other out, it doesn't take 3 or 4 people to setup a tent, if you see someone struggling on their own, please help them. It does not matter who is sleeping in which tent. Setup the camp as quickly as possible then EVERYONE can relax.
When the organiser has said it's time to pack up the camp, then it's time to make a move and start packing up. Certainly don't stand around watching others do all the work. It is common that someone has to be back in the city at a set time, so when the agreed leaving time is reached, we leave.
Organisers aren't tour guides. They are probably just as tired as you are and more than likely as hung over as you are; so volunteer your help early and often.
Food and Drinks
Organisers (or anyone else) are NEVER expected to cover the costs of food and drinks for others. Unless pre-arranged, you must always supply your own food and drinks when camping. Also consider bringing enough water for yourself. Discuss cooking and storage arrangements with the organiser to determine the best food and drinks to take on the trip; think practical.
Don't expect to get anything from other people, have your food and drinks with you at pickup and don't expect to be able to shop at supermarkets and bottle shops along the way.
Cooking
This can happen in two basic ways, as a shared cost and effort, or everyone looks after themselves. Sometimes smaller groups of people with special requirements (eg, vegetarian) or common interests (eg, couples, travelling groups) will get together and share cost and effort.
If the costs of food are shared and the group are going to share the cooking, HELP OUT! Don't sit around each night waiting for your dinner. If you didn't cook or help out, thank the people that did cook; then wash the dishes.
If you are cooking your own food then it's simple, respect that other people might want to cook as well and WASH UP immediately after you have cooked. This applies especially if you are using someone else's pots, pans, plates, cutlery etc. Not washing up is not acceptable and you may find yourself eating cold food out of a can for the remainder of the trip.
Appreciation
Whether you had an awesome time or it didn't turn out to be quite what you expected, appreciate that someone who is a person just like yourself has gone out of their way to organise something for you and everyone else. This is always a lot of work. Help them throughout the trip as often as you can and remember to thank them and make sure they know that you appreciate what they have done for you.
