Jeep Clubs?

[lBasket]

We have a group called Stay the Trail. They are a great organization, do a lot to help keep things open. I've donated financially to them. Went to their website and through the list of all the clubs near me. We have signage on several trails thanking "X" Club for maintaining which I'm down with. I said something in an earlier post about offering to come swing a shovel but that club in particulare only wanted help from members. Life is hectic enough not trying to add anymore mandatory things. I do get the concept of wanting to know who you're wheeling with

Sorry I can't help with the Jeep clubs, I have had the same luck with them (jeep clubs vs offroad clubs) when I tried when I first got my jeep, but if you wanted to clean up the forest I see these guys around me doing work and they just have you sign a liability waiver, then feed you lunch.

https://www.focusontheforest.org/

I tagged along with a group from FB when I got my jeep for a winter run. Boiled down to 2hrs of watching 2 jeeps do Mini-Moab in rainbow falls (everyone else did the obstacles a few times and was ready to go), an hour parked on the trail talking (???) then turning around on the trail and leaving (did not look fun for the 4door jeeps).

It would be cool to find a fun group like the TJ Fest group. Maybe here, it did seem like the Krew had a busy year this year keeping them from wheeling.

 

[Zorba]

I took a look again at the biggest local Jeep club. They have changed their online presence considerably. While they still have a FB page, all their info, pictures, and most importantly, their events page is now on their website where its supposed to be. No ducks in sight. They have meet and greets twice a month - I think I'll at least check one of those out and see what they have to say.

 

[inkedrose]

It would be cool to find a fun group like the TJ Fest group. Maybe here, it did seem like the Krew had a busy year this year keeping them from wheeling.

Yeah, watch that thread pretty close. Hoping to tag along on a few of those next year for sure

 

[inkedrose]

I took a look again at the biggest local Jeep club. They have changed their online presence considerably. While they still have a FB page, all their info, pictures, and most importantly, their events page is now on their website where its supposed to be. No ducks in sight. They have meet and greets twice a month - I think I'll at least check one of those out and see what they have to say.

report back!

 

[joe98tj]

Just knowing who you're wheeling with really helps the experience. Some clubs up here do open runs on private property to try to get more folks interested in joining their club while providing some cash to the land owners. I went to one and had a similar experience where it is a lot of waiting and watching. There was also a guy on 32's in a very clean hemi grand cherokee, the trails up here are not wide and are very rocky, he left mid day with a scratched/dented jeep and a very pissed off wife. There also always seems to be on person hell bent on breaking something within the first 5 minutes of a trail. I have heard of facebook group organized events that were nothing but havoc.

I found Northeast Jeep Org right out of college. Everyone is very helpful, they like to keep it moving in the woods, try some hard stuff when we need a break from driving, and will make sure everyones rig is working before continuing on in the trail. I was lucky to find a good one right off the bat but we've had members, and I've known other people, who go through a few before they find like minded people they enjoying going out with.

 

[TJosh02]

I like our local club, but see some of the reservations as well. Here is my take.

I officially joined one of the bigger clubs in Ontario, COORJC, but will sometimes wheel with other clubs from time to time as well by being invited by someone I know in those.

Joining our club cost $25/year, but you get a $25 off discount on the $50/year Ontario Federation of 4 Wheel Drive recreationist membership, so it is $50/year total. OF4WD is the umbrella super group/club that is the advocate group to the government to keep public trails open to the public for SxSs, ATVs, Jeeps, OHV, etc. OF4WD also provides maps and gpx files for all the trails on public lands with the membership.

Like everyone else here, I joined a club to find guys to wheel with. My normal circle of friends doesn't include anyone into this hobby. Our club has a lot of active members, unlike many of the other clubs that hold Wednesday night meet up at Timmy's for coffee but never go off road. We also do a lot of club organized runs and I guide at least a few of those a year.

Our club does a ton of rookie runs and I don't guide those however. I can't be bothered with driving 3 hours each way to guide a glorified gravel road.

 

[E-Ticket]

When I lived in Prescott Valley Arizona in 2012-2014 I was a member of the now defunct "AZ Virtual Jeep Club". No meetings, just an active website/forum to share build knowledge and organize rides. You knew you could find 5-10 guys any weekend to go wheeling with no matter your flavor of trails. There was a large annual run up to Crown King that got out of hand sometimes with over 100 rigs, which caused some drama and sadly the whole things flamed out shortly after I left for the frozen north.

That set up was great, no real operational drag but lots of wheeling and knowledge sharing. I get the community service / advocate / trails upkeep angle and see that here in MN with ATV crowd.

 

[Viking Jeeper]

The club here removed me because I dont participate enough and I was not willing to pay their mandatory charity donation. It was kind of silly but I dont think I'm missing much. I was always willing to participate in off road events but I was a no show at the social events.

 

[Illiquid]

BFHJC FTW.

@hosejockey61 gonna need some stickers with BFHJC on them

 

[DuckNut]

Here in FL there is not a lot of "wheeling". There is a good amount of riding dirt roads in WMA's or state forests.

To get beyond that you have to know farmers with vast tracks of land. These can be a great time and you always know a tractor is always available if you succumb to mud.

 

[Andy-WhiteTJ]

This could be a liability issue. @Andy-WhiteTJ could chime in but insurance and liability is the biggest constraint when it comes to an organized club.

Usually, a signed waiver takes care of that unless they have a pre-agreement with said land owner that only members of that club be present.

Some of our runs are club members only (Property owner's discretion) and some are open to prospective members. To go on a club run open to prospective members, we only ask that you attend one meeting prior to the run or an existing member will vouch for that person.

To join the club, rules state: 2 meetings, 2 runs or rides. Then voted in. Bylaws state that the board can overrule that rule. It helps you understand who we are and us to understand what you're looking for.

Edited.

 

[hosejockey61]

you could find 5-10 guys any weekend to go wheeling with no matter your flavor of trails. There was a large annual run up to Crown King that got out of hand sometimes with over 100 rigs

I start getting irritated when we get more than five rigs. 3-5 seems to be the sweet spot for us, and that's only if the rig and driver capability is similar. If we get even one rig that only has a limited slip or one locker or an inexperienced driver it completely changes our outing. Don't get me wrong though, we've all had to start somewhere. That's why we have our April Phools and Jeeptober runs. Those are for helping newer forum members get into the hobby allowing them to get their feet wet.

I would lose my shit if I pulled up and there was 100 other rigs there. Just not for me.

 

[E-Ticket]

I start getting irritated when we get more than five rigs. 3-5 seems to be the sweet spot for us, and that's only if the rig and driver capability is similar. If we get even one rig that only has a limited slip or one locker or an inexperienced driver it completely changes our outing. Don't get me wrong though, we've all had to start somewhere. That's why we have our April Phools and Jeeptober runs. Those are for helping newer forum members get into the hobby allowing them to get their feet wet.

I would lose my shit if I pulled up and there was 100 other rigs there. Just not for me.

No doubt. Those big runs may be what ended the club. Despite trying to break it up in smaller groups it ended up a large cluster half way in. Too many pissed of people waiting around and then throwing shade at each other online.

It was the small gatherings with different people that were so great. Eventually, people found their small circle of similar minded/skilled buddies and did their own thing.

 

[ColoJeep]

My one time Jeep club experience was 42 years ago. MHJC " lost patrol " . Winter wheeling , mostly deep drifts with 1 foot of snow on the ground and some bare dirt. The club was more interested in talking on the CB's than offroading , they were pissed that we didn't have CB's . We wheeled to a 4' deep by 15' long drift on the trail , we thought it would be fun taking turns trying to bust through . But nope The leader drove his early Bronco up to the drift stopped and used the winch to drag it through the drift . I remember telling my brother we should put a winch on my Chevette and we could have as much fun. Much better offroading with like minded friends .

 

[bucky]

I belong to a chapter of E Clampus Vitus here in SoCal. It’s a historical fraternity and we go out in the boonies here in Ca and place historical monuments. No one cares what you drive. Some just have 2wd pickups and we just pull them our when needed. Because we are a fraternal organization everyone gets along without any attitudes. We go to the many forgotten places such as past town sites, ranches, abandoned mines, etc here in Ca. When we stop it’s usually to have a historical presentation of the history of the area. Or next trip is 4 days at Dumont Dunes in Jan where we’ll explore the many mines and historical sites around Death Valley. They break into groups of about 25 and will have several itineraries to choose from. The best part for me is there isn’t the “I’m the Trail Boss” attitude and we all have a good time while learning the great history we have in Ca.

 

[Zorba]

report back!

After the 1st of the year. I even saw a guy in a skirt in a couple of their pictures!

 

[GregBelleville]

We go to the many forgotten places such as past town sites, ranches, abandoned mines, etc here in Ca. When we stop it’s usually to have a historical presentation of the history of the area. Or next trip is 4 days at Dumont Dunes in Jan where we’ll explore the many mines and historical sites around Death Valley. They break into groups of about 25 and will have several itineraries to choose from. The best part for me is there isn’t the “I’m the Trail Boss” attitude and we all have a good time while learning the great history we have in Ca.

This sounds pretty cool, never heard of that organization. I haven't been to Dumont since I was a kid.

 

[Mike_H]

I'm currently an officer in my 4x4 Club (two trackers, here in West Mi). We are brand agnostic, and have quite a few members in non-jeep 4x4s. Gotta be street legal though, no side by sides. We're struggling with membership, too. We charge 60 a year, but only 20 goes to our club. We were sending 20 to Great Lakes 4x4 (which is a large, regional club) and United 4x4 Association (national club). However, a few years ago, that extra 40 started being redirected 100% to GLFWD...but that is another issue for another day.

We do a membership meeting 1x a week (first Tuesday of the month), and try to do one trail ride / month as well. We have a member forum that is private and a public facing facebook page. Currently at about 60 members...Its a pretty decent club. However, we have a weird issue going on. There are some members who like to pay for wheeling weekends (experiences?). They go out with a group called Discover 4x4...which pulls their availability and time for club events. Then we have the guys with the super built rigs (40's, V8 swaps, coil-overs, etc). Being in Michigan, a "standard" trail ride will maybe have one or two places for 4x4, the rest is just two tracks. So, they like to do parks down south.


I'm stuck in the middle, with a Jeep that is very capable, but I'm not heading down south to sling mud (because down south you just get hung up with 35's) and a lot of the people in our club with similar builds like to do the discover 4x4 stuff (and I don't like to pay the "entry fee" of 600-800 dollars for food/lodging). So, I go with the stock group, which is fine, because I'm able to introduce a bunch of people to the fun and adventure of off road...but if I'm being honest, it gets a bit boring.

I'm for sure giving up my board position...and I'm contemplating not rejoining. But, like Wildman said, the clubs are important for access and lobbying the .gov. So, I will probably just pay my money, and show up for a couple meetings and runs here and there.

 

[bucky]

This sounds pretty cool, never heard of that organization. I haven't been to Dumont since I was a kid.

Google it. It’s a fun organization. It has it’s origins with the California gold rush and was restarted in the 30s. Best described as a Historical Fraternity with a drinking problem. While it’s not a 4x4 organization at the places we go a 4x4 comes in handy.

 

[inkedrose]

I belong to a chapter of E Clampus Vitus here in SoCal. It’s a historical fraternity and we go out in the boonies here in Ca and place historical monuments. No one cares what you drive. Some just have 2wd pickups and we just pull them our when needed. Because we are a fraternal organization everyone gets along without any attitudes. We go to the many forgotten places such as past town sites, ranches, abandoned mines, etc here in Ca. When we stop it’s usually to have a historical presentation of the history of the area. Or next trip is 4 days at Dumont Dunes in Jan where we’ll explore the many mines and historical sites around Death Valley. They break into groups of about 25 and will have several itineraries to choose from. The best part for me is there isn’t the “I’m the Trail Boss” attitude and we all have a good time while learning the great history we have in Ca.

I'm a Clamper too. Have't been to a Doin' in several years. Stepdad brought me in as soon as I turned 21...., that was a lot of years ago