Suggestions to help "save" room for other campers

[Autumn Blaize]

I know we are not allowed to rope off an area but how do you mark off room for your campers?
Last year we kept having to tell people we needed room and I hated doing that. Although they became some great people to hang with later that night. Hubby and I are leaving Thursday about noonish to do the camp on the road thing so we will be there as soon as gates open pirate weekend. Most of our clan will not arrive until Friday afternoon or Friday night.
Other than our clan flags...any ideas?

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

You could throw yourself in front of their car/truck when they pull up...  


Seriously, just let whoever is trying to plant themselves that you have people coming... most times, if your pleasent about it, they'll give way.



Or they could be like the one guy Opening, who planted himself in PR land and was an arsehole about it... or the couple from Green Flame that didn't realize that McShuggenah only camps on AHE.  We DID warn them that there were going to be a lot of us... and it was kind of an accident that my generator's muffler was aimed sort of back their way...  

*They were married @ TRF... they didn't hear a thing*    

[Autumn Blaize]

hahaha that is the type of things we normally do! I just thought there might be another way. Thinking about bringing some tiki torches this year or maybe bringing everyone's tents and spend the morning Friday setting them up lol If people ask I will tell them why yes the two of us need all five of these tents, we like to think of it as a castle made of vinyl lmao

[Hector_]

I brought an extra small two man tent and placed them at rear corners, and put chairs, fire pit ice chest etc at front.  Placed some stakes with glow sticks at from corners, tada!!  (not to mention small car parked as if it were a semi)

[Mouse]

We line with our tents, small space saving tents, and cars in between where there are gaps.

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

That's good at keeping them out but if you happen to be one of maybe two landgrabbers...

[Bonny Pearl]

Yeah 99% chance there is going to be someone who thinks the space you are trying to hold is perfect for their needs.  That is why you have it and made the effort to get there first.  We are always having to nicely ask if they would mind scooching down a bit and most people are really cool about it and 'get it'.  We usually have a few trailers so there is a lot of maneuvering room needed during set up.  We use stakes, cars, chairs and tikis for obvious 'borders'.

One year we came across a foursome of people who wanted to be jerks.  Safe Haven was setting up and so were we; we camp next to each other.  These random people decided they wanted to park their butts right in between us, basically where everyone parks to make borders.  Not much room for a trailer and truck that they had.  They were asked nicely, didn't like it and called security    As the conversation with security was going on, our beloved neighbors started moving their cars around to where it was rather difficult for these jerkfaces to set up.    Security was trying to make us move our stuff and we were there first!  First come, first serve, right?  At the end of the conversation, they moved but all the while flipping us the bird!  I just waved and said have a great time in faire!  Some people just like to start problems....  

[KiltedPrivateer]

Tarps.  I'm the land grabber for Clan P. and I bring lots of extra blue tarps.  They are relatively cheap and I usually pick up a couple new one each year at the depot.  I use nail style stakes to nail them to the ground in the general vicinity that I will need to put up tents on Friday.  Tikis in strategic places works very well as well.

[Riot]

I have done both the blue tarp in place of tents, as well as extra tents before and both usually work.

[Autumn Blaize]

Tarps.  I'm the land grabber for Clan P. and I bring lots of extra blue tarps.  They are relatively cheap and I usually pick up a couple new one each year at the depot.  I use nail style stakes to nail them to the ground in the general vicinity that I will need to put up tents on Friday.  Tikis in strategic places works very well as well.

What a great idea!!! Plus it makes it easier to get the layout without everyone having to move around tents lol...yes I am a girl and that stuff matters.   

Anyone know how crowded it is Pirate weekend? We normally go AHE so I only have that to base camp set up on. We stay around B-D 5 - 9 area..we like to get smack dab in the middle of that area but every year seems we are too late. So we move towards the road on 5 - 9...Anyone a regular in this spot this weekend I need to know about? Or Thanksgiving?

[Bonny Pearl]

Pirate is usually pretty busy for camping.  Thanksgiving as well.  McLotofus is traditionally camped rows7/8/9 and Safe Haven 6/7/8 all near the main road.  We shift rows a bit depending on size and if Safe Haven is there that weekend, etc.

[raevyncait]

In my memory, MacGiggle's never had trouble, but we usually have one or two there pretty early, and Motleigh next door always has a couple early birds as well, and we do a pretty good job of getting things arranged so as not to have interlopers.  One year we had someone pitch a tent in the middle of what was clearly our area (surrounded by cars and campers) in the middle of saturday while we were in faire. When they returned, their tent had been moved across the road to the nearest empty spot. They tried to raise all sorts of hell, but when we pointed out that they had indeed gone within what was CLEARLY a full area, they were bitchy, but they admitted defeat.

[*Teach*]

Tarps here too. Just lay them our where you want tents to be. Generally that works.
And yeah Fraser, I remember the guy in the middle of PR land. I asked him nicely to move his generator and he got very belligerent about it. Also remember telling him what I thought of his being a total &*#@ about it.
They moved the generator after that and seemed much nicer.
Not often I go off on someone but that dude was just a flat out jerk to start with.

*and all that before i could even have my rum*

[KiltedPrivateer]

*and all that before i could even have my rum*

The indecency of some people...

[Hector_]

note to self:
Get some tarps.