Club information (FAQ)

• We're the DesertRunners, a club of 4Runner owners and wheeling enthusiasts who enjoy hanging out together.
  

• Because organization is power.  Assuming an official organization gives us a greater ability to arrange trips and trail runs together and find new friends to wheel with.  Being a club helps us to be more noticeable advocates of principles like Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly, and be more effective participants in land use efforts.  Being a club helps us focus a knowledge and effort base for ourselves and other 4Runner owners.  If we get big enough, we may be able to use our club status to arrange discounts with various vendors or purveyors of offroad equipment, and we like discounts.
  

• Yes.  Wasatch Cruisers and TTORA are both great Toyota-based clubs.  One focuses primarily on Land Cruisers and the other on Tacomas, although both are open to owners of any Toyota 4WD.  Neither focuses primarily on 4Runners, so we think there's a place for a club like us.
  

• Maybe you shouldn't.  We do expect our members to hold themselves to a higher standard than your typical offroad enthusiast (more on that later), and we understand that that's not for everybody.  Maybe we don't wheel hard enough for you, or maybe we wheel too hard.  Maybe we don't party hard enough for you, or maybe we party too hard.  Maybe you don't agree with the way we run our club, or maybe we just smell funny.  That's ok.  We feel that the people who want to join our club are people who see a value in what we're trying to do, and want to be a part of it.  If you're just looking for a random wheeling club with a cool sticker to be a part of, maybe we're not for you.  If you feel that what we're trying to accomplish can benefit you and other 4Runner owners and offroad enthusiasts, then read on!
  

• To provide a resource and support network, and knowledge base, for local 4Runner owners.  To make it easier for 4Runner and other 4WD owners to enjoy each-others' company on the trail.  To promote ethical and responsible offroading.  To help defend our rights as offroaders, both from those who would abuse them and those who would take them away.  To meet new people, go new places, get our trucks dirty, and have fun.
  

• Membership is not restricted to just 4Runner owners.  Anybody can be a member, and anyone can join us on trail runs and at club functions, member or not.  We obviously cater primarily to 4Runners and then other Toyota 4WD vehicles, but we're not vehicle or brand snobs and we don't consider ourselves exclusive.  You don't have to own a 4Runner or Toyota to hang with us, we like everybody.
  

• Very loosely.  We don't have any committees, and we don't have any official positions or jobs.  We do have a small set of core members that is made up of the founders of the club and a few others.  These core members are responsible for setting club rules, voting on prospective club members, and sometimes making decisions behind closed doors.  Members join this core group by invitation only, and we keep it small and tight in order to keep a clear vision of our club goals and retain flexibility in decision making.  We feel that a loose oligarchy of this nature is the best way to run a club of our size, and provides the most benefits to all club members.
  

• Not at all.  We run an open forum and a mostly open club, and you would have to be a really big jerk not to be welcome to hang out with us, member or not.  We will on occasion organize a trip exclusively for club members, but anybody is welcome on the vast majority of our trips, and anybody is welcome to post on the forum.
  

• Right now, we want to restrict stickers and other swag to club members, so if you wanna fly the flag you need to join the club.  See the Stickers thread in the General Forum, and stay tuned for periodic swag group buys (tshirts, hats, etc).
  

• We don't currently charge any official dues or have a club budget, and we don't have mandated meetings.  We don't have a lot of rules, but we do have some expectations for current and prospective members:
  
  
  
  
  • We like for members to be active in the club, attending 3 or more club functions a year, and we require that each member participate in at least one service project a year - this can be one organized by us or another group, it doesn't matter.
    
    
  • We ask that members maintain a dues paying membership in a land use organization like U4WDA or Blue Ribbon Coalition - it doesn't matter which one, but there's a lot of legal battles being fought out there to protect our offroading privileges, and those battles cost money, so it's important to support the groups fighting them.  If you have the time to volunteer with a land use organization, even better.
    
    
  • We require members to Tread Lightly at all times on the trail, and we also ask members to be responsible and ethical four-wheelers, and respectful of other wildland users.
    
    
  • We are very much a family friendly club, so we expect members to keep it mellow on the trail and in camp.  Several of us are parents and frequently bring our children to group functions, and we ask that you help us sponsor a family friendly environment and keep the adult activities like smoking, drinking, etc., among the adults and away from the kids (the occasional alcoholic beverage has been known to appear once everybody is settled around the campfire, but we ask folks to be discrete and respectful of our club member's values and set good examples for the kids - we wheel because of our families, not in spite of them).
    
    
  • The most important thing we want from club members is to have fun, and help others have fun.  Our ultimate goal is to enjoy the trail responsibly in the company of friends, so if you're helping make that happen, you're doing it right!
    

• We'd love to have you join us.  The process of becoming a member of the DesertRunners is fairly simple.  In order to know that you'll be a good fit in the club and represent us the way we hope to represent you, we do ask a couple things of you.  First, join us for at least a couple club functions or trail rides - we'd like you to meet several members of the club and let us get to know eachother better.  Second, once you've met some of us, ask one of the core members to sponsor you to the club.  Third, participate in a service project - this can be an area cleanup, or a trail rehab, it doesn't matter, but consider this your club dues .  Once you've got all that out of the way, the core members will have a closed discussion and hold a vote on accepting you into the club.
  
  
• We don't decide against letting a prospective member into the club very often, but it does happen.  If it does, the member who sponsored you will let you know why your petition to join was rejected, and if there are things than can be done to change our minds we'll be happy to work with you on them.  We don't WANT to turn anybody away, we'd much rather have you on our team.  Every now and again we can't make that happen though, and we hope to still be friends.
  

• Start a thread or track down a club member and ask!
  

Thardy wrote:I don't know if you want to but, we may want to mention that since there is no membership fee, there will be a $5.00 charge per sticker. I can't afford to buy everyones stickers!!

Kevin wrote:I dunno about all that... I'm hardly elite.

Thardy wrote:

Kevin wrote:I dunno about all that... I'm hardly elite.

No you're just HUMBLE