In most other forums we see specific sub-categories like (Gear, Weather, ..etc. ) but here @ ETS it seems to go a different way where you need to toss a coin before opening a new thread.

I am an oldtimer here ( though not frequent poster ) and I remember sometimes before the ( Natural Disaters ) Section were created when someone hesitated to add new sections. That has been added, but still I feel ETS is not organized enough.


I suggest somthing like this :

- The Campfire
- Urban Survival
- Wilderness Survival
- Health & Medicine
- Survival Attitude ( or Survival spirit )
- Survival Gear
- Survival Stories ( with happy ending or otherwise )
- Marketing
- Book Lending



Good ?
Bad ?
Unacceptable ?
Need modification ?

What do you all think ?

Hmmm. I dunno. I agree, it's not the most organized of sites, but I kind of like it this way. Granted, there's a lot of overlap in terms of location where something can fit, but if we were to re-arrange the place, it might just complicate matters.

Sparklite ... put in "gear" or put in "outdoor" ? Yes, it's gear, but it's not really urban related. The way we're set up now, you can kind of tell where something should be categorized. It kind of breaks things down by intended use. Now, agreed, putting Sparklite under gear makes sense too, but you might have to filter a lot of stuff you don't care about to find it (long term storage containers, extra fuel cans, shovels, etc).

Now maybe subcategorizing? Ie, gear under urban, or gear under Survival Forum, but then you go to far in being Type A.

As things stand now, I'd say leave it. Unless a significant majority want it changed, or DR comes along and agrees.

I agree. I like it the way it is. Even though I've recently suggested an "Edibles" section, those things already fall very nicely into the "Around the Campfire" forum.

We debate the placement of threads sometimes, and there is some overlap, but usually things end up in a logical place. We're all preppers so value organization but too much can make it hard to navigate.

I think that more categories = more confusion as to what goes into each. Things tend to blend together, and what seems clear to one person is not so clear to another.

I am happy with the present organization. I think that everything is clear enough, and if you have something that you are not sure of, "Around the Campfire" is the default catch all.

The other thing that concerns me is the moderators time. It is, after all, a non-paid volunteer job. It seems to me that many different categories would just make their job harder. (I don't think it is easy as it is.) It might even call for more moderators.

IMO, keep things as they are and don't be too upset if someone seems to have posted something in the wrong forum, or if a forum topic seems too broad.

For now I get by using the search function and current organization, but I would like to hear what specific existing or potential goals might be better met with reorganization and / or amended categories.

I believe we need a Camping section dedicated to the talk of camping and camp gear and such thats about it on the new sections. The around the camp fire section needs a more definitive description or just bold and red it because to many times do people come in and yell out THIS IS A SURVIVAL FORUM GO AWAY WITH THIS TOPIC in there.

I like the forum the way it is now (with one exception noted below.) I visit many forums and often find that some have so many subforums and you just don't know which one to make your new post in.

The one exception that would be a good idea as Frisket mentioned is a forum for general camping discussion as many of those specific topics do not fit any of the existing forums here. As much as I like getting out to hike and do wilderness camping, there are times where a weekend of car camping is just as relaxing and enjoyable.

I would like to know what the MOD's here think of having a general camping forum added.

I would think that a good many of us plan to use our camping and outdoor gear in an emergency situation, either bugging in or out. We therefore often discuss the various advantages of various sorts of gear (like stoves, for instance).

Bear in mind, however, that ETS is about survival preparedness, not recreation camping and all the goodies that attend that pursuit. I feel that a forum devoted to camping gear would dilute the focus of ETS. We should discuss camping paraphernalia only vis-a-vis survival

You are correct and I thought about this right after I made my post. It is better to keep this forum as a survival related discussion place of interest.

Personally, I try and read all of the posts or at least scan them, so for me the fewer categories the better. For what it is worth, I like things the way they are.

Pete