Question on badge etiquette

[jadmt]

I wonder if they have these kind of posts on the Subaru forums...I know Subaru has their own BOH...
https://www.starsubaru.com/badge-of-ownership/

I can see it now...hey you never really had a dog in your outback...well yea but you never sat cross legged at night out in your back yard...did too did not......

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[wibornz]

The badges are actually metal/aluminum... but I see that perspective. I just think it's amazing that they exist and are still free (I know @wibornz they are far from free). It's like every time I get a pup cup for the dogs from Starbucks. Any corporations still trying to give back even a little in this day and age get a nod from me (I know it's also a marketing strategy to drive sales). It's not for everyone, and it's not like every good trail could possibly include a badge or my Jeep wouldn't have enough surface area to even try to display them. We ran 26 BOH trails and hundreds of others in the last Jeep. I was running out of room just for the badge trails.

I have found that about 30% of the badge trails are good to better trails. Some of them are horrible. The only reason I ran some of them is to get me closer to the goal of completing the trails.

Badge Trails that have zero value to run.

Holly Oaks. If you have a two plus hour to get there, skip it unless you really want the badge.

Bearwallow, It is okay, but it is a huge money grab. There is not a specific trail as the badge, you just drive around. I have ATVed Bearwallow many times, and Jeeped it once. The fact that they charge you an over $100 for you and your passenger and you have to wear a helmet inside of your Jeep. I would pass on it unless you want the badge.

Peters Mill Run. You can drive a mini van on trail. Pass it unless you want the badge. At least there is a big fire watch tower close by you can climb for a good view.

The Rausch Creek badge trails are great and it is a great place to wheel. Yet I will never go back. They are a money grab. They make you and your passenger buy a years membership to the park.

Tread Lightly in Florida. It is a sandy group of trails that if aired down for the sand, you can run the thing in 2wd and get your Jeep pinstriped. It all looks the same after ten minutes.

Black Tail Wild Bill. It is a dirt road with some man made obstacle off to the side of a dirt road. It is not worth driving 20 miles to. Unless you want the badge. It was nice to camp on the top of the mountain though.

Monument Ridge. If it is raining, it was very muddy. If it is dry, save your gas and drive your 1999 Grand Am. It is a smooth dirt road.


Mind you if you live near by these trails, go run them. If you are going to drive a 1000+ miles to run them and you are not after all the badges, well you will probably drive by a lot of way better trails to run.

I use the badge trail as a loose itinerary for Jeep travel, camping and hiking trips. Then I wheel trails to and from the badge trails.


For example, Table Mesa is a dirt road that you con easily drive 60 mph on. It has since been removed from the BOH program. Yet the wheeling in the area is incredible. We camped about two weeks there and wheeled just about everyday on different sweet trail.

 

[jadmt]

I have found that about 30% of the badge trails are good to better trails. Some of them are horrible. The only reason I ran some of them is to get me closer to the goal of completing the trails.

Badge Trails that have zero value to run.

Holly Oaks. If you have a two plus hour to get there, skip it unless you really want the badge.

Bearwallow, It is okay, but it is a huge money grab. There is not a specific trail as the badge, you just drive around. I have ATVed Bearwallow many times, and Jeeped it once. The fact that they charge you an over $100 for you and your passenger and you have to wear a helmet inside of your Jeep. I would pass on it unless you want the badge.

Peters Mill Run. You can drive a mini van on trail. Pass it unless you want the badge. At least there is a big fire watch tower close by you can climb for a good view.

The Rausch Creek badge trails are great and it is a great place to wheel. Yet I will never go back. They are a money grab. They make you and your passenger buy a years membership to the park.

Tread Lightly in Florida. It is a sandy group of trails that if aired down for the sand, you can run the thing in 2wd and get your Jeep pinstriped. It all looks the same after ten minutes.

Black Tail Wild Bill. It is a dirt road with some man made obstacle off to the side of a dirt road. It is not worth driving 20 miles to. Unless you want the badge. It was nice to camp on the top of the mountain though.

Monument Ridge. If it is raining, it was very muddy. If it is dry, save your gas and drive your 1999 Grand Am. It is a smooth dirt road.


Mind you if you live near by these trails, go run them. If you are going to drive a 1000+ miles to run them and you are not after all the badges, well you will probably drive by a lot of way better trails to run.

I use the badge trail as a loose itinerary for Jeep travel, camping and hiking trips. Then I wheel trails to and from the badge trails.


For example, Table Mesa is a dirt road that you con easily drive 60 mph on. It has since been removed from the BOH program. Yet the wheeling in the area is incredible. We camped about two weeks there and wheeled just about everyday on different sweet trail.

I have said that about wild bill..I only live 100 miles from it but it is pretty pathetic as far as trails. The sad thing is Montana has so many really good trails and none of them are BOH trails. I looked into nominating some of them but they make it nearly impossible for the average dude/dudette to get one added.

 

[The Fixer]

If a good driver can run your car in the 10 second range, it's a 10 second car with a bad driver. With that analogy there's be no way to measure or compare anything. The JLUR is the wrist off road vehicle available if you put a 4 year old behind the wheel. The 0-60 time doesn't exist if you put someone who can't drive behind the wheel. Not that the machine is irrelevant, but a stock rubicon could do every trail in the program. A few may require winching, stacking rocks, etc but you could complete the trail. The vehicle has the capability, the question is does the driver. Driver error doesn't make the vehicle at fault. I guess that was a long winded way of agreeing with your premise, but not the analogy itself?

I gotcha. But, that driver error means your vehicle isn’t as capable. If an 11-second car lines up next to the guy with the 10-second car that can’t drive, he’s going to lose that race.

Same with the BOH. There’s no “honor” if your rig earned it but you weren’t in the driver seat. Last year I got my first badge, Trail 11 at Rausch Creek. It’s an easy trail, but I’m still a novice. Some members did Crawler Ridge. I’m not confident enough in my skills so I didn’t run it. I didn’t get a badge, and I didn’t ask one of the more skilled drivers to take my Jeep up it. Just because my Jeep can do it doesn’t mean I deserve the BOH.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I gotcha. But, that driver error means your vehicle isn’t as capable. If an 11-second car lines up next to the guy with the 10-second car that can’t drive, he’s going to lose that race.

Same with the BOH. There’s no “honor” if your rig earned it but you weren’t in the driver seat. Last year I got my first badge, Trail 11 at Rausch Creek. It’s an easy trail, but I’m still a novice. Some members did Crawler Ridge. I’m not confident enough in my skills so I didn’t run it. I didn’t get a badge, and I didn’t ask one of the more skilled drivers to take my Jeep up it. Just because my Jeep can do it doesn’t mean I deserve the BOH.

A 10 second car is still a 10 second car though. Like I said, I agree that the driver earns the badge, because every Jeep is capable of nearly every BOH trail stock. If it was just about the machine they'd just come from the factory with the badges.

 

[Herkder]

I think they go with the driver. If I bought a used jeep with badges on them I would take them off. I wouldn't feel right driving around with someone else's badges. That said, what is the best way to remove them from the jeep without damaging the paint?

 

[Zandcwhite]

I think they go with the driver. If I bought a used jeep with badges on them I would take them off. I wouldn't feel right driving around with someone else's badges. That said, what is the best way to remove them from the jeep without damaging the paint?

It's 3m double sided tape so just like removing any other decals. I prefer the fishing line behind technique and then a rubber "eraser" wheel on low speed to remove the adhesive.

 

[jadmt]

I think they go with the driver. If I bought a used jeep with badges on them I would take them off. I wouldn't feel right driving around with someone else's badges. That said, what is the best way to remove them from the jeep without damaging the paint?

like any other sticker or decal..heat it up with a hair dryer and start working a corner off...

 

[bthomp]

I disagree with you on this. A camera is customizable. There are different lens, different filters, there are an array of different setting. If you said that if the camera was shot in auto mode. maybe......

A photographer also has a wide range of tools at their disposal to enhance or drastic change a photo. The camera gives the photographer the tool. Just like the Jeep is the tool. It is up to the photographers and drivers to pick the right conditions to maximize the outcome.

Where the photographer comes into play is the ability to see the potential of a picture and that is what separates one from the other. The camera like a Jeep is an active part and a base camera can be heavily modified.

A Nikon z8. nice camera.

Same camera

but like a Jeep on 40s. Vastly different capabilities.

Then you get into software to edit and enhance a photo for different results.
Base photo Ho hum photo. But boy does it have potential.

In the end a camera and a Jeep both can be modded, and it is up to the driver to exploit the potential of both platforms.

I understand your point and I have a high level of respect for photographers and the skill it takes to get the right shot. (Nice photos by the way ).

My disagreement with the camera analogy has nothing to do with customization ability, it goes back to my point that in Jeeping, the Jeep is an active participant in the accomplishment. The Jeep is put under stress and must have the mechanical ability and reliability to succeed, through the environmental elements in addition to the trail itself - all in addition to the drivers skill.

A camera on the other hand is passive, it does what it does within its technical limitations and every photo or burst of photos puts the same 'wear' on the camera components, regardless of where they are taken. While there are environmental conditions that can be difficult on the camera, that is akin to air temp and weather impacts on the Jeep - there is no equivalent of a "trail" as a stressor within the camera use case.

Again, I like the analogy, it just doesn't quite fit in my opinion.

 

[Ratbert]

I think they go with the driver. If I bought a used jeep with badges on them I would take them off. I wouldn't feel right driving around with someone else's badges.

Yeah, that'd be the extremely weird part with the idea that some people have where the badges should go with the Jeep. I sure as hell wouldn't want badges on *my* Jeep that *I* didn't earn.

 

[jadmt]

maybe every time a person gets a new jeep he could burn the old badges he/she/they earned in their old jeep, in a sacrificial type badge burning ceremony....an offering to ensure no broken axles or something like that....

 

[Zandcwhite]

I have found that about 30% of the badge trails are good to better trails. Some of them are horrible. The only reason I ran some of them is to get me closer to the goal of completing the trails.

Badge Trails that have zero value to run.

Holly Oaks. If you have a two plus hour to get there, skip it unless you really want the badge.

Bearwallow, It is okay, but it is a huge money grab. There is not a specific trail as the badge, you just drive around. I have ATVed Bearwallow many times, and Jeeped it once. The fact that they charge you an over $100 for you and your passenger and you have to wear a helmet inside of your Jeep. I would pass on it unless you want the badge.

Peters Mill Run. You can drive a mini van on trail. Pass it unless you want the badge. At least there is a big fire watch tower close by you can climb for a good view.

The Rausch Creek badge trails are great and it is a great place to wheel. Yet I will never go back. They are a money grab. They make you and your passenger buy a years membership to the park.

Tread Lightly in Florida. It is a sandy group of trails that if aired down for the sand, you can run the thing in 2wd and get your Jeep pinstriped. It all looks the same after ten minutes.

Black Tail Wild Bill. It is a dirt road with some man made obstacle off to the side of a dirt road. It is not worth driving 20 miles to. Unless you want the badge. It was nice to camp on the top of the mountain though.

Monument Ridge. If it is raining, it was very muddy. If it is dry, save your gas and drive your 1999 Grand Am. It is a smooth dirt road.


Mind you if you live near by these trails, go run them. If you are going to drive a 1000+ miles to run them and you are not after all the badges, well you will probably drive by a lot of way better trails to run.

I use the badge trail as a loose itinerary for Jeep travel, camping and hiking trips. Then I wheel trails to and from the badge trails.


For example, Table Mesa is a dirt road that you con easily drive 60 mph on. It has since been removed from the BOH program. Yet the wheeling in the area is incredible. We camped about two weeks there and wheeled just about everyday on different sweet trail.

Table mesa is a perfect example of missing the mark with the BOH trail selection. Tons of amazing trails all around...and it's not. Being out west I definitely won't be driving 3k miles to run over priced off road parks. We hit a few in the south while we were there visiting family but won't likely ever make that road trip again.

 

[Riverjeep]

Problem solved, sew em on a vest and call it a day. Buy a new Jeep and keep the vest!

 

[R3TRO]

For example, Table Mesa is a dirt road that you con easily drive 60 mph on. It has since been removed from the BOH program. Yet the wheeling in the area is incredible. We camped about two weeks there and wheeled just about everyday on different sweet trail.

Was in the area once but skipped Table Mesa hearing that it was just basically a fireroad full of trash. I wish I had known at the time what alternative trails there were? Any suggestions that a Willys with stock Rubicon suspension could do and not give the wife a heart attack? Lol

 

[wibornz]

Was in the area once but skipped Table Mesa hearing that it was just basically a fireroad full of trash. I wish I had known at the time what alternative trails there were? Any suggestions that a Willys with stock Rubicon suspension could do and not give the wife a heart attack? Lol

Your assessment of Table Mesa is correct. It is a dirt road full of trash. However the trails off from it can be awesome with big climbs and many obstacles. Just go and explore.

Trails in the area from Gaia. It should be noted that many of the trails in that area are not mapped. They are everywhere.

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