Originally Posted by tandempower

What I mean by "unadvertised free camping options" are out-of-the-way spots where land is either public or not policed for trespassing. These spots are not advertised because the owners reserve the right to police them for trespassing and/or avoid liability for anything that may happen to people camping there. The moment you agree to allow someone to camp on your land, you bear a certain liability for what happens to them due to fixtures of the property. So you can't advertise or otherwise imply trespassing is allowed, but you may have no interest in policing people against camping unless they misbehave or harm the property.

This is a complex issue, because some people don't mind while others do. Some people post 'no trespassing signs as owners,' and some do it who aren't owners or tenants, but just want to prevent others from discovering their campsite. Some people argue against free camping because they want people to go to paid campsites, to force them to support business instead of 'freeloading.'

Personally, I just don't see anything wrong with lying down and taking a nap or sleeping for the night wherever you are. This is different from setting up a semi-permanent camp where you plan to live for multiple days/weeks/months.