[dfc]

I wonder if this is a European thing? Most of the places I have hiked/camped in America allow fires. What do you do for heat and beast repellent?

There is a neat rule in some Scandinavian countries (I think it is more than one country but I forget the name of the rule so I cant look it up) that ensures people's right to hike across private property. I can imagine that a prohibition on fires would come in handy.

[micro_cam]

Lots of places in the US have bans on fires though some are seasonal. You can't build a fire above 5000 ft in much of the cascade and olympic mountain range because the small alpine trees can't stand up to wood gathering.

Many national parks and forest either restrict fires to metal fire rings or ban them out right during the height of wild fire season and, in southern California, some of these bands are now year long as wildfires can be so catastrophic.

Warm clothing and sleeping bags works well for heat, never had an issue with beasts other then bugs (head nets work for that) and i've spent a lot of time camping in remote spots populated with bears, wolves, mountain lions etc.

[maxerickson]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

edit: It isn't the same, but in Michigan, all navigable water is a public right of way. I would assume similar rules exist in other states.

[dfc]

There was a neat corner case with easements/rights-of-way and water from property class that I would constantly screw up in hypos. I obviously bombed it on the final but whenever I hear it I always think it is interesting. I think it is something to do with waterfront access to property that is otherwise inaccessible.

[wiml]

Possibly the situation where a public resource or right of way (eg. a lake) is completely enclosed by private properties (eg. a developer or HOA acquiring all lots which have any of the lake's shoreline)?