All new Scouts seem to want to have everything in the world for their first camping trip. What they usually need, however, is just their eating utensils, a pen light, a bedroll, clothing, and a toilet kit: all the stuff you probably already have at home! Please consult Chapter 9 of the Boy Scout Handbook for guidelines, and don't forget your closest resource, the Patrol Leader.

Resist the temptation to get an enormous flashlight. A penlight is smaller, lighter, easier to carry, easy to repair, easy to carry spare parts for, and cheap to replace when lost. Smart Scouts carry just what they need, no more.

Resist the temptation to get a pocketknife with everything known to mankind on it. If you simply must have a knife, make it a small pocketknife with two or three blades. You must have a Totin' Chip to carry or use a knife in Troop 165!

There are certain things that you won't need on camping trips, and here is a partial list:

Radios/Walkman/Gameboys/etc: You will be too busy to listen to them, they annoy people, & your Scoutmaster doesn't allow them.

Sheath Knives: We won't be gutting bears, & the Official Boy Scout National Policy says you cannot carry or use them.

Weapons: This includes stuff like slingshots, blowguns, & the like. You won't need them where we are going.

Fireworks: Don't even think about it!

Website hosted by eManagementSystems