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Scout Gear Recommendations
for New Scouts
By
David McAnally, Camping Chair
This list is intended
for first year Boy Scouts or for any Scout who wants to make sure that they have
adequate gear to Camp and participate in activities with the Troop.
Recommendations will
be made but they are in no way the only option available to you. If you find
better sources, please let us know so that we can share it with others in the
Troop.
Essentials – Page 224, 225 of Scout Handbook as
a guide
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Summer Weight Sleeping Bag
– Typically 30 degree bags are ideal for camping
in Spring, Summer and early Fall or 3 Season bags that are 10 degrees to 35
degrees. For now, buy just the Summer weight bag and wait until late Summer
or Fall to buy Winter weight bag. Sources –
REI, Galyns,
Walmart,
Target,
Sports Authority,
www.campmor.com, etc. I’ve had great luck with Target on their
Eddie Bower bags. Great quality for a reasonable price. Check different
styles from regular side zip bags to mummy bags to center zip bags – see
which one your Scout likes best. I like regular side zip bags for Summer
weight. $ 50 - $ 90 is a reasonable price to pay, $ 250 is not. Lighter is
better but lighter is often more expensive. If you plan to backpack a lot,
think about weight. Kelty is a good brand. Buy synthetic NOT down.
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Winter Weight Sleeping Bag
(Can wait and purchase in late
Summer or early Fall) – Buy a 0 degree bag so that you are definitely warm
in the Winter. Winter camping can be VERY cold in Georgia and you need to
be prepared. The same sources listed above are great. I prefer the mummy
style bag for Winter camping because it retains heat better. Purchase a bag
that has a felt pocket or extra reinforcement to retain heat for your
feet. Again, lighter is better if you want to backpack. These tend to be a
bit more expensive but a good target range is $ 60 - $ 120.
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Sleeping pad or air mattress
– These come in every possible
shape and type from very light with very little pad to very heavy with lots
of padding. Most boys use the self-inflating foam or airmats that are made
by Thermarest, Pacific Outdoors, Big Agnes, etc. These can be rolled up
fairly small with loops to hold their size and when unrolled are self
inflating. They give about 1” – 2.5” of pad which is ideal for a boy. They
run $ 35.00 - $ 85.00. You should be able to find one for $ 40 - $ 50.
Definitely check a Super Walmart or Super Target for good buys compared to
REI, etc. If you want a lighter option, there are supporting hard form pads
that roll up even smaller and weigh nothing by companies such as Ridge Rest,
etc. These are on the low end of the range listed above.
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Flashlight – Most boys have
either a mini Mag light (2 AA battery Size) or a headlamp with regular
light, led light and red night vision lights. Mini Mag’s can be purchased
for about $ 8 or so at Walmart and are
essential. The headlamps are optional but a lot of boys really like them.
The best deal I’ve seen is at Walmart for a RayoVac 3 light head lamp with 2
point band for about $ 13.00. You can spend substantially more on a Petzl
or other brand. I’ve been very satisfied with my lower priced Rayovac.
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Cook/Mess Kit – Your Scout will
need this if you backpack at all and it is a good idea for car camping as a
backup to what ever is in the patrol cook box. Buy the medium priced
version of the Mess kit which is made out of solid metal with maybe a copper
bottom. It should include a pot with lid for cooking, small skillet with
handle/plate and a cup. Don’t buy the cheapest aluminum type. They don’t
last long are don’t clean up well. The most expensive is Titanium and is
wonderful but Very expensive. Not really necessary. You probably won’t
need to spend more than about $ 20.00 on this. A basic Knife, Fork, Spoon
set is also a good idea.
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Rain
Gear – Choose either a Rain Coat
with hood or a Poncho. Again, Target and Walmart are my favorites.
Target has Eddie Bower good quality options for $ 20 - $ 30. I bought a
full rain suit (jacket with hood and pants) for under $ 25 on sale. It is
ventilated and made of heavy durable construction. Some boys like the
poncho idea but I find that the rain coat alone is probably the best
option. You will rarely use the pants so save your money on the suit and
just buy the jacket. The jackets work very well in windy or rainy
conditions and can serve well as one of your layers. Take this on every
trip no matter how the weather looks outside. You’ll be glad you did.
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Tents
– I can talk all day on this subject
but I’ll make it easy. When Most Scouts start, they are not sure how much
Backpacking versus car Camping they will do. To be safe, assume you will do
mostly car camping and buy equipment to match. You can always add the
backpacking gear later. The best tent for car camping for the least amount
of money is the Coleman 4 or 5 man tent. We have several of these in the
troop and they seem to hold up very well and are usually between $ 50 - $
80.00. Look for a sale at Walmart or Target. Walmart even has their own
brand that is even cheaper but you are better off going with a name brand.
First year Scouts like to camp together with 3-4 boys in a tent and this
tent is great for 4 boys and most of their gear with no room to spare. Make
sure that you tent has a full rain fly preferably with poles to keep it off
the tent. The Coleman tent has a plastic “bathtub” bottom that goes ¼ of
the way up the side of the tent. This feature has kept me Very dry on Very
rainy nights. I highly recommend it. Not every boy needs a tent since we
have many in the troop and most boys double up. Buy a backpacking tent
later when your son decides the style and weight he wants. BUY a 6X6 or 8X8
blue plastic tarp at Walmart to use as a ground cloth or get the “footprint”
that comes with your tent.
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Pocketknife
– My favorite subject!! Every boy needs a
pocketknife. I recommend a 2-3 blade basic camp knife for young Scouts.
Walmart has a huge selection and reasonable prices. DON’T buy a fixed blade
knife as they are illegal in Scouting. Stick with a folding pocket knife
with a basic whittling type blade and maybe a serrated blade or can opener
feature. Some Scouts like the utility type knives made by Leatherman that
have every possible tool. This works also. Make sure you buy a knife with
a Sheath to wear on their belt as that is a Troop requirement for all
knives. If you can find what you want or you are confused, come see me and
I will fix you up!!!
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Backpacks – I can talk all day
about this one also. If you get into Backpacking later on, you will need to
have a pack fitted to your body and have one that is light and serves your
purpose as an internal or external frame. BUT, to begin in Scouts, please
don’t go and purchase a $ 300 backpack. You will end up with something that
may not be what you want 1 year from now. Backpacks are a great way to
carry your gear on every trip like car camping, cave trips, day trips,
backpacking, etc. Go to REI, Galyns, Walmart, Sports Authority and buy a
pack that fits the size of your son that doesn’t cost a lot. Most boys
have internal frame packs but externals are just as good and each has it’s
own best feature. One of the best ways to try out different types before
you buy is to BORROW one. Mr. Fraser, Mr. Edelman, Mr. Winkel and I all
have an assortment of backpacks for you to borrow for a trip to try them
out, then go and buy one. A duffle bag works just as well for car camping
but you end up with multiple things to carry. With a basic Pack, you can
tie down your sleeping bag, ground cloth, tent and all gear in one neat
package. Prices are all over the board, look for a deal.
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Clothing Layers – Clothing layers
are another subject that we could spend all day talking about. You can
spend hundreds on self-wicking anti-odor high tech shirts and pants for back
packing but it is NOT necessary to start out that way. In general, if your
son has a medium weight fleece vest or pull over for cool nights in Spring
and Fall and a heavier Winter type Jacket that is not too heavy or bulky
(Mountain Hardwear and Columbia make good options) with a pair of
Thinsulate gloves, a “beanie” type head covering that goes over the ears and
Smartwool or Thiorlow Socks that blend wool and silk together he is probably
set. You can get all of these items as REI, Galyns and Sports Authority but
check the cheaper Walmart and Target options first. Some of the superstores
are now carrying these items at cheaper prices. BUY IN STAGES – Get the
Fleece pull over, gloves and socks now and wait on the heavy more expensive
winter jacket until later – They are cheaper in the Summer anyway.
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Boots
– Many of the boys in the troop like
to wear tennis shoes all of the time. That is okay as a back up or to wear
once we get to camp. BUT, if you son does any backpacking or just in
general needs rugged footwear, boots are the best bet. Buy something with
rugged soles and high tops that protect the ankle. Some boys like the lower
top version but it does nothing to protect your ankles with a full pack on
your back. I have a pair of Timberland leather booths that I bought 2 years
ago at a shoe discount outlet for $ 50.00 and they have served me very
well. I carry a pair of very light Merrill slip-ons with aggressive soles
in my pack for a change of shoes in camp. The combination gives me all of
the shoes I need for almost every camping trip. DSW Shoe Warehouse, Walmart
and any shoe retailer that carries boots should be able to fix you up. REI
and Galyns also carry boots but they are Very expensive. At Walmart, make
sure that you DON’T purchase steel toed boots – your son will not be very
happy with you. Make sure that you wear the boots a lot to break them in
prior to your first hiking trip and treat them with Silicone water repellant
before you wear them.
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Water
Bottle –
Buy a Nalgene plastic Water bottle at REI, Galyns, etc. These do not leak
in your pack. Several retailers, even Starbucks have imitations of the
Nalgene bottle. Don’t do it. Buy a nalgene bottle with a wide mouth.
There are many more items that can
be recommended for special purposes and I will email you those as they come up.
Most of the time special gear is only needed for certain types of trips and we
will give plenty of advance notice. When in doubt, ask a question or borrow
from someone in the troop. That is the best way to try out equipment prior to
purchase. Retailers like REI have rental programs for packs and gear and allow
you to use very good equipment occasionally with out purchasing. This is by no
means a complete list but hits the basics for most of the trips that we do as a
Troop.
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