Gags

Adding my .02 worth: Anything made of closed-cell foam will be what you want. Probably the best way to tell the difference between open and closed cell is that you can usually tell right away that the open will absorb water (think hospital bed "egg crate" cushions). In a camping store, you'll find the plain foam pad ($7+ blue pad from Walmart) and the name brand pads. Since he's younger, I'd stay away from the thermarest "self inflating" pads. One bad stick / rock underneath, or subjecting it to the typical abuse of a 12 yr old, and he'll be sleeping on a deflated balloon. I

Maybe I missed this particular memo, but is finding a lost hiker, giving her food and a book, and then leaving her alone (as a thunderstorm rolls in!) standard operating procedure for search and rescue? I understand using the buddy system, but if a woman is too weak to wave her hands for help, and you know she's been gone for weeks, wouldn't it be wiser for one person to stay with her? Yes, normally splitting up is bad, but common sense (to me, at least) says either to not leave her behind, or have one person stay with her to make sure she's eating and taking fluids ok. Any thoughts

I don't have much on my Christmas list this year - it's just too much of a hassle to figure out exactly what I want, and then tell other people what it is I finally decided on. All by the beginning/middle of December. What pressure! Anyway, I'll go slightly off topic and give a short list of things to get the Scout/Scouter in your life (aka things that make life a little easier/safer in the woods): 1. "Sierra" Cup - Metal cup, usually about 12-16 oz's. I prefer the ones with the handles that fold flat against the cup when not in use. Most will have measuring gradients on the sid

GB - So THAT's why I sometimes get the error message when I try to load the "Active Topics" page. And since we're on the topic, (sort of), here's a few upgrades I'd love to see: 1. Print Function Especially useful for those longer topics - I'd like to be able to print out the entire thread w/o having to print it page by page (or copy and paste, page by page, into Word. Many magazine/newspaper sites have this option as a "format for printing" button. 2. Display more messages per page I've seen some sites that give you the option of how many messages you want displayed on e

OGE, I have to agree with you - upon further review, it doesn't say it CAN'T be self-funded, which brings up a few issues I may address in a later post. For some reason, I hadn't thought about suggesting funds be raised from the congregation - sometimes the obvious is to hard to see until it whacks you in the face! Thanks for the clarification and suggestion, Gags

To keep this short - what sort of fundraising have you seen for various Eagle projects? One of our current Life scouts is planning on landscaping the church (COR) grounds, and not having seen his project plan yet (another posting all together), I'm skeptical that he'll be able to have 100% of his supplies donated. I glanced through the Eagle Scout Workbook. It didn't seem to address how much, if any, of a scouts personal funds could/should be used towards the project. I welcome your thoughts and experiences as to how various projects have been 'funded' in the past. So much for

Follow up question and response: What percentage of the sales stay with the Council? I hadn't quite thought of that aspect of it - that would explain (somewhat) the higher costs. ScoutNut - The focus group is handled by Metro Research Services, which I'm assuming was contracted by the Council (I know the contact the company used in their initial phone call to me). All I know of the purpose is what I initially posted - the caller didn't have much more to give me than the one line title, which I vaguely recall as containing the words Scouting, Program, and Popcorn. I asked the s

(Originally posted under "Program" by mistake) Greetings all, I've been invited to attend a focus group regarding "Improving the Scouting Program", I think with an emphasis on using Popcorn Sales to help boost Pack/Troop programs. As a disclaimer - my Troop hasn't participated in the popcorn sale for the last 5 years or so, so I'm hoping the focus group isn't 100% popcorn related. I'm fairly familiar with the program, and it's pushed hard here in my council. That being said, I'm wondering if anyone out there would be willing to respond with their brief (or not so brief)

I think we may be mis-interpreting the situation. Darboy55, correct me if I'm wrong, but to summarize: Troop is working on Hiking and Cycling MB's. (I'll just focus on Cycling to keep it simpler). Troop plans and organzies trips to satisfy requirements such as "take ride of 25 miles, take ride of 50 miles, etc.". Troop plans on awarding credit to scouts to count these events as "Troop Activities". HOWEVER - there's some scouts that are working on the badge, but decide to do the rides either A.) on their own, or B.) with the MBC. In this case, I would NOT count the ride

FYI - Not that this will make or break anyone's decision to visit our nation's capital, but the American History museum is now closed for the next 2 years. Some of the displays have been moved to the Air & Space museum. Don't worry - still plenty of other things to see around here! Thanks, Gags PS - I do not know if the Star Spangled Banner (really one of the few exhibits in the AHM worth seeing, IMO) is going to be on display anywhere else - I wouldn't count on it though.

Who knew Zidane would turn out to be a good source for a SM Minute? Overheard on the radio this morning: "That head butt by Zidane is the most aggression ever shown by the French!" Sorry, couldn't resist... But seriously, what was (or wasn't?) he thinking? Gags

Capella, In the "problem" boys defense, did you realize before camp what the FYC program was, and who it was geared toward? In my experience, the FYC is basically an "Intro to Scouting" for 11-12 year olds. I've seen this program at 2 different camps (on in VA, one in NJ), and at both places, a 13-15 yr old would be the oldest by far (if not the same age as the counselor). The fact that they made it to the last day of class w/o missing any sessions tells me they either have an extremely high tolerance for boredom, or someone was watching over them the whole time. If they joine

Lynda, Not to hijack the thread, but do your scouts use a 9x9 tent with cots on every trip? Thanks, Gags

LongHaul / Anarchist, So it sounds like in this case, Council (NCAC, like yourself Anarchist) has a rider in place to act as an umbrella / liability policy for the volunteers, whereas the $1 paid at rechartering is mostly for the more limited National policy. Guess it's time to find out exactly how much of my own a__ is covered by both National & Council. Follow-up question for everyone - if the Camporee loses money, who covers the difference? Can Council cover until the expenses are re-couped @ the next Camporee / event? Thanks for the clarification, Gags(This me

We just finished our modestly successful Spring Camporee and are getting ready to submit our finalized budget/balance sheet. Despite the # of questions I have, I'll try and keep this short: 1. What do your districts charge for Camporees? (We charged $10 per attendee) 2. What does your Council charge? On our budget forms, there's a 10% council support fee (so $1 from every fee goes to Council). There's also a "Liability Recovery" charge of $1 per day (I'm treating this as just $1 / attendee - I can't see paying $3.00 insurance for a Fri - Sun campout). I've asked our Field Dir

I sure hope not. 350 acres (of which almost 1/3 is 'wetlands') is barely enough room to hold a 500-1000 scout camporee. Aside from the fact that it's probably about 2 hours from Ft AP Hill. I attended Wood Badge there. The property doesn't give off the most "rugged" appearance (being bordered by I-66 and a busy county road), and that was before the 600 seat dining and the pirate ship and castle and other "Cub World" sites went up. Useless fact of the day for you - once completed, the dining hall will be the largest eating facility in Prince William County. All in all - I'

Additional info: http://www.west-point.org/taps/Taps.html

I'm not quite sure what an EO of a KofC Council is. In my limited knowledge of the Knights (dues paying member, but those darn meetings fall on the same nights as RT and Dist Comm Mtg), I haven't heard of a EO position. Was he elected Grand Knight? Is it possible for the Deputy Grand Knight, Past Grand Knight, or maybe even the Pastor of the affiliated Church be the one to sign the Charter? Or, uh, maybe, you know, just add an extra letter or middle initial to his name to see if Troop Master will accept it as a "new" entry. Darn those fat fingers... Gags PS - Otherwise, who

Kudu, Thanks for the idea. I think I know have a presentation to offer up for the next Roundtable. Gags

Michelle, If you're spending $90 on boots, you're spending too much. Is he still growing? Don't waste money on high-end boots that will last one season. I bought insulated boots from Sports Authority that were actually "Totes" brand, like the umbrellas. I think I paid $30-35. Even with one pair of (gasp!)regular cotton socks, I was comfortable in 25 deg weather. I'd even say downright toasty. As for $90 on a jacket, that seems high as well. A 12 yr old doesn't need any of those breathable fabrics in a winter coat. I think LL Bean has a down winter jacket for only $70 (not

Question for those of you who help plan District events: How much detail do you give out before-hand in regards to what the competition events will be? We have 8 events (trying to do an "Amazing Race" theme). I've sent out an initial flyer listing the events by their generic titles - fire building, first aid, lashing, map & compass, scouting history, team building/problem solving, scavenger hunt, search & rescue. Some of the complaints have been that this is too vague. At what point does it change from "information" to help them prepare for the events, and become "hand

You should be able to find insulated/fleece lined nylon snow/ski pants for around $20 in a Sports Authority/Modells/Dicks/[insert your local sporting goods store here]. The ones I found are definitely not name brand, and that's why there were $19.99. Very warm, and it even has useful cargo pockets on the outside. They are also waterproof. I haven't found much need for breathable snowpants. I even went skiing in them last year, and it was fine. --Gags

Kenk, I think 2 man Timberlines have plenty of room to two people. The more room, the less incentive to keep an organized pack and sleeping area. And if you have 11/12 year olds saying they don't have enough room with their gear, then I think the larger problem is the kind of gear they're bringing, and their expectations of "personal space". Too much extra space can easily lead to a "party tent" atmosphere. A 4 man would have plenty of room for 4 young scouts. Even with backpacks if needed. And it still can be split up weight-wise if you need to backpack with it. Although findi

OGE, I'm thinking of proposing a night-time Camporee for next Spring. Can you provide any more details? Thanks, Gags PS - I too, was wondering what the EPA had to do with Insomnia!

Res, I'd be a little wary. I bought a knife at a dollar store a few years ago for (what else?) a buck or two. It had the half straight / half serrated edge for cutting rope. It's cr*p. (AND it's not Scottish, either.) There's too much give/wobble in the blade, and while it's sharp, it never feels safe the few times I've used it. (I'm too cheap to go spend $20 on a something I'll only use twice a year). So that being said, 12 bucks isn't a bad bargain for 12 knives. I'd say go ahead and order them, but try them out for yourself, and decide from there. I would think a poorly made kn