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We bought Eureka Timberline 4 tents this year. They're bg enough to fit 3 kids comfortably (on mats) and 2 not quite as comfortably (on cots). Yeah. It looks like cots are just too tall to really work with the sloped sides. They would end up needing to be pushed together in the middle. Still, most are on pads anyway so they would still work.

Yep. BW is right. Part of leadership is handling things when they no long go as planned. Time to change the plan. The idea of going to a metal shop teacher is great. Learning to shape and weld metal may be in your son's future. In any case, help him think it through, but you need to let him work it out. Your bringing a lawyer in will not solve the problem. That just teaches him that parents will bail him out when things get a little difficult.

I was just curious what other troops are requiring. In the past, for registration, Boy's Life, and unit dues and fees we have been charging $65/year/scout. Because one of our income streams is drying up (corporate employee donations from a company that is down sizing) we have to increase this to $125. We have tried to keep this down through fund raisers but there has been little participation, mostly the scouts and parents who would be there anyway. This doesn't seem out of line to me, but I'm sure it will put a hurt on larger families. Maybe it will encourage more participation in the fund ra

The oldest ones are at least 12 years old now. That is good. The typical econo-tent is maybe good for 2 years, 3 if you are careful. Summer camps can be especially hard on tents. We camp a fair amount, they would have been used about 30 nights this year. The families may be spending more as it is. I found one place that is selling them low enough that even with the custom footprint it is under $200/tent.We'll see. The committee is going over next year's budget tonight and are already concerned about an increase in dues. (Adults)(ours) have a tendency to want to sleep alone. Ours do

Look again. It is word for word what is in the TLT. The only thing in the TLT kit that is not in chapter 7 are the position cards. They now have just the cards available. The TLT packet (#34306A) is no longer available. BTW There is a PowerPoint presentation available as well.

Thank you Gunny. That tent would work. How many do you typically have using it? Four looks like it would be tight, but three would have plenty of room. I do like that it has straight side zippers, "D" shaped doors are where I've seen the zippers fail. It looks like it could be divided into 3~3 lbs. units for backpacking which is about right. What do you do about adults? At $250 it might be a hard sell as we would have $3-$4,000 up front cost. But spread the cost over 3 years and it works out to only an extra $22/scout/year. As for cots. They have a number of advantages at summer

I got home and checked. It is Chapter 7, "Training Youth Leaders", in the current SM Handbook. POR descriptions are available online.

Hey, if I'm going to ask. I might as well ask for what I would prefer. :-) There are a number of Coleman tents that would work fine. Yes, zippers can be replaced as long as you have people that have the inclination to do so. At the moment I do, that may not always be the case. They are rarely repairable in the field.

The zipper thing is my objection. Too many jammed or broken zippers resulting in the loss of an otherwise serviceable tent. Too many scouts getting stabbed by a sprung safety-pin in a vain attempt to shut a door with a broken zipper. Now if they would just break at a more convenient time rather than in the middle of a dust/rain/hail/snow storm or locust plague and always, always at night. My guess is that parents that send their munchkins out camping would prefer that they have zippers to keep all the creepy crawlies out. I more of an "embrace your inner critter" sort of guy. Making

Why don't your Scouts have thier own backpacking 2-man tents? Leave the 'rent tent at home. Some do. Although, even they tend to only bring them when they are backpacking. For many years now the troop has mostly done car camping (don't get me started). As scouts are moved further away from the comforts of the adults, I expect them to stop bringing the large tents. Institutional momentum is a hard thing to overcome.

Define your long Term Camping. Do you mean summer Camp? Mostly summer camp, at least one of the camps we attend does not supply tents. We also hold a week long "trail to first class" camp at the beginning of June. Having the tents for this would be most helpful for. New scouts generally don't have a tent of their own, so they end up bringing their massive family tent. Issues abound. If you really are looking for something that does not require floor, try Military Surplus.FONT> Can go either way on the floor. It helps keep the rain out, and it is very nice to have in the snow, bu

Not much to it. If I remember correctly the TLT can be found in the Scoutmaster Handbook. I think chapter 9 or 10. You use chapters 3 & 4 of the Scoutmaster Handbook for parts of the course. About the only thing extra in the packet is the POR description cards. It is enough let the scouts know their basic function in the troop. But do not expect scouts to come away knowing how to be a Patrol Leader.

Yes, they should be able to use the skills they learned in T-2-1. They use them on campouts, games, SOR and teaching younger scouts. Some take more effort than others. First aid does not happen on it's own (hopefully at least). But make a contest out of it and they will use it. Next month the troop is having a "Survivor" campout. The patrols will start out with their sleeping bags and water bottle. They will acquire things like food, fire and shelter during the course of the weekend. Periodically scouts will be "injured" and will need to be correctly treated. Most of the outdoor skil

Currently our troop has the scouts bring their own tents. This works most of the time but does cause a few issues. Camporees as tough trying to fit a bunch of huge cabin tents. A tent gets damaged and parents get upset. Tent envy, etc. Of course having troop tents has it's own set of challenges. Where to store 20 or 30 tents for starters. We got some tents a year and a half ago that were given to us. But they had problems. Only 6x6, they would leak in the rain, no ventilation. The scouts didn't want to use them, much less adults. The ideal tent would be about 8 x 8. Big enough for two cots and

We had a multi-district Camporee/Webeloree this weekend. About 1200 scouts and scouters. The troop had a fairly good turnout, about half of the troop mostly younger scouts. We just went to have fun. The space was tight with patrols right on top of each other. We build a barrier of tables and supplies between the scouts and the adults just to enforce some separation. The adults were really good about not interfering with the scouts. I would visit the patrols during meals just to see how things were going and visited the SPL a few times during the day. He and his assistants spent a good part of

We have one scout whose birthday is 87 days after his EBOR. He would like the palm for his academy application. Sad that he did not finish his Eagle earlier.

From the online Guide to Safe Scouting: Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Scout units may plan or participate in paintball, laser tag or similar events where participants shoot at targets that are neither living nor human representations. Units with Council approval may participate in formally organized historical reenactment events, where firearms are used and intentionally aimed over the heads of the reenactment participants. The use of paintball guns, laser guns or similar devices may be utilized in target shooting events with Council

John, If it makes you feel better, I've never wondered what you wear under your kilt.

The national average for Eagale Scouts is 13.7 years old (maybe 13.3). I suspect that is skewed by LDS units. I'd be interested in the average of just traditional troops. Looking back over the troop's Eagles from the last 9 years. 1 was 134 were 147 were 157 were 1629 were 17 (23 at or near their birthday) Of the ones I know (I joined the troop 4.5 years ago) the ones who earned their Eagles when they were 15 tended to be the best with solid leadership and character. There are exceptions in the older group and some of the younger Eagles have grow in this area. But overall I'd hav

I'd been with the troop for about two years before anyone even built a fire on a camp out. Fires for requirements had been built in backyards. In part this was because of fire restrictions, but I think mostly because using a stove is easier. No gathering of wood, making kindling, waiting around while the bonfire that they invariably build gets small enough to cook with or goes out, no putting it out or cleaning it up. People do stupid things around fires. I'm sure that there are far more burns from fires, but I'd expect them to be less serious. But then, you fall in a fire you are going t

We just had our semiannual TLT. As SM I've conducted the last three with increasing scout involvement. This time the SPL and both ASPLs either attended or staffed NYLT. So, I had them conduct the course. All I was going to do was express my vision for the troop. I ended up having a conflict and was not able to attend. While there were a few adult leaders there to pay for the pizza and help out if needed, they were mostly on their own. The reports I've received are that they did a good job. They read too much from the material, but putting away that crutch is hard for first time presenters. I h

It is always nice to check the G2SS: Chemical Fuels Knowledgeable adult supervision must be provided when Scouts are involved in the storage of chemical fuels, the handling of chemical fuels in the filling of stoves or lanterns, or the lighting of chemical fuels. The use of liquid fuels for starting any type of fire is prohibited. Guidelines for Safely Using Chemical Stoves and Lanterns Use compressed- or liquid-gas stoves or lanterns only with knowledgeable adult supervision and in Scout facilities only where and when permitted. Operate and maintain according to manufacturer

A Scout is Trustworthy. I would think that this would apply to scouters as well. Why would a scouter want to wear a knot that he never earned? I suppose there are new adults, or parents who think, "Gee, this red, white and blue doohickey would sure look good on a uniform". But that has to be rare. Showing proof should not be necessary. Anyone who wants to get a knot for some nefarious reason would be able to provide a wallet card without much effort at all.(This message has been edited by jet526)

We have a committee member who coordinates the BORs. He is told a scout is ready and makes sure that we have enough people available for the number of boards that are needed. After the BOR the scout comes to me and I sign his advancement application. He returns that with his handbook to his board chair who then submits them to the Advancement Chair. The AC then records the advancement in Troopmaster along with any requirement completion dates that have not already been logged. He then submits the paperwork to council. There is no set method for any of this. Go with what works for your uni

Thanks again. The older scouts are really wanting to do whitewater this summer so they have opted for Rocky Mountain High Adventure Base. We may send a contingent to San Isabel of the younger scouts, it will depend on how many parents are willing to commit to sending their scouts.