kenk

I can't find a way to search that site by model number. Can you give some hints as to how to find the items using their hyperlinks? I found a whistle that attaches to a buckle, but the model number didn't match the one you gave.

Well, I have to tell you... I had never heard of ScoutTrack.com before I read the original post. The discussions prompted me to look at it. Being a den leader and cubmaster, I deal with many tracking issues, including achievements for my den and personal information for the boys/parents. We have used PackMaster since I started with the pack. Updates were handled by myself, our committee chair (addresses), and our advancement chair. We ran into tremendous problems keeping our databases in sync. I had looked at PackMaster's feature for sharing information via an FTP web site, but

Here is another link I found a few years back: http://www.caleuche.com/River/RiverStory.htm

I like BW's interpretation, and agree 100%. I too would not want to allow a scout to sleep in the same tent with an adult who is not a parent or a LEGAL guadian. I wish the GTSS would add the term "legal" in their wording, or provide a better definition of the term guardian. I also agree that the tent sharing and two-deep leadership as completely separate issues. That was one of the points I so poorly tried to make. I referred to the "1:1 rule" -- It appears some councils/districts have a rule that during Webelos camping, each adult shall be responsible for only one scout. This is c

To clarify: The GTSS says "When staying in tents, no youth will stay in the tent of an adult other than his or her parent or guardian." Now, suppose an adult is the father of one scout and the parent-assigned guardian of another at the same time. This is a pretty likely scenario when neither of scout A's parents can make the campout, so they ask scout B's parent to "guardian" their boy during the overnight. Note that I am not assuming the 1:1 rule here, which appears to be OK with the GTSS. Can the two boys and their adult/guardian sleep in the same tent? Does that violate

A very thorough answer. To clarify, can two Webelos boys be responsible to a single adult parent/guardian? In other words, can Bobby go with his dad Robert and Davie's parents identify Robert as the guardian for the campout? What is the definition of a "guardian"? Can Robert and Davie sleep in the same tent even though they are not related, since Davie's parents have identified Robert as a guardian for the campout? Will Luke and Laura ever get back together? ....oh sorry, that was a soap opera loooonnnnngggg ago.

Yeah, I knew people would jump all over it, but... midway through our Wolf year I found I had two choices: 1. Resign 2. Have the parents assist with hosting meetings I presented these options to my den and, well, they wholeheartedly chose option 2. All we are doing is continuing the process that worked so well in Tiger Cubs. I have had all the training. I followed the published monthly meeting recommendations. I run the meetings using the preferred format, but the parents plan the meeting activities and projects and plan/arrange the trips. I have a great Assis

I didn't mean "graduate" at the Blue & Gold. I intended to say "receive their badge of rank".

This is what I do: >>As a den leader I basically guide the den's activities, provide a calendar of events (making sure we cover achievements needed to allow the boys to graduate at the Blue & Gold dinner) and act as communication coordinator within the den and from the Pack level to the den. I just don't have the time, talent, nor energy to arrange and run EVERY den meeting and field trip. >>Hold den meetings on the same day of the week as the regular pack meeting - in our case Wednesday evenings. Find the day/time that works best for your den. We meet in our school's

Just to clarify, the personal locator beacon is very different from a radio (FRS or any other kind). When the PLB signal is initiated, they send signals to satellites which are then relayed to a mission control center -- essentially a 911 center that will arrange for appropriate rescue. The PLB signal actually works to determine the location of the beacon and broadcasts that location to the mission control center. Some PLBs actually aquire GPS position and relays that information. Think of it as a 24/7 access to a 911 center with automatic location capability. Even if the user

I'm a big fan of http://www.equipped.com . It is a not-for-profit web site decicated to emergency survival (typically for about 72 hours). They have reviews of current PLBs and many tips for making survival kits. Take note of their forum which packs a lot of related knowledge. I've been reading Cody Lundin's book (mentioned on the web site, but not related to them). I really focuses on the fragility of life and the need to plan ahead to give yourself a chance to survive. Right now - due to the cost - I can envision having one ELB for an entire group of people, but I can't imagin

Per Marlene's comment in the Hug-a-Tree thread the formula for a good outcome is pretty simple: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have kids carry a whistle, a brightly colored plastic bag or two, and the knowledge to admit that they are lost and then stay put waiting to be found. By the way, I do suspect that eventually GPS's (w/ compass) will get small and cheap enough that they will become standard equipment even for kids. Though I don't have data on this, I strongly suspect that the #1 killer in a lost child situation is hypothermia. The purpose of the plastic bag is to prevent that.

I've read many people praise the Fox 40 pea-less whistle, and agree that it makes sense for use in freezing weather, but otherwise I prefer the Storm and, if space is limited, the Wind Storm (a smaller version). The Storm is noticably much louder than the Fox 40. For the kids, the whistles I bought from Oriental Trading seemed to do fine, especially for $0.25 each They are really quite loud and don't seem too prone to overblow. On-line, Fox 40's, Wind Storms, and Storms run about $5-$7 each. For young children, I prefer to avoid lanyards due to strangulation risk. The elastic wrist bands

Welcome to Tiger Cubs. On a slightly off topic ... I STRONGLY recommend that your adult partners take turns running each month's program. Lay out the year's monthly activities (using the - can't remember the name - monthly Cub Scout Activity book - its yellow this year) and have each parent sign up for one or two months. For that month they will need to run the den meetings and arrange/lead the Go See It. Make sure they understand that they need to meet the achievements per the book. Your job is to pester them to make sure they are doing the prep work and that they will be there. Ple

Doug's kit is on my Christmas wish list, though I will admit that I recently purchased his RKS Mk1 knife. It is VERY nice. My wife doesn't understand me spending that much for a knife. I wrote it off as the "worse" part of the wedding vow. If you like knives, or someone who does, this is a cute article about why men love knives. It can be converted to just about any outdoor equipment too. http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/columnists/article/0,13199,659761,00.html

Related to the very sad lost scout story: After hearing about situations like this, I presented my Bear-level Cub Scouts with a home-made version of the "Hug-Tree and Survive" materials. This training is offered by Search and Rescue people around the country, but the local SAR team here didn't offer it - so I made my own. I strongly recommend you look for it in your area. It really doesn't take much for a young kid to disappear into some woods. Even in the relatively urban area of suburban Chicago, there are lots of forests and undeveloped areas in which a small child could become lo

My understanding is that soap, though biodegradable and diluted, is not good for critters in the water such as plankton, zooplankton, and the invertebrates that provide the base of the foodchain. Think about the last time you got soap in your eyes - it doesn't feel great on sensitive tissues. Imagine being a critter with gills getting soap dumped around you. The idea is to dispose of soap at least a few hundred feet from the water so that it doesn't impact to much wildlife, and has time to degrade before any chance of it being washed down to the water.

Sounds like you had a great time. Regarding bug spray, my experience was about the same. We really didn't need it, BUT while canoing some backwater it would have been nice to have a head net to keep the biting flies off. I have vivid memories of the mosquitos coming out in force at the very same time each night. My tent-mate and I were very careful to be in the tent before that time. Others in our party (not a Scouting trip) didn't watch the time well, so it was funny to watch their panic when the mosquitos would hit while they weren't ready. Why wouldn't you bring soap? We brou

Hands down ... my children. They are my focus and my pride & joy. They are the best thing I've ever done in my life.

If you're reading this on your wireless laptop in camp in the middle of the boundry waters . . . Have Fun! (Sigh) Maybe the boundary waters are fully equipped for wireless internet communications yet. But a geek can hope. Ken

Good point!! Parents, even though they look cool, PLEASE do not buy a serrated blade for someone just starting to learn about knives. They are VERY difficult to sharpen, and give very very nasty cuts that are likely to leave scars. Their only real advantage is when cutting rope or nylon straps.

I can't imagine its the mantles' initial burn since you said it worked earlier. You didn't mention whether this was a Coleman lantern, but you could contact Coleman service with your question at consumerservice@coleman.com. I did find this on their web site: Why does my lantern flare excessively with a yellow flame when lit? It is normal for a liquid fuel lantern to burn with a large yellow flame when first started. Until the generator assembly is hot enough to vaporize the fuel, the lantern will burn with a yellow flame. Once the generator heats up enough, the flame will

I stick to the higher DEET (20-25%) aerosols. My preference is: 1. 3M Ultrathon 2. Off Deep Woods 3. Cutter Backwoods - though I used to hate the smell of Cutter sprays - maybe their better now. I don't like the lotions since they are very hard to apply to cloth. I'm not thrilled with most pump sprays. Though I haven't tried it myself, I've read that 100% DEET is nasty oily stuff, and that concentrations less than 50% are quite sufficient for most needs. When mosquitos are thick, the 3M Ultrathon provides very good protection as long with two applications after each mea

I didn't buy my son an official Cub Scout pocketknife because I figured no self-respecting Boy Scout would be caught dead using a Cub Scout knife. That limited the useful life of the Cub Scout knife to something less than three years. At this point he doesn't need the extra blades in a typical pocketknife. I can't imagine where he'd use a screwdriver, a can opener, or an awl. I suppose a small scissors could be useful. Instead I bought him a Gerber LST II (low cost high quality knife with a locking blade less than 3"). When he gets older, I'm sure we'll make arrangements for another

I agree 110%!! In Cub Scouts the primary cause of lost boys (where is Peter Pan when you need him?) fall within two of your categories: 1) The parents don't like Cub Scouts or (this one surprised me) think that their son will somehow get hurt while on a Scout outing (in my case the parents gave no specifics - they just quit with that excuse). I suspect this might be a version of the "boy hates camping" category. Along these lines I had one parent to thought the boys were too "wild" during den meetings and eventually pulled her boy out. She was the type that complained about eve