kenk

I should mention that I recently purchased a Eureka Assault Outfitter 4 for my own personal tent. It is Eureka's commercial version of the tent they supply to the U.S. Marine Corps. It's height and footprint are about the same dimensions are the Timberline, though it is a 4 season dome w/ 2 built-in vestibules. I really really like it. It is a bit too heavy for backpacking, but I use it car camping. Though it is built like a tank, much like the Timberline Outfitter, its aluminum poles are thinner and muuuuuch longer making setup is complicated enough that I'd probably limit its use to l

I'm still a big Eureka Timberline fan. I'd opt for the Outfitter model if you can afford it. The heavy zippers along make it worth the extra price. It will last a LOT longer, and you can easily find replacement parts (poles). Timberlines do very well in rain and wind, and the poles are strong enough to tolerate lots of abuse. Buy the cheap tents and you'll need to spend time seam sealing (Eureka Outfitter tents are factory sealed), then the zippers will start failing, and soon the tent will start leaking (if it didn't from the start). Once it leaks too much you've just ruined a boy's

Although I already have several baseplate compasses of the type most scouts would use - my favorites are the Suunto M-3 (with the regular needle - I'm not fond of their "global needle") and the Brunton 8096 GPS Eclipse (I tend to navigate in conjunction with a GPS). I'm thinking of getting myself a sighting compass - one with a mirror. Most of the choices are fairly obvious: Silva Ranger (atually made by Suunto), Brunton 15TDCL Elite (the "real" Silva Ranger), and the Suunto Navigator MC-2. I have also been looking at the Brunton 8099 Eclipse compass at the local store. Has anyone

Excuse my laziness, but where do I find the relavent official policy?

To clarify, I don't think this was hazing. I think it was a game. The important thing is that that leadership (adult or youth) should have the presence of mind and flexibility to evaluate the effect that the "consequence" has on the Scout and respond accordingly. If the laughs and goes along with the walk the plank scenario - fine, but if he screams and cries out of fear or embarasment, then the leadership should allow him to allow the boy take on a different consequence that acceptable to the boy. This kind of game can turn into bullying if the boys start picking on an individual or a gr

I agree with some of Eamonn's comments, but know from personal experience that the choice of participation is not always a simple thing. As I've mentioned before, my son has Asperger's Syndrome. I find that he often just cannot understand the implications of decisions he makes. He will ALWAYS want to participate and usually cannot understand that there may be negative consequences. I should mention that kids with AS tend to be very "bad" looser and winners. Because of the inability to understand social rules, when they loose they tend to have meltdowns, and when they win they tend t

Ooops, I missed that FOG DID mention that he tied his shoes. About FOG's post, come on guys. Why can't we all get along? In reading FOGs post I immediately assumed he was simply making a somewhat "dark" joke. Before anyone gets mad at me, by "dark" I mean absolutely nothing racial. Here "dark" is used much as it is for "dark comedy" (see definition below). I have to admit, the propensity for people to start throwing stones in this forum has more than once made me hesitate to submit a post. Maybe that is why the forum has been so quiet lately. A scout is ... friendly, cour

Either you are all wearing slip-on shoes, or you are simply forgetting . . . The most common knot I tie is used when I tie my shoe laces. I'm not sure of the formal name for this "bow" knot, but if done properly it is simply a square knot with pull-out loops. As my wife does it, it is a granny knot with pull-out loops. As my children do it, it is (usually) a square knot with pull-out loops and an extra overhand knot of the loops just to be sure. Lately though my kids have taken to sliding their shoes off/on without untying/tying the knots.

I'm actually not in the market for a lightweight tent right now, but last weekend, while at a local outdoor shop, I was looking at the Eureka Zeus Exo, which is a single wall tent. Instead of having a breathable tent with a seperate rain fly, this has a single waterproof shell, and then relies on extensive ventilation to keep down the condensation. Does anyone have experience with this tent, or other similar single wall tents? Do they really stay dry inside?

ASM59, I agree with you on the tent arrangements. I think that was the option #2 I listed, though the names made it kind of confusing. --Ken K.

Sorry, but I meant to add that I interpret the use of the word "guardian" to mean "legal guardian", but how loose can that be interpreted? I can see where a boy's uncle would take him to camp in place of his parent(s) - with his parent's permission. Is that OK. So why not a parent-specified unrelated temporary guardian??

If you have John Doe taking responsibility for his son Jake, and his neighbor's son Larry, where does Larry spend the night? Option #1: Larry sleeps in the tent with John (and adult) and Jake (John's son). This violates the Guide to Safe Scouting rule: "When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent or guardian." and the two-deep leadership rule. Option #2: Larry sleeps in a tent with Jake (John's son). John sleeps in a seperate tent alone, or in a tent with another male adult. I think this is the one necessary. Am I correct?

Don't the mosquitos eat you alive? Around here, if you aren't either inside or coated with DEET by sundown, you are mosquito bait - which also brings the risk of West Nile Virus. I remember when I camped in the Boundary Waters in northern MN that mosquitos would come out instantly at the same time each night (around sundown). My tent-mate and I were careful to watch the time and be ready to dive into the tents when the mosquitos showed up. A couple that was along with routinely would ignore the time and not be ready. Every night we enjoy the same scene of these people running around

Kind of weird maybe but . . . I love watching the Cub Scout age boys interacting with the Boy Scout/Venturing counselers at Cub Scout Day Camp. The admiration. The laughter. The patience. These young men & woman really care about these kids that they've never met before.

Oh man (or women, in your case), my Cub Scout pack severly needs "too much" experience. From what I can tell in my limited leadership experience, far too many packs/troops are lead by parents of roughly the same age who are long on leadership (defined here as the ability to demand that one's own ideas are the best) and short on experience. Sorry to hear you got slammed. I once lost a graduate school full-ride assistantship because I was the wrong race and gender. It was real cold slap in the face of reality. To be honest, I am amazed at the older Scouters in my district. They don't

Ed, you are a choosy mother. (That was a joke based upon the old Jiff commercials - no offence intended - please don't leave the forum!!) I LOOOOOVVVVEEE peanut butter. I tend to prefer Skippy, though Jiff does taste more like real peanuts (no commercial pun intended). Oh, and I prefer smooth over crunchy, though not sure why. I haven't had crunchy peanut butter in 15-20 years. Maybe I'll buy some. It is certainly best when warm and runny on toast. Sometimes I'll tolerate messing it up with some good preserves. I'll have to try the apple jelly. Never tried it. I used to lo

Dude, Have you been in Boy Scouts? If so, in what capacity and how long? I myself see Scouting as being flexible enough to deal with most situations - so long as the leadership (adult or youth) are willing to put in some time and effort. Often, of course, that doesn't really happen. Given that your son is working in your store, I'll assume he is older, likely high school age. As someone else said, Venturing should meet most of your needs. It is co-ed, and is uniform optional. Locally we have several Venture crews. Some focus on sports, while others focus on outdoor adventure.

This question came up during our recent Cub Scout Day Camp. During the flag raising and lowering, the Scout leading the ceremonies would say "Scout Salute". Many of the boys were not in uniform, but rather wearing a mixture of t-shirts and shorts (the camp guide stated the a uniforms were not required). That lead to the question of when to salute and when to place hand over heart. After reading the Flag Code and some posts here, my guess: You salute when in uniform, whether the formal uniform or a "field" uniform, such as a Pack or Troop t-shirt (I think the first might be called cl

Thanks all for your words of encouragement, advice, and hope. Some thoughts came to mind: 1-One of my son's problems is that his issues are so mild that to others he appears just "odd". I've often told his teachers that he'd almost be better off if his issues were more severe. I do think that I need to sit down with the den and discuss his Asperger's with them so they understand why he acts the way he does. 2-The Boy Scout and Venturing staff at our Cub Scout Day Camp were (are) very impressive. To me they appear to be a mix of all types of personalities - some has speech proble

I've written and deleted several posts. I'm finding it very hard to voice my thoughts here. I'm just about ready to throw in the towel on Scouting. I'm tired of the parents who are too lazy to be involved, to read handouts, or to listen to announcements. My son has a mild form of Asperger's Syndrome, which means that he struggles with social skills and seems "odd" to other kids. Unfortunately that makes him a magnet to bullies. I agreed to be a Den Leader, and recently Cubmaster, in the hopes of being there to help my son out in social situations. Last week kids started playing

My daughter, who is starting 3rd grade next fall, is just dying to go camping on a "real" camping trip like her brother does with the Cub Scouts (overnight once/year with the Pack). Her troop has gone on overnights in a dormatory like place where they sleep inside an air conditioned building on bunk beds, but the mothers would NEVER even consider sleeping in tents, even for just one night. My Cub Scout Pack Committee Chair is heavily involved in her (older) daughter's Girl Scout troop too, and she says the same thing. Her troop went camping recently where the girls slept in older can

Good point on the issue of closing locking blades. NEVER get a young boy a liner lock folder. Though they can be nice locks, by their very nature they place fingers in line with the blade while unlocking. The safest form of lock is the "axis lock", since the unlocking mechanism is to the side of the handle and the fingers never need to move into the blade path to operate. Unfortunately those tend to be limited to expensive knives like Benchmades. Most lower cost (but high quality) knives tend to have back locks. I had each of my kids check to see if they are strong enough to

SAK - must have scissors on board. If I need tools - I'll bring tools. I have yet to need tools when camping.

I suppose I should also mention that the only cut my son has gotten so far was with the Micra. The Micra has a file blade that is about the same shape as the knife blade. He thought he was opening the file, but found it to be the knife. Somehow (??) in his "panic" to close the knife he ended up cuting his finger slightly. I do wish the blades were a little better labeled on the Micra. My old Buck Tool - a Leatherman style multi-tool no longer made by Buck - has etched pictures of the blades on the side of the handle. That really helps find the right blade first time.

fotoscout - I never said anything to do with knifes in Scouting being a "free for all". Certainly carrying knives is subject to legalities, parental wishes, and the policies of any applicable institutions, such as airports, schools, churches, and Scout units. The Whittling Chip card itself says "By completing these safety requirements, he has earned the right to carry a pocketknife at designated Cub Scout functions. I interpret "designated" to refer to the above mentioned limitations. AnneinMpls - Certainly sharp blades are indeed safer. The point of using a butter knife is to get