Pritch

I believe that you train and encourage behavior you want repeated. As such, I keep "novelty" firestarting techniques in context. THey are included because they are interesting and fun, not necessarily because I want my scouts packing steel wool, rocket motors, or reactive chemicals in their fire kits.

While it is important to instill in scouts the ability to "adapt, improvise & overcome," I think teaching a technique relying on a prohibited substance is just asking for trouble. While "knowledge takes up less space than gear" is commonly bandied about, the fact is, students only retain a fraction of material presented. Providing a justification for bringing a flask of hooch (scout translation) might knock out that great material you presented on understanding the fire triangle.

"Ya know, properly dried pot makes a great tinder bundle for use with your bow drill. . ."

I'll seek out the article as it sounds interesting and I'm always interested in expanding my bush knowledge. Nevertheless, Some material just isn't appropriate for young boys.

Having a different opinion than yours does not make one il-informed.

First, I do not consider char cloth to be a "standard" tinder. In my opinion, brought tinder should be waterproof, wind resistant, and capable of creating more than an ember.

Second, a fire starting device should be more versatile than being limited to only such brought or prepared tinders. While I stress bringing tinder, I also work with my scouts to identify and use various natural tinders. Fire pistons are just too limited. That they were at one time used extensively by a certain people in a certain region does not mean they are the appropriate "survival" firestarters that they are billed as.

It makes an interesting demo when presenting various firestarting devices, but is highly impractical. It is expensive, bulky, somewhat finnicky and requires tinder fungus or other specialty tinder to be brought along. Fire is too important to waste time on gimmicks.

Thanks for the clarification.

[sigh] I guess National has recruited all of those guys that used to insist that screwdrivers have "do not stab in eye" engraved on the side.

Are Boy Scouts restricted to .22 only? Several scouts in my troops own other calibers and have expressed interest in a shooting activity.

Hi. May name is John. I'm a freshly minted ASM for a troop in the greater Seattle area. I was a scout in the early 70's in a troop in Saudi Arabia after having done cubs in California, but this is my first time serving as an adult leader.

I think I am the only adult leader in my troop that is not a parent or grandparent of a scout. My wife and I haven't been able to have kids and things just haven't come together yet to adopt. Nevertheless, I hope to have something to offer the boys. A personal peeve of mine is that we (an a society) don't do anything to help boys become men.

I enjoy spending time in the backcountry, whether backpacking or bowhunting (hiking with a bow.) I look forward to participating here and applying what I learn to our troop.

Thanks for the welcome, Eagle92. Yep, scouts, parents, and leaders need to keep in mind relevant laws. What may be permissable at home may be prohibited in a neighboring state where an event is taking place. Also, some municipalities may have more restrictive regulations than would apply out of town.

I know that there is no outright prohibition of fixed blades, despite the persistant reptitition that there is. Nevertheless, many camps and some councils or troops have chosen to completely ban them. This strikes me as a failure to lead. Its easier to "just say no" than to educate scouts and hold them accountable for their actions. (Sorry for the topic creep.)

This topic provoked me to finally create an account.

First, a Balisong (butterfly knife) is not a suitable woods knife. They are inherently weak in the tang, are difficult to deploy under stress and present an unnecessary risk of injury to the user.

Second, the appeal of butterfly knives is the flashy play involved in opening and closing the knife. This behavior is wholly incompatable with the Totin Chip statement that "knives are not playthings." While one-handed deployment of a knife is a desirable feature, there are many better choices that can achieve it.

Third, carrying butterfly knives is illegal in many places. The US considers them "daggers" and recently fined Spyderco for shipping them by mail.

Simply rationalizing by saying "they're going to do it anyway" is copping out. I agree with letting boys learn from mistakes but this is a time where a little "adult supervision" is called for. Activities like axe throwing are supervised. Scouts acting that way on their own are looking to lose privileges.

I believe knives are important tools that should be chosen for the tasks anticipated. We need to educate our scouts on what makes a good knife for the outdoors - and what does not. In my opinion, butterfly knives have no more place in the woods than double edged daggers or throwing stars.

I am NOT an anti-knife guy. I think attitudes toward knives within BSA is marred by ignorance, fear of liability, and political correctness. The paranoia regarding fixed blades is just one example. Why is the absense of a hinge and the presence of a sheath such a cause for panic?