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Clove hitch will work. And, I think is easier on the tree. Thicker rope is better than thin (1/4" or less will likely dig into the bark), web rope (that has a tendency to flatten when under tension) is better, and straps are best. The standing end should come from the side (or even back) of the trunk to the hammock. Problem: double the trunk diameter, and you need 6.3 times the rope for a clove hitch. You'll only need 3.14 times the rope for two half hitches. Try placing a dowel or sliding a ring in the bend in your two half hitches (i.e. on the standing line between one half hitch and the next). It should make it easier to untie without sacrificing the strength of the knot.

There are two ways to think about this: - Do I want my boy to be in a troop who lets things play out with the SPL when they have a boy who acts out like that? - Do I want my boy to be in a troop who brings up a caliber of SPL (and presumably PL's) who will handle my boy that way when he acts out like that?

Now, you are coming up with a list of questions that I would ask! The other question you should probably be asking is if your benchmarks will be based on total units or total membership, or membership based on Packs, Troops, Crews, or nontraditional units. For example, if your boss wants to boost the number of Venturing Crews in your district, that's a completely different animal from recruiting new boys to existing packs! Fundraising usually involves you contacting adult volunteers to help coordinate the Friends of Scouting Campaigns. From what I hear every council does it differently, and every district in our council does it a little differently. The question there is are those adults already in place, or is it on you to find them?

Depends on the tree and how much rope, I guess. I don't do camping hammocks, but for my afternoon nap (crew advisors own the siesta so we can rule the night) I usually use two half hitches or a clove hitch. What I like about the clove hitch is that it's reasonably easy to work tighter or looser without loosing its grip on the tree. A timber hitch might work if you are between large trees and your hammock has some weight to it. I'll let the guys who use web belts comment on their preference for anchor knots.

NOW you tell us about the canopy! That changes everything. How sturdy are your cross bars and poles? You might want to consider some kind of hanging case for your utensils. We keep our sharp knives in a PVC tube with rope knotted through the end caps (partly to avoid losing the caps, partly for ventilation, and partly to hang the tube.

If you're asking if I have venturers take their tan shirts off on the nights our crew meets immediately after a troop meeting ... No, I don't. But, if your asking if a crew can adopt the tan shirt as it's uniform, no it should not. In my training, I was told that crews don't use any part of the Boy Scout or Cub Scout uniform.

My read of the task force recommendations suggest that the "if any" phrase would be deleted. I think a lot of adults are bothered by venturers not being recognizable as such.

Real scouters don't just obsess over rank-required knots! In fact I keep having to reteach myself that Turks head.

Congratulations on such an ambitious son! Merit badges may be sewn on the front and the back of the sash. He may sew them on in any order he chooses. Also if he wants to display some of his favorite scouting activities, he may sew patches from those on the back of the sash -- if there is any room left on the sash! (Meanwhile you should sit back and enjoy a nice cup of mulled cider.)

There are a lot of great opportunities. Some with less whitewater than others. Respect the age restrictions of your outfitters. Discipline is the key. Everybody has to have their "head in the game." Not just be swimmers/paddlers. They need to be comfortable falling into cold water with life jackets on: Adults as well as Youth. They need to understand water rescue from a the boat. MB instruction is not a bad way to do that, but like 2C said, not everyone needs to work on the MB to go. You just want to schedule some skills sessions so that they get comfortable with what's ahead. Most outfitters provide some instruction before launch. Choose an outfitter that will provide supervision commensurate to your contingent's experience. I had one leader who was all about canoe trails who had no clue what were getting into on class IV. Fortunately there was a portage that she could step out on and rendevous with us while she got her head back.

Can't speak about Varsity (never met a team). Explorers had been undersold for years. More than half became venturers. (When son #1Was a tiger, it was explained to me that venturing was the new Explorers. Nothing disavowed me of that notion until someone from the Explorers division made a presentation at roundtable.) They are making a comeback.

Sea scouts are part of the venturing program. Also, this stat doesn't count for multiple registrations. For example, half my crew and I are primarily registered through our troop.

Based on the area meetings that I've attended, about 1 in 5 crews use the national field shirt as their crew uniform. All of the council, area, and regional officers should wear the national uniform when performing their duties. No crew is permitted to use the tan Boy Scout Shirt (or any part of the BSA uniform) for their crew uniform,

Wonder no more: http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/YearinReview.aspx Note that there are 0 venture scouts , only 210k venturers:). .

I just remembered, Son #1 did take his SPL's little sister to homecoming! I agree that the issue is respect. But, in general the time for an adult to handle it is after the meeting. I would pull the boy aside and say "Next week, I'm expecting better from you." No lecture, no rehashing details, no waiting for an explanation from the boy. Then I would ask the SPL if he understood what that was all about. Then follow-up if there was anything serious. But, from a visitor's perspective none of hat behind-the-scenes work would be noticed. That's why I suggested that OP talk to the SM. It's the only way to get a feel for how far things like this are allowed to go.

One comment about iron-on transfers: I've never seen them hold up long term. My suggestion was just for a tiger flag (for that den that year). If your boys keep their den # as they move up, make that a central part of your flag.

Hey Tex, you and whose army are gonna move this thing? I still strongly suggest thinking in terms of separate modules for your food, vs. equipment.

Our camp has a nice Friday tradition: mile swim before breakfast, five mile hike around the lake before lunch, and four mile canoe around the lake after lunch. They call it the Heritage Reservation Iron Man. Youth and adults may participate. Comes with a nice t-shirt. (Used to be in Steelers colors, but I think the Ravens fans weren't buying them, so they changed the design. )

Cubs keep their sign and salute, http://scout-wire.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/BSA-Considers-Changes-to-Program-Ideals-to-Reinforce-the-Organization.doc But venturers lose theirs.

I'm impressed with the second design, mainly because I never saw it before. I like troop 21's system. Still not sure where the 2nd pair of staves gets stowed. Personally, I have a family camp box from my wife's uncle. No legs, but where there aren't picnic tables we can lash a stand or work off the ground. No food in the camp box. I had one national park raccoon successfully make off with a locally packed salami, because I was too sure I had properly secured it.

Also, if you're on a suitable go-see-it, you might want your boys to look for symbols/landmarks in your community. Then decide which ones they want to incorporate on their flag. Finally, four words for you: Printable iron-on transfer paper.

I'd like to think folks are being a little more judicious, but I am afraid that the tough economy is also an issue. From where you sat, was the river as busy as usual?

I have not heard of JTE's score cards making their way into any reportable database. If they did, I would be highly suspicious of the data. They aren't handled uniformly across our district, let alone council, area, or region. Even the membership stats may be somewhat inflated. They used to be worse, but (among other reasons) it's starting to cost real money to keep ghosts on the rosters.

The heading in this table is for the average unit, which includes packs, troops and crews. From here: http://www.scouting.org/about/annualreports/bsatraditionalmembershipsurvey.aspx we have 848,291 Boy scouts in 39,392 troops = 21.5 boys per troop in 2012.