Slouchhat

Hi Pint, we just formed a new patrol last Friday and out of about 60 kids between 10 and 12 years of age who received the letter from our pastor and me, 7 kids responded: 5 girls and 2 boys. Here in Germany, going co-ed is a standard procedure and we can sleep a mixed-gender patrol in one tent provided an adult is aleeping in the same tent. However, as soon as we will go camping next year, I will try to have a female ASM with me to take care of those things I shouldn''t. I can tell the boys to take off their shirts and check each other for ticks, but I can''t order the girls to undress. Just to use an example. best regards, Volker

Hello, you may know that we Germans are a pretty old-fashioned bunch. Otherwise, we wouldnt still be using the Kohte tent. If youve never seen one, punch Kohte into Google pictures and have a look: http://images.google.de/images?hl=de&q=kohte&btnG=Bilder-Suche&gbv=2 The Kohte consists of four shelter quarters, one top cover sheet and several stakes. You can rig it up with one center pole or two outer poles or pull it up hanging tree style with a rope thrown over a tree branch. Some outfitters are selling take-down poles, too, campgrounds usually have poles available. The beauty of the Kohte is that one houses a full patrol (6-8 people) including their kit and you can entertain a fire inside, just like in a teepee. On a trek, the load can be evenly distributed among the patrol. There are no zippers on the Kohte quarters, only buttons, loops and toggles. With the help of additional Kohte quarters, other types of tents can be constructed as well. I think it is good for the team to share the same patrol tent and it really makes a difference at any camporee when your troops patrols arrive and set up their Kohtes without the typical running around, screaming, hassling, falling down butt over teakettle of the tenderfoot gang. Well-trained patrols do it within ten minutes without uttering a single word. Okay, I admit, thats showing off, but it leaves a good first impression on everybody. The dreaded chatter in troop tents doesnt seem to be much of an issue here. In my troop, lights out is at midnight and that is also when the first watch begins. Altogether, Im an advocate of the troop tents. Best regards, Volker

Hi Lisabob, the kids are between 10 and 12 years old. They have not previous scouting experience so all are at the same level now which I think is a good way to start their training in woodsmanship. The largest regional newspaper dropped in yesterday with a reporter and photographer team to document our first troopnight. Altogether, I''m quite happy with the situation and let''s see how happy they are going to be with the program. You can watch our blog for further updates: www.frederickselous.blogspot.com I''ll scan and upload the newspaper article as soon as it was in the papers. best regards, Volker

Hello, our fresh troop formed the first patrol tonight: six girls, two boys. That''s my army now... The youth co-ordinator in our parish told me that this is a typical mixture for our city, to have more girls than boys. I just spoke on the phone with the SM of a troop in the next larger city and she said that in her patrol it''s just the other way around: six boys and only two girls. Well, let''s see what we''re up to and let''s hope that the kids will start recruiting some friends. The troopnight went well, though, everybody participated nicely in the games and even the parents seemed satisfied. best regards, Volker

Eamonn, when I lived in Oklahoma in 1994, I picked up a young stray dog. He became more than a friend quickly and when I went back to Germany, MacDuff went with me. He now is old and the day will come when he will go ahead untill I meet him at the Rainbow Bridge just as Joe will be waiting for you. best regards, Volker

Hi Ed, that''s why the real digging is considered the "dirty" way of doing it. If you want to leave no trace, the shingles are much better and can be put back so that you leave no trace of where your tent stood. In our troop, it is important to check out with the owner of the site what he allows and what not. There are troops over here who believe in "wild" camping without asking permission first, but in a country where basically every piece of woods, field and stream belongs to somebody (and often enough a private person) and is looked after very well or hunted on, this practice just leads to a load of trouble. best regards, Volker

Hello, thanks for being so patient in answering a seemingly stupid question. I have lived in Oklahoma for a year in the mid-90s and yes, I understand that distances are a lot greater in the US and that transportation may be a big issue at times. Over here, the troop can pretty much get anywhere by train and do the rest by bus, on foot, etc. best regards, Volker who wears a slouch hat without being a Southerner or Australian

Hi Jambo, in our gang, we dig a trench along the edges of the tent so in case of heavy rains, water will be directed away from the tent and if possible downhill. The dirt you dig out can either be just clumps of dirt which are being put on the sodcloth of the tent and thus sort of seal the tent to the ground or you can take square flat chunks (tiles or shingles)of dirt out of the ground then digging the rain trench and place these on top of the sodcloth. If you do it this way, you can put the dirt shingles back in place when you strike the tent. Don''t think it''s a German invention, though. I think it''s even described in Scouting for Boys. Greetz Volker

Hello, since I''m based in Germany, I am not as well acquainted with your ways of handling things, so pardon me for asking stupid questions like this one: It appears that when your troop goes to camp, not only the boys, SM and ASMs go, but a whole assortment of parents, etc., goes too. Is that true? How can the SM and ASMs work efficiently that way with a baggage train of more or less hovering parents on their backs? Maybe I''ve misinterpreted this, though. Over here (and I''m not saying that we do it better, just differently) the parents hand over their kids to the scouting staff and receive them back after the camp is over. It is part of the program to let the kids grow up a bit away from the supervision of their parents. best regards, Volker

Hello, for all occasions: khaki shirt with neckerchief, khaki shorts when temperatures allow with green wool knee socks and red garter flashes or khaki long trousers, mountain boots and black leather belt. As headgear, we are transforming from the Smokey Bear hats to tan berets now as the kids don''t like the hats despite all their practicality. Sweaters and windjackets as necessary. best regards, Volker

Hello, I''m looking for two ASMs (one male, one female) and will be asking the lady whom I''d like to have on the crew tonight. She''s outdoor oriented and mother of a decent boy so she fits the bill. Will let you know if I can get us a new ASM for the girls today or not. best regards, Volker

Hi, so it looks like you''re caught by the system in this case. It just seems to conflict with Scout Law No. 11 "A Scout is no fool" as having an asset and not utilizing it sounds foolish to me. best regards, Volker

Hi CrewMomma, would it be possible to make this motivated and skilled mum into an ASM? Granted, I have no idea if that''s possible in the US, but in my troop, I can appoint whomever I like as ASM if I feel that they will be a valuable asset to the troop. To be honest, we have a fresh mixed boy/girl troop and I''m looking for a female ASM because there are things I cannot do with the girls and I do not want the talk, so a female ASM is a clear must. That way the boys have a male SM to look at and the girls can look at the female ASM. best regards, Volker

Hi Jambo, the regular Kohte tent doesn''t have a sodcloth at the base of the shelter quarters and is made of a bit of a thinner fabric. That''s the difference I know of. We use the Superkohte so we can put grass tiles on the sodcloth to prohibit a flood in the tent. best regards, Volker

Hi Jayne, I''m new on this board as well, so let me welcome you. Although things are very different over here, the board has been a great source of information and inspiration for me so far. I''m sure you will like it here. best regards, Volker SM, Troop Frederick Selous Oberpleis, Germany

Hi Jambo, if you follow the link, click on "Unsere Produkte", then "Jurten/Kohten", then "Kohten-Komplettangebote" which means complete tents. I''d choose the first "Spezialkohte 280 gr/m mit 20cm Erdstreifen" as you may not need a stowage bag for the tent. best regards, Volker

Hello, if a troop is actually as strong as John describes, I would opt for patrol-sized messgroups. I cannot imagine cooking for 80 boys and I agree, this requires trained personnel and above troop-sized equipment. best regards, Volker

Hello, over here, SMs and ASMs carry cell phones for emergency use. So they are rarely ever used. Last time, a guest SM received a work-related call and the whole gang jeered as he hurried out of sight with his cell phone at his ear. I think it is mainly a matter of how the example is being set to the kids by the SMs and ASMs. Part of the development of character and personality is also how to handle the situation of being away from mum for a couple of days without calling her every morning and evening. But, I agree, if the boys use their mobiles to play games in camp, it might be worth to check the program. best regards, Volker

Hi Jambo, sorry for the delay. You can check out this supplier: http://www.ausruester-eschwege.de They offer a nice package consisting of four Kohte shelter quarters including the cover square at the best price-quality relation that I know of. If you want to purchase one, I can help you. best regards, Volker

Hello, Eric, I''m located in Germany, near Bonn. Thus, my view on some issues may be a bit different as things scouting seem to be mightily different in my country. Well, I always thought that the parents would expect their kids to develop a bit of self-reliance and pro-activity because they are not being pampered and learn by doing. Maybe some parents don''t really understand the concept behind scouting? best regards, Volker

Hello, last weekend we were invited to a Fall Camp run by a troop we co-operate with and their system of eating as a troop works like a charm: whether they eat outdoors or in the troop tent, they form a circle. One SM sits by the stew pot and then everybody passes his messkit to the left untill the first messkit reaches the stewpot. The SM fills up the messkit and hads it to the left untill it reaches its owner and so on untill everybody has received back his full messkit. Then a brief prayer is being said and everybody digs in. That way the troop eats as a troop and the stew isn''t steaming hot, but has just the right temperature to eat. Bread, spread, cheese, etc. is being passed to the left as well untill it reaches the one who asked for it. Nobody starts, e.g. breakfast, untill everybody in the circle has some bread before him. best regards, Volker

Hello, no offence meant, but is it possible that the assorted parents are the biggest problem? For us, it''s different. We don''t have an adult support group, so nobody is involved except the scouts and the SM. I''d strongly advocate the two nighters. Leave Friday late afternoon, set up camp, cook or eat your sandwiches, campfire, songs, yarns, maybe a nighthunt. Then you''d still have all Saturday for hiking, rapelling, climbing, etc. and another evening full of songs and stories before you return home by Sunday noontime. But then, things may be a lot different in my country. No offence meant. best regards, Volker

O boy, a couple of days not checking the thread and so many replies... Okay, yes, the Germans still use those big black, ugly tents, called Kohte. They are borrowed from the Scandinavian hunters, house about a complete patrol and you can have a fire inside for cooking or a council. They are a great means of getting the patrol into a team, too. Germany is very diverse when it comes to scouting. In the late 19th Century, the first youth groups sprang up, trying to get away from the restrictions put onto them by adults, the government, etc. When BP''s book "Scouting for Boys" was translated into German by Dr. Alexander Lion, scouting was seen as a great way to get boys into military shape. In between and after the world wars, the free youth organisations and the German Pfadfinder mixed up and became what they are today - still diverse. There are about a hundred scouting organisations in this country, all with their own traditions, etc. Some are members of WOSM or WAGGS, many are not. Very confusing even if you''re a scout yourself. You can join an established organisation, but you don''t have to. If you don''t like what they are doing, build your own. So you end up with a small organisation of maybe only 200 members. But then, some want the small brotherhood. I''m running my troop along the classic lines described in "Scouting for Boys", although, like the tents, I borrow items which prove useful to help the patrol method. We''re just building a new troop now, classic style, khaki uniforms (although the Germans would never call it a uniform), staves, hats and all. I''ll keep you posted how it is going if you like. The troop is a part of our Protestant parish, which helps well re. cost, insurance, etc. Right now, I''m talking to some of the WOSM-member scout organisations about membership, because, let''s face it, among the German scouts, we, the "Classics", stand out like a dinosaur. Still, I''m convinced that the original method is good. It worked for me when I was a boy, it will work for the kids today as values are eternal. best regards, Volker

Hello, scouts in Germany are very different from the rest of the world as they sort of mixed with the various independent youth organisations for which their outdoor activities are not a concept of education and training in citizenship, but a way to express their liberal, free-thinking views. You will find only few "traditional" scout troops, most call themselves "tribes", "packs", etc. and wear an interesting assortment of clothing. Here, they distinguish between "scoutish" (traditional), rather scoutish, covenant or rather covenant. I think, my scoutish kids in khaki with hat and stave will sort of stand out among the rest. best regards, Volker

Hello, yes, I think it will be a challenge to start a troop from scratch, but I'm quite positive that it will be a rewarding task. In our part of Germany, the Rhineland, close to Bonn, a click South of Cologne, the Catholic DPSG (St. George) is best known, but that should not keep us from doing something for the kids in our community. I've already contacted the forestry service who "runs" the woods surrounding our town and they have been very welcoming and helpful. In fact, they offered us some kind of outdoor playground where we can practically do all major woodcraft and pioneering. I'm glad this started so well. Two troops from Bonn have already offered their help to get us off the ground. Our kids will mainly be in the age range of 10-14 years. Maybe at some point I will be asking for a Stateside troop of similar aged kids as pen-pals or email-pals for "my" kids to give them an experience of the international character of the scout movement. best regards, Volker