willysjeep

I have a big problem that I need some help with. There is an adult leader in my district who I can not stand at all. Unfortunately, he and I seem to end up volunteering at the same events, camping near each other, sitting around talking to the same people, and I don't want to change what I do drastically just to avoid him. It all started when I was just a scout I guess. We were doing the honor guard thing on Mackinac Island and this adult showed up half way through the week. Things weren't like he had planned so he decided to try to force a change. It didn't exactly work. He and I began

I got a stovetop model lodge dutch oven for x-mas many years ago. It is all iron, but not really perfect for campfire cooking.It has a lid which is sloped with only a small flat on top. The thing doesn't have legs either. Still, even with these handicaps it can turn out some good stuff. If you have an all iron oven (no plastic or wood handled cooking pots) you can still put coals on a domed lid either by turning it upside down or by putting a ring cut from a coffee can or other sheet metal on top to hold more coals on.

WOW! Was that ever a fun camp-o-ree. It was the 60th anniversary of Hiawathaland Council and the 65th of Scenic Trails. We decided to have a big joint operation at the straits. I was on staff. I got to take my old gear along too. I had my yucca, wool blankets, tarp tent, old mess kit and canteen and first aid kit. ANyways, more on the campout. The masses stayed at Straits State park on the mainland. The program staff spent the first night in the Scout barracks, and then went over for the second night with their home troops for a night of camping on the mainland. I had a ball, and I know about

I am one of the staff buglers at my summer camp still. Actually, when it rains I guess it pours. There are three buglers on staff other than me. Unfortunately I get a little bent out of shape over some of the stuff that goes on there. A few years ago there was a trombone trio that did "to the colors" at a morning flag ceremony. Now to me, I see that as going beyond ceremony and getting pretty close to being a joke. So, to avoid ruffling too many feathers I am sort of the last-resort-emergency bugler now. I also caught holy heck for having "taps" played more than three times one night. Apparent

My other option is to replace the halizone vial with a much larger "portable aqua" iodine tablet vial of iodine tablets. I'm thinking that if giardia is not killed by halazone I might look for another similar size vial of one of the chemicals you mentioned. The tablets in the kit are for emergency use so I gather. Back when it was designed the scouts admitted that boiling was more dependable and should be used when possible. I for one wouldn't want to drink chemical flavored water for an entire camping trip if I could pack a filter along anyways. But I digress. I still think halazone mig

My troop has had it's share of regular scouts who lacked the physical and mental abilities to tough out a 20 mile long weekend hike. When my troop's venture patrol plans a long hike we have two shakedown weekend long hikes set up before the big one. The whole troop goes on these shorter hikes. It was on one of these that the above happened. A 90 pound 15 year old showed up with a 40 pound pack and a really bad attitude. When he refused to pack up on the second day we split up his gear and hauled it for him while he pouted. He did NOT go on the week long hike we had planned for Isle Royal later

I just got an old scout tin box first aid kit. I'm trying to replace the contense with modern things so 1) I don't use up any 70 year old original collectables and 2) so I can count on the contense to work and not be dangerous (I.E. 70 year old water purification tablets). One thing I need to locate is a source for halazone water purifying tablets. The kit has a vial of really old ones. I want to find some with a similar dose and replace the outdated ones with new ones. Unfortunately all I can seem to find are iodine tablets, which would work but then I would have iodine in a bottle lable

I was a bugler in my troop as a youth. I didn'have the merit badge though. Both then and now I can see Bugling as sort of a lost art. The main purpose of a bugler now is to play during flag ceremonies and to sound assembly. The problem is that most other scouts, and indeed most buglers, don't know any of the other calls that were used every day. Swimming, Officers(PLC), Church, Fire, Call to Quarters, Mess, there are all kinds of calls that would be still applicable in most camps. Music is more pleasant than a bull horn to me too. It would also be nice to be able to sound "officers" and get th

I don't think the mackinac Garrison flag is standard size. I believe it is longer than standard. I know we are instructed to fold it more than twice so we end up with somewhat smaller triangles. I know this makes the flag more firm and easier to carry. It's also important to note that this perticular flag is a historic representation of the flag from when it only had something like 36 stars, arranged in a grid just like ours, so the diference isn't readily noticeable. The flag ceremony I saw that envolved cutting had the scouts cut the flag into quarters, making the blue field one quarte

I found out more on my own. I just got a 1911 handbook reprint that advises scouts to buy their ponchos and some other equipment locally. It also shows a canvas five button "doughboy" coat and mentions a neckerchief as sort of an afterthought. I found out from this site http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0210/d-wwas.html that after the BSA officially adopted the neckerchief they got rid of the five button coat and replaced it with a four button canvas coat with a roll collar. This supposedly stayed in service until the post WWII uniform changes. Also, breeches were phased out for t

Flags can be cut, because then it "ceases to be a flag and is OK to dispose of in a fire" without disrespecting the flag it's self, only doing something with the material it was made from. Flags can also be retired whole and folded in triangles, or squares with the red and white out even. I went to Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp three times over the past years. The parks service has a flag of about the dimesnions you described. We only get to raise it on calm days because the foot thick fiberglass flag pole could snap in a stiff breeze. When we lower it it takes ten people on the

Hi all. Somebody needs to get things moving aound here. Anybody out there from AG-IM 156 in Da U.P?

Yup, I'd vote yes too. Either that or rename one ........./equipment forum so we know where equipment posts belong.

The way I see it the scout uniform should be pretty constant. If somebody isn't willing to join scouts because they don't want to look like a scout, do we really need them? Mabey we could win them over if they were willing to give it a try, but really are we hurting that bad for members? I say a campaign hat should be our hat. Those baseball caps never looked that good. In fact, they look downright dorky and don't really help promote the classic scout image everybody associates with the BSA. Second, durable heavy denim like pants with a normal waist and pockets would be fine by me. Heck,

If you were looking for a DIY type project mabey a wood burning set would be suitable for marking the tag. Otherwise paints or permanent marker would make sense. High gloss acrylic varnish would make that shiny clear coat over wood. Cut the wooden tag to size, glue a tombstone shaped piece of leather on the back for a hanger with a slit cut for the button, mark it how you want (mabey make a stencil and mark it in pencil first) and go for it.

We just came across one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen in the troop's Uniform Exchange. Somebody donated an old old pair of thick, stretch knit, yellow and red horizontal striped swim trunks with a BSA official tag inside. When on earth did the BSA make these things? Honestly, if they weren't so form fitting I might be tempted to get a pair for the polar bear swim at summer camp. Might be a good joke, sort of an incentive or gag to get more people in the water or something. But none the less they are very interesting. I have never even seen reference to them on line anywhere. Anybod

Over the past few years supply division has introduced many old historic equipment items only to remove them a year or two later. Canvas yucca packs were available, as were canvas duffel bags and wooden cots, the canvas pup tent, historic red and black patrol badges, the belt loop kits, an official bugle, semaphore flags, and the 1911 scout handbook was also reproduced and is still available. I was wondering why I don't see any of these scouting items available in th 2004 catalog. did they drop the historic gear program? Does anybody know what the deal is?

Our summer camp used to have latrines consisting of a plastic or metal urinal with a pipe and valve to flush, two outhouse type toilet stands that shared a stall (couldn't design in a divider or something!?), a large galvanized pan sink with a pipe full of holes and foot activated valve, a garden hose, and a drinking fountain. Basically an outhouse with a flush urinal. The pits are made of cinder block but have no bottom, so it is too dry to be pumped out by conventional means. These structures are filling up to the seats, and the health dept. let us keep them grandfathere claused in unt

Mabey it seems a little wierd to hear, but antibacterial soap isn't necisairily the best for constant use. Neither are alcohol hand sanatizers. Basically, they do their job too well. Mothers who sterilize and sanitize everything for their children from birth are removing many inoffensive bacteria and fungi that serve to sort of innoculate children as they grow. When they don't have as good of a resistance to these normally pretty tame bacteria, coupled with the fact that no inoffensive bacteria (natural flora) are left on their skin to keep the harmful bacteria away wounds don't heal as well.

FOG and I tend to share some common ground once in a while. I'm not the most active user here, but from what I have seen he seems to be on the square. Sort of a drill sargent type figure, he's on your side but he can be loud and excited some times. I feel it is his right to say what he wants for the most part. As an organization we take a pretty hostile view of other people's choices (gays, athiests) so why shouldn't FOG be able to argue about other people's choices within scouting? Yelling "fire" in a theater is not free speech, but yelling "I don't like how you think about religion" is.

It's my impression that as long as it is complete and matching you can still wear the older uniforms all you want. As for the colors originally the 1910 military copy was "khaki tan" and the later 20's and later uniforms were "khaki green" and now we have tan and olive. I'm still wondering where the heck they got the idea of epulates and shoulder loops from. I'm beginning to see myself collecting some of those old uniforms. Mabey If I get them in my size I can show them off while on summer camp staff.

for a while I folded my collar under. I made a square necker for myself and think it is not only more useful, but also better looking that those modern ones. If they sold a 36X36 necker in the catalog today without marking it up a few hundred percent and embroidering it I would be really happy. But they are easy enough to make out of a yard of cloth too. Besides, I don't ind using it for a washcloth if it only cost me a dollar or two.

I've got a few more old gear questions for you all. 1) before the red vinyl rain ponchos what was the "official" rain gear? I can't seem to really find pictures or info at all. 2) before the red wool jackets did the BSA have anything in the way of an official jacket? I know the really early scout uniforms consisted of like a canvas jacket type shirt. Did they offer anything other than the red woolrich back in the day? 3) When did the BSA get rid of canvas spats (leggings) in the uniform?

I've asked a lot of questions about older equipment in the past. I am sort of a user/collector. Someting fascinates me about using older methods and techniques. I know there are many things from scouting's past that should still be available today. There are some things that are far better than what is used today. I'm also sure there must be some terrible ideas that flopped too. So, your comments? Can you remember something you whshed they still made, how about something that wasn't so good?

First of all, you could change the name of an apple to a widget and people would still treat it like an apple. The name doesn't dictate the principle, it's just a formality so you have somehting to call it. If we didn't do this it would be too abstract to talk about. wheeler, what you essentially said is that because boys have no experience leading we shouldn't allow them to gain experience leading? Isn't that keeping them in the dark on purpose, like saying "you can't practice this because you haven't practiced enough". I see the scoutmaster as an advisor and example, not some kind of