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Talk about serendipity- I wore this WWI uniform adorned with scout accoutrements yesterday at my local Veterans Day parade. It’s a vintage WWI uniform (found on eBay), with BSA collar brass that I sewed on.  The ASM pin is just a modern 1st class pin that I painted red. 
 

The 2nd pic is a cotton m1912 reproduction. 
 

Repro military uniforms can be purchased from What Price Glory , mantheline.com, replicators.com, etc. 

To my knowledge, BSA never adopted this particular uniform. They used the high standing collar uniform with bellows pockets based on the M1910 tunic. All pics of scouters in tunics with stand-up choker collars are military uniforms (M1912 -M1918). BSA’s next uniform jacket was the safari style. 

I just snagged this guy on eBay. The deer is more tan that it appears in the pic. The description said it belonged to an SE in Lebanon County Council and that his wife sewed it on but unknown if it represented a lodge or just the family. 

Haha- I do have the belt. I took the pic when the wind was blowing about 30mph, using my hand to keep tunic from flapping. I had been in a parade rest stance. 

As our District’s (maybe even the Council’s) resident history buff/uniform nerd, I thought I’d share a source for those of you interested in creating a reproduction 1910s-era uniform.

WhatPriceGlory.com sells an olive drab US Army M1912 Summer Cotton tunic and breeches that are nearly identical to what early scouters wore. They also have the puttees and leggings, as well as campaign hats and wool version of the M1912 and M1917 uniforms.  The button holes on the cotton tunic are designed for metal ring backed buttons, so it’s  no big deal to swap out the supplied  USA buttons for metal BSA buttons I’ve acquired through the years. I’ve got the BSA collar brass, but no troop number brass, so I’ll be crafting a felt patch to add to the sleeve.

Looking for the tan version? No problem, check out ManTheLine.com, although their prices are significantly more expensive.

I’m still searching for a 1920s version of the uniform (safari jacket style), but until then- happy repro Scouting!

Wow- that’s pretty cool. I love finding vintage but usable items like that. The old stuff is so durable and much more stylish, IMO. 

A 1970s “Pedro” jacket, glorious in all its plaid-ness. A tad itchy, however. 

My collection of BSA campaign hats (except the one in the very back, it’s US Army). 

Forgot to mention a 1916 repro wool tunic and a 1917 wool tunic. The 1917 is original WWI US Army. I’m still searching for large metal BSA buttons to add to these. The ones for my 1912 cotton tunic are removable ring back type, but these tunics don’t have the holes for removable buttons. I have some wool breeches, but they’re too small in the waist.

On 8/13/2018 at 12:49 AM, Longhaired_Mac said:

Was scouting some OA lodge patches before Fall Fellowship and found this gem...in case anyone is looking at the moment. 1970's BSA Scout "Boys' Life Pedro" Plaid Jac-Shirt, 85% wool 15% nylon, in a Large...which I think is a men's 42" chest. Says it's a vintage Woolrich

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Boy-Scouts-Pedro-Executive-Jac-Shirt-Scouting-Tartan-Large-1970s/163173544392

I just grabbed one of these. I’d had my eye on it for a few weeks and the price dropped to about $70. The parents in my den had given me a $50 PayPal gift card as a thank you, so viola- new to me Pedro jacket for $20. The only thing ‘wrong’ with it was that the previous owner apparently owned a dog with white fur. Gave it a once over with a lint brush and it’s food as new. It’s glorious in all its plaidness, so much so that the wife hates it. But then she has no appreciation for my vintage scouting attire.

I bought a used OD jacshirts two years ago on eBay and the Pedro jacket is much nicer, being a Woolrich and having hand warmer pockets . They’re both 85% wool, 15% nylon, but the OD jacshirt is so much thinner (wind cuts right thru it) and really baggy. Also, it’s made in Bangladesh.  So, with apologies to any 1970s execs, I’ll be sporting the Pedro when the temp dips low.

And this from the 1920s for my son. I’m desperately searching for an adult-sized one for me (belted style).

*1910 (repro) tan cotton tunic with the stand up color with original metal buttons and collar brass.

*1930s wool dress jacket (looks similar to a USMC alpha uniform jacket. With original Bakelite buttons and repro Layman collar pins.

*2 short sleeve Oscar De La Renta tan shirts with brown buttons. I put the centennial patch and world crests on them. One has a new CSP, the other has a 90s era CSP. The other patches on them are 80s era.

*1950s sanforized green cotton long sleeve shirt with appropriate 50s patches, including RWS.

*Late 60s green poly/cotton green long sleeve leader shirt with RWS and 60s/70s patches. I put a centennial ring and world crest on it.

*2 1930s web belts, 2 1980s web belts, 1 new style web belt.

*4 pairs of 1930s breeches.  

*2 OD garrison caps (1 wool, 1 cotton), 1 green Explorers garrison cap.

*5 official BSA campaign hats from the 40s onward (4 Stetson, 1 unbranded). 1 close-enough US Army campaign hat.  Each hat is a different shade of OD or brown, with different ribbons and bands.

*1 1950/60s green uniform necktie.

*1 wool plaid “Pedro” jacket from the 70s.

*1 wool blend OD green jac-shirt from the 2000s. It fits as poorly as a lot of the other modern stuff.

*1 newer poly microfiber shirt. This started it all- I hate the styling and fit of it so I started buying old stuff that was better quality and fit.  

I also have an original 1910s tan uniform jacket and a 1920s tan uniform jacket (looks like a safari jacket) for my son. He’s inherited my love of old-school uniforms. I only let him wear this stuff on hikes and campouts, etc. Otherwise he wears the exact same uniform as the other scouts in his den.

I tend to wear vintage uniforms. I have a new poly-microfiber shirt that I almost never wear because it fits like a balloon, but the next size down is way too tight. For short sleeve weather, I wear old brown button, tan shirts with new patches. In long sleeve weather, I wear old green uniform shirts with red and white strip and other period appropriate patches. I collect a lot of vintage stuff on eBay, so I have a 1910-style high-collar tan tunic that I wear to outdoor events and a 1930s belted wool uniform jacket that I wear to parades and other formal events.

As far as headwear goes, I usually don’t wear anything if it’s an inside meeting, otherwise it’s a campaign hat or garrison cap. I try to match my belt with the specific era uniform I’m wearing. I do admit to wearing whatever green pants I have with the more modern uniforms due to the sizing issues I have with newer BSA pants. 

 My son (currently a Bear) and I wear ours on hikes, campouts, and other outdoors activities. Not so much for regular meetings; I have him wear the standard Bear baseball hat and I tend to go hatless. (The one in the pic is vintage US Army, not BSA)

I snatched up this 1930s dress jacket a couple of years ago. It was missing a button but after a few months of searching I secured a replacement. I wear it to parades and B&G. 

Apologies for being 5 to 16 years late to this party, but I just wanted to add my 2¢. I own several BSA campaign hats, dated from the 40s on up. The oldest ones are quite floppy. Some have the fleur de lis ribbon hatband, some are plain ribbon, and my latest one has a leather band with the BSA logo pressed into it. Also, the older ones are a brownish-green color, a few from the 60s are OD, and my “newest” one is brown; the thickness of each varies greatly, with the stiffest brims belonging to the hats with the thinnest felt. I prefer to wear the floppier ones, as I like the brim to swoop down like Don Johnson’s in the movie “Pursuit of Honor”.  

I’m the resident nerd/history buff in my district, and I’m always on the lookout for wearable vintage uniforms. My favorite look thus far is the breeches/puttees (or stockings)/jacketed look from the 1910s-30s.