69RoadRunner

REI brand tents when they have their big sales are usually a good price/quality option. Don't pay full price.

ust back from trek 12. No dry camps and finished with a climb of Mt. Baldy. This was the first trek for all of us, but one of our adults, a 21 year old who went through our troop to Eagle did NAYLE training there. We had a young crew of 14 and 15 year olds. Two just turned 14 prior to the trek. This was the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done. I’m very glad I’ve been hitting the gym several times per week for the past few years. I saw guys there who clearly did not meet the height/weight requirements. I saw a few on trail who were slowing their crews down. The b

Just flew back from Philmont and boy are my glutes tired. This was our first trip and I’ll try to cover my personal gear, crew gear and my son’s gear. My Tent – Tarptent Aeon – Well, early on at Ponil, I forgot to pull out 1 stake, pulled on the tent and made a major rip where the mesh attaches to the Dyneema. Argh! Tenacious tape kept it usable, but it’s toast. I brought it because people said sites were tight. We had 3 advisers and I got to tent alone. Not true. I could fit my Duplex in every spot I put my Aeon. I planned to sell either the Aeon or Duplex, but now that decision

Yep. That's what we do.

Same here. As hard as I try, it's just not possible. For many scouts, scouting is not the first priority activity. If you don't accept that, then our troop would be VERY small. We do the best we can with the circumstances we have.

We compete with other activities and we're a smaller troop. I've had many activities where we had to make improvised patrols and age is a consideration. Some years we've had enough new scouts to make a new scout patrol. This coming year, we won't. If there's an odd man out situation due to the stupid age thing, then you have to mix things up with another patrol.

This is a good idea. If you drop kids in the middle of the woods like this and ANYTHING goes wrong, you know a Slip and Fall, Give Us a Call lawyer will be all over it.

No, we're on trek 12. Our crew was very split on fishing with some very pro and others not interested.

OK, this was just me and my son, not the whole crew. My wife is part Norwegian, so we took 9 family members on a cruise of Norway. One of the excursions was a hike to 2 glaciers, so my son and I did that. However, our meal back on the cruise ship was a bit better than a Philmeal. 😀 So much for getting my weight under 200 pounds to ride the horses at Philmont. I'll be about 5 over after that cruise.

You'd have to give them a time machine. 😄

Less weight = more happiness. Go with the lighter pack and work on a lower base weight. Mine is around 12 pounds right now. On a budget you can easily be under 15 before crew gear, food and water. My mostly complete list for our 7/28/2019 trek: https://lighterpack.com/r/1y08fv

We did that at Sea Base last year when a situation with 2 scouts on our vessel reached a point where the parent needed to be called. Also, they were told to leave cell phones in the van back at the Sea Base barracks but this scout didn't leave his. The scout refused to turn over the phone so we got the parents to talk to him. Then he turned it over.

Good grief! This just seems insane to me. Please stop playing lawyer ball.

I booked the hotel with the fewest pictures of dead body carpet stains on Yelp in Colorado City, CO. It's a little closer to Philmont than Pueblo.

Lay the rules out ahead of time. If the rules are violated, give the scout the option to lock up the device in a vehicle or go home. You're not stealing it. I'm OK with phones during vehicle travel and having them to contact parents on the way home with our ETA. We're going to Philmont and I have 1 scout with diabetes whose phone works with his insulin pump. He might be on a new device, but his dad is going and they have that worked out. I'd like scouts to be able to take pictures when appropriate. I really only have 1 crew member I'm concerned about not following those rules.

I budgeted for good food in Colorado Springs. We're getting something good before 12 days of "oh this is good only because I'm starving from all the hiking and I have no other choice" backpacking food.

Now that I look at the map, perhaps playing in Colorado Springs for the day and then driving 45 minutes toward Philmont and stay in Pueblo, CO, home to government pamphlets. Hotels look cheaper there and we'd have a shorter drive in the morning.

We’re flying into Denver and are planning something flexible (Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak) in Colorado Springs when we arrive. Most of the crew plans to use Philtents, so we’re looking for a hotel for the 10 of us. We’ll leave early in the morning for our first day of Philmont the next day. Any suggestions for good places to stay in Colorado Springs?

I had PF in both feet at the same time. I had a boot that I wore every night, alternating feet each night. I managed to sleep with it.

I bought this one. Thanks!! https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IBGJKW4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought 2 packs of trash compactor bags and handed them out to the crew to use as liners. I have a nylofume bag for myself. Good advice on the pads.

I'm trying to teach them to use some of the lightweight techniques that modern backpackers are using in their through hikes of the Appalachian Trail and other trails. If backpacking becomes something they want to do after scouts, I want them to know they can go light and enjoy backpacking more. Using Smartwater or other "disposable" bottles is very common among lightweight backpackers. They are surprisingly durable and light. I was told one of our previous scoutmasters took our troop to Philmont and hit the trail with a pack that weighed over 70 pounds. I can only assume he carried a

I told our scouts to pack all of their personal gear in their backpack. Then make sure they had enough space leftover to fit their home bed pillow in the pack. This would ensure there was enough space for food and crew gear. One scout arrived at gear shakedown with a pack that looked completely full. I was worried. He had arrived with the pillow in his pack to prove he had enough space.

We did a gear shakedown and hike today. Many members are missing items. One common thing was not having a waterproof stuff sack for their sleeping bag. I gave them all trash compactor bags to line their packs, which works a heck of a lot better than a pack cover. But, it's critical to keep the sleeping bag dry. Some were missing a fleece or other warm layer for high altitude. I had sent out a link to a great Old Navy fleece that was on sale for dirt cheap early spring, but most ignored that. My son was trying a frameless pack. That isn't going to work. He's going back to his h

I know not every stove is equal, but how much canister fuel should we expect to start with? How often do you restock? We haven't been able to do enough shakedowns to get a good idea. I was able to boil about 5-6 quarts of water in about 13 minutes with our setup. How much water do you need to boil for 10 crew members? I'll have a personal stove for coffee, so I'll have an emergency stash of fuel.