Swimming merit badge

[akanatzar 10]

I am trying to find all the answers to the questions for the swimming merit badge but I cant find them all in the book I bought at the scout shop. Does anyone know where I can find the description for requirement 4?

[LongHaul 10]

Exactly what type of discription are you looking for?

LongHaul

[akanatzar 10]

How do you inflate pants in the water while using it as a float? How do inflate anything in the water?

[scottteng 11]

"4. Demonstrate survival skills by leaping into deep water wearing clothes (shoes, socks, swim trunks, long pants, belt, and long-sleeved shirt). Remove shoes and socks, remove and inflate the shirt, and show that you can float using the shirt for support. Remove and inflate the pants for support. Swim 50 feet using the inflated pants for support, then show how to reinflate the pants while using them for support."

 

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php?title=Swimming

 

not a question just jump in the pool and do it !

[scottteng 11]

Same way you would inflate a baloon or a beach ball blow in em.

[emb021 16]

The clothes need to be wet. If you have the right cloth, the wet clothes can hold water for a period of time. I've used t-shirts when I've inflated and floated around the pool.

 

As to the pants.

 

You need to zip & button them, and tie knots in the ends of the pants legs (this keeps the air from escaping). Then you catch air thru the waist opening and hold it closed.

 

I'm sure there should be pictures in the merit badge pamphlet as well as on-line.

 

 

 

[LongHaul 10]

akanatzar,

If you are a scout then a MBC should be willing to demonstrate this requirement so you can practice and perfect it. It's not hard once you have seen it done. Personally I prefer to leave the shirt on until the pants have been removed. Air can be trapped in the back of the shirt and used to help keep you afloat while removing the pants. Once pants are inflated they wont sink while you remove shirt. The tighter the weave of the cloth, the better the air retention on both pants and shirt. Scout uniforms work nice but the more patches on the shirt the more needle holes.

Longhaul

 

[Lisabob 13]

Agreed that this is something your swimming MBC should be showing you how to do in the pool - no substitute for actually trying it! I never would have believed it would work until I saw it (and tried it myself). It's fun - go experiment. Jeans and traditional scout pants work well, sweat pants a little less well.

 

[FScouter 24]

One way is to hold the pants with the waist open just below the water surface. Then splash your hand down into the water in front of the opening. The bubbles will rise up into the pants inflating them.

 

Up until a couple of years ago this was a first class rank requirement. If you can find an older Scout Handbook, there's a good description, with pictures.