Overseas Cap

[VentureScoutNY 10]

When it comes to policy I have come to the impression that any headgear made by the BSA can be worn with the current unifom.

But anyway...since I became a boy scout i wore both the campaign hat and the overseas hat. In fact i became quite noticeable throughout my council for being the scout that wore the overseas hat, since I was the only one who semed to wear one. Anyway I wore it and wore it proudly. I wish they would bring a hat like that back because it makes scouts look a little more official. I got many compliments from adults and scouts alike when i wear it. Recently when I joined a Venture Crew i took an old kelly green explorer hat and replaced its patch with the Venture patch. It looks great! I gues thats all for now just wanted to start posting some things I thought would be interesting.

 

If anyone hasn't been to this site, it's a great one that gives policy and all that good stuff.

 

http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/hats.htm

 

VentureScoutNY

[Scoutmaster Ron 12]

As an adult leader I personally wouldn't mind wearing the overseas cap also

[Fat Old Guy 11]

The field hat (the official BSA name for the "overseas cap") may look nice but has nearly no value as a hat. It provides no shade, mimimal protection from the rain and little in the way of warmth.

 

 

[VentureScoutNY 10]

True..the hat does not have much use..but it looks great..much more official than the ball caps in my opinion. but I do understand the point that it has no use. and when i wear it out in the sun i always get the V tan!!

[willysjeep 10]

I bought one recently for a 15 year old guy I was on summer camp staff with. He wanted one because he collected pins, and you can wear a few more pins on an overseas cap and not look like a dork. They sell for a few bucks on E-bay. Nice, but I like my surplus store campaign hat just as well. I don't understand why I can find a hat that meets all the BSA specifications (size, shape, material, made in USA) that costs under 1/3 of what the BSA wants for their official hat. Beats a $20 ball cap with some wild logo and an FDL stuck in there. More "scoutly" too. It seems like the new uniform stuff is like "stealth uniforming" in that it meets some basic requirments but looks too civilian to be easily identified as boyscout stuff. Yeah, I miss them good ol' days, and I didn't even get to live them the first time. I'm like the Don Quixote of scouting, 20 years old and remenescing about how it was in 1920......

[Bob White 20]

If twisting a piece of leather is a source of pride for you, then more power to you. Eamonn asked for the correct way.

[Fat Old Guy 11]

"If twisting a piece of leather is a source of pride for you, then more power to you. Eamonn asked for the correct way."

 

Very profound.

[willysjeep 10]

Ok, now i'm lost. What did I miss?

[eagle54 10]

The overseas cap - I wore it as a Scout. It is a cap that can be tuched over the belt. I those days we had scout shoes.

 

In wood badge in the 1980 we wore the red burea. I still have it plus the 1970's green cap.

 

 

[fgoodwin 23]

I was never in the military, but I thought these were called "garrison caps"?

[Fat Old Guy 11]

The envelope cap was adopted during WW I to replace the campaign hat and was restricted to soldiers serving outside the US, hence the name. In 1940, the Army authorized wearing the "garrison" cap in the US as well as overseas so the name needed to change. From the name, we can assume that the garrison cap was for wear in "garrison" where the billed service cap or campaign hat would be impractical. The overseas cap had at least three styles during WW I, a few styles between wars, more wartime styles, a Marince corps style, and the Navy style (the correct one by my way of thinking).

 

The Boy Scouts called the cap a "field cap."

 

Oh yeah, let's not forget the less polite names for the cap.

 

 

[VentureScoutNY 10]

 

FOG, what yould those less polite names for the field cap be?

[John-in-KC 311]

Mr Venture,

 

You DO NOT want to know. F O G's "less polite" is on the mild side. The names are far beyond the boundaries of polite society conversation.

 

John

contemplating retirement from the Armed Forces after 24 years active and reserve service.

 

PS: When I was a Scout, I used my dad's patrol cap (baseball cap with woolen ear flaps) for camp and backpacking. Mother Army brought it back with battle dress in 1980. It, along with the boonie hat, are what I still use even now.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)