The Campaign Hat/staff

[dancinfox 10]

I just checked the new NYLT Syllabus. On page 32 of the NYLT Staff Development Guide it states.

UNIFORMS

NYLT staff and participants should have both their Boy Scout field uniforms and activity unifomrs as clothing for a course. The Scoutmaster and senior patrol leader will determine the uniform appropriate for each NYLT activity. (Field uniforms are normally worn for troop assemblies, evening meals, and evening activities.)

 

Since the course supports the local roles of Scouts, NYLT staff and participants should wear the niforms of their home troops. Temporary emblems of offices held during the course can be pinned to the uniform or worn as armbands. Some councils also may make available special uniform items-NYLT neckercheifs, T-shirts, and/or hats, for example-to be used as part of the official uniform during an NYLT course.

 

Uniforms worn by youth and adult staff should follow the same standards as those of participants. Staff may elect to wear indentical staff hats.

 

COMPASS POINT Each Scout who attends will do so as a representative of his home troop and will wear the uniform and insignia of his home troop.

 

In reading this my take would be that the youth staff would wear campaign hats if the adults wore them. Otherwise you could wear a special hat made for the course. If only adults are going to wear campaign hats, then you would not be following the syllabus.

Dancin

[EagleBeaver 10]

Sliding off topic some, but it helps a little if you keep your receipts for expense deductions come tax time. Travel, uniform, food, other expenses required to fulfill your volunteering role may be tax deductible.

 

[dan 10]

Vicki

You may want to check out this thread.

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=74205

Has anyone here purchased a hat from him yet?

 

[flowerchild 10]

I did, in December, but have not received it yet.

[VentureScoutNY 10]

 

I ordered 3 in December and have not recieved them either... I trust, since BP is a scouter that we can all trust him in delievering them soon. I just sent him another personal e-mail this morning to see what he's up to.

 

Vicki, if/when we recieve them I'd def say order one from him, since BP is selling them for $10 each plus shipping. It is a good deal.(if I actually ever get them)

 

I would also keep my eyes on Ebay, I have purchased quite a few from ebay all for under $30. ALSO, are there any scouters that you know with the same head size? You can always look into borrowing one from someone...

 

YIS

[dancinfox 10]

Vicki,

As I posted previously, I would think unless the course director is willing to buy all the youth staff a campaign hat, that the total staff would not wear them. In the Wood Badge syllabus it states that everyone wear the hat of their program or the course can have one hat for the course. This would mean that a Cub Scouter on Staff wouldn't be able to wear a campagin hat, or a venturer too. I think National is trying to put the emphasis on the training more than the traditions.

Dancin

[Vicki 11]

Dancin, I don't know if they heard you from wherever you are but I just found out that the Woodbadge staff in our district will not be wearing the campaign hat this spring.

 

No word yet on NYLT but I wouldn't be surprised if they go the same direction.

 

Vicki

[jackmessick 10]

In my council (Grand Teton Council, GTC), the NYLT staff (youth and adult) wears a reddish-orange beret that they are given. They are military surplus from some other country, not the Boy Scout berets from the 1970s.

 

For Woodbadge, GTC has an custom embroidered ball cap that was given to both staff and students, for free (well, I guess the students paid for them all through the course fees).

 

I think this is the way to go; I am surprised that any course director would put a $90-plus cost on volunteer staff. I am glad they changed their minds about this.

 

Twenty years ago, my home council put on a one week program called Brownsea Double-two. This referred to the island where Baden-Powell first experimented with scouting in August of 1907 (or maybe it was 1908--my mind is fuzzy now), and the 22 boys he brought on this camping trip. In the spirit of the old days of Scouting, the council bought Marine Corps-surplus campaign hats for everybody, staff and students. I don't know what it cost, although I remember the Course Director and the Council's Chief Executive having something of an argument over the cost. Most troops who have hung onto this hat out of tradition find the military surplus as well--no boy can afford a $90 hat.

 

jack messick

[fotoscout 15]

You gotta love this hat stuff ! ! !

 

I bought one on ebay. It is almost 50 years old and in great condition. All I had to do was brush off the dust and condition the leather hat band. It even came with some history.

 

I think I paid $42.00 + shipping.

 

[sm143 10]

Hey, got my hat at a Military Vehicle show for $10.00. They were slightly used, but the guy had piles of them. A little investigation turned up a number of military surplus dealers selling them for 30-40 dollars, new. Same hat, different band. You can buy the leather band at your Scout Shop.

[crgholthus 10]

Hat is excellent!! Order it a little big. You can role paper for it to fit in winter,but in the summer take it out.(Not as hot,then.

Same quality as when I was in the service.

[Vicki 11]

Well, the campaign hat is now a thing of the past in my council, anyway. Went to NYLT orientation this weekend - we'll be wearing the same ballcap as the boys, ours will just say "staff" on it.

 

As I mentioned earlier, they had already gone this way for the spring Wood Badge course.

 

Vicki

[paschalljf 10]

As a CM with a slight addiction to "old School/ Vintage" scout gear (Yucca Packs, Old Mess Kits, etc), I've recently purchased a Campaign Hat (Ebay, $20). However, I am not sure if it is appropriate for me to wear this at Cub function. Can anyone provide some guidance?

[Aardvark 10]

Why Not!

 

Your Cubs will be sure to ask you about it-good way of teaching them about the history of Scouting!

 

I'm Old School also- in my past, the Sccoutmaster always wore the "Smokey" hat!

[Scouts61 10]

Our Troop made the decision that we wanted to go "old" style by going all campaign hats. We've been using them for a year now (from vtarmynavy) and have no issues with them. It's amazing how the boys stand out when wearing them. Many of the scouts I see out there today are wearing no headgear at all. What a shame. We have the scouts family pay half the cost and the troop picks up the other half, making it affordable for all. With orders over $100 they offer free shipping, so it works out to a little over $30 each. I know they're not "official" but at $94 a pop, it just wouldn't have been possible.