Webelos uniform for the boy, pants and belt for me Guess the $$$$$

[Bob White 20]

cost of values and scouting memories....PRICELESS

[madkins007 10]

Yeah, they are.

 

However, surely we can offer the benefits without the heavy overhead.

 

I can set a boy up for a 3-season weekend camp or a summer camp for a song by combining home-made gear, using alternative materials, etc. This is one of the most popular classes at Pow Wow.

 

We can rent stuff for backpacking or other higher expense activities.

 

We cannot do alternative methods with uniforming. We can't make our own, use look-a-likes, create a dress code, etc. Sure, we can do used, but that just means someone else paid full price.

 

We did strongly support full uniforms, and I wore full uniform but I remain unconvinced that the program the Scouts enjoy would suffer in any way if we did dress codes for the pants and offered some other options.

[AkelaT 10]

It seems expensive until you itemize it out like Bob did, and most boys (parents) keep that uniform and present it to the boy years later as a momento of those events with all the badges earned from a whole lot of work and great memories. Have you ever bought your kid a musical instrument because they beg you and beg you, then they play it a few times and say thats too hard, there goes $300 or more for nought.

 

You can always find used uniforms in thrift shops,uniform banks, ebay etc., my first uniform I found at Goodwill and it was hardly even worn, after getting it cleaned and pressed it looked brand new, cost shirt, belt, and pants $10, cleaning $8.50. I still have that uniform and wear it as my outdoor and spare. Remember a scout is thrifty. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Tami the Mom 10]

We got our son the tan shirt for Christmas just before he went on to Boy Scouts. We bought it a size bigger than he needs just yet so that he won't need another new one next year. He's going to wear this one until he can't buttin the buttons anymore! Luckily he has a younger cousin who should grow into it about the same time he grows out of it.

 

 

Hmmmm....I should have made my sister pay half. Sure, now I think of it.

[evmori 11]

Cost of uniform

 

soccer 120/12=$10 per event

 

Cubscouts 107.3/104=$1.03 per event

 

Scouting uniform approx. 10X less expensive than the soccer uniform

 

# of recognition in a season

Soccer probably 1

Cub Scouts (minimum) 12

 

104? Where did that number come from?

 

It would be more like

Uniform $107.30

Dues $5/month (for 3 years) $180.00

Summer Camp (for 3 years) $600.00

TOTAL $887.30

Number of events Max 72

$887.30/72 = $12.32 per event

 

Remember, there are other costs associated with Scouting that are not associated with sports.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[madkins007 10]

Typical costs associated with Scouting:

 

(Controlled by BSA)

Uniform shirt(s)

Unit T-shirt

Uniform accessories (neckerchief, belt, socks, nametag, etc.)

Uniform pants/shorts

Handbook

Scout camping fees, inc. summer camp and camporees

Registation, insurance

Boy's Life

Dues

 

(Not controlled by BSA)

Camping gear (lumped for convenience)

Other camping fees and admissions

Special event admissions

Food (camping, road, snacks, etc.)

Fair share of unit costs (usually paid via dues or fund-raising, including training, library, props, etc.)

 

 

 

 

Ok, now what of these items is REQUIRED for a Scouting experience? NOT what National says we need, but what we know from experience benefits a Scout and helps him have lifetime memories and values?

 

We don't need to compare ourselves against the military, sports, bands, etc. because it is comparing apples and aardvarks. They are not primarily there to provide character development through an outdoor program. Most of them do not operate all year on as many levels as we do.

 

What we OUGHT to be doing is to maximize the Scouting impact and minimize the overhead. A Scout is Thrifty. We are loosing numbers as the cost of living continues to climb. The pants would be just a small thin in the overall picture, but it would be a start.

 

 

 

 

 

[Its Me 10]

Good points Madkins007. Its hard to reconcile "a scouts is thrifty" when you walk into the scout store to buy a uniform.

 

The friendly lady at the scout store will tell you that your scout needs matching shirt & pants. Ok! And a belt and hat hmmmmm! Also a kerchief, a slide and a pair of Socks. Patches identifying your Den, pack and Council . And a 500-page instruction book with 100+ color photos.

Ouch!

 

Oh and you are his den leader? Then double all the above.

 

 

 

[FScouter 24]

Oh, the horrors ! Tsk, tsk, tsk.

[madkins007 10]

Yeah, F-Scouter, I know. It isn't the end of the world, or even one of the top issues facing Scouting right now. It is not even a new issue, having been a bone of contention in one way or another for at least 40 years that I know of.

 

One could argue that things are different now- more pressure on recruiting and families, more competition for the spending money and free time. I am not sure I can sell that, however. Things were pretty tough in the 70's as well and Scouting survived.

 

I have to admit that one part of this is a personal hot button for me. I really, really hate being nickeled and dimed. I detest it when school sets us down in a tuition conference and tells us what the bill is going to be, then all year we keep feeding into the machine. Am I the only one that feels a creeping numbness/irritation when people start reciting lists of expenses?

 

I hate getting new glasses or cars and getting the total, then getting the litany for add-ons... and add-ons... and another... and another...

 

It ticked me off in volleyball when, after paying the fees and uniform costs, we kept getting hit for tourneys, for fundraisers, for admission fees...

 

I go to the Scout Shop for the uniform, then find I have to buy socks, handbook, neckerchief, slide, CSP, Unit Numerals, belt... Then I get hit for camping food, camping fees, new sleeping bag... summer camp, more uniforms... replace lost and worn gear... A full uniform may be important for a Scouting youth, but a full wallet or checkbook is CRITICAL for the Scout parent. It sometimes feels like it is SOMETHING at EVERY meeting!

 

 

 

Man, I LOVED it when I worked at a local Scout Shop and they did a 'package deal' for any troop or pack that worked with us- tell us your Scout's size and unit, and our staff would pull up a gear list and slap together the complete package, and add a 10% off coupon. We could tell you over the phone, to the penny, what the package would cost. For some of the larger units, we pre-bagged everything but the shirt and pants/shorts for even greater speed and simplicity.

 

It was a little thing, but there were no surprises, no sticker shock. It was the model our pack followed- one price for dues, no additional fees (other than a few pre-stated exceptions) period. (I already know that this would not work in a troop as well. Dang!)

 

We are trying to make it as a working family in the middle of the 'low income' range and we managed to fund pretty much everything, including a trip to Philmont. We made do, and my son always had a decent, complete uniform. It did not keep us away, and I know it is not a barrier to millions of other families.

 

That does not make it a good idea, fun, or even right. I strongly think that one aspect of any new platform of the BSA OUGHT to be a return to 'A Scout is Thrifty' and a softer financial impact on families.

 

 

 

 

[FScouter 24]

"I have to admit that one part of this is a personal hot button for me. I really, really hate being nickeled and dimed."

 

I'm with you on that one, and all your examples. I'd rather see the annual registration fee get bumped to $40 a head, with a reduction in the numerous other hits. Same income for BSA, less frustration for members.

[Hunt 11]

I see two sides to this. On one side, I do think the uniforms are pretty expensive compared to similar clothing. Every time I go to the Scout shop, I hear almost all the people in line say, "HOW much did you say?"

 

On the other hand, I think Scouting overall gives extremely good value for the money. I don't think you can compare it to rec soccer. I'd compare it to the more competitive club soccer. My daughter is on such a soccer team, and it is way more expensive than scouting. Similarly, I think scout camp is dirt cheap compared to most summer sleepaway camps.

 

I think the high cost of uniforms is sort of an internal PR problem for Scouting. It creates a persistent low-level grumbling, and probably contributes to some of the lack of full uniforming we see. I wish BSA would change it, but in the grand scheme I don't think it makes Scouting too costly compared to other activities of the same caliber.

[kittle 10]

When I bought my son's Webelos uniform, I bought it in pieces.

 

I had bought the shirt on ebay sometime before: $4.00

The pants, I found at a yardsale : $3.00

I used all the patches from his blue shirt : no additional cost

Belt, used the one that he had in CS : no cost

Hat I bought it new at Scout Shop : ?

Webelos colors, from Scout Shop : ?

 

When he crossed over into Boy Scouts:

Shirt -- Webelos still fit

Red loops -- off shirt from neighbor

neckerchief -- from pack

slide -- I bought

pants -- ebay for $14 bucks including shipping

belt -- had to buy a new one because on the neighbor gave him

didn't fit

Shorts -- were given to us by a DE that knew my son didn't have a pair

Sash -- $7

 

Over all we have been pretty lucky, but I have known what he would need and watched yard sales and ebay for them. In the process of getting cheap shirts for my son, some boys in my Webelos den have benefitted. Two of them are wearing shirts that I picked up at sales for $3 or less/each. At one sale, the only reason I looked for a shirts was because they had their son's Webelos book thrown on the ground with a pile of toys.

 

Cheap uniform methods are out there, you just have to willing to look for them.

 

Kittle

 

 

[madkins007 10]

I applaud and do 'alternative buying' for uniforms, etc. and that is wonderful. Unit uniform banks can help a ton as well.

 

None of that changes the detail that someone, somewhere paid full price with no other options- no patterns, no look-a-likes, etc.

 

 

[John-in-KC 311]

To add on to Mr Madkins comments directly above,

 

 

... and with cloth, construction, fit, and finish that are perfectly suitable for ...

 

CUE DERISIVE COMMENT FROM Robert Stephenson Smythe Baden-Powell, Lord Baden Powell of Gilwell:

 

"...PARLOR SCOUTING!!!"

[madkins007 10]

A thought struck me when I noticed the frequency of sports uniform comments...

 

How many uniforms does the average Scout/Scouter go through, including those owned simultaneously?

 

As an adult leader, I had, at any given time, 3 shirts, a dozen T-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, about 8 pairs of socks (not sure why), and several accessories. I know a lot of boys heading to camp, training sessions, etc. own two sets.

 

Multiple copies of the uniform just aggrevate the nickel and diming issues.