The new uniform.

[Tokala 16]

"I'm curious - one of the main changes being touted seems to be the roll-up tabs to secure long sleeves in place. Do you find that many Scouts or Scouters are buying those long-sleeved shirts?"

 

In over 30 years of Scouting, I have yet to buy, or wear a long-sleeved uniform shirt. I suppose living in Florida all of that time has about 100% to do with it.

[BaldEagle641 10]

"They" really got us with this new uniform!

 

They released the switchback pants that everyone really liked and then put them on sale 2 for 1. What a great deal right? Wrong. Stay with me here....

 

The new uniform will have the switchback pants too.

 

PROBLEM: The new pants are a different color and the old pants can not be used with the new uniforms.

 

I got this news from the Scout Store when I tried to exchange my new pants for the correct sized pants. They said they are no longer making the "old" switchbacks and I can not get the wrong size exchanged for the new size (34 x30) that would fit me.

 

If I could only lose another 15 pounds I could get into my circa 1977 pants and shirt! At least I have a complete set there.

 

Don't even get me started about popcorn...... I'll try that in another forum.

[scoutmomma 10]

I always thought that it was easier to buy two shirts.

 

 

Easier maybe, but less of an impact on the pocketbook to buy one short-sleeved shirt and wear it over a long-sleeved undershirt in the winter. If parents ask whether to go with long or short sleeves, we recommend short sleeves for that very reason. Out of 45-odd Scouts in my son's troop over the past four years, only two or three ever got a long-sleeved shirt.

 

 

[scoutmomma 10]

PROBLEM: The new pants are a different color and the old pants can not be used with the new uniforms.

 

 

The brochure says "each piece transitions to mix and match with your current uniform."

 

[FScouter 24]

" got this news from the Scout Store when I tried to exchange my new pants for the correct sized pants. They said they are no longer making the "old" switchbacks and I can not get the wrong size exchanged for the new size (34 x30) that would fit me."

 

Of course you can't get a different size of a discontinued product. The supply division may have some. Or ask to return them for a refund and then buy the new style.

 

From the Scoutstuff website: http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/contactus.aspx

Our promise to you

You are the final judge of our products. If, for any reason, you are dissatisfied with any item purchased from the Boy Scouts of America, you can either exchange the item for a replacement or receive a full and complete refund. No questions asked.

Give them a call; the phone number is on the website.

 

[Gold Winger 9]

"Easier maybe, but less of an impact on the pocketbook to buy one short-sleeved shirt and wear it over a long-sleeved undershirt in the winter"

 

We've been over this before. I knew a woman who frequently complained about the cost of Scouting, later she told me that she had spent over $400 for her son's high school ring. Talk about sill expense. I know no one who wore their high school ring for more than a couple years after graduation.

 

$100 a pair for sneakers, not to play basketball but to walk around the street. $35 for a Scout shirt, that's too much.

 

$400 for the new game console but $120 for a decent pack is too much.

 

$50 is okay for a new video game but for boots they go to Wal-Mart and get the $40 pair.

[BaldEagle641 10]

The employee at the Scout Store said the old pants (current style) can NOT be worn with the new uniform. He also said that ANY official uniform remains official, but parts such as shirts and pants are NOT interchangeable.

 

The store will let me return the pants or exchange it for something else, they just can't supply the correct size in the old style (current style?) switchbacks and the new ones are not in. Fortunately, I still have shorts and slacks that are still in great shape. I was looking forward to something a little cooler to wear.

 

[Gold Winger 9]

Your Scout Shop people really need to read what BSA publishes. I quote from the BSA release about the new uniform

 

"The high-performance, multifunctional new shirts and pants run the gamut from looking good at ceremonies to getting out therehiking, camping, and getting involved. Loaded with pockets (some big enough to hold your Fieldbook), zippers (converting pants to shorts), gadget loops, and more, youll want it all! However, each piece transitions to mix and match with your current uniform."

[FScouter 24]

The new uniform parts will be available soon and I'm sure there will be more formal guidance about wearing it too. Until then we have one line found in the official brochure: "Transitional pieces to mix and match with your current uniform." What is a transitional piece?

[OldGreyEagle 5]

From the Ad on the BSA Scout Stuff web page on the new uniform it says:

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/info.aspx?page=bsauniformmain

 

"Transitional pieces to mix and match with your current uniform."

 

Sounds to me like the new and present uniforms may be worn together. If there is one thing I have learned in Scouting, its not to beleive a whole bunch of what I get told, but to see what is in writing, and them to verify if possible.

 

And beyond that, what will happen if a scouter mixes parts and its determined that they should not? Heck, we have people running around in jeans and people think its ok.

 

I love the slogan "Get it On, Get Out"

 

 

I just wish I didnt have T.Rex's lyrics running around inside my head every time I see it

 

 

[ScoutNut 147]

Suprise! - The employee at your Scout Shop is WRONG!

 

As quoted here, BSA specificaly states in it's promotional materials for the new uniform that it CAN be mixed and matched with the old uniform.

 

Also, as stated here, your best bet is to contact National Supply. You might be able to get a replacement (they also might be able to find out if any other Scout Shop near you has your size), or a refund from them.

 

Once again, you can contact National Supply here -

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/contactus.aspx

 

Otherwise you can wait until mid-August, get a new pair and have them hemmed.

[scoutmomma 10]

We've been over this before. I knew a woman who frequently complained about the cost of Scouting, later she told me that she had spent over $400 for her son's high school ring. Talk about sill expense. I know no one who wore their high school ring for more than a couple years after graduation.

 

Much as I might take issue with how others spend their money, it's not my call to tell a parent that. It's hard enough to get some of them to buy a pair of Scout pants to go with the shirt. If they're telling me they're only going to buy one shirt, and want to know if they should go long or short sleeve, I'm going to tell them to go with short sleeves. The parents know their sons resist wearing the uniform as it is -- they're not going to buy two shirts the kid won't want to wear. I wouldn't.

 

As far as where the parents are getting their kids' gear and how much they're spending on it -- that's simply not an issue in this troop -- they're not buying boots at WalMart or packs at Target, they're going to REI and Eastern Mountain Sports.

[Gold Winger 9]

"Much as I might take issue with how others spend their money, it's not my call to tell a parent that"

 

That may be true but I really get tired of the whining about "we can't afford this."

 

 

[scoutmomma 10]

GW, I never said anything about whether or not it was affordable. The point was that you said it was easier to buy both a long-sleeved shirt and a short-sleeved shirt rather than wearing a short-sleeved shirt over a long-sleeved sweatshirt, and I said it had less of an impact on the pocketbook to only buy one shirt. If you took that as "whining" that "we can't afford this," then you were inferring something that wasn't there.

[Gold Winger 9]

Not buying any uniform would have even less impact on the pocketbook.

 

If you buy a second shirt for $35 and the Scout gets two years out of it, that's about $1.50 a month.

 

If you're paying for unlimited text messaging on your kid's cell phone, that's about $10 a month.