Scoutmaster Pacling List for summer camp

[mmallin]

Hi there forum members,

 

This is my first year attending summer camp as SM. Any sage advice on what SM related items to bring to camp outside of personal gear?

 

Thanks for your input!

[evmori]

Let's see. I always took

 

My Woodbadge mailbox

Coffee pot

two burned propane stove and extra bottles

tarp, poles and ropes for my porch

chairs

 

 

there was a bunch of other stuff but I can't remember what it was now.

 

[dg98adams]

A good camp chair...cuz that's where you should spend some quality time.

 

Camera...but don't follow the scouts every where...just pop up, take shots when they don't know you were ever there.

 

Some "Hot Sauce" for the dining hall...toss some crackers/fruit bars in your bag. Comfort food/treats that are factory-sealed might help the homesick Scout you meet on the way to .... wherever.

 

Oh, I usually have a couple of those water-bottle mixes for the water bottle I carry. Not a coffee drinker.

 

I usually have something small to work on (para-cord braid, wooden necker to carve, leather braids, etc...) during low spots. I have always found it's easier to teach a little something when a Scout shows interest in what I'm doing,....without him realizing it.

 

 

Oh yeah, a roll or 2 of Duct Tape and some extra band aids.(This message has been edited by dg98adams)

[Buffalo Skipper]

"Oh yeah, a roll or 2 of Duct Tape and some extra band aids."

Why, if you have Duct Tape, do you need band aids too?

Another thing to bring along is some mind puzzles, toysand such (like the the horseshoe and rings--how do youremove them). Even scouts from other troops will show an interest in figuring out what is in your bag of tricks.

[shortridge]

Maalox, Pepto, Rogaine and an extra (secret backup) roll of TP.

[resqman]

Bring something to occupy yourself during the slower times.

 

I bring some neckerchief blanks for carving, rope for knot and splicing, leatherworking supplies.

 

Bring an alarm clock for you and one for the SPL. Bring a pad and pen for the SPL. Extra batteries for your flashlight.

 

Couple of our leaders brought their fishing gear and caugt a few big ones. Last year, the camp held a SM cobbler cook-off. We brought the dutch ovens and ingrediants for the winning cobbler.

 

I agree that you need to bring a camera and pop in on the various classes to get pictures of your scouts in action. Great for the Eagle COH.

 

A book and headlight to read yourself to sleep at night.

 

We stock extra bandaids, calimine lotion, gold bond powder, insect sting, and sunscreen in the troop first aid kit to handle the increase. Tell to the scouts to change out of their wet swim trunks after each session or they will get chapped thighs and walk around like cowboys the rest of the week.

 

I also bring stuff to keep the scouts interested during their down time. We brought ~100 bamboo poles and a bale of binders twine so they could lash a gateway, camp gadget, etc. I bring along my rope making machine so they can make rope.

 

I bring along all my leatherworking tools. I have more leatherworking stuff than most of the BSA camps I have attended. I offer impromptu leatherworking. Big hit with the first years.

 

I bring a few extra wood carving tools. I carve neckerchief slides in a chair within eyesight of the scouts. They tend to come over, watch, and ask questions. The next day many buy kits from the trading post and give it a try. Some try on their own and some come back and ask for pointers. At least six of our scouts carved, painted, and wore slides they made that week.

 

I keep some jerky and p'nut butter crackers in my daypack. The new scouts often slump in the afternoons. They get cranky due to low blood sugar. A snack helps bring up the blood sugar and they do much better.

 

Some camps have a Scoutmaster Merit Badge. Usually it is a list of 20-25 items and you have to complete 12-15 to get the badge. Usually things like attend Safe Swim Defense & LNT classes, help out for a meal or two in the dining hall, help out at a merit badge class, sit in the lifeguard chair for a session, help out in the new scout program, work on camp project, etc. Some camps have a mandatory subset of items that must be completed. This year one of the mandatory items was take a nap. Working the SM badge forces you to sample the camp and check on your scouts. It can take some scheduling to get it all accomplished.

[Twocubdad]

Resqman's got a pretty good list. Our troop is big on both leatherwork and woodcarving. I handle the carving stuff and an ASM is into leather. (That doesn't sound good, but who knows, maybe he is?) Here's some more:

 

I like a carpet remnant for the floor of the cabin tent. A TV table makes an easy night stand for your alarm clock, lantern and the junk you dump out of your pockets at night.

 

A big kitchen knife, as someone is sure to send a watermelon.

 

5-6 Coleman lanters, fuel and mantels. Our site has a big pavillion. We hang the lanters from the rafter at night so the guys can hang out and play cards, etc.

 

Citronella candles for the bugs. Walmart had tiki torches on sale 2/$5 the week before camp so we took a dozen and scattered them around the campsite. Helped with the bugs and looked cool, but I kept looking for someone to vote off the island.

 

Along the same lines, I have a box of solar landscape lights we put around camp. I found them on sale at Lowe's for $20. We put them by the latrine, the adult tents and the SPL's tent. The light is handy (no so bright that it keeps me up) and it's nice to tell the little guys if they have a problem in the middle of the night just look for the lights.

 

I take a few office supplies - stapler, scissors, hole punch, tape, etc.

 

T-2-1 program stuff if any of the new guys have spare time and want to work on requirements - the rope tub, ax yard stuff, first aid training stuff, etc.

 

Cleaning supplies -- our campsite has one be trough-style sink for everything from tooth brushing to sock washing. We give it a once over ever day with Lysol spray. We also have a Mack Daddy bottle of liquid hand washing soap and a small bottle of dishwashing detergent by the sink. We also keep a mega bottle of hand sanitizer in the pavillion.

 

We have a tub at the hut of misc. picnic stuff (plates, forks) and we throw that in the trailer. Never know when someone's mom is going to send up a birthday cake.

 

Rechargable/battery hair clippers. Yes you read that correctly. Camp hair cuts are a big tradition with us. The more odd the better. Mowhawks are big. So are having the troop number carved on the sides of your head. We'll have 4-6 kids from other troops wander into camp every night looking for a buzz. The first cut is free. We charge for taking it down clean before you go home.

 

Bulletin board with the master schedule and the class schedule. We also have a white board and markers where we post key info.

 

I have a camp notebook with all the admin stuff for the week. Rosters with emerg. numbers (camp nurse keeps the med forms so I like having the contact info) and a separate "cheat sheet" with key medical info like allergies and medications, list of the driver coming to get us, schedules of all sorts, advancement stuff (like a "nights camping" report so we can verify the 20 nights for the guys taking Camping MB). All the check-in info is in one place so I hand it all over Sunday afternoon.

 

I run off a stack of troop rosters for the SPL's general use. This year we had an honest-to-Pete camp wide emergence "THIS IS NOT A DRILL" stuff, and our SPL was Johnny-on-the-spot with a written check list showing all our Scout accounted for.

 

Have fun at camp!

[desertrat77]

Great topic!

 

- Simple lock box to keep the scouts' medications in

- Skeeter net

- One of those portable clear plastic carry cases for all the files...also keeps the rain out

- A football and frisbee...helps the scouts burn off excess energy during free time

 

 

Good luck!

[CA_Scouter]

Wow, lots of great idea here.

 

Ditto on the hot sauce. You'll never look at pancakes in the same way again. Woohoo.

 

We've taken to bringing a Brita water filter 'cause the camp has galvanized pipes and the water has that 'metal' taste to it.

 

I usually bring a couple of bags of Jolly Ranchers ( hard candy ) and toss those out to scouts as I walk thru camp during the day. Needless to say I'm a pretty popular guy. ;-)

 

 

[Herms]

Welcome! All the things previously mentioned are awesome ideas. Things to add:

 

- Extra water bottles (which disappear all week)

 

- In addition to leatherworking tools, buy several rolls of lacing material. The boys will spend hours in camp making lanyards

 

- Extra bucket for soaking those Basketry reeds

 

- Tote'n Chip supplies to go over it AGAIN (now there is another thread) after they attend the T-2-1 class

 

- Stamps and make up a fill in the blanks funny postcard to mail home (ie. circle one - the bugs are small medium large HUGE) and have the boys fill it in and mail it on Tuesday (many parents and boys love them and they end up in scrape books).

[resqman]

The troop brings several shade tarps. We set up the tarp and move the picnic table underneath. We break out the 5 gallon drink coolers and mix up some bug juice/gatordae. Leave the cooler on the table. SPL creates schedule for refilling. Encourages fluid intake. This year we had plastic steins printed with BSA logo and troop number. Issued a cup to each scout first day. Wrote their name with a sharpie on the side. Every scout has a reusable cup.

 

Latrine cleaning kit. We have a plastic tote with scrub brush, toilet plunger, broom, bottle of bleach, garden hose, hose spray nozzle, etc. Duty rotates daily to clean the latrines.

 

Watermelon and knife for midweek cracker barrel. Enough chemical light sticks one for each person. Makes a fun night time activty one night.

 

A couple of bear bells. We seem to always have one sleepwalker in the crowd. Tie the tent flaps shut and tie bear bell to each end of tent. If scout gets up in the middle of night, the bells jingle and alert leadership to look for wandering scout.

 

Lost and Found tub: Plastic tub with lid marked Lost and Found. All items found lying about the campsite get tossed in the tub. SPL opens tub and asks for takers at role call. Scouts wander by and check tub if something goes missing.

 

Super Strength Spider Spray: A spray can of insecticide with a picture of a spider on the side. When nervous scout reports the appearance of bugs and spiders in tent, the megadeath Super Spider Spray is applied to the tent by adult leadership in a flourish so all can witness it has been applied to the affected tent. Let it be known far and wide, the tent has been treated and is now safe to be entered and used. Must have a picture on the can or they will not trust you.

 

A large clock. Hang the clock in the shelter so all can see the correct camp time so they have one less excuse to be late for all functions.

 

Twine. Each scout should bring his own rope/twine to set up a clothes line but somehow they overlook that feature. Each tent can tie up a clothes line inside the tent or between nearby trees to dry towels, swimgear and other damp items. Counts as camp improvement and gains points toward honor campsite award. Points are usually deducted for clothes hung on the tent guylines. Camps typically claim it puts too much strain on the guy line and tent causing tent failure.

[AvidSM]

I would bring a three ring binder with all the camp paperwork in it. I had a spreadsheet made up to keep track of which boys were taking what merit badges. It had all the boys names in the rows and the merit badges offered at camp in the columns.

 

As a boy told me which merit badge he was going for, I would put a circle in the box under that merit badge. When the boy told me he completed the badge, I drew one slash in the circle. When I finally go the blue card, I drew another slash to make an "X". Boys would change their mind early in the week, so I would fill the circle in.

 

I also had information on each boy, showing what requirements or merit badges they needed for advancement to the next rank. That way, I could advise them on what they needed to do during the week to advance. In some cases, it came down to the number of Eagle required merit badges a boy could take that week.

[meschen]

One thing I haven't seen listed: A good hammock!

[boomerscout]

hammock? if you're bringing a hammoch, then you also need to bring a helmet, elbow & knee pads. Expect a daily sneak attack throwing you out of the hammock.

after we clean the latrine, we hang a couple flystrips and a pine scented air freshener