scoutermomks 12 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 This may be a dumb question. I'm attending Woodbadge next month and have received my packet with the equipment list. My concern is with the second weekend. The information I have says we will backpack the "majority" of our gear to the campsites. It isn't a long distance but I'm wondering if they expect us to carry our tents and sleeping bags in addition to our packs. I only have our big 12'x10' family tent and a pretty heavy sleeping bag. I am looking into buying a smaller tent anyway but I'm wondering if I would be the only one there with a huge tent if I don't buy a smaller one before the course. I do plan on talking with the other leaders in my pack who have previously been to Woodbadge but I'd like to know others experiences too. So at your course what size tent did you take? Did you have to carry it to the campsite the second weekend? Link to post Share on other sites
acco40 95 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Part of the course is to "be prepared" and for others not to describe in detail what the course will be like. Scouts should be prepared to backpack and carry their supplies. Don't think of your "pack" as separate from your tent and sleeping bag. See if you can borrow a backpacking tent and / or a backpacking sleeping bag. If not, don't sweat it. Put in your backpack your sleeping bag and tent and what ever else fits or you can carry. If you need to make a separate trip for other gear, my guess is that you can. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutermomks 12 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thanks for the response. I'm not looking to get details about the course, I just don't want to be one of "those women". You know, the one who seems clueless about camping and brings her Taj Mahal-size tent and then has to lug it through the woods I will check with some of the other leaders and see if they have a tent I can borrow or recommend one to me since I'm in the market for a smaller one anyway. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I would ask around to see who has a framed backpack and backpacking tent you can borrow. Check with the troop your pack is affilaited with. Or you can see if you can share a tent with one of your patrol mates, thus not using the big family tent. The other option I have seen on the Cub Scout side of things is the use of a collapsable wagon. Yep I've seen families put everything in a large wagon and pull it along. While it's not backpacking, ifyou look at some of the old BSA literature, patrols DID use wagons to transport gear on their patrol campouts. besides if their is enough room in it, your patrol may want to put everything, or at least the heaviest stuff, and pull it along. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutermomks 12 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Eagle, my husband actually said I should just put everything in our wagon and pull it to the campsite. I gave him an appalled look and told him no, I guess his idea wasn't that far out there! Link to post Share on other sites
The Blancmange 67 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Do you have a troop with whom your pack is affiliated? Ask some of their leaders, or other scouters you know, to borrow a proper pack and tent. If you do borrow a tent, be sure you know how to put it up before you are in the field. I would absolutely not bring the big cabin tent. I'm not sure what part of the midwest you are in, but if this is next month, you may well need the heavy sleeping bag. If you decide you may want to try backpacking in the future and want to buy some equipment, here are some sources with reasonable prices: www.scoutdirect.com www.campmor.com If you really want to look like you know what you are doing, get one of these: www.hennesseyhammock.com Link to post Share on other sites
GKlose 24 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 A 10x12 tent probably wouldn't work out so well, unless you talk to your (future) patrol members and see if they want to share. So here's a hint: likely there will be someone in your patrol associated with a troop who may be able to help you borrow a tent from someone. That same patrol member will probably also help arrange other gear for the patrol (cooking, for example). You'll have some time to talk about those things at a later date. My patrol chose a quartermaster and a grubmaster. One other guy led the project, and we all worked together on the presentation. One meeting, between weekends, and the rest was handled via email. Guy Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Cub_Mom Don't think for a minute that you will be the only person with this concern. Things like this seem to have a way of working themselves out. I would be inclined to put this on the back burner until you get to the course. I feel almost sure that someone from the Patrol you are in will be able to help. Failing that, there is a staff who are there to help and normally have lots of resources. You might of course want to check out any sales that are going on in camping stores in your area. Cheap tents like you might find in K-Mart or the like are a waste of money. But I have had a lot of luck buying good quality tents with as much as 75% off. Good Luck and enjoy the course. Ea. Link to post Share on other sites
BDPT00 41 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Eamonn is right. Don't fret at all until you have a chance to meet with your patrol mates. Your tent could house another patrol member or two. Might be just the right thing to have. You'll have time to share your resources and ideas. It'll all work out. Don't worry. BDPT00 Link to post Share on other sites
trainerlady 10 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I did WB 18 months ago, waiting for a good time for my beading. As others have mentioned you'll have at least 1 or 2 ptrol mates that can help you out with a tent for a weekend. In my patrol 1 member brought 4 backpacking tents for those that didn't have them. We took my 4 man (according to the box)tent too and all shared it for gear and dressing, I slept it in too. As for a pack try REI if you have one near by. Its worth the small (one time) membership fee to be able to rent a couple of pieces of equipment every now and then. They rent a variety of packs and will fit it to you before you go out. If you decide to buy a pack after your rental they apply the rental fee to your purchase. Have fun. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutermomks 12 Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for the tips everyone. I know I'm probably overthinking it so I'm going to just try to not worry about it until I need to. I really wish I hadn't sold my old pack I bought while in Girl Scouts. It probably would have worked fine but at the time I had no idea I'd ever have a need for it again. Link to post Share on other sites
jhankins 10 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Don't go out and buy hard-core gear for Wood Badge. It's okay to borrow things. It is not meant to be a financial burden to attend the course. Link to post Share on other sites
BadenP 93 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 TL REI are you serious? They have the most OVERPRICED camping gear in the country and many times the quality is not even close to the price they charge. It just happens that I have an REI backpack and frame that they sell for $300, last time I checked, and it is pretty nice, used only once, but I only paid $10 for it at a garage sale. You may be surprised how many REI items you can pick up for a fraction of what they charge. Link to post Share on other sites
trainerlady 10 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 BP, Please re-read my post. I recommended REI for RENTING equipment. No one in my area rents but REI. If you want to buy the pack you rented they will put your rental fee toward that purchase. Yeah they may charge more for some stuff, they also cahrge less for a lot of what I have in my store. They also have people that know what the equipment features are, how to fit it and real life plus/minus factors too. Expert asistance can be worth the mark up at times. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 TL, Has your manager thought about hiring young Scouters and Venturers as part-timers? I know when I was a part-timer in college, FT staff would sometimes ask if customers with specific questions would come back when I was on, so I could help them. I know the first time I helped someone outfitting a new scout with backpacking gear, the manager had a conniption after he left b/c I made a lot of honest recommendations on gear and supplies, some of which we sold, some we didn't, and some that could be gotten cheaper elsewhere. I told them what to look for in gear, what to bring when trying out gear, how to properly size, etc. etc. I also told him not to buy anything until he had the scout with him to make sure things would work. Guy didn't buy anything and left, and I got my butt chewed out for not making a sale. About 45-60 minutes later, customer and his new Scout son showed back up with the stuff I recommended he bring for trying out. gear. He made a very large purchase, and son got almost all of the gear he needed from us. Only a few items we either didn't carry, or were on backorder, did he not get. Dad said even though it may be cheaper to go elsewhere and get some of the stuff, with the service he received, and the BSA's lifetime guarentee, it was worth it. From then on camping gear referrals came to me, and when I left the Venturer who replaced me. Link to post Share on other sites
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