How many weekends does your unit camp?

[jtswestark 11]

Just had a very interesting discussion with another adult leader that was bragging how his SM hasn't missed a meeting or campout in about 15 years. WOW! That's some serious nights! Then it comes to light they meet twice a month and campout 6 months out of the year.

 

He was shocked when I told him my old troop meets weekly except for on holidays and a brief 4 week hiatus in the summer. Weekend camping 9 months ouf of the year, at least 7 of those two nighters. Plus a full week at summer camp that has never been missed.

 

SO... it got me wondering which is more of the norm: how many weekends per year do your units camp?(This message has been edited by jtswestark)

[Old_OX_Eagle83 212]

All told, including District and Council events, about 16 weekends a year. Scouting is all about outing in my opinion. Most of us also do some trainings, and OA events, personally I hit over 20 weekends a year.

[KenDavis500 69]

1 weekend/month (except for summer camp month) + 1 high adventure camp/year

 

So 11 weekends total.

[eagle90 125]

We finished our year with 9 weekend (2 night) campouts, ten one day/evening activities, 7 night Summer Camp, a week at Sea Base, and 35 troop meetings. We meet at a school, so do not have regular troop meetings during summer months.

[resqman 108]

10 2-nite campouts a year, 1 week of summer camp, 1 high adventure trip a year.

Troop meetings once a week except July with no meetings. The troop runs its own YLT 2-nite campout twice a year. Eagle projects and community service projects are additional commitments.

[qwazse 4342]

We meet weekly every evening that the local school is in session.

 

We shoot for camping 1 weekend/month. Plus summer camp. This is essential. I had a boy leave summer camp after three days because the bugs got to him (psychologically, not physically). He specifically asked, "Can I still come on winter campouts? I like when it's so cold that I don't have to worry about bugs."

 

If all goes as planned, this would mean 18-24 camping nights. In reality some months all the boys are occupied with other activities and we've had to cancel. So, the tally is closer to 12-18 nights.

 

The older boys have access to our Venturing crew (which meets twice a month and usually offers about four camping weekends plus a super-activity) and O/A (which offers a couple service weekends and a winter weekend).

[Eagle92 110]

Met every friday, every week except Christmas Break, Easter Break, and Week of Summer Camp. Also didn't have meetings on the occasional 3 day weekend,turing it into a 2 day campout instead.

 

As far as camping goes, usually we went camping every month except the month of summer camp, and December, so 10 weekend campouts and Summer Camp. However we did have an optional week of winter camp, Dec 26- Dec 31st, that some folks took advantage of.

 

Now every once in a while a trip had to be cancelled. Not very often but once or twice in my scouting career as a youth. Then we had a hike in it's place.

 

As Green Bar Bill once said, and is misquoted in the current BSHB,:

 

"OUTING is three-fourths of ScOUTING!"

[ScoutNut 147]

During the school year, when we have access to the building, we meet weekly, and try to camp monthly. We attend one week of summer camp, and various council/district Camporees.

[SR540Beaver 116]

We camp one weekend a month except the month of summer camp. It has to be Armageddon for us not to camp. The only time I remember us not camping, there was an inch of ice on the roads statewide. We meet every Monday night, year round except on the holidays.

 

That is the "norm".

 

We also do one to two high adventure crews per year, have guys who staff summer camp, day camp, cub resident camp, cub fall family camping and OA Ordeals and fellowship weekends.

[Basementdweller 608]

Identical to beaver.....

[SMT224 10]

We're out camping every month except December. In January we do a 3 night winter camping trip, July is summer camp (6 nights), and in August we do a 6 night Troop high adventure camping trip. The rest of months are 2 night weekend camping trips. So we are out under the stars 31 nights a year. We rarely cancel - extreme weather might do it, but in such a case we will do our best to find a another place / time to go. Some of our Scouts would be happy going camping twice as much!

[NJCubScouter 1389]

Our troop has weekend camping trips every month except December, July and August plus one week of summer camp in July. There is a district first aid competition in early December but that is a day event.

 

That does not count the Venture Crew that some of the older Scouts also participate in. I am not sure how many camping trips the crew does, but I do know they do at least one week of high adventure in the summer.

 

Troop meetings are held once a week from September through mid-June (the last meeting of this school year was last night), plus in late June or early July there is a "swim meeting" during which the swim tests for summer camp are held.

[Lisabob 13]

Weekly meetings throughout the year, with occasional exceptions for major holidays. One meeting a month is a "fun night" of dodgeball/basketball/swimming/etc at a community facility.

 

Troop Weekend (2-day) campouts every month except July, plus summer camp (July).

 

Leadership corp has its own events a couple time a year.

 

Troop plans a high adventure option for older scouts at least once a year.

 

Some patrols do their own day events and overnighters, often at somebody's house or on somebody's property. Frequency varies across patrols.

 

Some scouts/leaders also do OA weekends, council high adventure trips, and NYLT or other overnight trainings.

 

SM doesn't attend every one of these (though he's usually there) and that's just fine. That's what ASMs are there for.

 

 

 

 

[Oak Tree 15]

Weekly meetings year-round except for holidays and summer camp week. Camping every month (11 weekends plus summer camp) as the minimum, plus additional events thrown in from time to time. Maybe an average of 15 possible overnight activities per year per Scout.

 

We haven't missed a month or cancelled an event in at least the seven years my sons have been associated with the troop.

 

[infoscouter 11]

We meet weekly year round. The last two summers we met on both Mondays and Tuesdays to accomodate sports, but Scouts were only expected to attend one night. Some boys did both.

 

Most months have one primary campout, plus at least one optional activity, which is sometimes a campout. This summer there's a week (7 days) of summer camp and two high adventure crews will be taking two different Boundary Waters trips.