Pack 6 Camping Information
This page is by no means comprehensive. There are a great many resources online (search away!) or available in BSA publications available at the Scout Shop. This is our attempt to collect the most important bits so we are all ready for Pack 6 camping expeditions! If you have any questions, do not hesistate to ask your den leader or a pack leader.Note that this is an evolving page. If you have any questions, please contact Andy at aaffleck [at] gmail [dot] com with questions and he'll get this page updated with answers.
What to Bring
Cub Scouting does what is called "Trailhead Camping." Trailhead Camping is where you camp near or at where you park your car and, thus, do not have to worry about packing light or thinking in terms of what you can carry. If you want to bring a cooler full of food or drinks, you can do it. Once the boys hit Boy Scouts, it's a different ballgame but we don't have to worry about that now.That said, there are certain things you should not bring (and, of course, certain things you must bring) and we'll list them all out here.
The general rule is to pack for one season colder than it actually is (in other words, bring warmer clothes than you think you need) and to avoid cotton clothes like jeans and cotton sweatshirts for outdoor use.
Required
- Tent + Ground Mat (one that is NO bigger than the footprint of the tent or else it will COLLECT water)
- Sleeping bag (rated to 40F at a minimum) + pad for ground
- Pillows (remember, things can and often do get wet so you may want to leave the nice home pillows at home and get smaller camp pillows)
- Food for all snacks and meals (trail food and meals food, more on this below)
- Whistle (all scouts are required to have them for emergencies -- 3 sharp blasts for emergency use)
- Electric lantern and/or flashlight and/or Headlamp (no gas-powered lights!; Headlamps are highly recommended in addition to one or both of the other lights)
- Bug repellent
- Sunscreen
- Anyone who has a cell phone, bring it. Anyone who has a radio, even better.
- Towels
- Water bottles, water bottles, water bottles, water bottles (staying hydrated is key and you always need more water than you think you do)
- Raingear
- Wool sweater or polyester sweatshirt
- Long sleeve shirt (wool or synthetic fiber; enough for each day plus extra)
- 2 short sleeve shirts (for each day plus extra) -- for activities which will cause sweating, polypro shirts are a must as cotton t-shirts become miserable to wear.
- Underwear (enough for each day plus extra)
- Shorts (enough for each day plus extra)
- Sweatpants
- Hat (with brim for sun)
- Warm jacket
- Durable shoes (sneakers for the boys (see below), hiking boots for the adults)
- Mess-kit (Bowl, cup, fork, spoon, plate, mesh bag to hold it all; plastic preferred)
- Small first aid kit (the pack will also be bringing larger, fuller kits)
- Clean-up Kit (small hand soap, toothpaste, Toothbrush, Comb, Floss, Fast-Drying Camp Towel)
- Toilet Paper (half a roll in a zip-lock bag)
- Walkie-Talkies (not toys but real ones, such as Motorola Talk-Abouts, etc.)
Optional
- Backpacks for the everyone (for carrying snacks and water while hiking)
- Pack will supply 1 or 2 first aid kits. If parents have their own, that's a bonus.
- Camera
- Binoculars
- Nature Books
- Pen and pocket note pad (in case you want to take notes or sketch something)
Do NOT Bring
- Heaters (can melt your tent giving you a lovely second skin which burns)
- Gas-powered lights (can melt your tent giving you a lovely... you get the idea)
- Any liquid fuel
- Sneakers (for strenuous hiking -- fine for regular walks in the woods). You need ankle protection for hiking. Thus you need hiking boots (not work boots!)
Camping Safety
The person responsible for the cub scout is his adult partner (his parent or guardian). It is a common misconception that the parent comes along but the pack or den leaders are responsible for the cub scout. They are not. Obviously the leaders will do everything in their power to ensure a safe and enjoyable time, but they cannot keep track of every scout at all times. The parents/guardians must remain involved and keep tabs on their son at all times.No cub scout should ever go off on their own anywhere. This includes the bathrooms, back to the family car, or to the campsite from some other location. They should be accompanied by their adult partner. Also, per BSA regulations, no adult can be alone with a child who is not their child without a second adult present. BSA requires two-deep leadership. There must always be at least two adults with a boy or a group of boys at all times. We need all parents to understand and respect this rule.
It is highly recommended that all parents review the Two-Deep Leadership policy and take the online Youth Protection Training (that all of the Pack and Den leaders were required to take).
Everyone should carry a whistle. If you are in danger or lost, blow three sharp blasts on the whistle to alert everyone within earshot and stay where you are. A moving target is much harder to find than one who stays put and keeps blowing the whistle.
Learn what poison ivy, sumac, and oak looks like and make sure your child can identify it so as to not touch it.
If a thunderstorm comes along, everyone must seek safety immediately. If we are at the campsite we need only move to our cars. They are the safest place to be in a storm. If we are out on the trail or generally away from any buildings or cars it gets trickier. Here is some information from a Canadian website which is particularly good on this subject.
From our recent trip to Mt. Monadnock we also have the following ideas we will be working on for our next trip:
- Establishing a base camp which will serve to hold resources for hikers uphill and be there to assist someone who has to come down
- Require that all groups (the fast one in front, the middle group and the slow group -- you will always have those three) stop and hold checkpoints to bring everyone together before setting out again. Walkie-Talkies may mitigate the need for this as they provide essential communications.
- Scouts must stay with their parents and the parents always hike behind the child so they can watch them (and if the child falls, they can catch them).