Scouting Essentials

Scouting Essentials

Items necessary for camping are listed below:

1. Mess Kit: Plate, bowl, utensils and other dining equipment.  One can pick up any number of decent mess kits from Amazon or the local outdoor outfitter Decathalon.

2. Back Pack: To hold all of your items for transportation and storage.  You don’t need to buy an expensive Osprey pack, but something sturdy is a good idea.  Talk to an adult leader for recommendations.

3. Cold Weather Gear: Heavy clothes, water resistant or proof boots, layers of clothing, Wool*, and gloves.

4. Sleeping bag.  We camp in all seasons, so a 4 season modular bag is ideal; alternatively, a decent 3-season bag will work, with an inexpensive cold-weather bag for the cold-weather campout.

5. Notebook: Log all of your experiences and for note taking.

6. Rope: Can be used to improvise and is useful if things deviate.
   
   

Ten Essentials

As a Scout there are various things you will need in the troop and for outings. Every scout must know what the 10 essentials are because they are vital and very useful for every outing you go on.

1. Navigation: map, altimeter, compass, [GPS device], [PLB, satellite communicator, or satellite phone], [extra batteries or battery pack]

2. Headlamp (plus extra batteries)

3. Sun protection (sunglasses, sun-protective clothes, and sunscreen)

4. First aid kit, including foot care and insect repellent (if required)

5. Knife

6. Fire (matches, lighter and tinder, or stove as appropriate)

7. Shelter (carried at all times (can be a lightweight emergency bivy)

8. Extra food (beyond minimum expectation)

9. Extra water (beyond minimum expectation, or the means to purify)

Extra clothes (sufficient to survive an emergency overnight)