Gear

Here’s my recommendations for gear gifts for Scouts or Scouters that I have owned and used, some for many years. Check out my gear guide for more in-depth advice. If you follow my links and make a purchase I get a referral fee. My Tee Shirts & Books Check out my custom tee shirts for Scouts and Scouters at Amazon , and here are my books at Amazon too. Rayovac Sportsman’s Lantern I’ve tried out several different LED lanterns, and the Rayovac Sportsman is built more solidly, is smaller, tougher, and has higher brightness and longer battery life than any of the others....

Sturdy, reliable tools make a solid camping kit and great gifts for Scouts and Scouters. There are cheaper alternatives to some of my choices, but I have chosen tools that I think are a are great value for cost. If you follow the links and purchase an item on this page I get a referral fee. I have owned and used these exact tools, or have otherwise evaluated them throughly....

Here’s some advice from Wade Bastian on the Appalachian trail gear he carried on his hike. Wade set out onthe 2200 mile trail withfellow Eagle ScoutBucky Kellorgin February. As planned, Wade interrupted his hike to spend the summer employed as a peak steward in New York’s Adirondack mountains (he’s stewarding a peak in the photo above). Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is on Katahdin with fellow hiker Brightside...

This Scouting Equipment Catalog from 1925 is a fantastic piece of Scouting history. I’ve scanned all 50 pages and created a PDF document that you can download at the end of this post. On the cover there’s a full color illustration by Benjamin Goodwin Seielstad of Scouts in their campsite with a cowboy in the background. No new-fangled sleeping bags (since there was really no such thing in 1925!) for these fellows, no sir, they have good honest wool blankets ($4....

As a happy gear nerd I enjoy writing camping gear reviews once in awhile, especially when that gear stands the test of time. When I write about gear it’s usually stuff I have used for at least a year or two, and often a decade or more. I turn down most of the requests I receive to review camping gear. Most of what is offered does more to weigh your pack down than significantly improve your camping experience....

We’ll purify many gallons of drinking and cooking water for three crews spending a week canoeing in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park this summer. Here’s what I have learned about purifying water for a hundred or so Scouts and adults who have taken this trip over the past dozen years. We need water for drinking and cooking, and treat them differently. Boiling We purify nearly all our cooking water by boiling. Our menus are a hybrid of freeze-dried and grocery store food explained in this article....

32 Ounce 20 Ounce 48 Ounce 48 Ounce I don’t have one yet, but this coffee press was mentioned on one of our recent live chat sessions and it looks like a “must have” for connoisseurs of camp coffee! REI offers the press in three different sizes, they all get great reviews. The 48 ounce size would mollify a number of grouchy Scouters! Simple to use—add coarse ground coffee or loose-leaf tea and near-boiling water; let steep for 4 min....

When you first see the CM Scrubber you’ll probably say the same thing I did; “it’s too expensive!” But the next time you have a crusty dutch oven to clean you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny. Put some water in the oven while it’s still warm, and scrub away. The chain mail design won’t scratch, and is very effective at lifting tough baked-on residue. No soap needed, cooked-on crud will clean up easily and you’l have a clean dutch oven pretty fast without worrying about damaging the seasoning....

A couple of years ago we replaced our troop’s tents with the Marmot Limelight 3 (you can read about the rationale and the Marmot Limelight here) The folks at Teton sports offer a similar design, the Teton Mountain Ultra 3 . I had my first chance to set up the Teton Mountain Ultra 3 this weekend, and wanted to share my first impressions. Like the other Teton gear I have reviewed I was impressed with the over quality of the tent....

We recently ordered new custom neckerchiefs and patches for our Troop and Crew, and I wanted to share two sources that I can highly recommend to Scouters looking for custom neckerchiefs or patches. (Please note that these companies are not advertisers or affiliates with Scoutmastercg.com. I approached them as any customer would. I did not receive any special deals or treatment in exchange for this review.) Just Neckers Our previous supplier no longer offered the plaid neckerchiefs we had ordered from them for several years....

The Philmont dining fly or crew tarp is a 12′ by 12′ nylon tarp rigged for simple, easy setup. Hiking sticks or trekking poles can be used as poles, eight stakes and three paracord lines are all else that’s required. A 40′ paracord ridge line is rigged underneath the ridge of the tarp and a loop of the line is threaded through the end grommets. A small stick is secured on each end of the ridge with a lark’s head knot, a clove hitch is taken around the pole, and the end of the ridge line is secured with taut line hitches....

My favorite gifts for Scouts and Scouters are the ones that keep giving by encouraging making and doing. Here’s some simple ideas that could spark young and old imaginations alike. Paracord Craft Scouts and Scouters can make tons of practical projects with paracord, get them a few 100 foot lengths of different colored cord and point them at the resources below. Here’s two of my favorite projects, with links to materials....

Sturdy, reliable tools are important components of any camping kit and make great gifts for Scouts or Scouters. There are cheaper alternatives to some of my choices, but I have chosen tools that I think are a are great value for cost. Pocket Knives There is not one absolute best pocketknife for every Scout in every situation, but any one of the three Victorinox Swiss Army Knives below are an excellent choice....

Here’s a handy one-page reference that highlights care and sharpening of axes and hatchets. A good quality new hatchet will cost more than lower quality tools, but they are worth the investment. Many highly touted hatchets and axes on the market are upwards of seventy to a hundred dollars, and I suppose they are probably worth the cost but they seem over-priced to me; there are some excellent tools that will do the same work for less than $40....

If you’ve been reading the blog for the past few years you’ve likely read about wood burning stoves for camping. High efficiency wood burning stoves have been around for many years but there’s been a renaissance in wood burning stove technology over the past decade or so. This renaissance has its roots in engineering simple technology that can be used to conserve wood fuel in the developing world. Half of the world’s households and 80 percent of rural households in developing countries cook with solid fuels like wood, coal, crop residues and dung....

The ten essentials are things every responsible camper should carry. In addition to what you’ll use regularly carry some spares in your First Aid and Contingency Kit. Contingencies are more common than actual emergencies. I recommend a first-aid kit supplemented with a few other items on the ‘ten essentials’ list: a spare flashlight, spare whistle, trail food, matches, and fire starters. To see my specific recommendations for ten essentials check out this page in my Gear Guide....

There are so many options available selecting the right outdoor footwear for camping, hiking and backpacking can be confusing! The basic information in this infographic will help you choose and, more importantly, get a proper fit. To see my specific recommendations for outdoor footwear check out this page in my Gear Guide. Don’t miss these other helpful Gear Infographics! The Outdoor Footwear Infographic is available as a PDF document formatted to print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper....

This infographic measurement instructions and basic information on choosing the right backpack. See my specific recommendations for backpacks here The most important thing about a choosing the right backpack is getting a proper fit. To carry correctly and comfortably a pack must fit both torso length and hip size. Torso length is measured along the spine between the base of the neck and the top of the hips and hip size is measured around the top of the hips, (don’t confuse this with waist size)....

Two humble things find a number of uses at summer camp; clothespins and index cards. I usually have a pocket full of index cards, and use them all day long to take notes, leave messages, and post reminders or notices for youth leaders. With clothespins or thumbtacks I can clip them to a tent flap, a branch, or pin them to our bulletin board. Here’s ten ideas that you may find useful and fun:...

Proper outdoor clothing is comfortable but, more importantly, it keeps you safe. It’s surprising parents sometimes don’t seem to give much thought to what Scouts wear to a camping trip. If your troop is like mine they will be rained on and experience unseasonably cold temperatures on just about every camp out! Without the right clothing, Scouts will be cold, wet, have a bad experience, and be reluctant to go camping again....