Camping Skills

Kevin Callan is here, it’s time to go winter camping! Canada’s Happy Camper, our friend Kevin Callan, author of the new Complete Guide to Winter Camping joins us on this podcast with his welcoming way of sharing his knowledge of the woods in winter. You’ll see right away how Kevin has earned the name “happy camper”, he’s a passionate, devoted outdoorsman. Whether it’s your first or 101st winter camping trip you’ll find the guide a fantastic resource....

These Appalachian Trail Lessons come from Wade Bastian, one of two of my old Scouts hiking the 2200 mile trail.Wade and fellow Eagle ScoutBucky Kellorg**started in February. As planned, Wade interrupted his hike to spend the summer employed as a peak steward in New York’s Adirondack mountains Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is on Katahdin with fellow hiker Brightside You can listen to Wade and Bucky from the trail on the Scoutmaster Podcast –...

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....

The eight knot contest can be an individual or patrol contest, it’s one of my favorite inter-patrol competitions. To hold the eight knot contest you’ll need four ropes of equal diameter, three six foot long, one twelve feet long. A two foot long log about six inches in diameter, and two trees 12-16 feet apart. The contest begins with all the ropes and the log laid out, untied , on the ground, and ends when the knots are all tied and the log is suspended off the ground....

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I have seen elaborate gateways, bridges and towers lashed together at Scout events but have yet to see anything remotely like the giant pioneering projects lashed together by these Israeli Scouts....

*During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters.*Each Sunday I’ll publish a selection from his writings in the hope that you’ll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas. SPRING is here, though to-day, with a bitter east wind blowing, you might not know it! Now is the time for overhauling your camp gear, for planning where and when you are going to give the boys their heart’s desire in a jolly and healthy camp life....

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....

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....

Here’s two relatively little-known Scout pioneering methods that are well worth investigating. CatDrill This new (to me at least!) Scout pioneering technique originated with the Italian Scout Group Trento1. CatDrill combines classic pioneering and froissartage (see below). This technique uses smaller diameter wooden poles or branches and lighter cordage to make sturdy joints that can be used to build a number of different projects. The basic technique involves shaping a “diamond head” and corresponding “partridge eyes” (drilled holes) that are joined with light cordage (like paracord)....

If you think the advice in this infographic is nutty, heretical, or (to be charitable) merely inadvisable; so did I until I tried it. I first read about this in Cliff Jacobson’s book Camping’s Top Secrets. Jacobson is an author, wilderness guide, Distinguished Eagle Scout, and a regular contributor to Scouting Magazine. When I interviewed Cliff on Scoutmaster Podcast 54 he mentioned that many people react negatively to this particular advice, they insist he’s wrong....

Here’s a handy one-page reference that shows six First Class Knots – the square knot, taut-line hitch, two half hitches, timber hitch, clove hitch and bowline. Here’s more knot infographics Six First Class Knotsand over 40 moreinfographics and helpful PDF documents**Are included in theGET IT NOWBEFORE YOU CLICK THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON Join the growing number of Scouters who support producing and publishing resources like this. The PDF file of Six First Class Knots is formatted for 8 1/2 x 11 paper....

You can download a PDF version of both the right and left handed versions of this infographic below RIGHT HANDED LEFT HANDED The “Turk’s head” knot (named for its resemblance to a turban) is a familiar traditional neckerchief slide or woggle.(Special thanks to Brian Stockton for the left handed version of this infographic) Elaborate Turk’s head knots can be made with additional passes and leads (see Ashley’s Book of Knots for a thorough education in this versatile, decorative knot)....

The decorative royal carrick bend can be fashioned into a great neckerchief slide. Begin by laying out the royal carrick bend flat and then tighten the strands around a cylinder (paper tube, etc.) This is a challenging project, but it’s worth the trouble. Here’s my Carrick Bend Infographic Here’s a royal carrick bend neckerchief slide I made from 425 Paracord (3mm) and coated with Mod Podge to hold everything together and harden the neckerchief slide....

YouTube is a global phenomenon; 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month, 100 hours of video are uploaded *every minute,*80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US. Here’s this week’s Scouting video picks I hope Scouters find interesting, informative and useful. Danish Dampers for Gourmet Campers! Campfire cooking idea from Scout’s UK series of Rapid Recipes. A variation on stick bread, add a jam or Nutella, great idea!...

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....

Your choice of sleeping bags starts with figuring out where it will be used, what size you need, and the types of fill and construction are available. See the sleeping bags I recommend for Scouts (and all kinds of other gear recommendations) on the Outdoor Gear Guide. Don’t miss these other helpful Gear Infographics! If you’d like to print this infographic download the PDF file below formatted for 8 1/2 x 11 paper....

This video from the author of Paracord Fusion Ties demonstrates tying a fleur-de-lis knot – I have the Kindle edition of Volume one of Paracord Fusion Ties (there are three volumes). It has very easy to follow illustrations and I recommend highly, the number of things you can make with paracord is nearly endless, and it’s great fun. Before you know it you’ll be making paracord bracelets, neckerchief slides, key fobs, and lanyards....

Once at winter camp the temperature was just above freezing, and the wind blew a sharp drizzle into every contrivable shelter and refuge. I was a young Scout rinsing dishes. There wasn’t a rubber glove in sight, so I was lucky enough to dunk my frozen hands into cold water. It was SUCH FUN!! At that moment, I wished I were absolutely anywhere else. I love camping, but camp chores almost ruined the whole experience until I learned how to tackle them....

Blogger Sheryl Canter offers this Recipe for SeasoningCast Iron based on what looks like a very well-thought out scientific analysis. After researching the subject she concluded: The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization, fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil, and flaxseed oil is the only drying oil that’s edible. From that I deduced that flaxseed oil would be the ideal oil for seasoning cast iron....

Scouts measure height for First Class rank: First Class Requirement 2 Using a map and compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.). Peter Le Roux at the Ropes and Poles Blog provides the helpful illustration above and the directions: This technique for measuring the height of an object is an old one- there is a very similar drawing in Scouting For Boys....