With good preparation camping in any weather is fun!
Packing for campouts always begins by looking at the weather forecast including the night time and morning temperatures. Choose clothing that can be layered and see clothing as a “clothing system” where multiple items can be layered and mixed. Have base, middle and outer layers. Regardless of forecast, always bring a rain jacket, extra socks, warm hat, gloves and dry sleeping clothes.
A scout should think about the weather and pack his bag accordingly. Parents, your job is to audit his packing decisions by asking questions and providing suggestions when needed. A scout should gather everything he thinks he needs for camp, and only then should a parent begin to provide guidance. Please, never pack your scout’s bag for him as this only delays his personal growth.
Remember, if you have a question, please ask your Patrol Leader or Scoutmaster.
Standard Items:
- Sleeping bag.
- Sleeping pad – to insulate body from cold ground. Required at all tent camps.
- One 8 x 10 Tarp – Scouts in tents must have 1 tarp beneath tent and 1 tarp inside tent.
- Garbage bags (2).
- Jacket (suitable for the weather).
- Boots (hiking or water-proof winter boots depending on the weather).
- Pants (2 – 3) – not jeans.
- Rain jacket & rain pants.
- Shirts (2 – 3) suitable for weather.
- Hat.
- Underwear.
- Gloves (2 pairs).
- Socks (2 – 3 pairs).
- Sweatshirt / sweater.
- Pillow (nice to have).
- Extra pair of shoes.
- Pajamas or warm clothing for sleeping.
- Boy Scout Handbook and/or Field Guide.
- Advancement Booklet.
- Pencil.
- Personal first aid kit.
- Water bottle – quart size.
- Pocket knife (only if you have earned Toten Chip).
- Headlamp Flashlight (with fresh batteries) – have in your pocket Friday night.
- Duffle bag for gear (unless backpacking).
- Small camp towel.
- Washcloth.
- Small bar of soap.
- Toothbrush / toothpaste.
- Kleenex.
- Medications – turn in Friday night, never pack medications in bag.
Cold Weather Items:
Scouts generally are “warm sleepers” unlike most adults. Also, there are three scouts in a tent which produces additional body heat that helps keep the scouts warm. This means that scouts generally do quite well at cold weather camps and it’s very rare for scouts to report being uncomfortably cold at night even when temps are in the 20s. Scouts will find themselves in the most difficulty in the morning if they do not have warm clothes or if they get wet and do not have extra clothes.
What’s important for cold weather and wet weather camping is layered clothing and extra clothing. Think insulated base layer, middle layer and outer layer of shirts and pants along with a good coat and hat and gloves. If there is snow, snow pants for the outer layer is a must-have.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to bring extra gloves as they easily get wet. An extra hat for sleeping is a good idea too.
Finally, a scout should have specific warm sleeping clothes, such as flannel pajamas or long thermal underwear for sleeping in. If its a long cold day, changing into dry clothing is very important. Don’t forget too to put sleeping clothing in a ziplock bag to keep it dry!
- Long underwear/flannel pajamas.
- Jacket and Pants suitable for weather.
- Gloves (2).
- Flannel Shirts (2).
- Wool Socks (4).
- Winter hat (2).
- Rubberized winter boots (no sneakers or hiking boots)
- Winter sleeping bag in plastic bag or waterproof bag.
Warm Weather Items:
- Shorts (3).
- Bathing suit.
- Warm weather sleeping bags or blanket in plastic bag or waterproof bag.
Stuff NOT to Bring:
- Food, candy, and pop.
- Comic books and magazines.
- Mobile phone/ipad/ipod/electronics.
- Hand warmers.
- Gas or kerosene lanterns.
- Electronic games.
- Sheath knifes.
Why are hand warmers not permitted?
We get asked every year why we don’t allow hand warmers at camp. One problem with with hand warmers is that they are very slow to heat up. A scout might activate a hand warmer and think it doesn’t work. So he’ll next open a 2nd warmer and then a 3rd. The instructions too are very clear that they should not be used directly on the skin. We have had scouts fall asleep with multiple hand warmers in their sleeping bags only to wake up with skin burns and irritation. A better strategy is a change of warm dry clothing – leave the hand warmers at home.
