from11to46

Never mind about the hat, just found it under uniforms/hats as opposed to apparel/hats. It's now called the 'Brimmed Hat'. $35. I still prefer the much earlier hat emblem to the newer round one, though.

Thanks for the replies....I'll supply a little more background. Personally I'm in favor of a complete official uniform, socks and all, and I always wear my complete one to set an example. So far it hasn't worked, as most of the adults and older scouts wear only a shirt, if even that much. Some adults have tried to encourage better uniforming, but usually just in terms of a tucked-in shirt, which is about all they'll get when they're in jeans themselves. So, during discussions of trying to do better, we heard the typical complaint of cost. I've seen many times comments of equivalent pants for cheaper, but never found them myself, so perhaps I'm just looking for a lack of a source, in order to defeat that option... I also heard that the kids won't wear them to anything but meetings, so that makes them too expensive....which I also don't buy, especially compared to sports uniforms. Besides, despite their sometimes unusual cut/fit, the older switchbacks can be quite useful....either pants or shorts, lightweight, much better than cotton in winter, easy to insulate underneath. They will melt too easily with heat or sparks, though. Overall not a bad deal, though, in my opinion. And the scouts' opinions do vary as well, because I know of at least two kids who regularly wear them to school...because they're not uniform enough that they'll pass as regular pants! I've already offered to begin a uniform bank, and would like to expand that to other equipment as well, outgrown/replaced packs and sleeping bags, for instance. I've been stockpiling older used gear for that purpose, and am scrounging for uniforms wherever I can find them...in the past I've handed out our own outgrown stuff more than once. While my early 70s backpack may not be state of the art, it'll work better for a scout than a black plastic bag, which I've seen in use. I'm considering running this on a minimal-donation basis....say sell each item for $5, and also PAY $5 for a donation into the bank, thinking that this may encourage others to help scrounge supplies for the bank. As other discussions have covered, the trick is to figure out how to encourage the boys to want to wear the correct uniform...perhaps we should forbid it! I have seen some success with a scout wearing the expedition hat....not the traditional flat brim, but the more crushable one....which I just now can't find on the scoutstuff site anymore.... figures.....because other newly joined scouts were impressed with the look, especially with official shorts and long socks (also not available any more) and a scout stave, and were asking where to get one, and how much....while the look isn't as traditional as the campaign hat, it's still (or was) an official hat, with logo inside, and is much more adaptable to actual outdoor use, like rain, crushing while packing, etc. I wonder if it's gone for good now.... There's the traditional advice that if a boy wants the uniform and earns it himself he'll value it more and take better care of it, which another argument I've made, but this gets scoffed at as the uniform being too expensive for a boy to earn. This is usually with respect to a boy carrying both a phone, a video game, and wearing $50 sneakers.

I've seen many comments regarding the finding of cheaper pants that are near-copies of the official pants, in particular the old/new switchbacks...can anyone provide me with a reliable source? Whenever I try places like Walmart I can't find anything equivalent. Our troop is attempting a stricter uniform policy and we're considering 'close-enough' pants rather than official uniform pants, if they're visually the same AND cheaper. Of course, if there isn't a reliable source I can refer parents to of cheaper pants, then perhaps that's an argument in favor of the official ones....I can ask to be shown the equivalent cheaper ones! One parent argued against uniform-pants-required because the son would be coming direct from soccer, and would of course be wearing the soccer uniform...I received no logical answer for why they couldn't wear the scout uniform to soccer instead, or why it's ok for soccer to require the uniform (or else what, no play?) but not scouts..... So, please tell me, if you know, where to find cheaper-but-same uniform pants, and if not, that's useful info as well....

As I scout we used scraps of leather, fake or actual. A vertical slot stays on the button well, and you just stitch the tab to the top of the patch. For the thrifty, old purses, wallets, or other leather goods can serve as donors for many scraps. Tooling-grade leather is not needed.

There are no rules, do what you like! If your stick has a thinner bark, you can get some nice carving detail by carving through the bark to show a lighter wood. You can do nice textures this way as well. I like to carve a date or year to remember events you had the staff at. You can also make it more useful in an emergency. A wrap of fine cord can serve as a grip, as well as being removable for use as rope if needed. In the same manner you can put a coil of fishing line, or dental floss, or waxed cord...none take up much space or weight but will be there if you need then. Consider a wrap of duck tape if you are more modern....perhaps around a plastic bag or two wrapped around the staff first. Don't neglect to decorate with decorative knotwork, a turk's head is a favorite. Add feathers, ribbons, etc. at will. Many parks and historical sites will have metal plates that you can nail to the staff to remember your visit, a common practice in Europe, I believe.

You mentioned Salem....if you're going up there check out their tall ship recreation: http://www.salemweb.com/frndship/ The Peabody/Essex Museum is fantastic if your scouts are interested in history, if they're literature-fans there's the House of Seven Gables. I believe there's a nice fast ferry that goes between Salem and Boston, which would be another experience and convenient if you're based in Boston. A traditional favorite used to be the viewing deck from the top of the Prudential center or the newer Hancock tower...not sure if they ever reopened those after 2001, unfortunately.

From the reprint of the 1911 manual: To obtain a merit badge for Pathfinding a scout must 1. Know every lane, by-path, and short cut for a distance of at least two miles in every direction around the local scout's headquarters in the country. 2. Have a general knowledge of the district within a five-mile radius of his local headquarters, so as to be able to guide people at any time, by day or night. 3. Know the general direction and population of the five principal neighboring towns and be able to give strangers correct directions how to reach them. 4. Know in the country in the two-mile radius, approximately, the number of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs owned on the five neighboring farms: or in a town must know in a half-mile radius what livery stables, garages and blacksmiths there are. 5. Know the location of the nearest meat markets, bakeries, groceries, and drug stores. 6. Know where the nearest police station, hospital, doctor, fire alarm, fire hydrant, telegraph and telephone offices, and railroad stations are. 7. Know something of the history of the place, its principal public buildings, such as the town or city hall, post office, schools, and churches. 8. As much as possible of the above information should be entered on a large scale map. Wow! Of course, Archery from this era starts with "Make a bow and arrow...." and ends with "shoot so far and fast as to have six arrows in the air at once." Well, at least we know that the program has NOT been simplified...