Angadir

Ok i stand corrected, we didnt require the uniform, we asked the parents to try to at least get the official scout shirt or if they couldnt afford it we told them to go to walmart, get a red polo or tshirt and one of the BSA patches. Instant simulated scout activity shirt, just like in the catalog, but at less than $20. Our parents were good shoppers and all the scouts had regular scout shirts pretty quick, but council rules dictated that if a scout were going to go on an outing then they must be in some type of BSA uniform. As i said, we have come a long way, and i dont believe we have any problems with uniforms anymore.

Dont get me wrong , we weren't telling the kids not to get a uniform, but when I took over the troop, I did it because the former leader had taken a job offer out of the area and the assistant got sent overseas again. There were 5 scouts including my son who had just earned his Arrow of Light, I didnt have a lot of spare money, two of my scouts had single parent homes and money was tight for the rest. I made the decision that they had to have the Scout Shirt, and to wear presentable pants, close toed shoes or boots and look sharp. Since that time, three of the original 5 have made Eagle, my son is on his way and one dropped out. Our ranks have grown to around 30 registered and 20 average participation. We have the first meeting of the month in our full uniform (Field Uniform?) for inspection and awards, and the rest of the month is in out class b or activities uniform. We have t-shirts made up with the troop logo and everyone has one. We base the uniform requirements on the activities scheduled for the evening.

As a former Scout Master, I made the decision not to require the full scout uniform for participation. When a Shirt is costing $30+ dollars, and pants about the same, I opted to let the Scouts keep the extra money. Not all our parents have the spare cash to throw around and when you have to buy the kids new pants every couple of months because of the growth spurts it just isnt worth it. We do require our Eagle Candidates to have complete uniforms, if they have come that far, then they should be responsible enough to have the complete uniform. We also try to encourage the younger scouts to check garage sale for uniforms etc..., we have had quite a bit of luck finding uniforms in smaller sizes that are perfectly serviceable at garage sales, thrift stores etc... One of the decisions on the scout pants was the shorts were too short (by todays standard) and although the pants were fine for meetings, they were useless when camping. Why did they do away with cargo pockets? We have found solid green military style cargo pants at our local surplus store that are almost the exact color as the BSA pants, but have usable cargo pockets and they cost about half of what the BSA pants do. I have encouraged the scouts to get these if possible, We do Not allow Camoflaged pants or shirts on scouting trips. However since most of my kids are military dependants, we do allow the camo ponchoes and rain gear that they inherit. As for Patches etc... we do try to have the troop up to speed and neat for inspections and intertroop activities.