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I guess we've always just done it wrong, but were never told different and didn't realize any different. I guess we let logic take over. When we have one turn 18, they fill out an adult app, take YPT, and get registered as unit college scouter reserve and we let them participate with the scouts, they just can't sleep in a tent with the scout. Generally, it's just for a couple months and through the summer until they head off to college, trade school or whatever they do. IMHO, all of this lawyer type rules is part of the thing that's ruining scouting and ruining leaders who don't want to lead anymore.

One way it can control unit activities is if the location closes. For example we are supposed to be just regular weekend troop camping at the local council camp and the council camp is closed.

So, one of my issues is lying flat. At home I actually sleep in a recliner. I've done a hammock and it was more comfortable in that than flat in a tent, once I got in it. But body build doesn't lend itself to hammock camping. I'm short and really fat and have difficulty getting in and out of the hammock. I did try a hammock at summer camp and it was strung up inside a lean-to that had a closed in front. So when I rolled out of the thing onto the floor to get up in the morning it wasn't visible to everyone in camp...LOL...I also have trouble because I'm short and I can't reach high enough on the trees to tie up a hammock and a rain fly. I did purchase a hammock with a bug net built in but after trying it, I fear me getting stuck inside the thing when I can't sit up to get to the zipper to open the bug net. When we are camping close to the parking lot where we are, I've actually resorted to just sleeping in seat in my van now.

I've given up on getting decent sleep on a campout. I come home wiped out every time and it takes me a day or so to recouperate.

For the issue of not enough adults.　 In the past for summer camp, we've juggled adults at camp so that no one had to take an entire week off work. We even broke it down to time slots during the day. We had one adult would would come to camp at 7pm, and stay until 7am and then go to to work. At 7am another adult (a dad or a mom) would come and spend the day at camp and cover that time slot. It was a bit of juggling but it worked. It was also a good experience for some adults that don't generally go to anything to see what the boys did at camp. It was very sucessful.　 As far as the merit badge program changing. Are there any other camps you can go to? We have 4 that are within an hour to hour and a half away. We've been to them all. 　

I'd be curious to know how this goes. We have not switched yet because troop master has the offline app.

It truly is a mess trying to actually abide by the rules. We have the issue with eagle projects now. A scout is working with his mentor or his parent and a group of scouts on some eagle work days and now that has to be 2 leaders present, when you only have a few leaders in your troop to begin with, it's friggin hard, leaders only have so much time and it seems like scouts just assumes that all you want to do is scouting stuff 24x7 365. So lets ask another technical question. Going by the letter of the law, Can a leader drive to a campout with 4 scouts in the car.There's now only 1 leader present.

We meet once a week as a whole troop its usually school cafeteria, our local park or our charter org location. When it's PLC it's either at one of those locations or a leaders house. Scout master conferences and board of review happen at the same place during the troop meeting.

Technically isn't this against the rules now? I thought the rules were any outing the scouts participate in has to be attended by 2 "registered scout leaders"...

While they say co-ed is not the plan and should not be happening. I'm at our local cub pack blue and gold Sunday and one of the boys crossing over has an older sister with a scout uniform on. We start talking to her to find out she is in a troop in another council because the troop in the town next door, runs their troops, boys and girls together. All meetings are together, all campouts are together, every activity and event is together. She went to a different troop because she wanted to be a troop of girls, not a co-ed troop. She said she loves it because they can do stuff and not have to worry about dealing with boys.. So while on paper the two troops (that have the same troop number) are two different troops, they are operating as one.

I just think it brings about too much confusion and boots on the ground weren't required to think about the big picture. This wasn't a merger or asking a troop to change it's number. These are new troops forming, cut and dry. New troops should have new numbers. Whether they have the same leadership and charter as another troop really should have nothing to do with it. When it all boils down, no matter what anyone wants to say, they are a separate troop (at this point in time). The boys are their own troop and the girls are their own troop. As far as not being part of "us" if we had a different number, It would be like having a pack and every den having the same den number. Or a district saying every troop has to have the same number to feel they are a part of the district. and don't get me started on B and G...Those darn letters sound so similar, maybe it should be M and F. I will be at roundtable will the person in front will say if you want info talk to troop 64 b...And I'll be like did he say 64b or 64g? It's stupid..

I gotta vent. I have to say that the decision by National to allow a girl troop and a boy troop have the same troop number in the same district is idiotic and then to preference with one is Troop 187 B and the other is Troop 187 G....How do you explain that to the general public...For instance we are working with multiple troop and packs for a food drive. THe flyer would usually says thanks from Troop 87, pack 87 and troop 99..So now Troop 99 has a boy troop and a girl troop. So do we modify it and says thanks from Troop 99 Boys and Troop 99 Girls?...Such an idiotic move to further draw a distinction beween boys and girls that did not need to be there. A troop is a troop, doesn't matter if it's a boy troop or a girl troop. Any new troop formed, even if it shares leadership or a charter org should have had to have a new troop number. But, in my opinion I guess it won't matter in a couple years when all troops are co-ed anyway.

That's some real backwards logic he has there. Scouting is not an infinite program. It's like saying that the amount of kids in school are dwindling because they are graduating...Huh....part of an active well run troop is a solid flow of scouts into the troop. The failure of a troop is not because of scouts ranking out and leaving, it's because of scouts not coming in.

It happens with my troop also. Highschool brings about other commitments and scouts usually goes by the wayside. Some may hang around just enough to finish their eagle. Unfortunately after 1st class, there's no requirements in the ranks that require them to go on outings. Not to mention balancing any activity in high school with scouts is extremely hard. My kid is in drama club and they practice 6 days a week for the entire school season. If they are in a sport, it's even worse. Also you have to realize that by this point, they've been in scouts for 9 to 12 years and scouts is year round, it never stops. They may just be losing interest. It's hard to hold interest I've seen. There's always a new crop of scouts coming into the troop that run around, fool around, don't listen, etc...The older boys in our troop have not been able to distinguish between leading/teaching vs babysitting..They all forget how they were when they came into the troop.

I'm a committee chair for the troop and was for the pack. The CC takes care of the Charter, all the SM does is sign it when it's ready.