Your Uniform

[Dan Williamson]

My opinion....Hat for summer wear should be ventilated with wide brim all around to keep the sun off. We wear a green Army style bush hat (boonie hat) that is popular with the boys and from my position as the responsible and accountable adult, the only hat I will allow. It is a key to preventing heat injuries in our climate. Baseball caps are inadequate, berets are impractical and no hat is not an option. I refuse to be responsible for sun burn or heat injuries if the boys are not properly attired. Hat for winter should be augmented with a wool watch cap.

Shirt...it's fine for formations...ground it when doing activities.

We wear the neckerchief. We wear it because I wore it when I was a Scout. Many other troops don't now and I don't think that's ok. It's part of the ambience.

Pants. Official pants are worse than bad. We wear green cargo type pants with lots of pockets. Brand new green jungle fatigue pants are popular because they have adjustment tabs. Buy them slightly large then let them out as the kid grows. Last a long time and extremely durable. MilSpec in fact. My son goes through pants due to growth at the rate of at least one size every 3 months. I am NOT going to buy Boy Scout pants for the going price at that rate. I can afford them but not many of the parents in the troop can.

[Bob White]

Venturer2002,

Don't let yourself fall into the trap that many adults do. Older is not always better. Traditional is not always correct. The traditional way to stop bleeding in scouting was to use a tourniquet. The correct way is with direct pressure.

 

A good way to have happy adults and very few scouts is to do things the way the adults did it when they were kids. Boy scouts is for today's kids not yesterday's.

[RobK]

While Bob White makes a good point, that older is not always better, I must make the contrasting point that newer isn't necessarily better either. I still much prefer older uniforms. My ideal uniform would go back to essentially what B-P first instituted, a long sleeve shirt, shorts, knee socks with flashes, and a campaign hat. That sort of uniform makes the wearer look like he's ready for the out-doors. The current uniform makes the wearer look like he's ready for the office. B-P was intimately familiar with the out-doors and understood what sort of clothing was really useful.

[Bob White]

Actually the initial uniform of BP and the British scouts was military surplus, and looked the way the way it did for no other particular reason other than that it was readily available to BP and a fashion he was known by.

 

The field uniform looks formal because it is meant for formal occasions. There are now a variety of official activity uniforms available as well as the option of being out of uniform depending on the nature of the activity. The field uniform was not meant to be an all purpose apparel.

 

Bob White

[yaworski]

"The field uniform looks formal because it is meant for formal occasions."

 

The name "field uniform" implies that it is to be worn in the field. The uniform needs to be re-named.

[le Voyageur]

Here's mine...

 

supplex nylon knickers with button fly and gusset in the back to adjust width - color, medium tobacco/tan

 

wool/nylon blend knee high socks -

 

supplex nylon shirt, color - forest green

 

long weskit, color - madder

 

sash for the waist (double wrapped)

 

long hunter hat

 

 

 

 

[ASM7]

I can see me now walking into roundtable with that:)

[RobK]

I'm not aware of shorts being part of the British military uniform at that period of time. Admittedly, B-P did put it together with availability of surplus clothes in mind. As I recall he used the uniform he put together for the SAC as a model. But he did design it intentionally to be suited for outdoor wear.

 

"The field uniform looks formal because it

is meant for formal occasions."

 

The only problem with that is it doesn't look formal. It doesn't look like something I'd wear to a formal occasion. It looks like "buisness casual" office wear.

 

[le Voyageur]

ASM7

 

If BSA would let me design the uniform you'd be proud to wear it everyday...heck, you'd probadly change your name to Daniel Boone, or even Hawkeye....

[Twocubdad]

The pants are the biggest problem. I'd make them more like military BDUs (but NOT cammo, I don't want to start that argument again!) -- similar fabric, more pockets, with adjustable waists and cinched cuffs. The latter two would make the pants wearable through a few more growth spurts. For that matter, I'd re-issue the pre-WWII spats/gaiters. Very functional outdoors and I admit it, I like the Saturday Evening Post look.

 

Are the dress wool pants available in boys sizes? I have a pair I wear for indoor events. Not everyone can afford two uniform pants initially, but by the time they've been in a couple years, most boys seem to have a couple uniform sets. The dress pants would make a good second pair.

 

I like the campaign hats, but $100 for the official BSA hat is nuts. I bought a brand-new knock-off at the local army-navy store for $25. But I spent more than that buying the official hat emblem and hat band. It's half a shade off the official hat in color. The same store has used DI hats for $10-15, but they are green, not brown.

 

Although I think they're sharp, I realize the campaign hats aren't practical outdoors or for the boys. I take much better care of mine than I think the boys would. My ideal uniform would have a bushwacker hat for field use and NO hat for formal/indoor use. That would solve the hat/no hat problem we've discussed on another thread.

 

One big change I would make would be to address quality. The orange Tiger t-shirts are junk. Our Pack T's were a third the price and twice the quality. I also bought a red knit golf shirt but won't wear it. The fabric is so cheap if feels like wearing a trash bag. Official BSA stuff is not inexpensive. For the money, they could do better.

[Venturer2002]

While we're on this, are WOSM (world organization of the scout movement) uniform pieces able to be worn with the BSA uniform? I looked online, and they sell some nice looking campaign hats and leather belts. Anyone have a clue on this one?

[Bob White]

Venturer2002,

As a member of the BSA your only uniform options for foriegn items are, neckerchiefs, and activity patches for events you have attended.

 

Answers to these and other uniform questions are found in the BSA Insignia Guide available at your local Council Service Center.

 

Bob White

[Bob White]

Venturer2002,

As a member of the BSA your only uniform options for foriegn items are, neckerchiefs, and activity patches for events you have attended.

 

Answers to these and other uniform questions are found in the BSA Insignia Guide available at your local Council Service Center.

 

Bob White

[Venturer2002]

Will do, I've been meaning to get one anyhow.

[smokepoler]

My uniform preference would be as follows:

 

Red Beret for meetings and ceremonies

 

Ball cap only as part of the "Class B" or T-shirt uniform

 

Current tan shirt with epaulettes

 

Olive Drab BDU type rip-stop trousers with cargo pockets. For summer, equivalent olive drab BDU type shorts with matching green socks and red trim (current issue is fine)

 

Neckerchief of choice on a troop of pack basis

 

Current BSA olive drab belt is fine.