Shoes VS Sneakers

[VentureScoutNY]

Heres one for all of you:

 

We all know boys will be boys and sneakers for todays youth are very common. But when wearing the Scout Uniform, whether its Class A or B, (unless sporting activity) sneakers dont cut it! Especially when in Class A.

 

How many times have you all be on a hike when a Scout shows up with sneakers??--> keep in mind the scout is at as much fault as the parent is for sending their child on a hike in sneakers. Assuming the Hike is not on a sidewalk. Are we the leaders at fault? Have we not taught these Scouts to "BE PREPARED"? I don't mean to point fingers. Many of us do our best.

 

I think we all believe in Uniformity here..especially you Uniform police. But whats with the sneakers with the Class A's!! I can't stand it! It looks horrible and maybe helps puts that "geeky" label on us, sneakers with the uniform look sloopy, just like if you were to wear a suit with sneakers. I always wore my Full Uniform, brown shoes/boots and when I wear my uniform I make it so it looks neat. Many scouts as we all have seen don't understand that neatness counts. I know in the past BSA had an Official dress shoe...maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring it back, or modify it into a nice loooking boot. We represent an Orgazization, and should represent it with class.

 

Hope you all can play with this one!

 

Yours in Scouting

VentureScoutNY

[scoutldr]

You're not going to win this one. Blisters can be a powerful teaching tool.

[Twocubdad]

I agree that if you are attending a formal ceremony, dress shoes are appropriate. But if you're going to a troop or pack meeting. sneakers may be a good choice.

 

The line between sneakers and hiking boots has blurred over the time since I was a Scout and sneakers meant Keds and hiking boots meant a 15-pound pair of Vasque Hikers. Depending on trail and weather conditions, sneakers could be a good option.

[Bob White]

Being disconcerned with being labeled as a member of the uniform police (two of my brothers proudly serve as police officers), I will remind our young thread originator that there is no such thing in the BSA as a "Class A" uniform.

 

There is a field uniform which is worn for formal occassions, which I agree looks better in dress shoes, and will even earn you a higher score on the uniform inspection sheet (just like you will score better at a job interview in dress clothes with dress shoes). I would not recommend the field uniform for a tromp through the woods however.

 

For those activities there is also an activity uniform (no such thing as a "Class B" uniform either) which can include athletic shoes or hiking boots.

 

What's important about being prepared is not always visually pleasing. A scout is in a learning process not a finished state. If he wears the wrong apparel for an event he can learn valuable lessons from the experience.

 

I would never allow such lessons to threaten his life (if you wear tennis shoes when there is snow on the ground then you don't go camping with us) but the technology of athletic shoes is not the same as when I wore my Keds or Red Ball Jets, so I have no problem with a good pair of athletic shoes on the right activity.

 

 

[VentureScoutNY]

What do you mean there is no such thing as the Class A unifom anymore...I have only been out of the youth program for a little over a year now. Those activity shirts that people talk about...I was the only scout in my troop that had one. We did however all have tee shirts with out troop # that were our activity shirt, but was still worn with the scout pants or shorts. Our Field Uniform/Dress Unifom was the Uniform the scouts in my troop wore at almost ALL times.

 

 

What happend to the Class A and Class B's?? Aren't they in the newest handbook..? I could have sworn they were.

 

 

And have you looked at photos of scouts from the past. Always in their full uniform..well most of the time at least. Thats how my troop was. When we camped we wore our full uniform. A scout is clean, and thats how we stayed. In fact I'm quite proud of us for looking and acting in a manner that did't make us appear as dirty campers.

 

But I'll lay down and accpet that sneakers are comfortable and are appropriate for certain occassions. And same with wearing of the activity shirt/uniform..they do serve a solid purpose.

 

But doen't anyone miss those days of scouts wearing full uniform and thats it?

 

i think im making waves..lets surf!

[Fat Old Guy]

"How many times have you all be on a hike when a Scout shows up with sneakers??-->"

 

Before the Army adopted the combat boot, soldiers walked miles and miles in low quarter oxfords and leggings.

 

My hiking shoes aren't very far from being sneakers, they just have a knobby sole.

 

I can understand the reluctance of many parents when it comes to buying hiking shoes. Shoes aren't cheap. Even cheap shoes aren't cheap. When a kid might wear his hiking shoes only six or seven times before he outgrows them, there is great dis-incentive to buy the hiking shoes.

[Adrianvs]

I prefer to wear boots with the field uniform (Class A, VentureScout), whether formally or informally. For some reason, dress shoes don't seem to go well with the uniform to me. For formal occasions, I must admit, I have a pair of "dress boots." Comfortable, functional, and snazzy looking.

 

 

 

Note: this is probably the first time I have used the word "snazzy" in print. Suggestion in alternate spellings are not welcome.

[dan]

I have been informed that Class A or B uniforms have never been in the BSA handbook. I can only inform you that is is not in this edition nor is it in the 1965 edition.

Has it ever been in the BSA handbook? If not how did the terms Class A and B get started?

 

The edited part.

Another thought that popped into my head.

A scout is clean in thought word and deed.(This message has been edited by dan)

[nldscout]

Dan,

The term Class A & B are military uniform terms. Class A being the dress uniform

[dan]

nldscouter

I know that they are military terms, I was must wondering how the terms became so popular with the BSA crowd, if it has never been in a BSA publication.

[VentureScoutNY]

Thats my question also. Those are very common terms used in my Troop.

[Fat Old Guy]

"I know that they are military terms, I was must wondering how the terms became so popular with the BSA crowd, if it has never been in a BSA publication."

 

Probably because so many Scouters are either in the military or have been in the military and the terms became part of their lingo. Others picked it up because nearly every one likes to use "cool" military lingo even they are using it incorrectly.

 

 

[Bob White]

How did some units determine that they could change the uniform?

 

How did the singular of Webelos become Webelo in so many units?

 

Why do so many think you have to be in uniform when you travel to be covered by insurance?

 

Why do some scoutmasters set attendance rules for Scout Spirit?

 

Why do so many Board of Reviews retest scout skills?

 

None of these things were ever a part of the scouting program and yet they are commonly found in many units.

 

It's because we have had millions of people as leaders in the scouting program and not everyone knows or follows the program to the same degree.

 

Everything you do as a leader has the potential to hurt or help. That's why knowing and following the program as a leader is so important.

 

 

[purcelce]

I know that they are military terms, I was must wondering how the terms became so popular with the BSA crowd, if it has never been in a BSA publication."

 

Ok now's my time to chime in. Class A and B uniforms are ARMY terms.

 

The Air Force has the Mess Dress, Service Dress, and Battle Dress Uniforms.

 

Now back to your regularly scheduled debate...

 

The is no mention of what type of shoe to wear with the BSA field uniform in the Boy Scout Handbook.

 

 

 

 

[Proud Eagle]

I would suggest some greater clarity in the various publications, such as the handbook, could encourage the wear of neater footwear. Certainly brown and black leather are far more appealing for most uniform occasions. Now that being said, with the activities uniform it doens't make much differenct to me what someone has on their feet. However, at a COH it is a bit odd to be wearing your orange athletic shoes. On the other hand it would be perfectly reasonable to wear those same athletic shoes during an inter-patrol basketball game.

 

-----------------------------------

 

This brings up another thought I have had. Why is the uniform called the "Field Uniform"? I can understand the originis of the term. It is the current use that I don't understand. Once it was considered the norm to wear the uniform in the field (that is outdoors for the most part). The old military style uniforms were very practical, durable, relatively low cost outdoors wear. Certainly modern technology has given us better things than what were available then, but those better things aren't found in the BSA field uniform. Sure, there may be units that hike through Philmont in "class A" uniform, but they aren't making a very practical choice if they do.

 

I would hazard a guess that if we could alter the space-time continuum in a way similar to a twighlight zone or Star Trek episode, and have BP try to found Scouting in the modern world, he would make uniform choices that would not sit well with current BSA leadership. It is my guess that either he would use modified civilian outdoor wear, or more likely he would choose a military uniform like the BDUs. Scouting's natural setting is the outdoors. Its activities are dusty, wet, cold, hot, and everything in between. It would therefore be logical for the uniform to be appropriate and sensable attire for wear during many Scouting activities. The current "field" uniform is not sensable attire for most Scouting activities.

 

So we have a "field uniform" that probably shouldn't be worn in the field, and we have an "activity uniform" (because of the Scout shorts or pants) that is only marginally better suited to Scouting activities. Perhaps BSA would be wise to change its uniforms to something more practical. At the least they could stop calling the uniform the "field uniform", especially since we have no common "dress uniform" to differentiate it from.