Which Hat???

[BadenP]

LPC

 

I agree with you 100% about the expo hat. I wear it with the Adult pin and a small Venture pin underneath and all the senior scouters in my district have never said a word. Uniform hats and options for adult scouters are ambiguious at best. The guidelines in the literature are just that guidelines. I know of a poor troop and pack in my area who can not afford uniforms so we donated some used uniform shirts to them and they came to the next camporee so proud of them. We have never made anyone feel out of place for not having a complete uniform and no scouter ever should. This is the BSA not the US Army, its all about the boys and having fun.

[baschram645]

According to the Uniform inspection sheet I recieved with my Wood Badge packet - Headgear. Boy Scout leaders wear the olive and red visor cap, or campaign hat. Cub Scout leaders wear the blue and gold visor cap. Webelos leaders wear the blue Webelos visor cap. Varsity Scout leaders wear the blaze visor cap.

 

Personally, I like the Expedition hat myself, it is functional (broad brim keeps the sun out of your eyes and off your neck), it recovers well from minor abuse and is very stylish. With the Adult leader pin attached it is a nice addition to the uniform.

 

 

 

[Fat Old Guy]

If I ever sign up for MS Wood Badge 2000, I think that I'll wear my beret and see what is said.

[Rip Van Scouter]

I was at out official council Scout Shop today with the very same question. As a new Cub Scout ACM, it did not seem appropriate to wear a hat that said Tiger, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos. Indeed, the uniform inspection guide has not kept up with the changes. A good example is the specification of the Olive Green leader tie, when it is no longer available.

 

There is a Blue "Aussie" hat shown on the Scoutstuff.org website and I saw one at the Scout Shop. It has a generic Cub Scout logo, however, as a male leader, I have an aversion to its design because it is identical to ones sported by US Air Force FEMALE Training Instructors. (Male USAF TI's, like their Army and Marine Corps Drill Instructor counterparts, wear a "Smoke Bear" style Campaign hat, but in dark blue instead of Brown). When I asked a staffer at the shop about the "Aussie" hat, they did not know if it was a female hat or not.

 

Since the "old style" Blue and Gold Cub Scout hat is not longer stocked at the Scout Shop, nor available through Scoutstuff.org my remaining option seems to be the "Indiana Jones" Expedition hat, which looks great and works well for outdoor activities, but would not seem to be appropriate to wear to Pack meetings, Training, and Roundtables, etc.

 

Interestingly, the Scout Shop carries a "Bungee Cord" B-Ball cap with an embroidered Universal emblem, in dark blue with Gold embroidery. I think I will wear that even though it is not "official".

 

[BPwannabe@137]

I did some research and need to correct my earilier post.

 

Cub leaders are suppossed to wear the hat associated with their den. However, CM, ASM, CC, ect., there is no guidelines.

 

Sorry if its not "official"-I wear my campaign hat. Its traditional (I have lots of CM's from the earily days wearing it), its practical, and the kids really thinks its cool.

[VentureScoutNY]

 

My hat just fell off from my head spinning reading this post!

 

I hope that with the New Insiginia Guide, we can put to rest all of the "if's and maybe's" about what headgear to wear. I bet it was a lot easier when adults all wore the campaign hat and scouts wore thier own campaign hats. Or even when the flat hat came into style, than you had an option of 2 different hats. Ever since than...what a mess of confusion!

 

Part of me wants National to just standardize 1 or 2 hats for Boy Scouts and adults, and the same goes for cubs and their leaders.

 

But another part of me enjoy seeing all the different hats Troops, and scouters wear. We can see an evolution of hats through the programs history on scouts all over the country, and I think thats great! The personalized Troop hats are loved by the scouts I know who wear them. They love the fact they can have their OWN hat, unique yet filled with their Troops own history.

 

My take of the Expo Hat, I love it! As a Scout I wore the ball cap for the first few years, and attained a vintage flat hat from a family member, and never took it off since. Only when it rained or snowed on a trip did it come off for the wool knit hat or the Expo hat. When I was about 15 my birthday gift from Mom and Dad was a brand new Campaign Hat..still probably one of the best birthday gifts ever. Since than I have been a collector of past BSA hats.

 

If my vision came true, they would bring back the floppy style campaign hats. Wouldn't a campaign hat with similiar material to the expo hat be great! Vintage but new and crushable...I'm dreaming I know...

 

Anyway...as a Venturer, (uniform police don't freak out) I attained an old flat Explorer Hat, kelley Green, and I replaced the Explorer patch with a Venutring patch, and bada bing, a unique Venturing hat. Goes great with the Unifrom. Next proposal...grey spats...

 

YIS

 

 

 

[BSA_Bugler]

I am a Wolf Den Leader, here is my personal observation: In my District About 50% of Cub Scout Leaders wear complete uniforms, 40% wear just uniform shirts, and 10% wear no uniform. Less than 5% of all those wear hats or neckerchiefs. The most common hat worn for Wolf Den Leaders is the BSA green and red cap, or the Expedition Hat. I have never seen an adult in a Wolf Cap. Whatever percentage I constitute, is the percentage that religiously wears a hat as part of the Uniform. That is not boasting that is a fact. I was "raised" as a Scout to believe headgear was an essential part of the Uniform. Without it we were out of uniform.

 

That being said I wear everything the rules allow, except I wear a CAMPAIGN HAT. The uniform police here have other, bigger, fish to fry than one old fashioned traditional Scouter. I wear it as a symbol of the standards BSA has established. It gives me something to live up to, I feel different when I wear it. Special, if you will, does than sound kind of dumb? Okay try this, it looks SUPER COOL!

 

I recommend the CAMPAIGN HAT! Go for it, BP did!

[romboman]

I wan't to repeat the sentiment of an earlier post. WE ARE NOT THE ARMY... the Army has regulations, BSA has guidelines. Wear something appropriate, wear it with pride. personally, I agree that campaign hats are cool. The fact that you make the effort to wear the uniform properly will be noticed by your scouts.

[BPwannabe@137]

BSA_Bugler,

VentureScoutNY,

and other campaign hat wearers,

 

all I can say is...

 

I love you dudes.

 

[Spiney Norman]

That's it, I am going to wear my campaign hat from now on. I had stopped wearing it because I was catching flak from some of the veteran scouters in my unit. "Adults can be so cruel to each other." After reading these posts I realise they are just jealous at how absolutely great I look wearing it.

Thanks,

Ken

[BPwannabe@137]

Campaign hat wearers of the world, unite and be proud.

 

Just one note. Not everyone likes to wear one. Don't pressure anyone into wearing one. If they want to wear a ball cap, or no hat at all, thats cool too. But never, never, never, feel that you shouldn't wear your "Montana peak" becasue of what others think.

[Spiney Norman]

Back in less PC times my Scoutmaster, Mr. Lynch, would wear his campaign hat proudly. He added to the overall effect by wearing half of a White Owl cigar firmly clenched betwixt his teeth. The funniest sight I ever seen was while our troop was on a conoe trip.

 

At the terminus of the trip there was a rope used for swinging out over the river. Well, here comes Mr. Lynch, campaign hat, cigar and full class A's. As he emerged from the water not one drenched piece of his outfit was out of place. He looked like the monster from the Baden Powell lagoon.

 

I still have that image stuck firmly in my head. Must be why I'm so attached to MY campaign hat.

[BSA_Bugler]

BPwannabe@137,

 

Amen! You are correct. Wearing a Campaign Hat doesn't make you "better" than anyone else. It just makes you "look better" than them!

 

[blade1158]

The campaign hat certainly makes a statement. I wear mine nearly every outing and to dinners, banquets and the like.

 

This summer our troop ran a Brownsea 22 course for our scouts and each received a campaign hat. When we took 12 of these scouts to a week of summer camp later in the summer and when we showed up at flag lowering in full uniform with staves and campaign hats, we did get alot of looks.

 

Love that campaign hat!

[dan]

It just makes you "look better" than them!

 

 

Y'all got that right, just like my pocket protector and my scientific calculator in my other pocket makes me "look better"! And the tape on my glasses. And the buttons on my scout shirt ready to pop off at any time because of all of the cobbler I have ate!