Cost of new uniform

[Gonzo1]

Maybe BSA could obtain inmate labor. but that wouldn't make good press coverage, would it?

 

[epalmer84]

Total youth uniform:

 

59892 Boy Scout Short-Sleeve Shirt, Medium, Youth $24.25

58014 Boy Scout Uniform Pants, 14, Youth $37.35

52992 Boy Scout Web Belt SM/M (to 28") $6.30

54393 Boy Scout Twill Cap Medium $11.80

Insignia $12.95

 

Total $95.10

 

 

In Rowan's biography of James E West, he notes that a complete uniform cost $10 in 1922. Using the Consumer Price Index, this is equivalent to $116.46 in 2005.

 

 

Rowan, Edward L (2005). To Do My Best: James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America. Las Vegas International Scouting Museum. ISBN 0-9746479-1-8.

 

Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 - 2005:

http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/compare/result.php

[hendrickms24]

"This whole discussion is not a discussion of expenses, it's a discussion of priorities. I have Venturers who will spend a minimum of $1200-$1500 to be a part of the crew and haven't had anyone have to drop out because they couldn't afford it."

 

 

I would not compare Scouts that reenact to other scouts. The people I know that reenact have been sucked into a hobby that will cause them to devote their time and money to do what they love and will work to get the items they need! I know because I am one of those nut jobs! ;-) Therefore, the scouts that are joining your crew have already caught the reenacting bug and are willing to spend the money. Take a scout that has not and see him or her not join because of the high cost. I just think you crew is the exception to the rule.

 

Mark Maranto

 

[Stosh]

Maybe you're right, but I also have a patrol in the troop I work with that dropped $50 each for hats, $5 for walking staves, and $20 for custom made neckerchiefs for a cool $75. No one complained and the boys show up with more esprit-de-corps than the rest and we have other boys clammoring to pay the $75 and join the patrol.

 

Again, it's not the money, it's the attitude/priority/value that is being instilled. Maybe my patrol is an exception too. We'll see, I'm going to work on the new boy patrol next. They might all look really cool in campaign hats. We'll have to find out what they want to do.

 

Stosh

[John-in-KC]

Mr Palmer,

 

I challenge you to compare QUALITY, FIT and FINISH of the 1922 uniform to todays uniform.

 

I think you'll find, perhaps save the new zip pants, today's uniform comes up rather short, and there'd be a tremendous expense to duplicate Q,F, and F.

[adc294]

Geeze, "Stosh"...hadn't heard that name since I was a scout myself! Great name.

 

Anywho, I am entirely in favor of the uniform. It seams to me that many of you posting these replies are from areas that have a much better economic base than that of Appalacia.

 

Trust me when I say that I know of all the methods of aquiring "experienced" uniforms and have used them all.

 

I would like for my son to wear a new uniform but then he would stand out of place amongst the other boys and maybe seam to be condesending as such...not our intention.

 

Thanks for the feedback folks.

 

 

 

[local1400]

adc294- I hope the other boys in the unit wouldn't consider your son's purchase of a new uniform as "show-boating." Rather, it could inspire them to update as well. There is nothing wrong with used uniforms. I was 18 when I got my first new uniform, paid for myself. There are many ways a young man can earn money these days. It's how they save that money and spend it wisely that teaches them a life lesson. If I had every dollar I blew on bad decisions and foolish choices I could outfit 10 troops head to toe!

[Flyingfish]

Does anyone know anything about the rumor that National has agreements with Goodwill and the Salvation Army not to resale BSA uniforms? I stalk the GW relentlessly and have found very little BSA stuff. On the other hand, there is a large biannual kid's consignment sale that I've had really good luck at.

[epalmer84]

Mike Walton mentioned this back in 2000:

 

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:H74QcVQ6g7EJ:www.infinetivity.com/~blkeagle/celebs.htm+%22mike+walton%22+destiny%27s+child&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a

 

or http://tinylink.com/?zZAzmsfjW9

 

This link is to a cache- it looks like his site is down.

 

Ed

[Stosh]

I met with my new boy patrol this evening and uniforming was discussed. Basically the conclusion drawn by the patrol is: 1) Whatever is decided would be a group decision and the expense would be borne by each boy and not their parents. 2) All decisions must be unanimous. ALL the boys will be at the same level. 3) Anything is possible.

 

One of the other patrols overheard our discussion and after the meeting asked if those principles applied to any other patrol or if they were just for the new boys.

 

All of a sudden we have a whole new flurry of activity for patrol uniforms.

 

I must also state that along with all the patrol uniforming, there is a standard TROOP uniform. When we travel or attend an activity as a troop, that uniform prevails. The patrol identifications are for patrol activities or when we are at an event functioning as a patrol. That means the boys are expected to carry dual uniforms.

 

Stosh

[Hunt]

I remember reading before that BSA had told Goodwill and Salvation Army to stop selling uniforms. I wonder if this was true, and if it's a policy that's being enforced. In the Jan-Feb issue of Scouting, there's an article about a guy who scours Goodwills, etc. for uniforms that he fixes up and gives away. http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0701/d-news.html

Would they have printed this if this was to be discouraged? And have they done anything to try to stop ebay from carrying sales of scout uniforms?

[adc294]

Hunt,

 

Thanks, that was a good article I had apparently missed. I've scoured these thrift shops too but to no avail.

 

The notion of the kids buying the uniform is a great idea but I can't think of kids I have worked with that would have been willing to do that, they seem to be more interested in buying games and Ipods and stuff with the money they earn.

 

I'm going to try to develope that idea though.

 

Local,

 

I would hope that they wouldn't be offended but I realize now that it is troop leadership that doesn't "enforce" uniform standards. I actually never had a problem when I was a SM.

[Chippewa29]

Like a couple of other people have said, its all a matter of priorities. At a troop committee meeting a couple of years ago, we had a big discussion on the uniform (really, the cost of the uniform). One of the mom's complained that she was a single mom raising two kids and $40 was too much to spend for a pair of Scout pants. She garnered a lot of sympathy for her situation. However, after the meeting, some of us were just standing around talking when she was telling us how she wanted to teach her kids about "good music" and took her 12 and 9 year old sons to go see Lynard Skynard the week before. The tickets for this show were about $40 a piece. This same Mom a few weeks later, paid over $200 for her son to play football. Another parent that has complained about uniform cost spent the money for his kids to buy a Wii gaming system when it came out last year. Its all a matter of priorities.

 

The other argument I've gotten from parents is that they are afraid to spend that money and then have the uniform get torn from being used outdoors. I bought my latest uniform in 1995. Yes, the shirt is getting worn a bit, but it is still in good shape. I just got a pair of switchbacks because after 11 years, the zipper in my pants broke (the rest of the pants are in great shape). I estimate that I wore the shirt and pants I bought in 1995 to about 80-90 campouts, over 400 troop meetings, plus service projects, recruiting visits, etc. Overall, I've probably worn it close to 600 times. I have nothing else in my closet that has gotten anywhere near that much wear.

 

For the parents concerned about their sons outgrowing their uniforms, I just tell them to buy the uniform a size too big. Even with a good growth spurt, that should last the Scout about two years at least. If he is active and wears it to our tweleve campouts and roughly 46 troop meetings a year, that is about 55-60 uses.

[local1400]

Chip29, did you ever do the math on those Scout pants? Wow! A new uniform shirt costs 77 cents per week and pants cost 86 cents per week. Thats a combined $1.63 a week for a Scout uniform. For the same amount of money you can: Buy a medium cup of coffee, a Sunday newspaper, enough gas to start your car and drive to the mailbox, two candy bars, one healthy bar, etc... and so on. When parents complain that Junior will need new uniforms next year and well, you now, it's gonna cost too much, I say put two dollars a week in a jar for a year. $104.00 will outfit him nicely. Socks too!

[Chippewa29]

That's a great way to put it. The math I like to use is for the Scout to have the uniform for two years before they grow out of it. The pants are about $40 and the shirt is about $28. The patches are another $12, so the total cost of a new uniform set is about $80. I don't count the Scout hat, belt, or neckerchief since those don't have to be replaced as the Scout gets older (I still wear my original troop neckerchief from 24 years ago).

 

If a Scout comes to 40 troop meetings a year (my troop has 46) and ten campouts (we have 12), that comes to 50 wears per year, or 100 wears in two years (more if he is more active or wears the uniform for other Scout events). It comes out to $0.80 per wear. That sounds pretty darn reasonable to me. By the way, if the Scout doesn't grow as quickly, he can probably stretch that uniform out for up to another year.