Do you wear Class A when traveling to and from campouts?

[HobcawChaos]

To and from campouts - no. Council events and anything out in the community - yes. Okay, except for seenig a play at a local high school - there was no way the girls were going to go for that.

[shortridge]

When attending summer camp, district camporees, the council jamboree or big out-of-council events (like the weekend MB event at the U.S. Naval Academy), uniforms were generally required. To a regular camping trip, just our troop in attendance, no.

[PeteM]

We always wear class A to outings, and class B from, as per instruction from my charter. They really like to see "their" Scouts in uniform.

 

Pete

[Horizon]

Field (aka Class A in the vernacular) to and from 90% of campouts. For a recent backpacking trip I authorized Activity (aka Class B), so that we could hit the trail immediately, and not have to carry the extra weight. I personally wore my Class A on the hike.

 

Class A for most of our activities as well. We switch to Class B for the semi-annual Charter (a Church) cleanup. We have two activity shirts - a custom collared red Shirt with the Troop logo - a spin off of the red one that they sell at Scout shops, and a custom green t-shirt with the Troop logo.

[highcountry]

To and from Summer camp, to Camporee or to Klondike yes. On our local campouts (just our troop ) no. Our scouts that go to MBC's tend to go on their own driven by their parents, only one or two ever wear class A. From theMBC's I have been to, 1/4 to 1/3 of all boys there are in uniform, the majority are not.

[IM_Kathy]

my son's troop doesn't require full uniform, but does require uniform shirts to and from - even having boys run home to get their shirt if they forgot theirs. I think the only time that a boy went without it was when he had out grown his shirt and had not yet been able to get a new shirt due to some family issues with a member in the hospital and such which is totally understandable.

[SMT224]

All travel = Class A shirt, pants or shorts if possible, neckerchief required on the way to summer camp.

 

PLC ruling and enforced.

 

 

[xlpanel]

Our troop is in a rural area and we normally go camping out on property pretty close (25-30 Mins Max) from where we leave from.

 

What really is the point for the Boys to go home from school, put on a scout uniform for 40 mins or so until we get to the campout and then take it off.

[Eagle92]

XLP,

Is all your campouts that close to home? I ask because if that's the case then it explains your arguments (argument used in the classical sense of the word, not the current sense). By staying so close to home, you haven't experienced the walking into a MacDonald's with a troop of 20-30 scouts in full uniforms, and the attention and respect you get from most of the patrons their. You haven't been to a state welcome center with a fully uniformed troop and see how well you are treated.

 

I'm now in a similar situation with the pack I am with: small rural town with a local council camp 20 minutes away from the CO, and for some of the families 2-5 minutes from their house. So they wear pack t-shirts instead of uniforms. Hopefully this will change, especially after one family campout where one of the packs that was aslo using the camp was fully uniformed: socks, belts, short or pants, pack t-shirt during the day and ffield uniform shirt with neckers and hatsat their flag ceremony and dinner. That pack looked SHARP!

[49er]

Our troop wears uniforms 95% of the time. Full Field (Class A) Uniform to and from camp, to and from camporees, to MBUs and other district/council activites and yes normally to and from campouts. They do wear a "full" Class B to and from campouts sometimes in the warmer months. In fact unless they are wearing a bathing suit or hiking in extreme cold they are in some type of uniform. Even on the AT they hiked in the activity (Class B) uniform of troop t-shirt, scout shorts (mainly swithbacks) and even the Thorlo style scout socks. They wear Class B (down to the socks) at camp all week everday and wear Class A to breakfast, supper and to camp wide events. (Yes, some of those shirts could stand up by themseleves at the end of the week.) Most of the 14 and older crowd has kneesocks and wears them to what they consider special events, like parent night at camp and etc. The SPL and PLC came up with this shortly after I took over as scoutmaster on the way to summer camp in an effort to win a spirit award at camp. They have stuck to it ever since then.

[gwd-scouter]

Full uniform for traveling to and from. Funny, but the guys do stand a little taller when we stop at an eatery during the trip and 20 scouts pile in. They like the smiles they receive.

 

When the gas prices were over $4.00 and the economy was taking a nose dive, our guys were on their way to a backpacking trip in Georgia. Stopped at a rest stop for snacks and bathroom break. A trucker came up to one of the leaders and said he wasn't ever a scout himself, but thinks it's a great program. Handed our leader $20 and said he hoped it would help with the gas cost.

[GernBlansten]

True story. Really.

 

We just did a NTiers trek to Bissett, MB, Canada. Flight from DIA (Denver) to Winnepeg.

Crew meeting before the trip, we (the adults) asked them what to wear for the trip. Lots of looks back and forth between the boys and finally, one sheepishly said Class A's. This made us adults happy. We are boy led, eh?

 

So, we show up at the airport and every boy had a sweatshirt or hoodie over his Class A. Only me and the other adult were in a full and complete (sans socks, a man has gots to knows his limitations). But we are boy led. So we say nothing.

Go through security, no issues. On the concourse, we go get lunch before the flight. The boys scatter in all directions, me an the other leader hit a Mexican grill. We get our stuff and sit down. Not seconds later, a flight attendant joins us, gushing about how we are doing God's work and Jesus will save us. Embarrassed, we thank her as she rails about how terrible kids are these days and they don't make eye contact with her on the flights anymore. We don't point out the hoodied kids wandering the concourse as ours. Underneath those hoodies is a boy scout uniform. You can tell by the disco collar.

So, we finally board our flight. The hoodies have been removed because the plane is warm. A commuter plane that we filled about half of. Lots of BSA khaki present. The flight attendant comes down the aisle and remarks that she just doesn't understand how Boy scouts can be so rich that they can fly to another country to go camping. I remark that we are special scouts. These boy's parents are really rich and they pay us to dress this way so we get special treatment. Laughter filled the cabin.

Arriving in Canada, we approached immigration in full alien regalia. Most of the boys were traveling without parents but had passports handy. I passed through easily. But some of the boys were quizzed by the Canadian border guards on the Scout Oath and Law. Actually pretty funny, watching their expressions when they thought entry in Canada balanced on their knowledge of BSA lore.

 

Anywhoo. On the return, another crew meeting. What to wear on the return flight. An easy decision by the boys, whatever was clean. No comments by flight attendants, border guards or anyone. Boy led, eh?

 

So yes, the uniform does solicit responses when traveling.

[Eagle92]

Gern,

In referecne to being quizzed by customs, When I did ECSP back in '95 there was an incident where a drug dealer was wearing a scout uniform in order to pass through immigration more quickly with his drugs. He was successful for a while, but got caught about a month before I went to the UK. i was held up a spell and quizzed.

 

Once the camp warden, that's what they call rangers in the UK, found out what happened, he advised all international staff coming to camp to not wear their uniform on the flights to the UK.

[SMsteve]

We do not. However, we encourage activity uniforms. Seems to be in keeping with SM Hbook p. 159:

 

"Boy Scouts and Scout leaders proudly wear the full uniform for all ceremonial and indoor activities including troop meetings, boards of review, and courts of honor. The uniform should also be worn during special outdoor occasions, such as flag ceremonies, Scout shows, and special times during summer camp.

During physically active outdoor events and informal activities, Scouts may wear an activity uniform - troop or camp T-shirts with Scout pants or shorts or other appropriate outdoor wear."

 

My opinion, per your request: An extra-mile practice such full uniform to and from campouts should be decided by the PLC.

 

I see no rule requiring it, and I don't read the suggestion in the above quote or any other official source.

 

 

 

SL

[jr56]

I always wear full uniform when traveling. In 2007, on the way to Kansas, a fellow scouter bought our entire crew dinner because he realized we were scouts.

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