Shoebox (ultimate survival) campout

[Trevorum]

 

In another thread, good ol' Semper introduced the idea of a "Shoebox" campout. The idea for this "ultimate survival" campout is that the scouts bring everything for the weekend in one shoebox - food, shelter, everything except water.

 

I mentioned this to our PLC last month and they were all over it! Because our May waterskiing had to be postponed to July, we had a calendar gap and they quickly voted to make May our Shoebox Campout.

 

None of us have ever done this before, and so now I am asking for ideas and advice. What works and what doesn't?

 

I'm a bit concerned (only a bit) about the new Scouts who will have been on only 2 or 3 overnights by then - they don't have many of the basic skills yet. But, the May weather will be great!

 

This is going to be totally fun!

 

 

 

 

[SemperParatus]

What works? A big shoe box - size 14s are better than size 9s.

 

We had some boys decide to go solo - pack their food, space blanket, etc in an individual box. We had scouts in a couple patrols decide to split it up - one box had all their shelter materials, a couple of boxes had all their food. In the end, I don't think it matters - there is only so much space.

 

Just about everyone had a cheap space blanket - those that didn't made a ground cover out of natural materials. There was a couple of kids that cooked using sterno, but most of it was dry food (we did cheat and have water coolers available so that at least no one became dehydrated).

 

A few people were smart enough to glue some padding to the bottom of their boxes for use as pillows. The lid makes a good tray, cutting board, rain shelter, fan, frisbee, etc.

 

Our activity that weekend was an innertube trip and historic site visits.

 

Have fun!

[le Voyageur]

Instead of carrying stuff in a shoebox, why not make haversacks which would be easier to tote. They're about the same size as shoeboxes, and easily made from ticking or a light weight canvas.

 

 

 

 

[torribug]

The youngster that lives in my house mentioned that boots (as in the cowboy variety) come in a pretty good-sized shoebox. So a size 13 pair of Ropers might have a box large enough to hold most anything!

 

Now, I have to wonder, what about the guys that wear those "cargo" pants that have enough pockets to carry another shoebox full of stuff?

[Trevorum]

Torri, excellent points, both. I mentioned these to the SPL as topics for clarification at the PLC.

[resqman]

I would say to stop by www.equipped.org and review some of the ideas for survival kits.

 

It is an excellent source for ideas about what needs to be in a survival kit as well as superior equipment reviews. He designs kits as small as an Altoids candy tin up to suitcase sizes for lifeboats.

 

Check out the 7 essentials list. From there add to fill your shoe boxes. I would recommend:

 

- Poncho, military(Tent, tarp, sleeping bag, rain protection)

- Space blanket

- Duct Tape

- Firestarter (Disposable lighter, BSA Hot Spark, tinder)

- Knife

- LED Headlight or flashlight

- Metal Cup (boil water, cook food, cook pot & plate)

- Spoon

- Rope (1/8"x50' braided nylon or 550 paracord)

- First Aid Kit

- Food

 

 

[torribug]

Trevorum,

 

While talking about this a bit with my (non-

outdoorsy) sister, she mentioned that a cell phone and some cash would fit quite nicely in a shoe box. So - how close is the nearest pizza delivery place to your campground, and how far of a hike out to the road to meet the pizza guy?

 

Not that *I* would do something like that...... just a funny thought.

 

Bug

[Trevorum]

I can imagine your sister also calling up the Room Store for delivery of a king size mattress.