Tips on gear loss prevention/reduction?

[kenk]

Having a group of Webelos who will soon be entering Boy Scouts AND a son who would lose his shoes if they weren't tied on ...

 

Do you have any advice for minimizing gear loss? I guess I'm thinking of smaller items: pocketknife, compass, flashlight, water bottle, etc...

 

When I was a kid we had some kind of clip with a leather thong - we'd fasten the clip to the pocketknife and the end of the thong to a belt loop and there was enough length for the knife to sit in our pocket, but it was a pain to unfasten for use.

[Kudu]

Some random thoughts:

 

1) Just make the thong longer, so that it doesn't have to be unfastened!

 

2) Consider a backpacking or fishing vest. This is also a great place to store your "10 Essentials" between campouts.

 

3) I set the example and tie a 3' brightly-colored cord to most of my gear. For some reason it makes it easier to find, especially in the snow, even if it isn't attached to anything.

 

4) Best cord has a very small diameter with highly reflective thread woven into it, buy it in climbing equipment stores.

 

5) Whenever you list a pocketknife, compass, etc, on an equipment list, include in the description: "with a three-foot length of brightly-colored cord attached."

 

6) The smaller the knife, the better. For about $20 A Scout can buy a very small but good quality knife and wear it around his neck with his whistle and spark tool. A small knife will be good enough for about 90% of the situations in which a Scout needs a knife.

 

7) Tenderfeet always want one of those Swiss Army Knives with all the attachments, at least 1/2 of which they will never use, and an additional 1/4 they will never even figure out the function for. After the first campout, they will always leave them in their packs because they are too bulky and too heavy to carry around, and it is much easier to try to borrow someone else's if you need one :-/

 

8) I pick up any unattended knives I find, and if they don't have a cord attached, I hold the knife hostage until the Scout finds a cord and ties it to the knife with an overhand knot.

 

Kudu

 

[Eamonn]

I always found that I looked after things better if I was the one who paid for them.

Having things marked so if they are found they have a chance of being returned is a help.

Her Who Must Be Obeyed even writes my last name in my underwear!!

Having your little fellow do his own packing after been shown how to is a big help. If he knows where it was to start with, he will know if it's not there and might look for it. There is also a chance that he might put things back where they go. (I'm 50 and am still working on that one!!)

Long cords do work, but I'm not mad about wearing things around little Lads necks, the cord can get tangled and ruin a good tree climb.

I know the Scout motto is Be Prepared, but only taking equipment that you are going to need and use means that there is less to get lost.

My Father-In-Law God rest him was into engraving his name on anything that could be engraved. I found fingernail polish did a better job. But he spent many happy hours with his little engraving tool.

While it might sound a little harsh, making junior pay for lost items with his own money is a good learning tool.

The thing I always forget is my wash kit. I have to do a quick trip back to the washroom. When I get there I remember that I left the soap in the shower. I now use the small bars that you get in hotels.

OJ really is into carabiner clips,some of these have a web strap.They can personalized (We gave them away one year as thank you gifts to our customers, with the company name on them.) Maybe selling them might be a good fund raising event?

Eamonn.

[Kudu]

Long cords do work, but I'm not mad about wearing things around little Lads necks, the cord can get tangled and ruin a good tree climb.

 

I first read about this practice in a wilderness survival book. The idea is that even if you unexpectedly lose your pack and everything but what you are wearing, you still have your knife, spark tool, and whistle.

 

I wonder if in the last 99 years of Scouting if any one of these hundreds of millions of Scouts has ever been injured by wearing a cord around his neck?

 

At any rate, our rule is to wear them inside their shirt so there is less temptation to blow the whistle.

 

Kudu

[John-in-KC]

When I was on active duty in the Army I kept my "dummy cords" tied off to my gear. Since for most of my career I carried a .45 M1911A1, it was the "First most valuable item" I tied off!

 

The principle applies here as well. Tie off those essentials to a locking carabiner. Slip the 'biner on the Scout belt, 2 loops back or so.

 

Guess what? Gear is tied off, and the dummy cords don't go around the neck!

 

Troopers do it; Scouts can too

 

YIS and HNY John

A Good Old Owl Too

 

[Eamonn]

Kudu

You are about the most argumentative fellow I have ever met.

Sea Scouter's don't wear Wood Badge beads because they might get tangled up and cause an injury.

I don't know if any Scout has ever been hurt because of a cord around his neck, but it does seem like an accident waiting to happen.

Happy New Year.

Eamonn.

[Kudu]

Slip the 'biner on the Scout belt, 2 loops back or so.

 

John-in-KC,

 

Maybe it is just me, but when I wear cords near the waist area, even behind me, they snag on stuff all day long.

 

Gear is tied off, and the dummy cords don't go around the neck!

 

Do soldiers still wear dog tags around the neck?

 

Eamonn writes

 

You are about the most argumentative fellow I have ever met.

 

Well, thank you, Eamonn! I do try to look at each and every element of Scouting with fresh eyes, and that certainly does tend to irritate true believers like you.

 

Sea Scouter's don't wear Wood Badge beads because they might get tangled up and cause an injury.

 

And what does BSA brand Wood Badge (21st Century Catered Leadership) have to do with the outdoors? :-/

 

I don't know if any Scout has ever been hurt because of a cord around his neck, but it does seem like an accident waiting to happen.

 

Getting lost in the woods is the accident waiting to happen.

 

Most neck chains break away pretty easily, and they are not as irritating to the skin as cords.

 

If you run an experiment with your Scouts putting their knife, whistle, and spark tool anywhere else but around their neck, you will find that most of them will not actually carry them.

 

If you Google "Children outdoor safety whistle around neck" (without the quotes) you will find a wide variety of views on the subject, but most of the outdoor experts are overwhelmingly on one side of the issue.

 

Scouts have worn stuff around their necks for 99 years. If the BSA considered it to be as dangerous as laser tag, it would be prohibited in the Guide to Safe Scouting!

 

Kudu

[John-in-KC]

Kudu,

 

Yes, my dog tags went around my neck and under my T-shirt.

 

My field gear routinely got caught in the camouflage nettting. They make a dummy cord on a bush seem tame (the bush will yield, camo netting doesn't).(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[resqman]

Reflective tape is what I use. I put a 1" stripe of reflective orange tape around as many items of gear as possible. The orange color is easy to spot, easily recognizable as My gear, and the reflective quality makes it easier to find in low light situations. Shine a flashlight around and it pops out visually.

 

I also use a Sharpie marker to write my last name on items. The combination of orange tape and my name seems to help items get returned to me.

 

I buy my reflective tape at www.galls.com. They offer 8 different colors in four different widths in two lengths. I purchased 150' roll. All my gear has a stripe. I occasionally get heckled about it but I don't lose much gear.

 

I still have some of my gear from 30 years ago where I used fingernail polish to write my name. Much easier are the paint pens available from craft stores. Paint in a marker type dispenser. Durable paint finish in an easy method of writing letters.

[Lynda J]

Everything that my boys take on outings must have their names on it. I have a small engraver that I can put their names on things like knives and compasses.

 

I have a real problem hanging a knife around a boys neck. I don't think that there is a problem with things like compasses and whistles. But I would never hand a knife around my neck much less one of my boys.

I do agree that when the boy has to spend his own money on a item most of the time they will be much more responsible for it.

[EagleInKY]

Staple Gun? Duct Tape?

 

 

But seriously, we have an "engraving night" shortly after crossover in the spring. We'll bring engravers and have the guys bring in the stuff they need engraved. It's probably not a bad idea to do that a couple of times a year.

[Kudu]

I have a real problem hanging a knife around a boys neck. I don't think that there is a problem with things like compasses and whistles. But I would never hand a knife around my neck much less one of my boys.

 

What is your "real problem" with boys who wear a knife around their necks?

 

I have worn a compass there, but they tend to be uncomfortable and get pretty scratched up.

 

Kudu

 

[ozemu]

Would those little bum bags work?

 

Maybe not get tangled and with space to stash treasures. Most have room for a water bottle too which around here is essential, along with wide brimmed hat.

 

 

[Eamonn]

ozemu

I think I can guess what a "Bum Bag" is but maybe a translation might help?

Eamonn.

[Owl62]

There are a number of things you can do to reduce loss of items:

 

1. Label them in some way so that if someone finds the items, there is a better chance the items will be returned to the owner. (you may want to consider using the unit name and city rather than the owner's address). This is especially troop for items taken to Scout camps. If they are labelled, there is a good chance they will be returned. Some items that a commonly found unattended at Scout camps are: Scout handbook, merit badge books, caps/hats, gloves, canteens/water bottles, swim trunks, towels, soap dishes, jackets, sweatshirts, etc. Label them with the owner's name and Scout unit.... BTW - you might want to label your Scout (bracelet, ID tag, etc) - I have come upon lost, sick or injured Scouts at camp who did not know their unit number, camp location, or leader's name. I once came upon a young Scout suffering from the heat who did not know his name, unit, campsite, or leaders' names. Fortunately, I have some medical training, and the health lodge was nearby. Buddy system was in effect, but he was alone. Might sound weird, but label your Scouts in some way - especially the new or young ones. I wear both a military style "dog tag" on a chain around my neck under my shirt, and an ID braclet, and carry an emergency information and contact card in my wallet.

 

2. Consider using easy to see items that are brightly colored or shiny so they will be easier to see - especially good for items that are "lost in the woods". We are not trying to conceal ourselves or our equipment in Scouting. Consider colors like Blaze orange, bright, glow, or reflective orange, yellow, white, green, etc. You can also buy bright colored and glow in the dark and reflective paint and tape to mark items. I personally use a lot of glow in the dark and or reflective paint and tape on camping items to make them easier to locate in the dark. I paint most my zipper pulls and other buckles, and fasteners on my tents and packs with glow in the dark paint to make them easy to see in the dark. I have a strip of glow in the dark tape wrapped around my walking staff near both ends.

 

3. Use cords or "leashes" for items that are carried on the person or pack such as pocketknives, flashlights, keys, cell phones, pagers, gloves/mittens, caps/hats, etc. We used to call them "idiot cords" but that is probably not very pc and actually if they prevent loss, then maybe they should be called "smart cords". In cold climates, a cord for gloves or mittens that runs inside the jacket or coat at the shoulders and then down the sleeves to attach the gloves or mittens will help prevent loss of the gloves or mittens and maybe prevent cold injuries of the hands.

 

Just a few ideas that I use or have used that seem to work ok.