Rainy Weather Camping Activities

[dScouter15]

Hi - With spring and summer camping season getting ramped up, I thought I might share our troop's solution to how to effectively handle rainy weather on camp outs. Up until a couple years ago, our troop had a problem when rain would occur on camping trips - scouts would tend to congregate under the dining fly and sulk until the rain storm ended, or hang out in their tents and play cards/electronics/whatever. This clearly made for poor morale on camping trips.

 

One of our more outstanding youth leaders was SPL about two years ago. We had come back from a particularly rough camp out where the program was severely hampered by wet weather. The following weekend, our troop operated its annual Dunk Tank fund raiser, at the picnic for our CO's church, and the weather was unusually cold. Our SPL noticed that the scouts were cold and wet while being dropped into the dunk tank, but were still having a blast, and weren't complaining at all. This same group of scouts was miserable the previous weekend when we had a couple of hours of rain on a camping trip. The SPL shared his observation with myself and some of the adult leaders, and we asked him to work with the PLC to develop ways to improve the way the troop operates on rainy camp outs. Here's the approach that the PLC, with guidance from adult leaders came up with:

 

- Training, Planning and Preparation:

We devoted some skills instruction time to preparing scouts specifically for coping with rain while camping and hiking. This instruction included selecting appropriate clothing, boots and rain gear; packing a backpack to keep things dry, and selecting tent sites and setup to keep things dry.

 

We also recommended that scouts bring at least one "extra" complete change of clothes - shirt/pants/socks/underwear/sweatshirt, so that if the scout gets wet, he'd be able to change into dry, comfortable clothes. We also strongly recommend bringing a small towel, and a spare pair of old shoes that can be worn either specially for wet weather, or if hiking books get wet.

 

- While Out Camping

The primary rule is to "keep moving" - unless the weather is severe, we do our best to have some activity for scouts to participate in. If everyone is active, they won't have time to sulk about the weather. If we're hiking, we change into rain gear and keep on walking, providing the weather is not severe.

 

If we're at "base camp," we do our best to keep our originally scheduled program running as much as possible. In light rain, we'll change into rain gear, and try to continue with the program. If that's not possible, we'll improvise with some alternate activities. In light rain, we've had a patrol fire building contest, where patrol's have to locate dry tinder and kindling, and get a good sized fire going despite the rain.

 

For heavier rain storms, we've developed some special wet weather activities. We'd gather the troop under the rain fly, and take stock of the situation. If the SPL and SM determine that the scheduled program cannot continue, we ask the PLC to develop some alternate activities. In warm weather, we'd confirm that each scout brought an extra change of dry clothes, and is not currently wearing any "uniform" parts. If this is the case, we'd ask that scouts leave their rain gear, shoes and socks under the dining fly where they'd remain dry, and then play troop-wide or interpatrol informal sporting events - football, soccer, "steal the bacon," and capture the flag are some favorites.

 

We've also had more organized activities - if pioneering material is available, try a patrol water balloon catapult building contest. Once some of the older scouts devised a "rainstorm obstacle course," using some spare equipment from the troop trailer, complete with a plastic tarp acting as a water slide.

 

Again, before doing "rain games," we do verify that scouts have dry clothes to change into, and that the weather is warm enough for it to be safe.

 

If the weather is too cold, or the storm too severe for the above activities to be safe, we do activities under the troop dining fly. We've setup improv advancement sessions for younger scouts, and given older scout patrols time for patrol planning, or merit badge work with counselors who are present on the camping trip.

 

Regardless, we stressed with the SPL, PLC and older scout patrols to try to maintain a positive attitude even during bad weather, as we hope that the optimism will spread to the younger scouts.

 

Overall, we emphasize good preparation for wet weather camping, so that scouts can stay safely and comfortably warm and dry during and/or after rain. At campouts, we stress continuing some kind of program in all bust the most severe weather, even if we have to improvise and deviate from our pre-planned program. So far we've had very good success with this approach, and noticed much better morale and enjoyment even through poor weather. In fact, some of our scouts have said that our improv "rain games" have been the most fun parts of their scouting experiences.

 

I know many of you who frequent these forums are already well-adept at handling less than perfect weather, but I hope that some found these suggestions useful. I'd also be interested to hear reactions to our strategy, and how other troop's address the issue.

[Beavah]

Yah, thanks for sharin' dScouter15. And kudos to your youth leaders for recognizin' an issue and taking action.

 

I think kids generally follow the lead of adults and older kids when it comes to whether to sulk or not. If adults are fair-weather campers, the kids will be, too. If the adults go out and have fun in the rain and mud, the kids will, too.

 

Your method is what I'd recommend to any unit. Make sure kids have da right gear (before the trip); make sure they know how to dress themselves (not always a given); and then just continue the program full-steam. Skin is water-proof! Hiking, camping, swimming, games, challenges, pioneering, paddling, boating, you name it. Almost everything we do can continue in the rain (and snow). In fact, usually those campouts are da ones that are remembered!

 

Beavah

 

[jeff-o]

Hehe... I can only laugh when I read this post. When our troop started a year ago, it started raining. Our very first event was a 2-mile hike. It rained. On our fourth camp out, it literally started raining on Friday night when we arrived at the campsite and didn't stop raining until we left Sunday. No, really. We have now been camping eleven different times and it has not rained on exactly ONE of those events. Seriously, just once.

 

But no, it is good that you've got a plan in place to keep your scouts interested. We just plan on doing what we're going to do and honestly don't consider the weather. Sure, we'll watch for serious T-storms and the like, but in general, we just go ahead and if it rains, we get wet. Everyone packs their rain gear in the top of their pack and at least half the packs show up for a camp out inside large trash bags, even if no rain is forecast.

 

The parents are now used to, and expect, a pile of muddy, smelly boys back on Sunday. And the scouts absolutely love it.

[frank10]

I've always wanted to find an activity for the troop that could fit in a box and be reserved for rain days only. Something so much fun the guys would beg for rain so they could use it.

I don't know what it would be but there must be something. I know it's not fly tying. I like the idea of a water slide.

[Stosh]

Over the years I have adopted only one issue that arises when it's raining. Put on a rain coat and then just keep doing what was planned. It's kind of the same philosophy of when the sun comes out put on sun-block.

 

If weather is going to dictate the activity, then why make plans?

 

Stosh

[dScouter15]

jeff-o - I've had campouts like that - where you learn that it can rain, non-stop, for at least 72 hours. For our troop, anyway, we've found that type of weather occurs most frequently when the SM picks the date for the campout ;-)

 

wingnut - in warmer weather, I'd recommend a "rainy weather obstacle course". Some of our older scouts came up with one on a campout afflicted by an afternoon rain storm. They basically just raided the troop trailer for some spare equipment which could get wet, and came up with something off the tops of their heads. They had stuff like a balance beam made from pioneering poles raised a couple inches above a deep puddle, some extra PVC pipe layed horizontally varying distances over the ground (supported by poles, milk crates, whatever) that scouts would have to either jump over or crawl under, some kind of blindfolded course thing where patrols would have to guide a blindfolded patrol member around a set of obstacles. They had one or two other obstacles setup - I don't remember exactly what they are, but you get the idea, and its probably all stuff that can be made from spare equipment you already have on hand.

 

jblake - we do make an effort to follow our program as planned, but at the same time, I'm very much in favor of adapting to the circumstances to maintain health, safety and enjoyment. For example, if we're planning on doing a short hike on a camping trip, but there's a couple hours of heavy rain in the forecast, we might attempt to schedule the hike to avoid the worst of the rain, and instead drop in an alternate activity while its raining. While we make every effort to continue our activities regardless of rain, we've just found through experience that being a little flexible with our schedule and activities has helped improve morale on wet weather camping trips. Look at it this way - if you've scheduled a campout with an afternoon of intense physical activities, but arrived to find that its 110 degrees in the shade, wouldn't you consider postponing the heavy physical activities to the evening, when the weather has cooled, rather than risking heat related illnesses? I think to some extent, its necessary to consider the weather when deciding what activities to do while camping, for both reasons of comfort, and safety.(This message has been edited by dScouter15)

[Stosh]

A few years back we had schedule 9 days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of N. Minnesota. Yep, you got it. 8 of the days it rained. The one day it didn't rain, the sun did not shine. For the first few hours we tried to stay dry. After that we gave up and just went on with the trip. We packed up wet, dragged it out wet and slept in it wet, and when we got up we put on dry clothes that stayed that way for maybe 2-3 minutes.

 

One of the canoes rolled and dumped everything in the drink. I thought the boys would be upset because everything got wet. Yeah, right they were upset because now everything is going to weigh more with all that added water and it's going to make for more work at the portages.

 

It was a great trip.

 

Stosh

[HobcawChaos]

My girls still talk about the day they spent letterboxing in the rain and playing softball with mudpuddles for base. They had raingear on and changes of close. It also helped that we happened to be cabin camping that weekend ;-) ummmmm with a washer/dryer (it's the staff cabin in the summer). But they did everything they had planned even before the washer/dryer was discovered. The only thing altered was a hike to the top of a close "mountain" since straight line winds and tornadoes had been forecast. Those never materialized but we stayed close to camp just in case.