Camping Fundamentals

[Engineer61]

If you had to pick one fundamental to do on long campouts, what would it be?

 

My choice is change your socks every day.

 

My Scout didn't ... and came home with a brilliantly red case of athlete's foot...took weeks to clear it.

 

His excuse, "no one told us we had to".

 

Hello?

 

SM's, ASM's, SPL's, PL's where are you?

[shortridge]

That's just basic personal outdoor hygeine. Ask him if he read his Handbook, ever!

 

My essential would be hydrate, even in the deep clutches of a frigid winter.

[T2Eagle]

Yes, hydrate!

 

A fellow scouter recently brought out his USMC NCO manual and showed the boys how similar it was to our handbook and the things we're trying to get them to take on as their responsibility. One of the directives dealt with peronal hygiene: it stated that personal hygiene was critical to operational efficiency and therefore underwear and socks must be changed at least twice weekly.

 

His Mrs. Scouter saw that and penciled in "daily."

[ScoutNut]

Please don't blame BSA because your son did not change his socks for an entire week.

 

As has been said, that is basic personal hygiene, which is the responsibility of his family to teach him. Do you have to tell him to change his socks, and underwear at home?

 

Perhaps, after his "brilliantly red case of athlete's foot", he will remember, all by himself, why personal hygiene is important at ALL times.

 

I too vote for staying hydrated. Staying dry is next on the list.

[mbrownkc7]

"Hello?

 

SM's, ASM's, SPL's, PL's where are you?"

 

Where were we? Where were you?

 

How does an eleven year old or older not now how often to change socks? Do you want us to count his underwear also? Why don't you come to the camp and set out his clothes each day and turn back his bed at night. While you are at it, get me a glass of warm milk and read me a story.

 

LOL.

 

Plenty of Water - Ditto

Plenty of sleep at night

Lots of fun

 

About this funny comment again. We do ask our boys to head up to the showers every other day but by no means do I watch them shower or follow up to verify they changed their clothes. If I see a boy with some heavy soiled clothes, I will suggest he change but I don't make him.

 

Have fun at camp.

 

 

[calaska]

How funny - this thread reminds me so much of my son.

 

On his first out-of-state scout trip, he was too "tough" to use the sunblock he had with him. Now he religiously applies it whenever he thinks he has even the slightest chance of sunburn. He had scabs on his shoulders!!!

 

Then, on his trek at Philmont last summer, he was "saving" his last pair of clean socks but not washing the others. His feet looked like he had taken a vegetable peeler to them. But- lesson learned. He now carries more socks with him then he thinks he really needs. And I think if he gets a chance, he'll wash them everyday.

 

The lessons may be hard but, boy, have they been well learned!

 

 

[evmori]

Not changing his socks for a week? Because no one told him to? Did someone tell him to eat & sleep & put his shoes on? This has nothing to do with Scouting! This is all about parenting!(This message has been edited by evmori)

[Eagle92]

I do believe that changing socks often is in the current BSHB. I know it was back in my day. Changing clothes is also a hygeine issue which is also in the book. Also Socks are listed as an item to carry on campig trips.

 

I do wish they would talk about the "Brownsea Washing Machine" in the book though. i had to go to BA22 to learn that one.

[mbrownkc7]

It is fun watching boys learn these valuable lessons. My oldest sons first year at camp I noticed he was wearing the same clothes each day. I saw him go the shower a few times but I never inspected his foot locker.

 

When we got home mom went to help him get his laundry going and she came across only two pairs of dirty clothes and 8 sets of clean. She threw out the socks and we have told and laughed at this story many times since. Now he is a clean freak and goes through the clothes each week.

 

I also remember doing laundry at camp when I was a boy in buckets. Had a soap bucket and a rinse bucket. Then I hung my clothes on a line I had hung between two trees. Our camp is 10 days and back then I didn't have 10 pairs of everything.

 

Have a good summer.

[Eagle92]

Buckets? BUCKETS?! We don't need no stinking buckets.

 

The Brownsea washing machine consists of the scout with his dirty clothes on and going into the shower. He then scrubs the clothign while on him to clean them, then rinses. Remove clothing clean clorhting and repeat with rest of dirty clothes. Once out of clothes, repeat on self.

[SSScout]

"Black socks they never get dirty

the longer you wear them the stronger they get.

 

Someday I think that I'll wash them,

But something keeps telling me, no no, not yet,

not yet, not yet, not yet."

 

Wool socks, rinse out daily. Cotton socks, need soap and water, I have never seen AF with wool sock use, only cotton. Fewer blisters with wool, too.

 

Famous cartoon: Willy and Joe, the Bill Mauldin GIs from WW2 are sitting in the fox hole. Willy holds out a pair of socks and says, "Joe, yesteday ya saved my life, and I said I'd never ferget it. Here's me last pair o' clean socks".

 

[Stosh]

What's with the clean freak stuff?????

 

I went on a outing in wool uniforms and hot, hot weather. When we got back to the hotel at the end of the event, we drew straws as to who got to shower first. I "won". First in.... Yeah, right, when I came out I couldn't believe how bad the other guys smelled! The real winner was the last guy in the shower! So, the simple solution is: don't take a shower until after closing fire bowl!

 

Seriously: Our rule is: either in the pool/lake or in the shower every day! Those that don't comply, are marched down to the lake and tossed in with the SM's blessing. If he's a non-swimmer, we tie a rope around his ankle so we can reel him back in.

 

Stosh

[Beavah]

Yah, da proper fundamental is "wet and hydrated inside, dry outside".

 

All kinds of lessons like that kids have to learn by experience. No amount of parental or SM or PL words can convey it.

 

And no worthy SM or parent is goin' to lay out clothes for the lads or set up an official "OK, everyone change your socks in front of the adults" time.

 

Beavah

 

[Eagle92]

Stosh,

May I recommend a 50 gal water drum, aka your fire bucket filler, and Dawn soap. Add soap to water and DUNK. LOL

 

 

[Stosh]

Eagle92, I'll try just about anything to get the boys wet. I've even considered the Chinese water thingy, heard about it, but will have to get the details.

 

Stosh