Parents paying for a more expensive program.

[Pack212Scouter]

I found the Disney offer...It is for room and tickets (no travel, no food) $67 per person/per day for a family of four...for $268 per day at their economy resort with a stay of 5 nights...so $1340 minimum before travel and food expenses!

 

As for the Troop costs, ours vary drastically from $30 for a weekend of camping to $75 for a weekend with rock climbing or canoeing.

 

I don't see how you can afford to camp for $10 per youth...food for the weekend add up to more than that!(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)

[Lisabob]

Pack212, we've done the $10 campouts. Here's how they work.

 

1. They're not far away (gas costs are minimal)

 

2. They're on sites where the camping fee is either minimal or non-existent (some state parks around here only charge about $10 for the entire group camp site, for the weekend - though I think this might have gone up recently - and most scouter/drivers also already have annual park entry passes so no gate fees)

 

3. Food is probably cheaper here, than in AK. And the boys aren't eating expensive cuts of meat. And many staple ingredients are already in the patrol boxes (or sometimes, an extra couple of items are swiped out of somebody's cupboards at home). So long as each patrol has a good number of boys attending, it is not too difficult. Harder, though still possible, with only 2-3 boys in a patrol.

 

 

 

 

[Oak Tree]

I'll echo Lisabob.

 

Food can be more than $10, but it can also be less. A lot of times we have four meals, and the guys can often do the ingredients at $2.00 per person per meal - so $8.00 for food.

 

There are state parks here that charge $1 per person per night if the facilities are unimproved (no flush toilets) - so that can be $2 per person. Backpacking in the national forest is free. Sometimes we've camped on private land for free too thanks to a generous land-owner.

 

Gas is usually a bigger expense - a few years ago we didn't reimburse drivers, and not all of them always turn in receipts. But at $0.04 or $0.05 per mile, you could still go around 50 miles for $4.

 

Yes, $10 is on the low end, but it's not unrealistically low. Now we estimate costs up front, and so we come in a little bit higher - but a basic camping trip isn't that much.

[perdidochas]

This is an issue we are having in our Troop. Some of the boys have expressed that many of our campouts are boring, and to the same two or three palces (which they are). The problem is that we don't really have a consensus about what parents are willing to pay. We are trying to have a parent meeting, but haven't been able to drum up enough parents to agree to meet at the same time.

[funscout]

Our troop also offers several $10 camping weekends, which are well attended. We are fortunate to have several nearby camping locations, some of which are at no cost to the troop. The boys are able to canoe, hike, bike, fish, cross country ski and/or climb at these these affordable campouts, so parents do get lots of "bang" for their buck.

 

Unfortunately, our high adventure campouts are not well attended, due to the expense. We often have more leaders than boys sign up for trips such as Boundary Waters canoe trips and Colorado backpacking trips. In our small farming community, many of our families can't justify spending so much on one child when they can't afford to spend so much on their other children. Yes, we do have fund-raising opportunities, but I think the pricey trips are often looked at as luxuries for families that can't afford to take their own family on vacation. (many have never been to Disney)

[fred8033]

Last time we did Disney, it was $70 something per person. Now, if you walk up to the gate, it's $85 per person (10 years and up) and $79 (3 years old to 9 years old) !!!! But the park is always full. So I guess they can charge what they want to charge. No wonder that mouse is always smiling.

 

For our pack, we don't charge for camping. It's free to the families except the park pass for each car. The park group site is cheap at $45 per night. Food is potluck with pack supplying $200 worth of hamburgers and hotdogs. It's a great program and we want people to come.

 

For our troop, most of our camps are $30 per person with $10 to $12 dedicated for food. Also, state parks are far cheaper. Our scout camps have a per camper fee that breaks the bank.

[boomerscout]

Find out where the Scouts want to go, and then set it at least a year in the future. That way, a $250.00 expedition means saving $5 per week.

What do they do in the meantime? Go on the trip they planned a year ago! OK, $10 a week.

[boomerscout]

Our older Scouts favorite fundraiser is Rent-a-Scout because they can set their own prices.

Our soda pop and water trailer at the county fair does mediocre because our free space is usually in the boonies. We do better working a day at one of the county livestock booths (ribeyes by the beef producers or pork tenderloins by the pork producers).

The following two fundraisers are "illegal", so please don't read them if you are National all the way. Scouts Honor on this!

1) our younger patrols bag groceries for tips. They also wheel out the cart, unload the bags, and bring the cart back. A Scout Mom sits at a table near the exit with a Donations jar. If the guys do a super job, the grocery manager may donate a few bucks. This is friday afternoon and evening, and Saturday morning & early afternoon. On the weekends they are outing, a patrol from a neighboring troop does the honors.

 

2) after you've had a couple of troop carwashes, convert to a washathon. Get those cards they use for walkathons. If 15 Scouts each sign up 20 sponsors who agree to pay a nickel for each car washed, and you wash 100 cars, then - if my math is correct - 15 Scouts x 20 sponsors each x 5 cents a car = $15 per car. $15 x 100 cars = $1500.00 Have your Friends of Troop ### be in charge of this.

Don't forget the Donations jar by the hot dogs grill while the cars are being washed. If you get super good with this, put up a sign Free Carwash. You wouldn't want to do this every weekend, would you (with DIFFERENT sponsors)?

On our last trip to the BW, we flew in. Coming back we took an air-conditioned charter bus to Baraboo, and then to Chicago (Science Museum, Observatory, Art Museum, great ribs..). From there, flew home. Scouts paid their own way; some had to save for 2 years, some less

[Alabama Scouter]

Before I took over as SM, the CC and SM had agreed that the costs of camp outs would meet the lowest common denominator, in that if a scout could only afford a $10.00 camp out, that's all we did. This really limited where we went, how far we went, what we ate, etc. I always thought that was unfair to the balance of the troop, and deprived them of some good scouting opportunities.

 

Since I've been SM, I've really pushed "earning their own way". If a scout hasn't sold popcorn, hasn't participated in other fund raisers we have, and he can't get his folks to pony up, he may not get to go!

 

We provide a means for them to pay their dues, to pay for summer camp, to pay for camp out costs. If they don't avail themselves of these opportunities, I don't feel bad if they get left out of the more expensive camping trips. [it doesn't happen often].

 

We do one "big" camping trip a year, that runs between $75-$100. All the others are around $25.00, gas and food. Patches and trinkets are extra. Plus summer camp.

 

I've heard of a troop (in the next state) that charges $1,000 per year for dues, has 48 members, and a waiting list. I'd like to know if that's true, or just urban legend.

 

 

 

 

 

[boomerscout]

"I've heard of a troop (in the next state) that charges $1,000 per year for dues, has 48 members, and a waiting list. I'd like to know if that's true, or just urban legend."

 

Actually quite common if you're expected to go on the yearly High Adventure or other special trip

[eisely]

We are located in a relatively affluent area in California, so everyone is used to getting stiffed, and can afford to get stiffed. A $10 camping trip is impossible. Our cheapest events may run a few tens of dollars up to over a hundred dollars. We just did a fifty miler on the Sacramento River that cost each scout $150. There was a lot of driving involved, and we had to use commercial campgrounds along the river, so it was expensive. Nevertheless it was worth it and no one complained about the price.

 

Summer camp, on a per diem basis, is probably the cheapest thing we do.

 

We also send a crew to Philmont every other year.

[resqman]

Couple of years ago, parents start complaining that $35 a weekend was too much.

 

So we changed the permission slip to break out the costs. The form now shows Food $20, transportation $7, Campsite fee $3, Activity fee $5 or whatever the actual costs are.

 

Parents now understand the costs and there is virtually no complaining about costs. We also try to alternate so that we have a less expensive trip one month and a more expensive the next. Fund raising events are offered so scouts can earn the money for their trips. We also have camperships available for summer camp. High Adventure trips are expensive. $1500 per scout not counting additional gear. Those who can do, those who can't don't.