Bragging Vests!

[Justadad1999]

Was wondering if anyone else''s scout has/uses a "Bragging Vest"? My son wears one that is almost full of patches & awards that he has earned. NOW THE KEY HERE is that he EARNS the patches & awards. I just don''t buy them because he like them or because they are good looking.

 

So are "bragging vests like the dinosaurs?

 

Larry Brooks

Unit Commissioner/Pack Trainer

Sam Houston Area Council

Texas Skies District

[funscout]

When my boys were in Cub Scouts, they wanted a "brag" vest (red felt) after seeing other boys with them. I was a fun way to show all the patches they''d earned from Day camp, car washes, Scout Sunday, Scouting for Food, Pinewood derby, etc. You are right, those vests do fill up fast! I didn''t know of anyone who abused the idea by buying unearned patches for their son!

[Lisabob]

We used them when my son was in cubs and the boys loved to show off their patches. Each one had a story of how they''d earned it and they were rightly proud - and happy to share their stories!

[scottteng]

When we were in cub scouts all the cubs had them with all the family camps and events they were fun for the boys. I know many scouters who have a patch blanket on which they put all their patches the boys do not seem to care much about showing off any but the latest one they put on their pocket. I store my son''s up when he is older he will be ready for trips down memory lane.

[Jeffrey H]

Our Pack has about 50 active boys and I have yet to see any of them wear the Patch Vests. No one seems to want one. I am surprised because we give out several patches a year for participation and regonitions.

 

I will say this. They don''t look good sitting on top of the cub scout uniform shirt.

[moxieman]

Up here in the Maine Wilderness, it depends on the pack. Some seem to have a lot of youth with brag vests, others do not. Usually, if you get one to have one, the others see how cool it is and suddenly, they all want one.

 

Then again, when the youth see my five blanket display, including one set-up wearable poncho-style like scouting organizations in many other countries do, there seems to be new enthusiasm to show off what they have earned. I do quickly point out that only one of the five blankets is my "brag blanket". The other four are trades/gifts and a few purchases (mostly fundraiser patches like the set put out by Southeast Louisiana Council right after Katrina to raise funds to send their OA youth to NOAC).

 

[theysawyoucomin']

I ebbs and flows.

 

One den a couple of years older than my son , the whole den had them.

 

Not so much now but a simple suggestion in out pack could get them rolling again.

[resqman]

Our Pack had about 50% participation in the red felt brag vest. Those that wore them, wore them with pride.

 

Occasionally there was a discussion of having somebody handy with a sewing machine make them. The idea was to buy one or two in different sizes to make patterns. Once the pattern is made, then vests could be made for just the cost of the material and the donated time of the seamstress.

 

My son never seem interested. I got some stiff felt at the craft store about 12"x18" and hot glued his patchs to that. My thought was eventually to move them to a patch blanket.

 

As a Scout in the 70''s, I sewed all my patches to the back of my red wool scout shirt-jac. Apparently the uniform guide now indicates you can only wear one patch on the back of the wool shirt-jac.

 

My grandmother removed all my patches and sewed them to a large piece of red felt with the idea of making a wall hanging. It stayes rolled up in the back of my closet.

 

I like the idea of sewing them to a blanket. My problem is most of the fleece blankets are so small, 48"x60", that they do not cover my 6''2", 240lb body. As already mentioned, it is common in scouting around the world to cut a slit in the blanket, hem the edges, and wear it as a poncho while sitting around the campfire. The patches spark interest and help start conversations.

[Beavah]

What, nobody''s chimed in yet to say dat the patch vests aren''t official wear in da Insignia Guide?

 

I only commish for one pack, but I always get a kick talkin'' to Wolves and Bears about their patches.

 

Beavah

 

[ScoutNut]

My Pack gives a brag vest to every new Cub. We use segments to recognize the boys for lots of the things they do (cheaper than big patches). The vests look cool with lots of colorful rings on the back.

 

They also put on other patches they receive. Many are participation patches for things like the popcorn sale and Day Camp. The Sports and Academic "C" along with pins go on the vest. Some are patches from places they have visited. Others are things like State Park Junior ranger patches or patches they have received from being dragged along on Girl Scout activities with their sisters!

 

Between fun patches, earned patches, and everything in between, those vests make a nice keepsake for the boys of their Cub Scout years.

[MOMSCOUT24-7]

 

Our Pack has the tiger scouts, (and new scouts in other dens) make their own vest. We trace it and the boys cut it out and sew it.

 

They are too big!

They are uneven!

They get ratty looking by the time they are bears!

 

The Boys wear them with pride!

 

It helps them remember all the fun things they have done. Older boys show off to younger ones. Younger boys proudly show off the few they have.

They are a great place for S&A pins and extra belt loops!

Pinewood metals too!

Leave no trace looks Killer on the center back!

 

 

We try to give patches for pack outing, some dens give them for different things. We dont go patch crazy, but we have fun with it.

 

Eventually I may put his patches on a blanket, but I think he gets a lot of enjoyment out of the vest.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

My Pack found the Supply Corporation vests too expensive.

 

Bought one of each size some years ago, and made a pattern.

 

Now, the Moms of the Pack make them up each Fall.

 

Win-win as far as parents are concerned!

[jens3sons]

Our pack makes our own, a mom who sews makes enough for all the new boys who have joined. She also sews the round patch on the back of the vest for the segments to go around them. We use segments instead of totems. We gave up on the totems. Those beads fall all over the place, and we figure the boys remember better what activities they did much better given a little "picture" vs. a bead. The boys put their popcorn patches on their and their pinewood derby patches. Any sporting events that they attend through the council also goes on their vest and any camping such as camporall or any of the district or council camps they add on their vests. A friend of mine ended up having to sew an extra 6" of material to the bottom of her son''s vest because they ran out of room! The boys do like to see how many rings they can get around their "anchor" patch compared to other boys in the pack.

[pinkflame]

My son had one as a Cub. I pln to put it up on a hanger at his Eagle Court of Honor, along with his pine cares on a little stand. I am now putting his Boy Scout patches (summer camps, 50-miler, etc) onto a red felt blanket that I got at the Socut store. He thinks it is real corny now but that''s what moms are all about.

 

A few years ago a man at our church who had been a lifelong Scouter passed away. At the reception after his funeral, there were multiple tables covered with memorabilia about his life. Most of it was Scouting related. Each table had a "tablecloth" that was a blanket full of Scout patches from places he ahd been or things he had done. It was overwheliming.

 

This man had been one of my son''s favorite people even when he was a pre-schooler. He had such a wonderful way about him. Seeing physical evidence of of his Scouting journey was one more affirmation of his extraordinary life

[WVCubDad]

I bought my son a vest last year when he was a Tiger. An older Webelo he really looks up to wore his to the first Pack meeting and he decided that he had to have one too.

 

Well, 10 theme patches, 2 popcorn patches, LNT, Resident Camp, Family Camps, Father/Son camps, rain camp, Master Angler, Scout Sunday, 2 pinewood derby patches (and probably some I''ve missed) later, he has yet to wear it to a meeting!!!!!

 

My thought is instead of ripping them all off and puttin them on a blanket, I''m just going to open up the seams and stich the vest to it instead.

 

A couple of packs in our Council use a red sweatshirt to put their patches on. I think that looks pretty cool and even their leaders wear them. We''ve got yellow sweatshirts from Class B with a nice logo on the front, so adding the patches doesn''t look quite as good, according to the non-brag-vest-wearing now Wolf Cub son, who will learn to sew in the very near future!!!!

 

John

Assistant Cubmaster

Pack 13

Potomac District

Shenandoah Area Council