Uniforming

[Kevinpenguin]

After having my last pair of Venturing pants shrink on me, would it be innappropriate to only wear my new ones only during formal events and pickup some inexpensive outdoor pants to wear instead to most activities.

 

I was the scout who wore his class A to every troop meeting and was told if I am not going to wear one of the parts, don't wear any of it.... (this was said by my family, not my troop - I am the 4th Eagle Scout brother in my family)

 

If they weren't so expensive it wouldn't bother me, but it just seems extreme.

 

Also, does anyone else get non-BSA green knots for their uniforms? Just wondering, the tan knots just irritate me.

 

Kevin

[VentureScoutNY]

 

It all depends on what your Crew allows. Since Crews can make their own uniforming guidelines you have to check with them.

 

The pants are very expensive, I'm surprised you had two pairs anyway!

 

I have seen the unofficial knots, they do seem like they would go better with the Venturing unifrom, but I could never get around to finding them. I've gotten used to the official ones.

 

YIS

[OldGreyEagle]

The "bootleg" knots may be found on E-bay, along with just about any vestige of western civilization, but I digress. I had a moral struggle with myself, the unofficial knots that match the uniform and are worn by a lot of my Council peers or the official knots of the BSA. In the end the official knots won out, setting the example I guess, but the illegal knots do look kewl

[LovetoCamp]

Hey Kev,

 

Try here. I've bought from him in the past.

 

http://www.sageventure.com/venturing/knots.htm

[Kevinpenguin]

I never owned two pairs of pants...

 

I bought my first pair in 2000. I had them hemmed with a couple inches extra to about a 32 inch inseam. In 2001 I had them remove the hem to get it back to about 30 inches. Last week I returned them to get a new pair with a 26.5 inch inseam.

 

I normally don't get mad with the quality of uniforms, but those pants cost more than my groceries for the week.

[Kevinpenguin]

I never owned two pairs of pants...

 

I bought my first pair in 2000. I had them hemmed with a couple inches extra to about a 32 inch inseam. In 2001 I had them remove the hem to get it back to about 30 inches. Last week I returned them to get a new pair with a 26.5 inch inseam.

 

I normally don't get mad with the quality of uniforms, but those pants cost more than my groceries for the week.

[Owl62]

Venturing uniforms are being covered in the Uniform Forum.

 

I recently posted:

 

 

The Venturing uniform is not covered very well in the insignia guide.

 

But in the Venturing Leader Manual, it is:

 

"The recommended uniform is the spruce green Venturing shirt with green epaulette tabs and gray backpacking-style shorts of gray casual pants. However, the uniform is the choice of the crew. Sea Scouts may wear the Sea Scout uniform. For those crews that choose to have the Venturing uniform, it is recommended to wear it when traveling, at crew meetings, at other SCout meetings, when serving the public, and at other appropriate times. When doing field activities sush as sports, water activities, mountaineering, etc., your crew might want to wear something more appropriate to the activity.:

 

The Venturer handbook says about the same thing but adds:

 

"Your crew may design its own uniform."

 

This raises the question: Can a Venturing crew choose to adopt and wear the official spruce green Venturing shirt, but not the official gray shorts or pants?

 

I think the intent of the BSA is to require both the official Venturing shirt and shorts or pants together as a complete set.

 

BUT, the manual does say that the crew can design its own uniform.

 

Many crews adopt the official Venturing shirt, but choose to wear shorts or pants other than the official ones. I know of one that adopted beige shorts or pants (looks pretty good). I think part of the reason for this, right or wrong, is the extreme high cost of the official Venturing shorts or pants.....

 

Can anyone actually quote the offical BSA stance on what the official Venturing uniform consists of.

 

 

 

That being said, I personally where the official spruce green Venturing shirt with either commercial gray shorts or pants that are nearly identical to the official ones. Techically, this is not correct, but I do it for several reasons: The official shorts and pants are ill fitting - even worse than the Boy Scout shorts and pants. The venturing shorts and pants do appear to be better made and of more durable material than the Boy Scout shorts and pants but they are still not of very high quality. They are not very readily available and when they are not all sizes are available. And finally, they are VERY VERY expensive. That little Venturing logo on them must be the justificaion for the additional cost. The official Venturing socks are $13.50 a pair!!! I can buy 3 pairs of very high quality hikig or running socks for that price.

 

Officially I think, Ventures and Venturing Leaders should wear the complete official Venturing uniform if that is the uniform the crew adopts. But then again, the manual says that a crew can design their own uniform.

 

 

 

 

[BurnsCrew440Advisor]

J.C.Pennys has Grey pants that look identical to the offical Crew pants. I was given this information by another Advisor. Since most of my Crew are very low income and we were discussing uniforms. He told me that a lot Crews buy these since the cost is more affordable.We bought our Uniform Shirts after a fundraiser.

[pokethepenguin]

I'm having some uniform troubles because of Seabase. I'm president of a venture crew whose uniform is the uniform shirt, dark blue pants (including jeans - we're rather casual), and nice shoes or hiking boots. For Seabase you're required to have Class As with you. I know we'll need the pants, but whats the rest of the "official" Class A uniform for ventures?

[VentureScoutNY]

The official Venturing uniform includes

 

The Kelly Green shirt with grey pants, venturing socks, venturing brimmed hat or twill cap and belt.

 

You can find it here:

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/cgi/catalog

 

Goodluck!

 

YIS

[pokethepenguin]

Yes, but the Scout Stuff Catalog does not include the socks or the hat as part of their list of what they deem "necessities". Moreover, I don't buy that I need a hat as part of class As, and the cynical part of me is saying they just want money.

 

Yours in utter confusion.

[Shilo]

Our crew, after much discussion among the youth and advisors, adopted the Green Venturing Shirt, dark pants or shorts (no hip huggers or low riders), and dark or official venturing socks.

 

Our crew is tightly associated with a troop and sets the example and standard for younger boy scout youth to follow, so it was a very difficult decision not to go with the full recommended "offical" Venturing uniform. But for us safety became the overriding factor. We live in an area where year round, cotton Is Not Recommended; so the 100% cotton Venturing shorts/pants, are not advisable.

 

We travel to activities in Uniform and change as we hit the trail. Removing shirts for activity shirts (worn underneath) works ... changing out of cotton shorts or pants is a problem.

 

[VentureScoutNY]

 

Welcome to the forums Shilo, where are you from?

 

 

[bluegoose]

If changing out of shorts/pants is a problem, I'd reccomend that your crew do the lifesaving merit badge Maybe it's just me, but having changed into and out of various 'regalia' in multiple public places, I don't think a trail would be too much of a problem. But good luck with that anyway. Peace always

[Proud Eagle]

Does any one have a definitive source on wether or not a Crew can alter the BSA Venturing uniform? I understand that a Crew can choose a uniform of its own design, but I was always under the impression that if you chose the "official" uniform you couldn't mix and match. This isn't to say that many Crews don't do it, many do. It may even be the best, most practical option. However, I have yet to see anything which would over-ride the Rules and Regulations of the Boy Scouts of America, which clearly states (as reprinted in the insignia guide)

Insignia, Uniforms, and Badges

Article X, Section 4

Protection of Uniforms

Clause 4. Prohibition of Alteration or Imitation

(a) No alteration of, or additions to, the official uniforms, as described in the official publications, or the rules and regulations covering the wearing of the uniform and the proper combination thereof on official occasions, may be authorized by any Scouting official or local council or any local executive board or committee, except the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America after consideration by the Program Group Committee.

 

The Venturing section of the Uniform and Insignia Guide 2003-2005 makes no mention of any option to alter the uniform. It just talks about the correct way to wear the official uniform.

 

So, can a Crew decide to use the official Venturing uniform with alterations? or must an all-or-nothing sort of approach be taken to the official Venturing uniform?