Venturing Uniforms and Insignia

[OscarTango]

Hey everyone!I'm not in Scouting but plan to join a Venturing Crew once I meet the age requirements this summer. I'm not too sure about the uniforms for Venturing, except that the crew can design it's own. So if you were to choose a crew polo, shirt, hoodie, etc; where would you put the many emblems, insignia, patches, awards, knots, and ranks? Sew them on a tee-shirt or hoodie? Also, can a crew choose to wear a Boy Scout Action Shirt, and put the insignia on that? Thank you!

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=APPAREL&c3=ASHIRTS&c4=&lv=3&item=615ASL

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctlg=00MASTER&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=APPAREL&c3=ASHIRTS&c4=&LV=3&item=615AS

 

 

[Eagle92]

OT,

If your unit designs it's on unifomr, generally it's not gonna have ANY insignia on it. One expection I have seen is Sea Scout Ships , but they are the red-headed step children of Scouting and really didn't have a required uniform until recently, and some ships still creat their own per Venturing policy.

[OscarTango]

Eagle92,

 

Thanks for your reply. So should the crew design it's own uniform would I just keep all my patches, badges, etc in a box or buy a seperate "Class A" uniform to sew them onto?

[Eagle92]

Again it depends on the unit. Some units are more recognition oriented than others. I'll give you an example. My Sea Scout ship as a youth had a polo shirt with the First Class Anchor and CO on it. Also offered a hoodie with the same info, ans the ship number going down one sleeve.They didn't really care about advancement and awards one bit.

 

Second ship was a bit mroe regimented. The uniform was 'blue white dress" similar to the Florida Sea Base's, and since we did wear white shirts similar to scouting shirts, we did wear full insignia: Sea Explorers, BSA Strip (I'm dating myself) CSP, Unit number ( for those that could as 2 of us were pros) POR, OA flap, knots,regional patch ( again 2 of use wore it) and temp insignia.

[OscarTango]

Ahh I see. Thank you very much! I can't wait to start in Venturing( absolutely loathed Brownies and Daisys)

[emb021]

You have several questions, so let's try to answer them. Be aware there is a page at the National Venturing Cabinet site on venturing uniforms, including a Uniform FAQ: http://www.nationalventuringcabinet.org/uniform.shtml

 

Problem with the Venturing uniform policy is people hear "crews pick their uniform" and turn their minds off to the FULL policy, which is more then just that.

 

"Also, can a crew choose to wear a Boy Scout Action Shirt, and put the insignia on that?"

 

No. Venturers are proscribed from using the tan boy scout uniform.

 

The BSA Venturing uniform is the spruce green shirt with 'emerald' green loops (YES, you must wear loops), with charcoal gray pants or shorts (these need not be from National Supply). Insignia is worn on this uniform as set down by the insignia guide. Whenever you are at an event where a uniform is required, this is the one to use (ie: OA events, NOAC, Jamboree, etc).

 

Crews are NOT required to mandate this uniform. They can pick another uniform (but as noted about, the tan boy scout uniform is NOT an option, and if they go with the Venturing uniform, they need to follow insignia policies AND wear the right color pants/shorts).

 

I have seen crews use polo shirts, t-shirts, denim shirts, 'fishing shirts', aloha shirt, etc. At Venturing events, those who understand this will be clear that the crew uniform is what we expect, not the green uniform.

 

With t-shirts they usually silk-screen a design on them. With polo shirts, denim shirts, and fishing shirts etc, (and sometime t-shirts) they will have an embroidered design.

 

On rare occasions I will see crews place insignia on these shirts. Usually the fishing shirt or aloha shirt, less often a polo. Never on a t-shirt.

 

I've also see a crew which used a vest.

 

I always recommend that if a crew choices NOT to use the green venturing uniform as their uniform, that they allow and encourage their members who DO need to wear a uniform to wear it.

 

 

 

[BadenP]

This question has always been a minefield in Venturing especially with some very narrow interpretations, such as emb021's. If a crew elects to wear other than the official spruce green shirt you can have the venturing logo, and unit id on that shirt or sweatshirt, some very nice ones are available from national supply. As far as awards such as bronze, gold and silver, I have seen them at council and regional events worn on the crews chosen uniform shirt or sweatshirt and no one challenged it. There is no offical rule in venturing stating that these awards can only be worn on the official spruce green shirt, and not on the uniform shirt the crew has chosen, even though the venturing uniform purists will deny it.

[emb021]

"As far as awards such as bronze, gold and silver, I have seen them at council and regional events worn on the crews chosen uniform shirt or sweatshirt and no one challenged it. There is no offical rule in venturing stating that these awards can only be worn on the official spruce green shirt, and not on the uniform shirt the crew has chosen, even though the venturing uniform purists will deny it."

 

Sorry, but I am not aware of any 'venturing uniform purists' who would deny this.

 

I have zero issue with crews wearing their awards on their crew uniform.

 

[Eagle92]

Emb,

While I do not accuse yo of being a "purist," heck you advocate Cabela's over Supply Division gray shorts/pants when a purist would say you must wear Supply shorts/pants, however there are 'purists" aka Uniform Police out there in reference to Venturing.

 

 

[OscarTango]

Thanks so much everyone! That clears up some of my questions already. However, can a crew wear a Boy Scout Action Shirt ( the lightweight white button down) with the Venturing insignia on it in the official positions? Just wondering

[John-in-KC]

I think I would ask the youth in the Crew what they want to wear, to include the level of bling. Venturers are older teens; this is a decision adults can pass off to them.

[dhendron]

What you should be reading here is that there are plenty of right ways to handle the crew uniform, and a couple of obvious wrong ones: using the Boy Scout uniform as previously mentioned, and allowing anyone but the crew to choose their own uniform.

 

One thing to consider as well is using both the official uniform and having a less formal t-shirt, polo or whatever. The bottom line is the crew chooses their uniform, or whether they wear one at all.

 

Our crew has chosen to do both. Again, there is no right or wrong way, it is up to you. One fun thing our crew did was to design their own. They used one of the many online sources that allow you to choose a graphic they have available, or design your own. Here is what we did, which the crew really likes:

 

Front of shirt: files.me.com/david.hendron/x2f6g0

Back of shirt: files.me.com/david.hendron/au2pxh

 

I have seen a bunch of unique crew designs, and some of them are really clever. Some others are very simple and quite inexpensive. One thing to consider also is making your own, which I have seen some crews do. This can be done with a friend who is involved in silk screening, or with iron on transfers you can create with transfer material purchased from your local Staples or similar and with a design you make on your computer.

 

Lots of possibilities, and only limited by your crews imagination and resources. Good luck!

[OldGreyEagle]

An interesting proposal was made at a recent crew, seems since the Crew knew they could design their own uniforms, some of the young ladies wanted to go with Cub scout shirts tied up at the midriff, very EMO, and I didnt know they were still around.

 

Luckily, or perhaps not, they were told just as a Crew can't wear the Boy Scout unifor, neither can they wear the Cub scout uniform either

 

I have to say this:

 

How do you describe an EMO band?

 

5 guys in girls black jeans wearing black eyeliner crying

 

Why do you hope your lawn turns EMO?

 

Then it would cut itself

[emb021]

"While I do not accuse yo of being a "purist," heck you advocate Cabela's over Supply Division gray shorts/pants when a purist would say you must wear Supply shorts/pants, however there are 'purists" aka Uniform Police out there in reference to Venturing."

 

Most of these people I would hope are not in Venturing...

 

Actually, I advocate Bass Pro Shop, as that's were I get my gray shorts (usually when they go on sale). But Cabelas works just as well. For more dressy occasions, I have a nice pair of charcoal gray slacks I got from Old Navy that look real nice (and were really inexpensive).

 

Thing is, when Venturing was rolled out, NS didn't have gray shorts/pants. We had no choice but to go get our own. My first was a very nice pair from Royal Robbins (who dropped gray as one of the choices for that particular pair. ). LL Bean was actually the source for the first 'official' gray shorts worn, and National actually had worked out a deal for crews to order that particular pair from them at a discount. In all the early Venturing pictures, the Venturers were wearing those.

 

So its has really ALWAYS been policy that one was NEVER required to get the charcoal gray pants/shorts from National Supply. Certainly the fact that if you go to National Jamboree, while all the venturers and adults at the Venturing Exhibit will be in green/gray, very few will be wearing the official ones.

 

But, of course, the idea that one DIDN'T need to get certain items from National Supply (as well as the whole idea of crews deciding their own uniform, which was just a contination of the old Explorer policy that had been around 20-30 years) just seems to throw too many scouters for a loop.

 

The flip side is that sadly for some, the 'crew picks their own uniform' seems to make some think the uniform policy is 'anything goes' when it really isn't. So when you have to point out things that can't be done, you get people balking.

 

 

 

[Eagle92]

EMB,

Sorry for the bass pro/ Cabela's msitake.

 

Yep I was there for the beginning of venturing too. heard abotu the change and met the director in May, and was at the all hands in August when it was unleashed. Also one of the presenters on venturing at the meeting was in my council. She's a different story though

 

But yes there were no shorts created until August 1999, with the pants comign out in August 2000, 1 and 2 years respectively after venturing came about. BUT if you talk to the UP, and national supply, they are ADAMANT that only the offical supply division pants/shorts/switchbacks are to be worn with the venturing green shirts.

 

Me personally I got my original shorts and pants bought in 1998, and still have the offical pants I got on sale, whcih I rarely wear. The official shorts I was required to buy for my job, working in supply, have long been placed in the garbage.