Venturing Uniforms and Insignia

[BadenP]

You know the venturing pants issue or the lack of pants at the beginning brings up an interesting debate. Since most of the uniform problems talked about in all levels in scouting revolve around the pants what if National decided to make uniform pants an option rather than required them , as is the case in most cub packs and in many troops. It seems to work in Venturing with a myriad of different styles of "uniforms". Most of the early boy scout troops could not get or even afford uniforms and yet scouting seemed to flourish, did you ever think why this was? I guess the question would be taking it out of the military definition and using the definition of a symbol of recognition, what could be considered a valid scout uniform that identified the youth as scouts.

[Eagle92]

BP,

GREAT QUESTION! Here are my thoughts.

1) If we did go away with must having uniform pants like venturing, I would still mandate a color. I have a vivid memory of a British Cub wearing Bright purple pants with their uniform jersey.

 

2) National should still make offical pants for pros and old fogeys who want them.

 

3) note however that the Brits now have uniform pants, but the shirts are now Polos with the necker.

 

5) BRING BACK FULL SIZE NECKERS AND MAKE THEM REQUIRED (caps for emphasis) The full size necker is one of the definitive Scouting uniform items worldwide. It appears that those associations doing away with traditional uniforms are keeping the necker though. BSA has done the opposite.

 

Then again I was told that national is bringing full size neckers out next year

[emb021]

"You know the venturing pants issue or the lack of pants at the beginning brings up an interesting debate. Since most of the uniform problems talked about in all levels in scouting revolve around the pants what if National decided to make uniform pants an option rather than required them , as is the case in most cub packs and in many troops."

 

True. I have an issue of Scouting magazine with a full page age (think it was on the inside of one of the covers), complaining about a picture of marching cub scouts (I think) wearing blue jeans and how that isn't the way it is.

 

Certainly in my experience I see a lot of scouts/scouters wearing the wrong pants a lot. Jeans are the usual item. With venturing crews its worse. You have the ones wearing jeans (and if they were nice jeans, that would be one thing, but they usually look horrible), and the ones with expensive 'tech' pants, and everything in between.

 

'cost' is usually the excuse for wearing something else, but the items I have aren't any more expensive then 'regular' clothes, and look a lot nicer then what I see.

 

I guess with the issue of NS needing to sell the official stuff and make money, there is a lot of resistance to allowing outside sources for the official uniform. Even when they are cheaper and better. (I have a pair of the official shorts. I kept washing them hoping they'd get softer like my 8-pocket shorts, but they never did. They sit in my closet unused...)