dedkad Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 My son is bridging over to Boy Scouts in February, and he is looking at going to camp with the troop. I had a bit of sticker shock. I'm used to the $100 Cub Scout Day Camp cost. The camp his troop is going to is $700 for the week. Is that typical for Boy Scout camps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstodwftexas Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 There is No Typical Pricing for Summer Camps.. Where is he Going? What Type of Camp Program do they Offer? Does that Cost Cover Transportation, Lodging and Meals in transit to and from camp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 That is much higher than ours and much closer to the cost of some High Adventure bases. (See the Bechtel Summit Reserve's program.) But that may also include transportation costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred johnson Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 $260 - Week of summer camp run by local scouting council $140 - Week of summer camp run by our troop. We sometimes do both. $700 - Sounds like high adventure. Sea Base was about that price years ago WITHOUT transportation. Your troop might be doing some special summer program this year. IMHO, troops should offer a normal priced summer camp each year. The high price forces some scouts out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedkad Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 As I look into this further, it appears the camp they are going to is not a Boy Scout property. It is a private camp that offers Scouting programs. That's probably part of the reason the cost is so high. It's a camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California. The troop alternates between this camp and another camp in the Sierra mountains each year. The other camp is at a Boy Scout property, so hopefully that one will be cheaper. It would be nice if they offered both on the year that they do the expensive camp, so at least a boy who wants to attend camp can go without breaking the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 As I look into this further, it appears the camp they are going to is not a Boy Scout property. It is a private camp that offers Scouting programs. That's probably part of the reason the cost is so high. It's a camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California. The troop alternates between this camp and another camp in the Sierra mountains each year. The other camp is at a Boy Scout property, so hopefully that one will be cheaper. It would be nice if they offered both on the year that they do the expensive camp, so at least a boy who wants to attend camp can go without breaking the bank.Yep, Catalina Island ain't no Brownsea. I can understand both approaches. If they offer both activities in the same summer, that may mean patrols get split. Hopefully your troop has spring fundraisers that offset costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred johnson Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 As I look into this further, it appears the camp they are going to is not a Boy Scout property. It is a private camp that offers Scouting programs. That's probably part of the reason the cost is so high. It's a camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California. The troop alternates between this camp and another camp in the Sierra mountains each year. The other camp is at a Boy Scout property, so hopefully that one will be cheaper. It would be nice if they offered both on the year that they do the expensive camp, so at least a boy who wants to attend camp can go without breaking the bank.Most councils offer lone scouter summer camp opportunities too. ... or go with another troop to summer camp. Summer camp is a big part of the program and it's sad to lose the experience. But I must admit I could not afford $700 for summer camp every other year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstodwftexas Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Well looking at Camps on Catalina Island I would say $700 for camp ain't bad...I found prices starting at $1500 to $4000 so With Out knowing what camp I can't say if it is a good Price truly or Not. Sadly Private Camps are one of the reason why Many Councils are closing Camps..Financial concerns out way the benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedkad Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 As I look into this further, it appears the camp they are going to is not a Boy Scout property. It is a private camp that offers Scouting programs. That's probably part of the reason the cost is so high. It's a camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California. The troop alternates between this camp and another camp in the Sierra mountains each year. The other camp is at a Boy Scout property, so hopefully that one will be cheaper. It would be nice if they offered both on the year that they do the expensive camp, so at least a boy who wants to attend camp can go without breaking the bank.Fred, I can see myself calling the Scoutmaster of the CO troop that my son just decided not to join. Me: "Hey, I know he didn't want to join your troop, but is it OK if my son comes with you guys to summer camp because the troop we are joining is sending them off to rich kid camp and we can't afford to go?" SM: "Your son should have thought of that when he decided not to join our troop. You made your bed, now lie in it." I haven't even told the CO SM yet that none of my son's den are joining his troop because I've been too nervous to break the news to him. But I think one boy in our den is joining a troop from another town, so maybe we could go with them because there shouldn't be any hard feelings there. I will have to inquire about that possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 As I look into this further, it appears the camp they are going to is not a Boy Scout property. It is a private camp that offers Scouting programs. That's probably part of the reason the cost is so high. It's a camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California. The troop alternates between this camp and another camp in the Sierra mountains each year. The other camp is at a Boy Scout property, so hopefully that one will be cheaper. It would be nice if they offered both on the year that they do the expensive camp, so at least a boy who wants to attend camp can go without breaking the bank.DK, l'll try to put this as politely as I can: That's just "girl thinking". Any SM worth the title will make it work for your boy. If a fella ever talked to you like that, I'd tell his mamma to wash his mouth out with soap until he can say 'friendly, courteous, kind' while gargling bubbles. Explain to your son what you are thinking of doing, ask him if it'd be okay to talk to the another troop and plan to summer with them. (This may mean going to a few meetings to meet the boys he'd be camping with). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Well looking at Camps on Catalina Island I would say $700 for camp ain't bad...I found prices starting at $1500 to $4000 so With Out knowing what camp I can't say if it is a good Price truly or Not. Sadly Private Camps are one of the reason why Many Councils are closing Camps..Financial concerns out way the benefits.I figure someone in the troop has a connection. or, their fundraising already underwrites part of the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old_OX_Eagle83 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 The cost varies by location and program, but that is very expensive if what's offered is a local traditional week long summer camp. $150 - $250 is typical of a week long local council ran traditional camp program. If you're not including travel costs, that fee is more in line with Philmont or Northern Tier High Adventure Base pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeptic Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Location, location, location; Catalina is an anomaly due to this. But anywhere in California you are going to most likely see between $300 and $400 due to state laws related to camp staff pay and other state level rules regarding camps. One of the reasons we have stuck to council the past few years is that any camperships available are only good within council; and few councils offer them to out of council units. For us, our camp is just about the closest too, which is a bigger factor than it was once. Of course, now we have the drought to deal with; last year our reservoir lake dried up before July, so no boating. Still have the pool, but the weather outlook does not bode well for boating. Lots of other good program though. For what you still get at most BSA camps, the price is not that high. But smaller troops often are penalized for leadership costs due to minimum camper counts and two deep. We no longer get any free unless we have at least 10 scout campers; and since that is how many we have in the troop, not likely to happen. Adult price is lower, but I feel it should do no more than cover food costs, which would save about 30-40%. Of course, troops from less financially stable areas also struggle to cover summer camp especially, and even local weekend camping to some extent. There are few free camping areas anymore; and many closer in public areas are not the best place to camp due to lack of control of who is nearby, and their actions. Compare BSA camps to other group camps though, and they generally are a deal, even on Catalina. We just keep working on finding the least expensive spots that meet a minimum level. Packing in helps with this, but right now we struggle due to leadership shortages of adults that can still backpack. Working on that now with some hope of finally getting some help. Just keep working the program, and "do your best". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpstodwftexas Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Just check out the Camp and the Program... My council is promoting Summer Camp using a Video with no photos from Our Camp..except maybe the Climbing Tower. Definitely not The River Canoeing , Not The Archery Range, Not the Rifle Range, Not the Lake Barge.We have a Pool and that is it. No C.O.P.E, No Lake, No Permanent Climbing Towers, No Zip Lines, We hopefully will have the New Shotgun Range finished by Summer Camp. Our Aquatics program portion of Camp was Canceled last year due to low Lake Levels Unless we get Drastic Rain Levels we won't have it again this year..Our Lakes are at almost 28% Levels right now. We did Swimming and Lifesaving Only at the pool, We Bused the Scouters out to the Lake each day when we was able to in Prior Years..Bummer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Private camps always seem pretty expensive as are High Adventure. We go to Summer Camp up in the Georgia/N. Carolina mountains and typically pay $450-$500 per scout per week all inclusive (except for some craft supplies for a few MBs). This includes rental of a bus for transport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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