Creating a long term equipment investment plan for new troop

[KenD500]

@@skyfiiire check this link out for ideas to outfit with one set of gear that works.

[TAHAWK]

Asking about camping gear is like asking about cars or the "best" football team..  Lots of opinions.

 

You are looking for value, not cheap.

 

CLOTHING

Appropriate clothing is the first requirement and always up to the Scouts and their families in my experience.  Still, you can organize fund-raisers to help.  "A Scout is thrifty.  he pays his own way."

 

The most common problems are footwear for challenging conditions.

Ponchos do for wet weather.  Coated nylon, not plastic. 

 

TENTS  

Every tent I have seen from Walmart (not perhaps all they have but what was purchased) was junk with bare-minimal coating (1000mm; below that it's illegal to call it "waterproof") that soon leaked, fiberglass poles that broke, zippers that failed, and almost no high-to-low ventilation (= severe condensation inside tent.).  

 

All our K-marts around here closed.  They are closing all over the country.

 

ePrey is full of junk tents.  

 

The Internet is full of user reviews.

 

If you buy tents, buy plastic to go outside AND inside.  The tents will last much longer and stay drier.  (Wash with water only.  Put away totally dry  Use two hands to open and close zippers.)

 

PACKS

Packs are again usually a personal gear item

Whoever pays, if you think a pack will work, buy one(1)  and try it out.  Room for the sleeping bag, tent, share of patrol gear and food?   It should have a frame (internal or external), padded shoulder straps, and padded waist belt.  [Just because I had to suffer with a haversack (e.g. ALICE or Yucca Pack) is no excuse for bending kid's back into a pretzel.  It is supposed to be fun, not SEAL training.]

 

COOKING/KP GEAR

I have purchased hundreds of pots and dozens of green Coleman stoves over the years at house, garage, and estate sales, including almost complete BSA Trail Chef Cook Kits.  Since the pots are typically distributed to be carried on backpackers, they do not have to perfectly nest, just work.

 

Churches that used to have troops often has a room in the basement with cooking (and other) gear.  Your service center probably has ladies who can help you search for orphaned gear.

 

Dollar stores have all the utensils you need that you cannot find at house, garage, and estate sales.

 

Dish washing needs a pot to heat water, some plastic tubs, and something to scrub with (Split infinitives make great scrubbers due to their sharp edges.).  

 

The Midnight Curb Store has supplied all the draining racks I could ever use in the form of racks from dish-washers being scrapped. They sit nicely on discarded "lawn chairs."

 

Imaging planning in advance?  

[PA Scoutmaster]

I think going back to the original poster's question, he is looking for a long term plan. In that case, I would stay away from the cheapest stuff;  you are just going to end up replacing it. As many others have said, decide what kind of camping your scouts want to do. We do both plop and drop and backpacking. We have had good luck with the REI half dome tents. Not terribly expensive but not dirt cheap either. They aren't ultra light but when split between two boys they work fine for anything up to and including Philmont. Most good camping suppliers have programs for youth groups. Talk with companies like REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, etc. They want to encourage the next generation to be outdoors, so they are usually willing to cut some breaks to youth groups. 

 

In the short term, asking other units in your area for help can get you started. Many troops have stuff that just sits in their gear room and hasn't been used for a long time. They would certainly be glad to help a new troop. Ask your district or council to put out the word that you could use some gear. Once your scouts start using this stuff, they will get a feel for what they like and don't like.

 

We ask scouts to provide any personal gear such as sleeping bags and packs. I'm sure some troops may provide that but we are not able to do that. We do encourage scouts to donate outgrown packs and bags so younger scouts can use them.

 

I'm not pushing for any specific retailer, just saying what has worked for us. 

[qwazse]

The other thing is planning for storage. You want to plan for how much will be available, who you may have to share it with, etc ...