SCOUTbox

[EmberMike]

https://scoutbox.us

 

Anyone ever tried it? Looks pretty cool. I like the Summer Camp box idea they did, where you can order a box to be shipped out to a scout while at camp. 

[Stosh]

Or mom could bake cookies and send them along for free.    Toss in a popcorn popper and popcorn on the fire....with your buddies. 

 

It's a good idea, but one of the biggest problems I face is pizza and soda at the trading post, where the boys eat there rather than the patrol food back at camp.  Those with money get treats, those without don't.  Lots of "messages" floating through the camp with this kind of thing. 

 

I had a picky eater that lived out of the trading post and when the money ran out, he somehow survived on those cheezy fish crackers.  Other than an IV, I had no idea how to get nourishment into this kid. 

 

Granted life isn't fair, but one doesn't need to have to deal with this while the other boys are supposed to be having fun.

 

A few of my parents ship big enough packages along to camp with a note that says, "SM: Open on Wednesday night after supper" and it's enough goodies for everyone to have a snack.  Scores a ton of good points for the boy and his parents.

[qwazse]

@@EmberMike, the guys who started the company posted on this forum and took some suggestions during their soft roll-out. My kids knew what they wanted by breaking in (sometimes, quite literally) my equipment.

 

@@Stosh, I agree. The boys loved the personal touches ... be it the full roll of baler twine in my car, the SM's wife's cookies, my brother stopping by with two large pizzas, or one dad's raid of the road-side candy store at the foot of the mountain.

 

That said, for a completely clueless family (e.g., one where the parents -- not just one family, but the entire patrol of them -- never camped), the collection shown on these boxes helps a boy gear-up in a scout-appealing way. E.g., the freeze-dried ice-cream sandwich: I tossed one in my pack during the crew's last backpacking trip, and it astounded the boys at the end of a rugged evening.

[Stosh]

I was on a canoe/fishing trip up near the BWCA with some of the boys.  We needed some mid-week supplies and when I showed up with a 5-qt pail of ice cream (dry ice). it was Christmas in July!

[Back Pack]

Not a fan of this concept. It takes the fun out of using your own brain and doing your own research.

[Stosh]

Not a fan of this concept. It takes the fun out of using your own brain and doing your own research.

 

  If allowed, the boys have enough brains to figure out where the ice cream section is if given the chance.  I just cut to the chase.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Stosh

[EmberMike]

Not a fan of this concept. It takes the fun out of using your own brain and doing your own research.

 

I think there's some fun in getting the chance to try something you might not ordinarily go out and buy or otherwise have an opportunity to use. Or making use of something that your research might not have led you to. 

[qwazse]

I think there's some fun in getting the chance to try something you might not ordinarily go out and buy or otherwise have an opportunity to use. Or making use of something that your research might not have led you to. 

My scouting career basically began with me going down to the basement and pulling my brothers' gear from the rafters. Then raiding mom's pantry for cans of food. No research involved. None of the stuff was anything I'd ordinarily buy. Same applied to my sister's stereo and abandoned records.

 

So, this service might fill that gap (smaller families, fewer older siblings leaving stuff around the house). It's popular enough that they are still in business after a year.

 

Still, if you can, give a kid some bills and a ride to a sporting goods store.