Camping Distance for Adults

[Eagledad]

Most troops seem to have limits, but ours didn't. Since we usually set the adult camp site out of site and sound of the scouts camp sites, we rarely had problems with adult interference. We might have a situation once in a while, but not enough to force a change of policy.

Barry

[qwazse]

14 minutes ago, krikkitbot said:

Related question. Do you place a limit on the number of adults going on each camping trip? 

No. But the further in that we hike the fewer we get!

Is that disruptive of the patrol method? Yes. Does it help adult association? Yes. It certainly gives some people for the SM to talk to when the boys are on autopilot.

Note that we have not had the trouble other troops have had with helicopter moms. Most moms don't join us. The ones who do have been great. We have had some helicopter dads, the physical distance helps us manage them by setting the tone.

[blw2]

The SM in our troop did not.  He had a "The More The Merrier" policy.

I tend to agree with him, only form the standpoint that I don't feel it appropriate to tell a parent that they can't come along to observe.  I was never aware of any outright direction or rules to stay hands-off either, although I feel like the concept was subtly encouraged within reason... I saw plenty of parent/kid interaction on the trips I joined them on....

The committee did on several occasions make parents register as committee to go along....with summer camp, where it was likely a camp rule.  I never cared for that registering a parent that had no intention of taking a job or really serving the troop in any capacity.

I felt like this was all a carry over from the pack mentality and family camping....see the thread I started today.

[JustAScoutMom]

Ours doesn't limit....but each adult joining MUST be registered/paid with BSA, so that does reduce the number naturally.

[ItsBrian]

24 minutes ago, JustAScoutMom said:

Ours doesn't limit....but each adult joining MUST be registered/paid with BSA, so that does reduce the number naturally.

Same for us. We only have around 4-5 active registered leaders (2 are in college, so 7 total). 

We are a small troop too, only around 12 scouts so it’s easy to manage.

[Jameson76]

1 hour ago, krikkitbot said:

Related question. Do you place a limit on the number of adults going on each camping trip? 

Typically no.  We have 35 - 40 scouts each outing, so for driving we need 10 or so just to get there.  If a parent is new we cover where the leaders camp, let the scouts do there thing, etc.  If you go on more than one outing we will register you.  We do require all that attend outings to be current with YPT.  We have had some aged out scouts that come on occasion.  They always think the YPT is sort of creepy.

We never have moms attend, must be a vibe we give off.  There have been some doting dads and the SM or outdoor person will give  friendly chat about let them be.  Sometimes we have to send a scout back to patrol areas who is coming looking for dad too much.  On the flip side we get some whose kids do not ride to or from the outing with the dad, and actually never seem to speak with the dad.  

It all seems to work out.  The new dads, especially those that have recently crossed over really like the troop camping plan.

[perdidochas]

On 3/1/2018 at 11:44 AM, gblotter said:

With the size of campsites we usually occupy, 100 yards is not really practical. A hands-off attitude works pretty well for us.

The same with us.  One of the main things is that we don't allow the scouts to come into our campsite without permission (and the adults likewise ask permission before going into the boys' camping area).  

[perdidochas]

On 3/1/2018 at 2:59 PM, Tampa Turtle said:

Regardless we are trying to build "resilient youth" (to get all buzzwordy) and we do that through the outdoor method. 

Very buzzwordy, I like it.  

[DuctTape]

With 35-40 kids, and ten adults/drivers, why all going to same location? Sounds like each patrol could have a completely different adventure. 5 patrols each with 2 adults to be g2ss compliant. 

[Tampa Turtle]

7 minutes ago, DuctTape said:

With 35-40 kids, and ten adults/drivers, why all going to same location? Sounds like each patrol could have a completely different adventure. 5 patrols each with 2 adults to be g2ss compliant. 

IF one can find a good site that many should have patrols spaced pretty far apart. Pretty hard at State Parks, pretty easy at state conservation primitive sites. I like the idea of separate adventures but separate paper work, reservations is more work.

15 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

Very buzzwordy, I like it.  

Yeah the younger parents like that.

[perdidochas]

On 3/5/2018 at 7:28 AM, blw2 said:

very good point, Justascoutmom....

 

Also another thought..... how different really, is this topic from those scouts that have a parent as a scouter and have never been on a trip without them.....not sleeping in the same tent, but they go on every trip.  I've seen life scouts that I'm pretty sure have never been on a camping trip without a parent along....?  Now i understand that within this can be a wide disparity between those with very close contact throughout the weekend and those that are very hands off and never interact together on the trip.... but generally speaking that's just a stepping stone or two away in my estimation.  Just knowing that mom or dad is "available" is something.   I can think of a couple cases where dad is the scouter & I used to think that it was dad that couldn't let go but now I'm pretty sure it's mom driven...

As a scouter with two boys in the Troop, I would occasionally skip a campout, just so the boys had the experience of camping without me. I also arranged it so that they would occasionally camp without either me or their brother.   I didn't go to summer camp with the troop until my oldest was an Eagle, and my youngest was Life and the SPL.    I was pretty much hands-off with the boys when I was there, until they became older scouts.  Then, as they were involved in troop leadership, we interacted more.  

[perdidochas]

On 3/2/2018 at 1:50 PM, JustAScoutMom said:

Was just a joke...my real comment was the one prior.

I found that my son actually preferred being in his OWN tent, rather than bunking with another scout.  Some may simply believe that they have to bunk with another...and they would prefer their parent over another boy.  Not sure if this is the issue, but maybe?

My sons did prefer being in their own tents for the most part. My youngest didn't realize that until he slept in a tent by himself.  The troop had a rule that only Star Scouts and above could tent alone. Personally, I would have moved that down to First Class, but it seemed to work.  

[blw2]

7 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

As a scouter with two boys in the Troop, I would occasionally skip a campout, just so the boys had the experience of camping without me. I also arranged it so that they would occasionally camp without either me or their brother.   I didn't go to summer camp with the troop until my oldest was an Eagle, and my youngest was Life and the SPL.    I was pretty much hands-off with the boys when I was there, until they became older scouts.  Then, as they were involved in troop leadership, we interacted more.  

IMO, I think that a conscious effort MUST me made in this area of giving your son space.  My son was already very comfortable with the idea of sleeping away from us so that wasn't an issue....it was more about giving him that opportunity to grow

As committee member, I rarely went with the troop for double reasons.  I was trying to give my son space + I feel as committee member I feel that I really only belong on camps occasionally in my capacity of monitoring the troop.  We already had too many adults along if MOST of the ASM's were along on the trip...and really had too many if they all went.  Add in the odd parent visiting + a committee member or 3 we sometimes had about as many adults as we did scouts.

After son joined the troop and  I was asked to serve the troop....I think I went on one monthly camp, my son's first summer camp, and one other council camp.  The last one I camped with the troop only because I was taking IOLS at the council reservation that same weekend running concurrently with some district event.  I would have loved to go on a lot more but purposely stayed away.

5 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

My sons did prefer being in their own tents for the most part. My youngest didn't realize that until he slept in a tent by himself.  The troop had a rule that only Star Scouts and above could tent alone. Personally, I would have moved that down to First Class, but it seemed to work.  

Our SM had a soft rule about 1st year scouts not tenting alone.  He pushed it but I don't think it was set in stone.... I think it was mostly for the first camp or two till he could get a read on the boy.  Star scout seems extreme to me....personally I think that IF you must have such a rule I'd say 1st Class would be the highest limit....maybe even tenderfoot or 2nd class.

I can see advantages of the social thing and building friendships....but if one wanted to add requirements such as this I personally like the idea of patrol tee pees...big enough for the whole patrol....that could really help build patrol spirit!

[Tampa Turtle]

20 minutes ago, blw2 said:

Our SM had a soft rule about 1st year scouts not tenting alone.  He pushed it but I don't think it was set in stone.... I think it was mostly for the first camp or two till he could get a read on the boy.  Star scout seems extreme to me....personally I think that IF you must have such a rule I'd say 1st Class would be the highest limit....maybe even tenderfoot or 2nd class.

 

We once had a similar rule especially for 1st years. They had to have a tent buddy which cut down on some of the tent buying and site congestion. We then tried to discourage tents of 3 or more they just got too noisy. Some young boys preferred to sleep alone; they got around the (soft) rule by going to backpacking tents or hammocks.

[gblotter]

Our Scouts decide who they want to tent with, whether they tent alone or together, and even if they want to have a "party tent" with a larger number of boys. Just another step down the path to being a boy-led troop.