Banned Items on Camping Trips

[Eagle732]

No teamwork in eating Poptarts?

 

The patrol decides they want Poptarts for a meal.

The patrol pitches in to buy the Poptarts.

The patrol's grubmaster buys them and brings them on the trip.

The patrol eats the whole box of Poptarts.

Sounds like teamwork to me.

 

But we use to eat Dinty Moore beef stew right from the can too.

[Gary_Miller]

What makes any adult leader think they have the right to ban anything that is not against the law or BSA guidelines?

 

I use to think I had the right ban electronics and other items, all in the name of tiring to give a scout a good outdoor experience. Then I came to a realization that I nor any-other adult leader had the right to banning anything on a camp out if we wanted the respect of the young men in our charge. Took me many years and lots of hard feelings before I discover this. When I think of the relationships that could of been had I not been so stubborn and insistent that my rules be followed.

 

Now I teach correct principles and give advice, and then let the young men govern themselves. I have found that most young men will do whats right when you give them your trust.

 

Lead by example. If you want your boys to cook good meals then the leaders should cook outstanding meals in their own camp. Soon the boys will see what can be done and they will start to follow.

[Oak Tree]

I think that adults clearly have the right to ban things if they want to. There are always ramifications, but some things being banned are often just a basic framework for how the program is going to operate. I have no problem with many of the things here being banned.

 

We did rethink our cell phone ban, and we aren't electronics police, either. If you listen to an iPod in your tent with earphones, why should we care? However, adults set a lot of the tone of any program.

 

With a solid PLC and a well-developed program, with some tradition and some responsible boys, you can pretty much discuss all of the policies with them. It's a good thing to do. But there are often a lot of issues in any troop, and sometimes the simple ban is an easy way to deal with an issue in the short-term. Nothing wrong with that as far as I'm concerned.

[Horizon]

Our Troop:

 

Since I became SM:

No oversized Sheath Knives (changed from no sheath knives). What is oversized? Bigger than the Buck the Scoutmaster has carried since he was a Scout. I argue with a member of my Committee about this one regularly. I prefer a sheath knife to a folding knife without a lock.

 

Policies from before I became SM that continue:

No bottled water, paper towel, paper plates, or other disposable items.

 

No cans of soda UNLESS we are backpacking. If you are willing to carry it, go ahead.

 

Electronics - I don't want to see them, I don't want to hear them, I don't want you calling home, and don't complain if you lose it.

 

For food - no restrictions, but the SPL reviews the menus to make sure that there is enough food and the food groups are covered.

[buckytom]

Don't underestimate Pop Tarts as a viable food source.

 

I remember thankfully eating Pop Tarts at both Philmont and Swinging Bridge Campsite (NY State) years ago, for completely different reasons.

 

At Swinging Bridge, the rain didn't stop from a few days before we got there until the day we left. Nothing was dry, no fire wood to be found at all which our leaders had planned on for heat and cooking. This was before the days of small backpacking stoves. Only the big ol' green Coleman LP stoves were around, and who was going to carry that?

 

After finally getting a few twigs to light, and then a bit of center split kindling, one of the best "hot" meals I've ever had were Pop Tarts slightly warmed over the meager flame.

 

At Philmont, on the second morning of our 2 day dry camps, we were just happy to be able to eat anything besides jerky after we all ran out of water on the first day. Dehydrated food doesn't do much for you without H20. But Pop Tarts are just moist enough to choke down.

 

Think of it, along with canned tuna and hard crackers as emergency food.

[DeanRx]

And besides - you can always use the shiny pop-tart wrapper as an emergency signal mirror.... what other food comes packaged in survival gear?

 

Sorry for the confusion on the sheath knives - I was not putting them on the same level as alcohol or porn, just happened to mention them in the same sentence - sheesh !

[DeanRx]

And besides - you can always use the shiny pop-tart wrapper as an emergency signal mirror.... what other food comes packaged in survival gear?

 

Sorry for the confusion on the sheath knives - I was not putting them on the same level as alcohol or porn, just happened to mention them in the same sentence - sheesh !

[Knot Head]

>>> Just a thought - but WHY such a hatred for PopTarts?

[Eagle732]

When I posed the question "Does your troop ban certain items from camping trips?" I would have never guessed that the thread would revert to a "Ban All Poptarts" thread!

 

Sheath knives, cell phones, electronics, I expected but Poptarts?

 

For the record I like strawberry with frosting!

[clemlaw]

Strawberry Poptarts don't contain adequate nutrition.

 

If you want a balanced diet, then you need to eat the Chocolate Poptarts like I do!

[Kudu]

Our neighborhood Troop does not allow electronics except in the car on long trips. Since they have never had a Scoutmaster who was a Scout in his youth, they tend to be focused on "Eagle." The Patrol Method? Not so much

 

At 40+ Scouts the Troop is large by rural southern standards, so I have been slow to suggest changing Troop culture.

 

However as an ASM, I do coordinate the backcountry trips (Scout led, 300 feet between Patrols, etc.).

 

One Scout tried to smuggle a big yellow "emergency" radio on the last trip, which I took away because it was his first trip and it was just too heavy. At the "Roses & Thorns" session I reserved the right to ban heavy stuff, and bulky things like pillows until they get more experience, but I suggested MP3 players for future backpacking trips (only). The Scouts were shocked.

 

Afterward, it occurred to me that most of the backpacking young adults I know outside of Scouting listen to mp3 players on the trail.

 

Anyone have experience with Ipods on the trail in Scouting?

 

Yours at 300 Feet,

 

Kudu

 

[OwntheNight]

Kudu,

 

I don't have a lot of experience with long backpacking treks, but some hikes I've gone on with the boys and the SM, the older boys and even the SM carried an Ipod with them. My SM is an avid runner and definitely uses the ipod for pace, cadence and what not. He shuts it off during hard parts of the hike to keep better focused on the trail or to listen to the boys. I always have my headphones in at work, because I tend to focus better on my tasks, but I can see the benefits for a long hike as long as it's not abused by the boys and they lose the focus on the trail by paying more attention to their music than the trail itself.

[SSScout]

Pacing your effort...

 

When I was a serious Bicyclist, leading tours, conditioning, I would hum the "Karelia Suite" to myself for spinning.

 

From my days in Band, lots of marches for pacing, swing those arms...

[JMBadger]

Considering how much we want the boys to go off on their own "patrol campouts," I say let them take pop-tarts. We should be thrilled with the fact they are getting "out there" and we should encourage them, not place barriers in their path.

 

Once you see they are really getting into the whole "unsupervised" patrol camp-out, use a meeting to teach a cookable breakfast. Something easy and tasty. Perhaps even an inter-patrol competition at the next troop campout, again just for one breakfast. As confidence builds, they'll take that breakfast out with them, and Pop-Tarts will stay home.

 

When I was a kid I brought Quaker instant oatmeal (maple & brown sugar!). My Scoutmaster thought that was fine until he found out I was eating it straight from the package, uncooked. He swore the stuff would swell up and come out my ears.

 

I remember one boy in my troop in the 70's had a sheath knife. Even had the BSA emblem on it. One Saturday evening in front of the campfire he reached down and found an empty sheath. We had been all over the woods that day; there was no chance of us finding it.

 

When I see my son messing with toys or electronics as we are preparing to leave for an outing, I warn him that any of that stuff he loses will not be replaced, ever. After he's gotten his gear and himself in the car, I usually find most of the stuff left behind on the shelf next to the door.

 

Gary_Miller has it right. Teach them well, let them govern themselves.

 

I know BSA has banned the home-made alcohol "can stoves". And right after I finally learned to make them, too!

 

And they can't have rubber-band or squirt-guns because they are "simulated firearms" and you just know they'll want to shoot them at each other.

[SPL1Warwick]

Gary Miller.... I cant agree more with you! It is not the job of the adult leaders to ban items. It is infact the youth. Im sure BSA has wanted to ban ipods and laptops and pop tarts but they relize that this is a YOUTH LEAD ORGANIZATION. Take that for what its worth. Contrary to popular beleif, the adult does not have the power to tell scouts what they can and cant do...(Within health and safety concerns). I dont see why the adults care, let them have fun and they will make mistakes and they will learn from them! I PROMISE!

 

 

PS i love poptarts the cinnimon and sugar ones are the best